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Looking for fresh ideas in your business? Why not try a hackathon?

Software Stack Editor · April 9, 2024 ·

Our view at Stack - Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform that offers numerous benefits. It simplifies financial management with automated bank feeds, allowing you to save time on data entry. Create, email, and print professional invoices effortlessly. Access your finances in real time via the cloud from any device. Retain records of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities securely online. Whether you’re a small business owner or an accountant, Xero streamlines your financial processes and provides a clear view of your financial health.

As nearly a thousand of our employees around the globe down tools this week for one of our twice-yearly hackathons, I’ve been reflecting on the purpose and benefits of this practice.

Hackathons have been a fixture in the tech world for decades. But today the concept is widely utilised in fields as diverse as businesses, healthcare, education and social impact to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. 

Hackathons – which signifies the act to hack by applying one’s technical and creative skills in bursts of continuous and intensive efforts as one would in a marathon – are popular for a number of reasons. 

The benefits of hackathons

Firstly, they’re a great and proven way to solve problems. According to Mckinsey, when done well a 24-hour hackathon can shave the time it takes to bring a new product to market by up to 50%. In some instances, hackathons have led to massive breakthroughs – the eureka moments – that only  occur with the pressure of a dedicated code-a-thon. For Facebook, it was the breakthrough idea of today’s ubiquitous ‘like’ button. 

They also create moments for genuine connection and collaboration. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has accredited internal hackathons as a core driver of culture since taking over the business in 2014. Hackathons that encourage participation across all levels of the organisation to tackle a collective challenge can inspire creative thinking and collaboration. Employees who participate in hackathons also report positive effects on their career paths, networks and skills development. 

But, perhaps most importantly, they generate lots and lots of ideas. While some of these ideas may not be immediately feasible or tangible to the business, they can help to inspire future projects or directions for the company. In many hackathons, there is an acceptance of failure as a natural part of the creative process. Participants are encouraged to take risks and explore the bold ideas that they might hesitate to do in more formal work settings. 

Top hacks for hackathons

We’ve run regular Hackathons at Xero since we were founded in 2006. They’re one of the ways that we look to solve problems for not just our customers and partners, but internally, too. At Xero, hackathons are not restricted to just our product and technology teams, but open to everyone across the business. In fact, last year, one of the winning ideas was from our People Experience team, who created a hack for building connection and driving improvement across our people processes.

Twice a year, we invite our teams to take part in a hackathon week. The challenge is simple: first, find a small, specific problem. It could be a niggling issue that our customers face or an internal system within our company that’s causing a pain point.  Then, teams work together to come up with an innovative solution that can be built and released to customers in a short period of time.

We encourage Xero employees participating in hackathons to think outside their comfort zone and area of expertise. We give them the whole week to experiment with new skills and technologies, collaborate with others across regions and functions, and of course have lots of fun! The most recent Hackathon late last year saw over 650 employees participate. We were able to make over a dozen improvements to existing products, and teams unearthed new features that have a direct impact on our customers’ productivity.  

Each company will have its own formula for hackathons depending on its goals and objectives, but there are a few characteristics that can help to make hackathons a success, which we’ve seen over the years at Xero.

A clearly defined problem

A clearly defined problem has three elements:

  • An understanding of your customer (either internal or external), and what their needs, desires and challenges are
  • It must be aligned to the company strategy
  • There needs to be flexibility for moonshots or left of field ideas

Remember, a hackathon is not a brainstorm – it’s a process designed to generate novel solutions for real-world problems that the company is trying to solve for its customers.

Who should be involved?

Some companies, such as Xero, open up hackathons to multi-disciplinary teams, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. Some hackathons may strictly involve participation from developers or engineers, for more technical goals. Others like the United States Air Force may open up hackathons for community participation. 

Internally, leveraging input from customer facing teams, such as  customer experience and go-to-market teams provides critical insight into the issues that customers and partners face. Employees from teams such as Finance, Legal, People Experience and Security can all add expertise to ensure a well-rounded approach to a hack. And, it’s not just internal teams that can add value to hackathons. Making the most of key external partners to help hackathon teams get the best out of the tools available to them can play a huge part in a team’s success. Partners providing key platform services can provide essential training and support.

The right tools are vital

Teams need to have the freedom to experiment as they iterate on their ideas throughout the week. Having access to technical sandboxes that allow for low risk experimentation, especially when it comes to newer technologies like GenAI, are really important.

Celebrate and follow up

It’s important to acknowledge the efforts and contributions of all participants, as well as share the actions you plan to take to implement the successful ideas. Seek feedback and suggestions on how to improve future hackathons, and capture all ideas, no matter how big or small. 

Hackathons are here to stay

Hackathons have expanded far beyond their tech origins and are here to stay. They are a proven way to break down organisational silos, challenge ways of working, flex the creative muscle of the workforce, and solve customer challenges, while also empowering individuals and small teams to choose what they want to hack, strengthening a sense of ownership and commitment. 

They can also be a nice change of pace for teams that are constantly delivery or deadline focused. Being able to work on a passion project a couple of times a year has really wide-reaching benefits, allowing our people to stretch their figurative legs a little, and fill their cup with some variety, teamwork, and a change of focus.

The post Looking for fresh ideas in your business? Why not try a hackathon? appeared first on Xero Blog.

If Xero is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

Make the most out of your Xerocon London trip

Software Stack Editor · April 4, 2024 ·

Our view at Stack - Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform that offers numerous benefits. It simplifies financial management with automated bank feeds, allowing you to save time on data entry. Create, email, and print professional invoices effortlessly. Access your finances in real time via the cloud from any device. Retain records of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities securely online. Whether you’re a small business owner or an accountant, Xero streamlines your financial processes and provides a clear view of your financial health.

It’s with great excitement and anticipation that we announce the winner of Xero Australia’s Xerocon London partner competition. One lucky partner and a guest of their choosing will be treated to flights and accommodation to London and tickets to attend this year’s Xerocon London on 12 – 13 June. So, the moment of truth.

The winner is… A. Kirk (postcode 2340)! Congratulations to you, and we can’t wait to see the fun you’ll have across the pond. To provide some trip inspo for our winner and those of you in Australia also attending Xerocon, here’s how you can plan out your week abroad.

Day 1: Tourist mode activated

Picture this: You step off the plane, greeted by the crisp London air and the unmistakable buzz of a city brimming with possibilities. From the iconic red buses to the historic landmarks dotting the skyline, every corner of London is bursting with promise and excitement. As you make your way from the airport to your accommodation, we recommend settling into your accommodation, ideally located in the heart of the city, to recharge for the exciting days ahead.

Day 2 – 3: Exploring London’s icons

Prepare to set out and explore London’s iconic landmarks. From the majestic Buckingham Palace to the historic Tower of London, this is your chance to seize the day and immerse yourself in the postcard perfect attractions of this bustling city. If crowds aren’t your thing, why not take a leisurely stroll along the South Bank of the River Thames, taking in the views of the London Eye and Shakespeare’s Globe – which  is a must for any first-time visitor! With each step, across these two days, you’ll uncover layers of history and culture. Immersing yourself in the timeless charm of London.

Day 4 – 5: It’s time to kick off Xerocon London!

It’s finally time to dust off your comfiest pair of conference shoes and get ready for a day of inspiration and fun at Xerocon London! It’s here you’ll find yourself among fellow like-minded innovators and thought leaders. Get inspired by leaders in tech, business and beyond who’ll help you think bigger and outside the box. Xerocon London is also your first look at the future of accounting technology, as Xero leaders and experts announce and demo upcoming products ranging from global updates to features specific to our UK customers. Oh and you can’t forget the Xerocon after party which is certain to put those dancing shoes to good use! 

Day 6: Beyond Xerocon London

As you reflect and recoup from the connections and insights gained off the back of a stellar Xerocon, you may find yourself contemplating the possibilities that lie ahead for you both professionally and personally. It’s from here you could choose to return home,  or you may find this is the perfect time to continue relishing in the vibrancy of the city and tacking on some additional days to get stuck into how you can take your Xerocon learnings and apply them to your practice. It’s not everyday you get to do that new FY planning with no distractions and in a new city! This is also a great time to check out a quintessential British pub for a classic roast dinner. As the old saying goes, eat like a local.

Now if all of this sounds like you, you can purchase your Xerocon London tickets today and start planning your itinerary! And keep an eye out as we’ve got another exciting competition in the wings.

The post Make the most out of your Xerocon London trip appeared first on Xero Blog.

If Xero is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

Five ways to work smarter in Xero this FY25

Software Stack Editor · April 2, 2024 ·

Our view at Stack - Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform that offers numerous benefits. It simplifies financial management with automated bank feeds, allowing you to save time on data entry. Create, email, and print professional invoices effortlessly. Access your finances in real time via the cloud from any device. Retain records of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities securely online. Whether you’re a small business owner or an accountant, Xero streamlines your financial processes and provides a clear view of your financial health.

With the new financial year officially upon us, now is your chance at a fresh start. This means it’s time to revisit goals, set intentions, and level up in order to make the most of the next 12 months. A good place to start? By optimising your systems and processes to create more seamless workflows and win back time. 

To help you set off on the right foot, we’ve rounded up a list of ways to work smarter in Xero. Take what you need from these tips and tricks to stay on top of your numbers, and remember, your financial advisor is always there for more support should you need it.

1. Automate data entry with Hubdoc 

If you’re looking to save time and streamline data entry, Hubdoc could be the tool for you. The data capture software makes it easy to keep track of bills and receipts and automates the process of entering them in Xero.

