A lot of small business owners use Microsoft Excel to manage their accounts. Some use Microsoft Word, some just use a notebook and pen. I love Excel, especially because it makes it super easy to create and copy calculations, and many other features which will save you time.
Excel definitely has its place in accounting, particularly in reporting, but it’s much more powerful when used alongside business software like Accounting to manage my business finances.
I’m no Accounting guru, and I don’t use it nearly as often as I should, but I wouldn’t turn back. I have a million and one reasons why I prefer using accounting software, but for the sake of making it quick and easy for you to read, I’ve listed six:
1. I look professional:
I create professional looking quotes and invoices that have our company logos and contact details on them. I also send them via email from within Accounting, and my customers can view them either as PDFs or click a link to view them online.
2. It’s automated, seamless, and intuitive:
Everything is in one place and it’s easy to navigate. I don’t have to save and keep looking at different Excel workbooks for different types of transactions or to create different types of reports, in different months or years. I can do everything within Accounting. And it’s so easy to use!
3. It has an awesome, insightful dashboard:
It gives me a quick snapshot of how my business is doing financially with the dashboard. Plus I can decide what type of information I want to see in the dashboard.
4. It makes collaboration easy:
My business partners and I all have access to it, so we can all create quotes, invoices, reports etc. using the same data. This means we can also see what each of us have done, making it easy to stay in the loop with each other. If we had an accountant, we’d also be able to see what he’s up to with our books.
5. It’s safe and secure:
It gives me peace of mind that my financial records are safe and secure because they’re in the cloud, so I don’t have to worry about what would happen if my laptop crashed or got stolen.
6. It’s cloud-based:
I can use it anywhere. I love that I can create quotes and invoices and review customer sales information whilst lying in bed, using the Accounting mobile app.
If Accounting sounds like magic to you, and you’re interested in testing it out for your business, try the 30 day trial.
If you see the value in it and would like to get it, drop me a comment and I’ll try my best to hook you up with a discount, no promises.
Check out theworkinggirl.co.za for more tips and tricks from small business owner, Nhlakanipho Zondi, and watch this space for the final blog in the series; Managing Small Business Finances Part Three: Creating and using a Cash Flow Statement.