Hodge Podge, Product Updates, and QuickBooks Gal News



Hi, I’m Jayne Miller, the QuickBooks Gal. Welcome to another in our series of “Quicklets” –informational podcasts about QuickBooks and related bookkeeping topics.
Today, I’m going to address a hodgepodge of topics…time to catch up a little and answer some questions from listeners. First, I want to thank my listeners and subscribers for their time and for helping to make The QuickBooks Gal such a success in the first few months of broadcasting. We are growing fast and it all thanks to you! I appreciate everyone’s interest and comments…thank you.
I received an email and follow-up phone call from one of our listeners in New York. Geetha Krish is a CPA and QuickBooks ProAdvisor who listens regularly and reminded me that I haven’t done a follow-up podcast about backing up data. Thanks for the reminder Geetha….I will do that one very soon. I have put a link to Geetha’s website on my blog for those of you in New York who may be looking for an experienced QuickBooks professional. If you are looking for QuickBooks support, give her a call! Geetha asked me some great questions about marketing your practice. If you are a QuickBooks service provider, or any small business owner, look for my tips for marketing your business in a future podcast.

If you are starting a new business, and you don’t need a complicated software program, then you may want to take a look at QuickBooks Simple Start.
QuickBooks Simple Start Edition is the simplest way to succeed with just the right essential tools for your small business. It’s easy to track sales and expenses and get organized for tax time. Simple Start easily upgrades to QuickBooks when your business and accounting needs expand and outgrow the program.
Simple Start Key Features
• Print checks, pay bills & track sales & expenses
• Create estimates & invoices
• Tools for payroll & tracking employee time
• Works with Microsoft® Office
• Track inventory and set reorder points
• Download credit card & bank transactions

I am now a Certified Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor. This is the first year that Intuit has offered this certification as an option and I, for one, am glad to have the opportunity to test my skills and knowledge in this great program. Our office now has two Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisors, so if you have questions, call The QuickBooks Gal!
Enterprise Solutions is great for clients hitting list limits or having performance issues. They may want to consider upgrading to Enterprise Solutions. It has the same great features you love in Premier with the added benefit of scalability.
What’s new and wonderful about Enterprise Solutions 2007?
• Everything in QuickBooks: Premier Editions 2007
• Scalable from 5 to 20 simultaneous users (Now comes in 5, 10 , 15, 20 user licenses)
• Capacity for tracking inventory items, customers or vendors - 100,000+
• Advanced user permissions to 115 activities in QuickBooks
• Retrieve QuickBooks data using ODBC compliant applications
• Combine reports from multiple company files
• Create custom financial statements using built-in designer
• Manage fixed assets
• Manage employees using the Employee Organizer
• 24/7 product support
• Automatically receive new versions of Enterprise Solutions
Enhanced functionality to meet the more complex needs of your mid size clients
• Real-time access to your QuickBooks information from any location using Windows Terminal Services
• Advanced inventory tools to help product-based businesses' manage the flow of products through their business, from purchasing to production, from inventory controls to sales.
• NEW! Clients can now purchase & sell the same item in different Units of Measure
• Enhanced security features, including user access permissions to over 115 areas and activities and audit-tracking with no slow-downs.
The ability to expand and customize to meet your client's more specialized needs:
• Expand your client's capabilities through 3rd party QuickBooks compatible software that easily integrates with Enterprise Solutions
• Add optional QuickBooks services and tools as you grow such as payroll services, point-of-sale systems, checks and supplies and credit card processing.
• NEW! For product-based businesses, add a comprehensive EDI solution by TrueCommerce that integrates seamlessly with Enterprise Solutions
For a comparison chart, you can go to this chart.
I want to remind you that quarterly payroll reports are due in April. The 941, 940 FUTA and applicable state and local quarterly filings are due by the end of the month.
If your business pays mileage to your staff members, you may want to visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov for 2007 figures. 2007 business mileage rate is 48.5 cents per mile, up from 44.5 cents in 2006. Also, don’t forget that Social Security wage limit for 2007 is $97,500.
There’s great news from Intuit for small business owners with 1-3 employees who want to process their own payroll. The new program is called QuickBooks Basic Payroll (Limited Employees). It’s just right for clients who have 1 to 3 employees and who either do their tax forms and filings themselves, or have a bookkeeper, ProAdvisor or accountant to help with these critical tasks. It enables payroll processing only (no federal or state tax forms, but all the information to prepare the forms, and includes tax table updates.
The price for the first year is $69 and will be $99 for subsequent years. This great new product will be available April 2.
Coming Soon: Starting a New Business - Checklist & Discussion

Future Topics:
• Backing up in QuickBooks
• Marketing your business
• Payroll – Ugh! I have a business with employees– now who wants a piece of me? (Social Security, Medicare, State Unemployment, FUTA, who else?)
• Using Credit Cards to pay bills, make purchases
• Converting Peachtree to QuickBooks
• Creating a new file in QuickBooks from an old one (Import lists vs. deleting transactions)
• Recording cash purchases and owner purchases/contributions
• QuickBooks Point of Sale – What’s new in 2007


Are you backing up your data?



Well, that’s it for now. I appreciate your time and hope you will join us again next time for another in our Quicklet© series. If there are topics you would like me to cover, send me an email at jayne@quickbooksgal.com. I welcome your ideas, questions, and comments.

Don’t forget to visit our website, www.quickbooksgal.com to learn more about me, the services we offer and our workshops.

I’m Jayne Miller, The QuickBooks Gal. Thanks for listening.




Jayne Miller is the owner of Custom Business Solutions, a consulting firm in Reno, Nevada that specializes in providing bookkeeping and software support.

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