You can email, scan or take photos of documents via the Hubdoc mobile app to store in Xero. It will then extract key data, like a supplier’s name, tax rates, invoice numbers, amounts, and due dates. You just need to tell Hubdoc how you want to publish the information in Xero to easily match it in your bank feed. Plus, Hubdoc helps you go paperless by storing bills and receipts digitally, and in one central place. 

2. Pay invoices faster with batch payments in Xero

When it comes to paying bills, traditional methods (like manual bank payments) can be slow and monotonous, especially when you need to make several payments. So, why not try batch payments in Xero to speed up the process?

With batch payments, you can bundle several bills into one payment file before importing it into your bank account for processing. You can schedule payment dates in Xero and customise what details you want to appear on both your bank statement and your supplier’s. If their bank account details are saved in their contact record, this information will carry across automatically. If not, simply enter the account details manually where they’ll be saved for the next time you schedule a batch payment, minimising the need for manual data entry. To learn more, check out Xero Central.

3. Get paid up to twice as fast with online invoice payments

Did you know that up to 45% of invoices from Kiwi small businesses are paid late? An easy way to minimise this risk in FY25 is by adding a ‘Pay now’ button to your online invoices. This will give customers more ways to pay – be it via credit or debit card, direct debit, or Apple Pay and Google Pay – so that you can spend less time chasing payments.

Start by connecting to your preferred payment providers. Once connected, they will automatically add to your existing Xero branding themes (also known as invoice templates), or you can manage them directly from your invoices. The best part? Online invoice payments can help you get paid up to twice as fast. Plus, the setup is simple, quick and free. 

4. Make data-driven decisions with Xero Analytics

If tracking cash flow wasn’t a priority last financial year, now’s the time to make it part of your routine. Here’s where the Xero Analytics short-term cash flow tool can help. It draws on the balance of your selected bank accounts and the upcoming bills and invoices you’ve entered into Xero to generate a cash flow projection for the next seven to 30 days. This big-picture view can help you make smarter financial decisions. 

The Business snapshot dashboard is another tool in Xero Analytics for an instant, one-page overview of your organisation’s financial wellbeing. It tracks information like profitability, income, largest operating expenses, key financial metrics, and more to evaluate how well your business is running so that you can have more informed conversations with your advisor. 

If you want to take your data-driven decision making to the next level, there’s also Xero Analytics Plus, enabling deeper insights like cash flow projections of up to 90 days, and much more.

5. Streamline reconciliation with bank rules

To save time and minimise errors in the reconciliation process, consider creating bank rules for recurring cash transactions. Whether it’s a regular expense like filling your work vehicle with petrol or paying a monthly bank account fee, you can create bank rules that are targeted enough to identify these transactions, and tell Xero how you want to code them.

When a transaction comes through your bank account in Xero that fits the bank rule’s conditions, you can reconcile it in just one click. You can also create bank rules from existing transactions to give you a head start in setting them up. Useful, right? 

Check out this guide for more ways to win back time this financial year. Xero’s EOFY hub also has some valuable resources, webinars and tips, so be sure to take a look at what’s on offer. Here’s to making FY25 your best year yet! 

The post Five ways to work smarter in Xero this FY25 appeared first on Xero Blog.

If Xero is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

A Guide to Stress-Free Client Communications Best Practices, for Accountants

Software Stack Editor · April 2, 2024 ·

Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

Like any relationship, the one between accounting professional and client requires mutual respect, honesty, and open communication. Establishing that begins with laying the groundwork for regular, transparent connections. 

Here are 7 steps to consider as you create a communications strategy for your valued clients.

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    1. Define Expectations

    At the outset of your relationship, create a document that outlines your process and the terms of your engagement. Be clear about things like:

      • Who is responsible for which accounting tasks?
      • When you will need specific information, e.g. documents ahead of tax season
      • How will you share financial insights?
      • How often will you meet?
      • An overview of the kinds of things you’ll discuss when you meet

    If you’re using the FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ model, onboarding is the perfect time to introduce a that empowers your clients to take responsibility for the pre-accounting tasks. This will give them more insight into their day-to-day business operations while enabling you to provide high-level advisory services.


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    2. Set Boundaries

    Accountant Megan Justice, owner of , establishes clear communication boundaries with her clients to ensure mutual expectations are understood and maintained throughout their partnership.

    She affirms these boundaries by having key information available on a client portal and providing timely links in an email auto-response.

    “My general formula for my auto-responder is:

    1. What do clients most need to know right now? This might include an upcoming due date or approximate status of what I’m working on/through.
    2. What question(s) am I bombarded with lately?
    3. Remind clients to go to the portal.
    4. Remind clients books need to be reconciled, and transactions need to be categorized before I can do anything (and that I need statements if I’m the one doing it).
    5. Remind clients there are no tax emergencies.”

    Although she encourages clients to ask her questions at any time, she finds the auto-responder and the library of frequently asked questions are effective ways for them to serve themselves.

    “This year, I added in a with the intention of keeping a link to that in my auto-responder. It keeps my autoresponder a little bit shorter and still gives clients access to the most commonly requested information, so we’re speaking the same language. When I use these tools to set and remind them of boundaries, I can stay focused on getting work done and providing quality service to my clients.”

    3. Understand How Your Clients Like to Communicate

    Communications preferences vary across industries, workplaces, and personalities. While some people live in or their inbox all day long, others are more reachable by text or phone. It’s important to understand how each of your clients likes to connect from the outset so you can tailor your communications to the way they work.

    In addition to managing communication logistics, take the time to understand each client’s needs, expectations, preferences, and values. This insight will help you tailor your messages and choose the appropriate channel of communication if they don’t initially state a preference.

    Investing time in this upfront will also enhance your rapport-building efforts and bolster your credibility.

    4. Set the Right Tone

    No matter how you and your clients choose to connect, it’s helpful to be intentional about the tone of your communications. As an advisor, you can build trust by demonstrating a friendly and open nature that invites questions and concerns.

    In our , we offer 3 principles of a collaborative conversation:

    1. Be curious: Ask open questions and use open statements that help your clients articulate their thoughts, concerns, pain points, and wins.
      • How would you…?
      • Tell me more…
    2. Provide space: Leave room in the conversation for your clients to think about and respond to your questions. Listen carefully and reflect back to them what you heard so you can verify that your interpretation is correct.
      • Let me play that back to you…
      • So what I’m hearing is…
    3. Share responsibility: Avoid simply telling clients what to do. Instead, raise awareness of strategies and tools that can increase efficiency. Educate them on the benefits of different approaches, and make suggestions based on your experience and insights.
      • Do you know about this tool…?
      • What do you think about doing…?

    5. Establish a Communications Schedule

    Many accounting professionals like to set up recurring meetings with their clients to ensure consistent touchpoints. Without an agreed-upon cadence of meetings, it’s easy to fall into the rhythms of your own workflows and miss key moments to connect. Often, this results in losing opportunities to make real-time insights that can inform critical business decisions.

    Establishing a consistent communication schedule could involve scheduling a meeting on the last Monday of every month or quarter. Or, if schedules fluctuate, you might touch base at the start of each month to schedule a mutually convenient time in the following weeks. Since you already know how your clients like to communicate, you’ll know who wants a phone call, who wants a text, and who prefers a invite or an email.

    6. Use Technology to Automate Communications

    There are many ways to streamline communications with your clients. Consider tech that will help you get in touch, stay connected, and schedule meetings quickly and easily.

    Some helpful apps that integrate with FreshBooks include:

    • : Automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders, and payments.
    • : Send meeting invitations and sync appointment data with FreshBooks for easy time tracking and invoicing.
    • : Allow your clients to see your availability and self-book.

    7. Be Relevant, Clear, and Concise

    With the volume of emails, texts, and other communications we all get every day, your clients need to know that when they receive a message from you, it contains pertinent information they require—and nothing more.

    Whether you’re popping into an individual’s inbox with a quick check-in or sending a quarterly newsletter to all of your clients, it’s critical to be clear and concise. After all, business owners tend to receive a lot of information, so you want to cut to the chase and prioritize delivering clear and relevant information.

    Some tips on being concise in email or other messages:

    • Make your text scannable by avoiding long sentences and dense paragraphs.
    • Use bullet points and keep them short.
    • Add bold text as a headline to highlight a paragraph.

    If you find yourself sending the same type of communications to various clients, you might consider writing templates that you can tailor. If you’re looking to receive clear, concise, and relevant information, consider sharing pre-set templates for your clients to fill out and submit by email or upload to your client portal. This can cut down on the time it takes to sift through unnecessary information.

    Build Strong Client Relationships with Effective Communications

    Establishing a seamless and stress-free channel of communication tailored to each of your valued clients may seem like an effort at the outset, but it will quickly become a process just like any other. Creating a repeatable communications procedure will help ensure both you and your clients get the information you need at the right time and in the right way while positioning you as a trusted advisor.

    If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Empowering women’s football through Coach Education Scholarships

    Software Stack Editor · April 1, 2024 ·

    Our view at Stack - Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform that offers numerous benefits. It simplifies financial management with automated bank feeds, allowing you to save time on data entry. Create, email, and print professional invoices effortlessly. Access your finances in real time via the cloud from any device. Retain records of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities securely online. Whether you’re a small business owner or an accountant, Xero streamlines your financial processes and provides a clear view of your financial health.

    To further support women’s football worldwide, FIFA has provided 14 Coach Education Scholarships for aspiring female coaches in Aotearoa New Zealand.

    The scholarships were backed by Xero as part of its global women’s football partnership with FIFA, and ongoing commitment to support the growth of the game and uplift the wahine involved.

