Please – do NOT fall victim to the siren song of do-it-yourself bookkeeping that the marketing folks at QuickBooks are singing.
Concepts such as “if you can write a check, you can use QuickBooks” and “QuickBooks is built for butchers, bakers and candlestick makers” (both themes have been used in their advertising) will lull you into a very false sense of security.
To succeed with QuickBooks, you (or someone on your team) absolutely needs to have a solid grasp of bookkeeping. Otherwise, you may quickly offer up a comment such as this one – “QuickBooks is making me want to poke my eyes out!”
Like any other tool, when used correctly, QuickBooks provides an incredibly robust accounting system for many small businesses. There is a tremendous amount of functionality bundled inside the software. However, when used incorrectly, bad things can happen to good businesses, and boy, can they happen quickly!
Get professional guidance to set up QuickBooks out of the box and to review your work on a monthly or quarterly basis. Trust me – I’ve watched many businesses disintegrate due to poor or non-existent accounting information. Avoid becoming a fatality on the small business highway