    The 14 female coaches took the first steps on their coaching pathways this month when they joined a female-only OFC C Licence course in Auckland. The course, run by New Zealand Football, took place from 22-25 March at Bruce Pulman Park.

    Xero Country Manager Bridget Snelling says supporting this initiative is an important part of Xero’s wider mission to encourage growth of the game and support the women who make it what it is.

    “There’s no denying that coaches have a monumental impact on their team and the wider community. With only five percent of coaches being women, it’s clear more support is needed to uplift our female coaches and provide them with the resources and guidance they need to excel.

    “We see this as a crucial area for further growth for women’s football and we are so proud to be a part of it,” says Snelling.

    Annalie Longo, Women’s Development Manager at NZ Football says, “One of New Zealand Football’s strategic priorities is about strengthening capability and leadership across women’s football. Part of this is building club capability but it’s primarily to be able to create an environment to develop female talent.”

    Having a female-only C Licence course is about building the base and then having the right support structures in place to help our female coaches progress through their coaching journey. Our priority is removing as many barriers to entry as possible so that female coaches are appropriately supported – which is crucial for building and developing the game.

    FIFA Head of Women’s Football Development, Arijana Demirovic, explained that FIFA’s Coach Education Scholarships are provided to empower more female coaches to gain further coaching qualifications. 

    “In May 2021, FIFA launched the Coach Education Scholarship Programme as part of an ongoing commitment to increase opportunities within football for female coaches. Through this programme, FIFA aims to create a network of coaches and ultimately increase the number of female coaches in football.”

    Xero and FIFA Women’s Football will continue to work together to support the growth of the game.

    The post Empowering women’s football through Coach Education Scholarships appeared first on Xero Blog.

    If Xero is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Collaborative Accounting™ Is a Better Way to Work for Accountants and Clients

    Software Stack Editor · October 3, 2023 ·

    Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

    The problem: You want to serve your clients well and offer them higher-value accounting , but you and your team don’t have time or capacity.

    But what if you could take back some of that time spent on all the data entry and pre-accounting work you do? Or the back-and-forth with clients to get the information you need?

    We have a solution. It’s called Collaborative Accounting, a new way to work with your clients that elevates your client experience and gives you the space to deliver advisory solutions at scale.

    Table of contents icon

    Table of contents iconTable of Contents

      [embedded content]

      What Is Collaborative Accounting™?

      Collaborative Accounting is a technology-enabled accounting model anchored in a shared workflow between accounting professionals and their clients. It focuses business owners on completing front-end tasks in an easy-to-use software platform and frees up accountants to apply their expertise to more in-depth advisory work that has increased value for clients.

      For too long, accountants and their clients have been operating out of alignment. Workflows and technology designed for accountants leave clients out of the loop about their own financial well-being.

      The result? No one is winning. As business owners feel more and more lost, financial admin falls on accounting professionals’ shoulders. Accountants have less capacity to give the expert guidance that their business-owner clients need.

      In contrast, Collaborative Accounting is anchored around a shared accounting workflow. Accountants and clients work together in one client-friendly platform, FreshBooks, with each taking on key elements of financial operations, so both are empowered, and no one is in the dark.

      Who Is Collaborative Accounting™ For?

      How do you know if Collaborative Accounting is right for you and your clients? It’s less about where you are now and more about where you want to go.

      Collaborative Accountants™ are:

      • Innovative, forward-thinking, and prepared to try new methodologies
      • Client-focused, and want to deepen client relationships and attract higher-value clients
      • Ready to say goodbye to the busywork of chasing data and start delivering more valuable advisory services

      Collaborative business owners are:

      • Looking for support and guidance from an accounting professional
      • Open to being involved in and educated about their business’s finances so they have the insights they need to grow

      But Collaborative Accounting isn’t for everyone. If your growth strategy is high-volume, done-for-you compliance work, for example, then it may not be for you. Or if your clients demand a completely hands-off approach to their end-to-end accounting.

      Collaborative Accounting™ Model in Action

      So, how does it work?

      The framework shown here gives you a high-level look at how Collaborative Accounting can be applied to real-life accounting processes.

      For the complete framework and hands-on training to implement the Collaborative Accounting framework in your own firm using FreshBooks, sign up for the .

      infographic: FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ framework

      infographic: FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ framework

      Start With the Right Technology

      You might wonder, do you have to use FreshBooks to implement Collaborative Accounting into your firm? The short answer is: Not necessarily. But, this model was designed around a workflow where your clients are active participants in their day-to-day finances, and you work together in a single accounting system. FreshBooks is the ideal software choice for the Collaborative Accounting model because it’s designed for seamless, shared workflows between accountants and business owners. It’s yet still robust enough for you to and provide real accounting, tax, and reporting insights.

      “Collaborative Accounting not only gives the clients transparency into our tasks but it gives us transparency into the client’s workflow and how they’re going to earn money. And so, that can now help us to advise them on how to get paid,” says Kristen Keats, CPA, of Breakaway Bookkeeping & Advising.

      Collaborative Accounting gives us transparency into the client’s workflow and how they’re going to earn money, [which can] help us to advise them on how to get paid.

      Kristen Keats, CPA

      Breakaway Bookkeeping & Advising

      Step 1: Client Onboarding

      The Collaborative Accounting process begins with client onboarding. Right from the start, you set up clients for success with an introduction to Collaborative Accounting and how it can benefit them, along with resources and training. These are provided for you inside the .

      Step 2: Clients Complete the Pre-Accounting Tasks

      The key to a collaborative workflow? You both get hands-on. That means your tasks—at least in part. Meaning things like invoicing, project management, billing, and managing expenses.

      That might sound scary, especially if you’ve been stuck untangling a mess of DIY bookkeeping in the past. (Been there, done that!) But small businesses can manage these pre-accounting processes—as long as they have the right tools. That means:

      • Software that’s easy to use, has (only) the features they need, and has responsive, always-on support
      • Comprehensive onboarding and resources to guide them through
      • Communication touchpoints to make sure they’re on track

      Having your client share the workflow can save you time, but that’s not all it’s about.

      Michael Ly, CEO of , says, “I don’t think it’s really focused on how we can get the client to do more work. That’s not really what it is. It’s really, how can we get both sides in the relationship to do the things that are most valuable in the relationship that we’re building with our clients.”

      Step 3: Accounting Professionals Do the Accounting Tasks

      Novel idea, right? In the real world, though, you probably end up doing things that are admin-heavy, which has a huge opportunity cost.

      When you work together with your clients in a platform that gives you accurate and timely financial information, this starts to turn around. You avoid getting lost in their day-to-day admin. Now, you can step in when it’s time for those more complex accounting tasks: Reconciling accounts, closing the books, and advisory services like tax strategies and financial analysis.

      This is where your expertise can shine. “It’s not just us delivering the report,” says , CPA, CVA, “It’s us actually having a conversation and understanding these are the things we need to change, these are the decisions that we think, you, the business owner, need to make in order to move your business to whatever that end state is.”

      Add Communication Touchpoints

      There is no collaboration without communication. At different phases of the accounting cycle, there are key moments for important conversations to keep work on track, maintain , and look at reporting and insights.

      Within the Collaborative Accounting framework are two regular conversation points: The handover from pre-accounting to accounting tasks and the interpretation of financial information with forward-looking insights after a period close.

      But advisory isn’t one-size-fits-all. Listen to your clients so you can determine what they’ll value most based on their company and its needs.

      3 Benefits of Collaborative Accounting™ for Your Practice

      Let’s look at the impact this new way of working can have—for you and your clients.

      Our skillset really gets to shine on top of a tool like FreshBooks.

      Kenji Kuramoto

      CEO and Founder, Acuity

      1. Enhanced Client Experience

      When you develop a real partnership with your clients and give them the tools for more agency over their business, it builds trust and helps you longer-term.

      A shared workflow in a single system is also more efficient and removes from your client interactions the friction of following up on missing info and managing day-to-day bookkeeping.

      Kristen Keats agrees, “Having that transparency and visibility is huge, and that real-time access that a program and product like FreshBooks gives us. Because if [clients] get stuck at any point in the process, we’re able to jump in, in real-time, and help them get through the tasks that they need to be doing.”

      2. More Valuable Services

      Are you struggling to find a way to offer clients ? Collaborative Accounting makes it attainable. It empowers you to focus on advisory or work that has real value for your clients and can bring in more revenue for your practice.

      “Our skillset really gets to shine on top of a tool like FreshBooks because [the] insights are pulled out for us; we can work with them, we can go talk to our clients about what we’re seeing [and] how we can make decisions that could impact their business,” says accountant Kenji Kuramoto of .

      3. A Sustainable Way to Scale

      The old way of working—accountants and clients siloed in their separate workflows—just isn’t sustainable. Especially with current accounting recruitment challenges, most firms don’t have the capacity to scale by simply adding more compliance services.

      With the technology-enabled Collaborative Accounting methodology, you can expand advisory services without adding more team members.

      Nicole Davis, CPA, of , says: “Collaborative Accounting will empower me to scale my firm because I don’t have to worry about going back and cleaning up books. The client and I can work together from the start. It allows me to do more of the advisory-type services versus the compliance or the data entry.”

      Get Started with Collaborative Accounting™

      FreshBooks has designed the  so you can begin adopting and integrating this new way of working into your practice.
      The certification includes hands-on training with real-life examples and a comprehensive client onboarding pack to get your clients up to speed, too.

      As a certified Collaborative Accountant™, you’ll get all the benefits of being a FreshBooks certified partner, including resources, exclusive discounts for your clients, dedicated accountant-specific support, and membership in a community of like-minded professionals, plus 3 CPE credit.

      Today, we have what we need—the technology and tools—to drastically increase efficiency and provide more value at scale, but we need to change how we work to make it happen.

      So, are you ready to join the Collaborative Accounting revolution?

      If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

      Credit: Original article published here.

      Looking to Move Your Client’s Books? Here’s Why FreshBooks Is Right for Them

      Software Stack Editor · September 8, 2023 ·

      Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

      The FreshBooks platform has 2 primary benefits: First, it’s built to be intuitive enough for a business owner to complete day-to-day bookkeeping tasks easily and accurately. Second, it’s robust enough to satisfy the reporting and tax requirements for most small businesses.

      But it’s not for everyone. For example, businesses with complex inventory management needs may need a different solution.

      How can you decide which business owners will thrive with FreshBooks and which won’t? Here are some questions to ask.

      1. What’s the Size of Their Business?

      The platform is particularly suited to business owners looking to grow–whether that means adding more employees or bringing in more revenue.”Small” might mean a self-employed individual with no employees, a sole proprietor with contractors, or a small team of full-time or part-time employees. In some cases, even businesses with have found FreshBooks works for them.

      Freelancers can dip a toe in with a plan that includes 5 clients per month and the ability to track expenses, accept payments, and run simple reports.

      As they progress, they can move up to more comprehensive plans with unlimited clients, automated billing and invoicing, and advanced reports.

      The emphasis on small businesses is what prompted accountant to get . “I really like that it’s focused on the same type of person I enjoy working with—small business owners, solopreneurs, and creative individuals.”

      2. Do They Have a Service-Based Business?

      FreshBooks is well-suited to businesses that provide services to clients—whether that’s short-term jobs or longer-term projects. Businesses like this include plumbers, tree removal companies, or career coaches providing a one-and-done service, as well as marketing agencies, general contractors, and other businesses that work on ongoing or long-term client projects.

      Less ideal are businesses with lots of physical inventory or operational assets, such as machinery.

      Some of the many industries that these FreshBooks users fall into include:

      • trades and home services
      • marketing and creatives
      • development and IT
      • legal and consulting services
      • health and wellness
      • education
      • professional services

      Best Features for Service-Based Businesses

      For businesses with billable clients, FreshBooks offers anything-but-basic accounting features that come standard with all except the Lite starter plan. For example, unlimited invoicing, unlimited expenses, time tracking, and .

      As they grow, business owners can add even more powerful invoicing and double-entry accounting features, like recurring invoices, recurring billing, client retainers, mobile mileage tracking, advanced reports, and customizable chart of accounts.
      Here are some accounting features in FreshBooks that are perfect for small service-based businesses:

      • estimates and proposals
      • professional invoices
      • online payments
      • expense-tracking and categorization
      • time-tracking
      • flat-rate and hourly-rate projects
      • operational and financial reports

      Other bookkeeping software is built to serve big enterprises that need a lot of bells and whistles. [For] small businesses…it’s too overwhelming.

      Kate Josephine Johnson

      Bookkeeper and owner, Heritage Business Services

      3. Do They Struggle With Accounting?

      You likely have one (or many) clients who struggle with tasks like tracking expenses, categorizing business expenses properly, keeping on top of billable hours, and understanding their business finances.

      Most accounting software is for the average small business owner, but FreshBooks is different. It’s designed to be painless even for . And yet, still provides powerful features for accountants to support their clients’ reporting, tax, and advisory needs.

      is a bookkeeper who specializes in FreshBooks customers specifically because it’s a great fit for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners. “Other bookkeeping software is built to serve big enterprises that need a lot of bells and whistles. When small businesses try to implement those bells and whistles, it’s too overwhelming.”

      With FreshBooks, business owners who struggle with pre-accounting tasks can successfully manage day-to-day bookkeeping, including invoicing, payments, proposals, team time tracking, project profitability, and payroll.

      For you, having clients successfully can pay off in big ways. Here are a few:

      • Your clients won’t as many of the necessary day-to-day tasks as they’ll begin to find them more manageable.
      • It empowers your clients to take part in their business finances
      • It gives your clients the foundational knowledge they need so you can work with them in a higher-value

      As a bonus, FreshBooks offers responsive, for business owners. This means you can spend less time troubleshooting and fielding client questions.

      4. Do They Need Easier Workflows?

      Who doesn’t? But small business owners in particular need friction-free processes to build good habits around bookkeeping.

      FreshBooks integrates with that small business owners use to manage customers and manage teams, book appointments, nurture customers, run payroll, and more.

      When your client can connect their account data with apps they already use, it saves them the pain and time associated with . It saves time for your clients. too. For example, if they work on an hourly rate and track time, they can use the FreshBooks Chrome extension to pull their hours into FreshBooks from any tool they use across the web or automatically record minutes in Zoom meetings as billable hours.

      If your clients use the Square POS, they can automatically import transaction data into FreshBooks. And e-commerce businesses can connect with a Magento integration to automatically import orders as invoices and import payment fees as business expenses.

      Instead of paying me to do data entry, [my clients] are paying me to actually do what I’m good at doing.

      Megan Justice, EA

      Owner, Crayon Advisory

      5. Do They Need Your Expertise (Beyond Just Bookkeeping)?

      Sure, your clients may need you to clean up their expenses, do a bank reconciliation, or run financial reports.

      But that’s not where you can provide the most value. What small business owners really need—even if they don’t know it—is longer-term financial insight and guidance from an accounting professional.

      When you can offer those higher-level services, it results in deeper client relationships that are and for your clients.

      When business owners use a no-nonsense accounting software that they can understand, they can take on some of the administrative burden.

      “Our goal is to put most of our service-based business, Schedule C clients on FreshBooks because it’s something they can manage on their own,” says CPA and firm owner . For example, with one client, Nicole’s firm takes on reports and tax returns while the client takes care of 100% of the bookkeeping in FreshBooks.

      “Estimates and time tracking and getting the bill out the door are all very easy to understand,” says Megan Justice, “So my clients aren’t relying on me to do the work, but to be a kind of coach instead. Instead of paying me to do data entry, they’re paying me to actually do what I’m good at doing.”

      What’s more, when your client is comfortable working in the same platform with you, there’s a . You have immediate access and insight into their data and real-time financial reports so you’re always on the same page and it’s even easier to give them valuable financial guidance.

      The customer service is fantastic. Anytime I have a query, someone is always on hand.

      Samantha Simms

      Attorney and digital tech consultant

      6. Do They Need 1:1 Support?

      Most small business owners are not accounting experts. The upside is that if they were, they wouldn’t need you. The downside? You can spend all your billable hours explaining the basics of accounting to them and helping them figure out their accounting software.

      Choosing an accounting software with excellent customer service for your clients takes the pressure off of you. FreshBooks is known for its highly responsive, 1:1 real-human phone and email support.

      “That’s something I liked about FreshBooks from the very beginning,” says FreshBooks’ customer and software digital compliance specialist Samantha Simms. “I work with a lot of software companies. That customer care is not something that you often see in the software business.”

      “When I called and talked to FreshBooks, reaching someone right away who was knowledgeable was very comforting to me,” says glass services professional . “FreshBooks’ support people have been really helpful in finding solutions to help me do what I was trying to accomplish.”

      What Business Owners Say

      If the answer to the questions posed here is yes, FreshBooks is probably a fit for your client. The advantages for a small business owner boil down to these points:

      • It’s easy to use and understand
      • I know how my business is doing at a glance
      • I’m saving time on invoicing, expenses, and chasing down payments
      • I’m more organized
      • My accountant is happier with me 🤩

      But don’t take it from me. Hear from some of our customers instead:

      It Saves Me Time and Money

      “Invoicing that used to take many, many hours (2 full days, at least) is now down to about half a day.” –, owner of Shannon Eddings Interiors

      “I wanted something far more user-friendly [than QuickBooks], and that’s why I chose FreshBooks. It made sense visually. It wasn’t intimidating.” –, communications consultant and coach

      It Gives Me Better Insight Into My Business

      “FreshBooks has the best user interface, in my opinion. I enjoy the automated report section. It’s one click, and I can get a pretty good understanding of where I’m at.” –, owner of marketing agency The Influence Agency

      “We did a lot to compare software features, and I think just hands down FreshBooks was the most approachable; it gave us the most visibility on our business and allowed us to do a lot on the scalable side.” –, owner of health tech business ORDRS

      “The peace of mind I get from seeing the profitability of every project right in front of me is just something you can’t put a price tag on.” –, owner of marketing agency zamartz

      It Makes Me Look Good

      “Customers make so many positive comments about estimates [in] the FreshBooks platform. It really stands out. I think having FreshBooks makes us look even more professional.” –, owner of F.B. & Sons, Lawns & Lanscapes

      “Anybody that I talk to that has a business, if they don’t have an accounting background, I tell them FreshBooks is the thing. I love it.” –, Certified Professional Organizer

      How Does FreshBooks Serve Accounting Professionals?

      Your clients aren’t the only ones who benefit from collaborating in FreshBooks with you, their trusted accounting advisor. It frees you to do your best work, too. With a model that makes workflows more efficient, you’ll be able to focus on your areas of expertise with your clients, build stronger relationships with them, and maybe increase your prices, too.

      My favorite part [of FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting Certification] was the sample convos between accountants and business owners.

      Laura Blackburn

      Owner, Blackburn Advisors

      Benefits for Accounting Professionals

      You’ll have access to the Accountant Hub, explicitly designed for accountants to streamline workflow and manage clients efficiently. With 1-click access to client account information, a centralized location to oversee clients, and a client setup process that takes just seconds, you’ll find everything you need to elevate your accounting practice in one convenient place.

      And let’s not forget , where you’ll experience hands-on training with real-life examples and a comprehensive client onboarding pack to get your clients up to speed.

      As a certified Collaborative Accountant, you’ll get all the benefits of being a FreshBooks certified partner, including resources, exclusive discounts for your clients, dedicated accountant-specific support, and membership in a community of like-minded professionals, plus 3 CPE credit.

      This post was updated in August 2024.

      If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

      Credit: Original article published here.

      Small Business, Big Stress: How to Support Your Mental Health as a Small Business Owner

      Software Stack Editor · May 10, 2023 ·

      Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

      Owning a business can bring you freedom, flexibility, and higher income potential. But it can also be stressful and challenging. Those stressors and challenges can take a toll on your mental health. According to , 65% of small business owners have struggled with anxiety, while 52% have dealt with depression.

      COVID certainly didn’t help. According to a 2020 , more than 50% of small business owners experienced symptoms of poor mental health for the first time in their careers in response to the pandemic. And a whopping 85% of those entrepreneurs reported their day-to-day work suffered as a result.

      If you want to be healthy, happy, productive, and successful, taking care of your mental health as a business owner is an absolute must. But how, exactly, do you do that?

      Table of contents icon

      Table of contents iconTable of Contents

        Major Mental Health Challenges for Small Business Owners

        Before we jump into how to navigate stress and take care of your mental health, let’s touch on what is stressing out business owners to begin with.

        So, what do small business owners struggle with the most?

        All Things Financial

        Hands down, finances are the biggest stressor for small business owners. According to our report, 44% of small business owners say they experience financial stress and fear about the future of their business.

        “The ebbs and flows of owning a small business can be anxiety-provoking, especially if cash flow fluctuates dramatically each month,” says Nicole Arzt, a licensed marriage and family therapist and writer at .

        And while the fear of not making enough money can affect stress levels, other financial challenges—like overhead, chasing down client payments, and trying to manage taxes—can be equally impactful on your mental health.

        Loneliness

        Loneliness is extremely detrimental to your health, both mental and physical. In fact, that loneliness can have the same impact on your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

        And unfortunately, business ownership can be a lonely experience. “Being a small business owner can be isolating,” says Maryam Elbalghiti, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and owner of .

        That isolation can be hard. According to our report, 29% of small business owners say working alone most of the time has a negative effect on their mental health.

        Managing Clients

        Just because small business owners don’t have a boss doesn’t mean they don’t have anyone to answer to.

        “When you have no boss, your customers, in a sense, all become different bosses,” says Arzt.

        And dealing with clients and their demands every day (particularly challenging clients) can cause prolonged stress, ultimately leading to mental health problems.

        Crushing Responsibility

        When you’re the boss, everything falls on your shoulders.

        “Unlike having an employer, small business owners are [often] the admin, payroll, HR, marketing, and sales [for their business],” says .

        The weight can feel even greater for small business owners with employees. “If the business has employees, that increases the stress on the owner,” says Pilloto. “Not only do they have to worry about their own livelihood and well-being, they worry about the well-being of their employees, too.”

        All of that pressure can take a toll, causing worry, anxiety, panic attacks, and more.

        Imposter Syndrome

        Many entrepreneurs struggle with imposter syndrome—feeling like they’re not qualified to run their company. Not only can this lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, but it can also lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. For example, according to the FreshBooks report, 27% of entrepreneurs say they feel like they can never show vulnerability or weakness.

        Too Much to Do (In Too Little Time)

        Ever wish you could clone yourself or stop time? You wouldn’t be alone. Our report revealed that 28% of owners are concerned about having too much work to do in too little time.

        This perpetual time crunch can lead to overwork, burnout, and anxiety. (“So many small business owners feel like they can’t ever stop working,” says Pilloto.)

        9 Small Business Mental Health Strategies

        If the challenges above are familiar and you feel depressed, overwhelmed, or stressed, it may be time to employ some actionable tips to help you take care of your mental health as you run your business.

        1. Establish Personal-Professional Boundaries

        “The ability to set your own schedule is a blessing and a curse,” says Elbalghiti. “Many business owners find themselves working around the clock.”

        When there’s no separation between your work and personal life, it can feel like you’re always working. And what’s more stressful than feeling like you’re working 24/7?

        Setting clear boundaries around work is an absolute must to keep stress at bay, avoid burnout, and support your mental health.

        This means:

        • Setting start and end times for work each day (and sticking to them as much as possible)
        • Keeping work contained to a specific space (rather than working in your bedroom, on your couch, or in other living spaces)

        “It’s crucial to set hours for your work as well as designate certain spaces—like your home office [or on-site at your business]— for work to keep your business from bleeding into other parts of your life,” says Elbalghiti.

        2. Learn to Say No

        Saying “yes” to everything—working with a client you find difficult, taking on a new project you don’t have the capacity to handle, or agreeing to lower your rate—can lead to increased stress and put your mental health at risk. To protect your mental health, you have to learn how to say no.

        Saying no comes more naturally to some business owners than others. If you struggle with saying no and/or setting boundaries, give yourself the chance to practice. Start by saying no to small things in your professional and personal life. As you become more comfortable flexing your “no” muscles, start flexing them in larger, more impactful situations—like turning down a client or project you don’t really want to work with.


        Related Articles


        3. Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate

        Speaking of saying no, sometimes, if you want to support your mental health as a business owner, you must also say no to yourself.

        More specifically, you have to say no to doing everything yourself.

        “Many small business owners assume they need to do everything themselves,” says Arzt. “[But] it’s unlikely that you can do every task efficiently—and the more time you spend on tasks that don’t ultimately nourish or grow your business, the more drained and resentful you risk becoming.”

        Instead, “learn to delegate,” says Artz.

        Figure out what tasks in your business can be managed by someone else (for example, administrative or customer service tasks), and then get those tasks off your plate, either by passing along the responsibility to an employee or business partner or outsourcing it to a freelancer.

        Delegating tasks that you (a) don’t want to do, (b) aren’t good at, or (c) don’t have time for can alleviate a huge amount of stress in your business.

        4. Stay Productive

        There’s an old saying: “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” In other words, if you don’t have enough to do and accomplish, your brain could fill the space with stress, anxiety, or other mental health issues.

        So, if you want to take care of your mental health, make sure you’re staying productive and continually working towards the goals you’re excited about.

        Now, make sure not to go overboard and overwhelm yourself. That will have the opposite effect. Instead, find the sweet spot between not having enough to do and having too much to do—or, in Goldilocks terms, a “just right” amount of work, tasks, and goals.

        “If you begin to think about the future and everything you need to do to be successful, you will become overwhelmed and begin to feel panic,” says , a licensed professional counselor with a mental health services provider designation. “Instead, change your mindset to only focus on one day at a time by setting manageable goals.”

        Not sure where to focus your energy? Consider the 80/20 rule, a framework that says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts—and figure out where to put 20% of your efforts to deliver the 80% of results you’re looking for.

        You might also find it helpful to maintain a schedule. For many business owners, the predictability of having a consistent schedule can make it easier to stay on task, achieve their goals, and stay productive.

        5. Take Time Off

        If it’s working too much that’s stressing you out, the best thing you can do for yourself and to improve mental health? Take time off.

        Mental health days—whether you take time off to spend with family and friends, go on vacation, or catch up on sleep—can be just what you need to reset, recharge, and come back to work feeling your best. (Taking time off is also essential to avoid burnout.)

        “Your business is important—but it is not your identity,” says Gateley. “Take a step back to make time for family, friends, hobbies, or resting. The less fused you are with your business, the less you will be putting at risk.”

        6. Try Mental Health Tools

        If the stress of owning a business is negatively impacting your mental health, there are mental health tools that can help.

        If you’re experiencing anxiety, you might consider trying a meditation or breathwork app. (“Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing, are proven techniques to reduce stress and improve focus,” says clinical specialist and therapist .)

        If you’re struggling with loneliness, you might consider a therapy app. These apps can connect you to mental health professionals that can help you come up with strategies for fostering community.

        7. Take a Break to Move

        Increasingly, supports the mind-body connection. The feel-good endorphins you release during physical activity can be incredibly supportive of your mental health, so you feel happier, more energetic, and better equipped to tackle the rest of your to-do list.

        So, if you find yourself feeling stressed throughout the day, take a break and move your body!

        As mentioned, mental health can be adversely affected by the loneliness of running your own business.
        That’s why finding a community and building support networks is so crucial. “Social support is vital for small business owners, as running a business can be isolating,” says Maggio. “Networking with other entrepreneurs and seeking guidance from family, friends, and colleagues can provide a much-needed support system.”

        If you’re dealing with loneliness or isolation, start fostering more connections in your day. Reach out to a friend and ask to meet for coffee. Call a family member to catch up. Attend networking events to meet other local business owners. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but making a conscious effort to drive more connection is key to fighting loneliness and building community as a small business owner.

        9. Lead With Positivity

        If you manage a team, it’s not just your own mental health struggles you have to think about; you also want to provide mental health support to your employees. Ensure your team can access the mental health resources they need to feel their best.

        That might include providing information about local mental health support groups or contact information for local clinicians and therapists. Or it might mean building mental well-being into your workplace through benefits and other supports.

        One simple and effective way to support your team members is to change how you speak about mental health by eliminating stigmatizing language, listening with empathy to employees dealing with mental health issues, and offering mental health days.

        On an even broader scale, you could support mental health initiatives as a whole by donating to organizations.

        Figure out how you want your business to make a difference—both for your team and for improving mental health in general—and then invest your time and resources into making that difference.

        If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

        Credit: Original article published here.

        How Accounting Pro Rebecca Works Better With Clients in FreshBooks

        Software Stack Editor · March 10, 2023 ·

        Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

        Meet Rebecca Kittel, MBA. She’s an accountant and owner of , which specializes in providing virtual accounting to small businesses.

        For some small business owners, it can be intimidating to work with an accounting professional. That couldn’t be further from the truth for Rebecca and her clients. As a small business owner herself, Rebecca knows firsthand the challenges of working alone.

        Rebecca and her client, Alexis, are both small business owners, and they exemplify what a looks like and how it helps them meet their shared goal: Accurately tracking and managing Alexis’s business finances.

        Rebecca and Alexis have been working (and using FreshBooks) together for more than 2 years. Here’s what Rebecca had to say about how the she follows with Alexis has impacted their relationship day to day and the value she’s able to provide her client.

        What led you to start your own accounting firm?

        Rebecca: I have degrees in accounting, finance, and an MBA. I worked at a Fortune 100 financial services company before I even graduated college. While I loved what I did, I started to burn out after 7 years. I thought I’d take time off to be a stay-at-home mom but quickly learned that I feel most fulfilled when I’m working, too. I started doing contract work, and once I fell into the world of small business accounting, I really found my passion. Now, I’ve been working as a small business accountant and strategic partner for 5 years, and running my business, Ledger Sense, for almost a year.


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        How did you get started with FreshBooks?

        Rebecca: The short answer is it was referral-based. A potential client approached another client of mine and asked if their bookkeeper would be interested in cleaning up their books. I’m a QuickBooks Pro Advisor, so when I found out it was a completely different system, I thought, “Accounting systems, for the most part, have a lot of the same functionality. I can take this on.”

        To be very honest, I essentially agreed to do it before I’d really had the chance to complete all the FreshBooks training that was available. At the time, I had a small panic attack, thinking, “Wow, what did I agree to? This is different than what I’m used to!” But then once I got into it, and with help from the excellent Support team and Laura [Senior Partner Program Specialist], I learned the system really quickly. Then it was off to the races and I was able to do my first cleanup job in FreshBooks. That’s how I just dove right in, got to know the system, and haven’t stopped since then.

        After that initial referral, what was it that made you continue using FreshBooks?

        Rebecca: I really like that it’s focused on the same type of person I enjoy working with—small business owners, solopreneurs, and creative individuals. It’s streamlined, and it’s to use. I like that FreshBooks focuses on the most common functionalities for that type of business owner. We’ve got Time Tracking, Invoicing, and Projects, and that really relates to so much of that market space. I didn’t want to miss out on having that under my tool belt.

        I really like that FreshBooks is focused on the same type of person I enjoy working with—small business owners, solopreneurs, and creative individuals.

        How do you and your client Alexis work together in FreshBooks on a day-to-day basis?

        Rebecca: Alexis is one of those business owners [who] doesn’t necessarily want to be involved with every single step. She spends her time in FreshBooks doing time tracking, and she [will] create invoices for some clients.

        I do the bookkeeping: I’ll go into her FreshBooks account, review everything, and handle the transactions that come in. For invoicing, I’ll check in with Alexis to make sure we’re on the same page as far as the hours that we’re invoicing. I’ll go in and review the invoice—making sure that the mechanics, like payment terms or payment type, are as they should be.

        We come together once a quarter, and we go over the reports. And that’s our process. It’s been many months in the making, and now it’s just second nature, and it’s been working well.

        Do you notice a difference when you’re working with a client who’s more involved in their accounting and actually using the software?

        Rebecca: I would say business owners who are more involved with their accounting systems have a better understanding of their finances and their cash flow. When they’re logging in, seeing what their bank balance is, and making decisions based off of that.

        How does this collaborative approach in FreshBooks support you as an accountant?

        Rebecca: I feel pretty strongly that financial planning and tax advice should be coming from someone who is licensed in that specific area. I am able to be that strategic partner that comes to the table and lets them know that this is what the reports are saying and how that applies for their vision for the business. It’s more of a strategic strategic partnership in their business.

        The quarterly meetings I have with Alexis are more strategic, where I share all the reporting information from FreshBooks, and we talk about the bigger picture and goals she has for the business. This is my favorite meeting—where it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about where the business is for now and where her vision is headed.

        Of course, like any small business owner, any time that she wants to go in, she can run her reports, and she has the assurance that things have been completed for previous periods.

        Do you think that it’s reassuring for clients to work in FreshBooks with their accounting professionals?

        Rebecca: I would say so, in the respect that it’s easy to delegate the correct access that somebody needs. As a business owner myself, I can imagine that it feels really secure to be able to dictate what somebody has access to or doesn’t have access to. I have some clients who prefer for me to really only have traditional accountant access. Whereas there are others who want me to be more involved and assist in all different areas. So I think that gives business owners a lot more comfort.

        As a small business owner yourself, how do you bring that into serving other small business clients?

        Rebecca: I’ve found that there’s a slight coaching aspect to what I do. There’s definitely been a lot of listening, and sometimes there is some reassurance from me as a small business owner that it’s a wild rollercoaster. They’re not alone, and I am supporting them—yes, as an accounting professional, but also just cheering them on.

        I think for me, maybe the hardest part of being a small business owner is it’s just you. Being on my own, I have found a couple of communities—the community being a great example—where you can connect with other small business owners and share the aches and pains and celebrate the successes. I feel like I come to the table with clients and understand not just the accounting but the hard decisions you make as a small business owner.

        If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

        Credit: Original article published here.

        FreshBooks Saves This Canadian Filmmaker More Than $2,750 a Year

        Software Stack Editor · January 5, 2023 ·

        Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

        As a young entrepreneur starting a Canadian film production company, Chris Gaudry learned two important lessons quickly.

        The first lesson: Getting clients is good, but getting the right kind of clients is better. So when Gaudry—a musician who wanted to fill his creative bucket with art and music-focused projects—found himself producing an endless chain of corporate videos for agricultural clients, he knew he needed to redirect his ship.

        The second lesson: Arguably an extension of the first, was that you have to make investments in your small business to make it into an even bigger business. Gaudry decided to sacrifice revenue to spend time rebranding his Winnipeg-based company, . It paid off when he landed the gig that changed his company’s trajectory. An RFP to direct what would end up being nearly 90 music videos for Manitoba Music over the course of six years. Since then, Gaudry has kept a firm hand at the helm, writing and producing shows such as APTN’s  and the 2017 feature-length documentary, .

        But even when it feels like smooth sailing ahead, administrative tasks can make for rough seas. Yet, it took Chris nearly a decade to learn his most recent lesson: Just as it’s important to invest in yourself, investing in software that helps your business run smoothly can be a game-changer too.

        We spoke more with Chris to learn more about how FreshBooks has helped transform his business.

        How did Four Four Films get started?

        Chris: The entrepreneurial spirit has been in my body forever. Back in my early 20s, I was in a rock band. I knew that if we wanted to go from being a GarageBand project into an actual business that toured and made CDs, I would have to take us to the next level. So, I became the band’s manager and booking agent.

        I’ve always just followed my passions, as cheesy as that sounds. But it’s honestly true. If you want to do something, you have to grab the reins and take control of it. So, going off on my own [into film production]—even though I’d just had my first child and had a newborn at home—wasn’t always easy. Yet, it wasn’t as scary for me as it might be for someone who’s never taken that leap before.


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        Prior to FreshBooks, how did you manage your books?

        Chris: When you’re working on your company, you’re doing all the work for your company. It’s so hard to be the administrator and the marketing person too. Any entrepreneur will tell you that you get lost in doing the work, and you forget you have to work on your business as well. That was definitely the case for my accounting system.

        Most of my revenues come and go through a process of invoicing. I was keeping a tally of things that were coming and going just in an Excel spreadsheet and manually entering everything in.

        The part that would just kill me was the end of the year. I’d print up actual invoices and then stick them in a pile, and I’d lay out all these papers on the floor. I’d have a January stack and a February stack [and so on], and then I’d transfer everything into my spreadsheet in Excel. For expenses, I’d have to manually enter all the different categories of stuff I’d charged to my business credit card. And then I’d still have to hire an accountant and then take that crappy bookwork and turn it into a tax return every year.

        It was a tedious and painful two days of work. Just an absolute nightmare.

        FreshBooks is integrated into pretty much everything I do from a financial standpoint, from all my invoices to my projections.

        What’s changed in your business since you made the switch to using FreshBooks?

        Chris: I was having a beer with a buddy who is a photographer and was saying, “I gotta do my taxes. I’ve been putting it off. I don’t want to do it.” And he said, “I use FreshBooks.” I went home, Googled FreshBooks and that day, I was just like, “I’m doing this. I have to do this, and I have to start now.”

        Now, FreshBooks is integrated into pretty much everything I do from a financial standpoint, from all my invoices to my projections.

        One feature I really love is that it allows me to link my credit card to my FreshBooks account for my expenses. So, if I’m paying for gas or booking a hotel, all those individual expenses are now automatically tracked inside the software. I also do all of my invoicing directly from FreshBooks.

        I use the app too, which is nice because I’m either on the road or away for three weeks on production, and I don’t have my laptop handy. But with the app, I can quickly just resend invoices or update contact details on the fly.

        I also use the reports to glance at how much money I’m making and how much tax to pay. I have the luxury of sometimes being able to defer invoices to fit different fiscal quarters or years, so this allows me to be smart about how I’m managing my revenues and paying my taxes. Something like this is impossible when you’re just using a spreadsheet. The reports [in FreshBooks] allow you to make informed decisions about managing your cash flow and income.

        One of my accounting goals for 2023 is to start using FreshBooks’ mileage tracking. I’m still doing that manually. Right now, I use Google Maps to calculate how many kilometres I drive for work.

        What’s tax time like for you now that you’ve switched to FreshBooks?

        Chris: Because I also have a corporation, which enables me to get film tax credits, I work with an accountant to file to the CRA. She connects directly to FreshBooks, so I don’t have to do anything. She’s able to literally pull all the info she needs from FreshBooks, file it, then upload everything to the CRA directly. It’s really a one-stop shop.

        Taxes can be such a burden in your life when you realize you’ll have to buckle down and spend those two days on your taxes. Now, I don’t have a big crunch at the end of the year.

        When it’s time to file my taxes, I just email my accountant: “Hey, everything’s good to go. You can download the file and file for me now.” That peace of mind is invaluable.

        What advice would you give to other creative individuals who are interested in starting their own business?

        Chris: Accounting software isn’t free. And so, oftentimes, entrepreneurs may not be busy enough to feel they can justify the cost.

        But there’s a degree of accuracy and immediacy that using a software program brings to the table that you, yourself, cannot provide. I think that peace of mind goes a long way. Accounting software is an expense worth making early on in terms of organization. It’s worth it, even if you think you’re not big enough.

        What’s next for you and Four Four Films?

        Chris: My friend and I just collaborated on a passion project to produce a short film that I wrote and directed. A screener of it just premiered at Quebec’s Cinemania Film Festival in November 2022. It’s a project that’s particularly near and dear to me, as there isn’t really any major funding to make short films, especially more experimental ones. I’m super proud of it for its artistic merit.

        I’m also working on a 26-episode kids’ TV show for the French version of the CBC. It highlights the work a wildlife haven in Manitoba does to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals with an Indigenous lens.

        How does your identity as a Métis filmmaker play into your work?

        Chris: It’s a privilege to be part of the media landscape that’s part of the solution of Reconciliation. It’s also great to be part of what I hope is a true Indigenous Renaissance in Canada. We’re helping them tell their stories and giving them a chance to be louder and be heard. Working in Métis communities and meeting Métis people who live traditional lifestyles added to my own personal experience as an Indigenous person, and understanding of who I am on a way more profound level.

        I feel like I won the jackpot by being able to work in the niche sector of Indigenous filmmaking.

        If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

        Credit: Original article published here.

        FreshBooks Blog – Resources & Advice for Small Business Owners

        Software Stack Editor · January 1, 2023 ·

        Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

        If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

        Credit: Original article published here.

        6 Reasons for Accounting Professionals to Get FreshBooks Certified

        Software Stack Editor · November 8, 2022 ·

        Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

        Is it time to add a new skill to your toolkit? When you support clients with accounting software, taking the time to level up your skills goes a long way in helping you work more efficiently and reach new customers.

        As a firm or business owner, you want to be where your clients are. FreshBooks has an entire training program to help accounting professionals who work with small businesses learn the ins and outs of the platform.

        Don’t just take our word for it! We asked Accounting Partners to let us know what they thought of the FreshBooks certification.

        “Being FreshBooks-certified has changed the entire course of my business,” said , owner of Heritage Business Services. Read on to get the full story and learn why it might be time to add another certification to your skillset.

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          What Is the FreshBooks Certification in the Accounting Partner Program?

          The is an online, self-paced training program designed to give accountants and bookkeepers the tools they need to work better with their clients in FreshBooks.

          It walks you through everything you need to know about FreshBooks to serve your small business clients, from setting up your to running reports and managing your clients’ chart of accounts. It also covers the FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ framework, a process that can transform the way you and your clients work together.

          (👋 Already a FreshBooks Accounting Partner? You can access the certification through the learning management system.)

          What Is Collaborative Accounting?

          FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting is a technology-enabled accounting model anchored in a shared workflow between accounting professionals and their clients. Business owners focus on completing front-end tasks in an easy-to-use software platform, and their accountants pick up where they leave off, providing in-depth financial insights and advisory work that has increased value for clients. When you and your clients each take on parts of the financial workflow, you’re both more confident and better informed.

          Your client has more agency over their own business and a deeper understanding of their financials. And you have time to do more astute analysis that can help them make those big-picture business decisions.

          This model and workflow are designed for future-focused accounting professionals who want to add more value to their firm and give clients a deeper level of service. It’s ideal if you have looking for guidance and more agency over their financial future.

          “ not only gives the clients transparency into our tasks but it gives us transparency into the client’s workflow and how they’re going to earn money. And so, that can now help us to advise them on how to get paid,” says Kristen Keats, CPA, of Breakaway Bookkeeping & Advising.

          What Are the Benefits of Collaborative Accounting?

          Collaborative Accounting makes it possible for accountants to offer higher-value services to clients. When you’re locked into advisory or niche accounting work that has real value for your clients, you can build your expertise and reputation, bringing in more revenue with less administrative burden.

          You can expect to:

          Deliver value at scale. By freeing your team of time-consuming compliance tasks and focusing on advisory services, you can expand those services without having to grow your team.

          Attract forward-thinking talent. Firms that focus on advisory services vs. strictly bookkeeping tasks will naturally bring in the best and the brightest team members who have a growth mindset for their clients and their company.

          Streamline processes and improve overall efficiency. A shared workflow in a single system is more efficient overall. It removes the friction of following up on missing information and managing day-to-day bookkeeping tasks from your client interactions.

          Draw in and retain the right long-term clients. Your practice can differentiate itself by building a depth of experience and advisory knowledge in an area aligned with your ideal clients. Distilling your expertise into a higher-level tier will attract clients who match.

          Enjoy a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Service-based business owners looking to grow their companies are hungry for accounting solutions that empower them to understand their financial operations better. FreshBooks is the only software that offers Collaborative Accounting, where clients and accountants work together.

          Deliver an enhanced client experience. Collaborative Accounting simplifies client interactions by letting you and your clients work together in a single system, so you both have the insights and information you need (and when you need it).

          Elevate client relationships. As an advisor, you can minimize the time spent fine-tuning client financials and maximize the time guiding your clients as they grow. This builds strong, lasting relationships. You’ll meet regularly to discuss the financial insights you’re observing that they can use to optimize their business and prepare for sustainable growth.

          FreshBooks Accounting Partner Program: Why Get FreshBooks Certified?

          Okay, you now understand what Collaborative Accounting is, and why it’s important for your clients. But that doesn’t answer the million-dollar question: Why should my team get certified?

          Glad you asked! Let’s dig into it.

          1. It’s Made for Modern Accounting Professionals

          Are you ready to shake up the accounting industry just a little (or a lot)? The traditional way of working with clients can be transactional and impersonal. It leaves accounting professionals frustrated with chasing data and spending too many hours on basic bookkeeping work. Meanwhile, clients feel removed from their business financials and aren’t getting the insights they need to grow.

          “Now, with Collaborative Accounting, we’re able to spend much more time nurturing the client relationship, providing advisory and not just on the financial level but also the personal level,” says Nicole Davis, CPA.

          If you’re excited to try a new, collaborative way of working with clients that’s focused on and showcasing your value as an accounting professional, this is the certification for you.

          2. Become a FreshBooks Product Expert

          Your clients’ businesses aren’t static, and yours shouldn’t be, either. Getting your FreshBooks certification is an easy, free way to level up your skill set and keep your firm up-to-date on accounting software platforms.

          “Being FreshBooks-certified gives my clients (and prospects) peace of mind that I am not devoted entirely to only 1 company’s software,” said Susie Fergus, FreshBooks Accounting Partner. “Instead, I am customer-focused—recommending what is best for their unique business. This software is well-supported, user-friendly, and ever-evolving to meet the needs of business owners.”

          In the certification, you’ll explore the FreshBooks platform and features, learn how to onboard clients, and gain a deep understanding of how to use the Collaborative Accounting framework with your clients; thus, benefits both of you.

          This allows you to optimize workflows for your clients and get the most out of the technology.

          “The best part of the certification is the insight into how the software thinks and acts,” said , owner of Crayon Advisory. “We’re trained to think one way by other software, and it’s not always the best, most efficient, or most business owner-centered way of thinking.”

          3. Get Practical Hands-On Resources

          At the heart of the FreshBooks certification are actionable tactics and resources you can use immediately to expand your advisory practice, without adding more staff.

          The modules walk you through the platform and give you training and practical tips on product features and advisory-centric workflows via:

          • videos
          • downloadable templates and checklists
          • peer reviews
          • interactive case studies you can use with your clients
          • onboarding documents to guide your clients

          4. Access Dedicated Accounting Support

          FreshBooks-Certified Partners get dedicated support from our Accounting Specialists, who have accounting backgrounds and know the ins and outs of the FreshBooks platform.

          But even if you haven’t completed your certification yet, the FreshBooks team is here to support you! As an Accounting Partner, you’ll be connected with your Partner Consultant, who will become your go-to person at FreshBooks.

          5. It’s Simple to Get Certified

          You’ve got enough on your plate, so we totally understand that any product certification has to work around your schedule. The entire FreshBooks certification process takes under 4 hours, but you learn at your own pace. You can always pause and pick it back up if you need a break.

          The training comprises of modules with video lessons, so you can see how to do pretty much everything in FreshBooks. You’ll get step-by-step instructions on tasks like adding journal entries, creating an invoice, using time tracking, and doing .

          You’re not a robot, so no one’s expecting you to remember every tiny detail from the certification. You can always go back to review lessons if you need a refresher.

          “The certification modules are like a library for me,” said Kate. “I know that I can’t remember everything that’s taught in each module after only one listen. But, I have a strong grasp of the overall platform, and I know I can search through the module titles when I need to be reminded of how a specific feature works or how to do a specific task.”

          “The certification is easy for me to go back and re-watch the thing I need to know or have a question about,” said Megan.

          6. Get a New Badge (And Other Free Stuff)

          One of the best reasons to get FreshBooks Certified is to demonstrate to your clients that you have the skills to support them across various accounting platforms. When you complete the training, you’ll get a badge signifying your expertise as a Collaborative Accountant to on your website or social media platforms.

          “Being FreshBooks Certified gives me one more way to show my clients I’m competent at what I do and with the products I use,” said Megan.

          Plus, as a certified partner, you’ll get:

          • 3 CPE credits
          • exclusive discounts for you and your clients
          • dedicated, accountant-specific support
          • data migration support
          • inclusion in the FreshBooks Certified-Partner directory

          Your First Step to Becoming a FreshBooks Certified Accounting Partner…

          Ready to get started on your training? Great! The first step to getting FreshBooks certified is to .

          From there, our team will be in touch to find out your goals and get you on your way to getting certified. I can’t wait for you to join us!

          This post was updated in September 2024.

          If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

          Credit: Original article published here.

          Accountants: What Is the Best FreshBooks Plan for Your Client?

          Software Stack Editor · May 5, 2022 ·

          Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

          Thinking of FreshBooks for your clients but not sure where to start? You’re in the right place.

          You already know that the right accounting software will help clients keep track of their day-to-day finances and give you the information you need to offer expert accounting services. Which might be what led you to consider a different software option. Many business owners who aren’t “numbers people” —and even .

          At FreshBooks, there are multiple plans to suit businesses at any stage, whether they’re just getting started or are scaling up fast. Read on to find the plan that’ll work best for your clients.

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            Is FreshBooks Accounting Software a Fit for My Client?

            Before comparing plans, it’s important to understand who is a fit for FreshBooks and why.

            FreshBooks is ideal for:

            • Small businesses looking for an easy-to-use software
            • Service-based or project-based businesses
            • Businesses with light or no inventory
            • Businesses with up to 25 employees (Although larger businesses can still thrive and with FreshBooks.)

            You know that the right software is not just about your tech stack and your proficiency or level of comfort. It’s about your client being able to use the software comfortably, too. That’s why the works so well for accounting professionals who use FreshBooks with their clients. Now let’s compare plans and see which works best for your clients.

            Now let’s compare plans and see which works best for your clients.

            All Plans: Not-So-Basic Standard Features

            Each FreshBooks plan has its own unique features and benefits. As a cloud accounting and invoicing software, there are tons of great features available on all .

            Key Features

            • Unlimited invoices, estimates, and expenses
            • Online payments
            • Projects
            • Time Tracking
            • Reporting

            All of our plans allow business owners to send unlimited invoices and estimates and track unlimited expense entries. Growing businesses particularly like how easy it is to and send their clients payment reminders.

            Speaking of getting paid, FreshBooks plans allow business owners to with credit cards and bank transfers.

            FreshBooks’ and Time Tracking features are great project management tools. Users can review all time tracked from their team members, as well as see all invoices and expenses associated with a specific project.

            While FreshBooks may have started as an invoicing software company, today’s small business owners turn to us for help with their day-to-day bookkeeping and accounting tasks. All of our plans include financial reporting tools so users can generate invoicing and payments reports, , and .

            Plus Plan: Our Most Popular Plan

            Key Features

            • Free Accountant roles
            • Bank reconciliation
            • Accounting reports

            Chances are that most of your small business owner clients will find that Plus is the best FreshBooks plan for their business.

            With a generous limit of 50 billable clients, they’ll be able to invoice their regular customers and still have room to grow their client base.

            As an accounting professional, you can feel comfortable recommending the Plus plan because it’ll capture the financial data you need to help your clients. And it’s priced competitively for them to boot.


            Related Articles


            Dedicated Accountant Role

            Whether you need to set up your client’s FreshBooks account from day 1, or you only need access at tax time, FreshBooks has two that allow this to happen.

            By setting up your client’s account from the Accountant Hub, you, as the can set up their Chart of accounts, and connect their bank account to start automatically importing transactions. You can also decide if you or your client will pay for their FreshBooks subscription (if included in your list of offered services). In the advanced accounting settings, both accounting roles allow you to make accounting changes within the account, like creating custom accounts in the chart of accounts and creating and editing journal entries, The Accountant Hub will allow you to manage your clients’ FreshBooks accounts in one place.

            Bank Reconciliation

            The feature lets you match account activity in your client’s bank account against entries recorded to their FreshBooks account. While the tool does a lot of the heavy lifting by automatically scanning the account and providing a list of likely matches, you can also manually match account activity to further ensure accuracy and consistency.

            You can also record transfers and contributions to or draws from owner’s equity to cut down on the need for manual journal entries. Imagine the time-saving potential for your accounting processes!

            Accounting Reports

            Speaking of financial data, let’s dive into the information clients can easily track with the Plus plan, and what it’ll look like on your end. FreshBooks’ double-entry accounting features allow you and your clients to get a full-picture view of money earned versus money spent.

            The double-entry accounting reports on the Plus plan that make this possible are:

            • Balance Sheet
            • Profit & Loss
            • Cash Flow
            • Trial Balance
            • General Ledger

            Premium Plan: For Tracking Payables

            Key Features

            • Unlimited billable clients
            • Customizable email templates
            • Accounts payable features
            • Track Project Profitability

            The Premium plan has all the features of the Plus plan and then some. It’s ideal for owners who are scaling up and starting to outgrow the Plus plan.

            Typically, most owners who choose the Premium plan do so because it supports an unlimited number of clients, which is a step up from the 50 available on the Plus plan.
            It also offers owners additional email settings, including automated client emails with dynamic fields and customized email templates and signatures.

            From an accounting perspective, the Premium plan also includes the and the Project Profitability features. Clients can use Project Profitability to easily track and record their bills for various vendors all in one place–giving you the visibility to accurately advise on cash flow at any time. By comparing the profitability of standardized services, businesses can get accurate and real-time insights to all the revenues, expenses, and employee costs associated with the client or project.

            Select Plan: For Big(ger) Businesses

            Key Features

            • Dedicated account manager
            • Customized onboarding services
            • Dedicated customer support
            • Access to lower credit card transaction rates
            • Data migration services
            • Revenue forecasting

            The Select plan is our highest-tier plan and should be considered for clients whose businesses are at a stage that requires specialized support.

            Select plan members can expect a dedicated account manager, customized onboarding services, and data migration services.

            It’s also a good option for businesses that process a lot of online payments as it’ll allow them to take advantage of lower credit card and debit card processing fees.

            Along with the accounting tools included on the Plus and Premium plans, the Select plan also offers a greater level of insight into a business’s finances with additional reports. Recurring revenue reports, for example, help with revenue forecasting. In particular, the can be run from the present date to any date in the future to see future projected recurring revenue at any given time.

            Lite Plan: For Those Just Getting Started

            The Lite plan tends to be the best fit for businesses that are just getting started and have less than 5 active clients. While the Lite plan definitely punches above its weight as an invoicing tool, it doesn’t offer the same accounting tools as our other plans.

            That’s not to say the Lite plan is short on features! For example, the ability to import expenses as a CSV file into FreshBooks is available on all plans. Clients also get unlimited invoices.

            However, you might find that a different plan is the better fit for your client if they’d benefit from the dedicated Accountant role, double-entry accounting, accounting reports (other than the P&L Report and Sales Tax Summary Report), or bank reconciliation features.

            Just for You: The Accounting Partner Program

            When saying that FreshBooks is built for owners, that also includes accountants and bookkeepers, too. The was designed to support accounting professionals build up their own businesses with access to great tools, education resources, and a peer network to collaborate (and sometimes commiserate) with.

            Switching a client to a new accounting software can feel daunting. Our team is equipped to help accounting partners migrate their clients’ full general ledger (GL) to FreshBooks as seamlessly as possible.

            Partners also get dedicated support from our partner support specialists, who have accounting backgrounds and know FreshBooks features through and through.

            Want know more? Email us at accountants@freshbooks.com to set up a call with one of our partner consultants.

            With Any Plan Your Client Chooses…

            We know that your top priority is to provide your clients next-level service by helping them track their finances and make sound financial decisions. At FreshBooks, we have the same commitment to unbeatable service.

            With any plan your client chooses, you can count on FreshBooks to deliver outstanding service from our award-winning Support team.

            Every small business is different. Their accounting needs vary by business type, size, and industry. We know there’s no one-size-fits all solution when it comes to accounting software, which is why we don’t try to be!

            Get your clients started with a or contact our award-winning Support team at 1-866-303-6061 or for more information.

            This post was updated in March 2024.

            If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

            Credit: Original article published here.

            How Aliya Uses FreshBooks to Scale Her Communications Firm and Stay Confident During Tax Season

            Software Stack Editor · March 17, 2022 ·

            Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

            Aliya Jiwan-Thawer is a seasoned media trainer and media relations consultant who brings over 20 years of communications experience to the table. After working 10+ years as a television and radio news reporter for major Canadian broadcast networks, Aliya transitioned into the world of public relations.

            While in public relations, she had the chance to work with both large and boutique PR agencies, creating and executing public and media relations campaigns in a variety of industries including financial, health, IT, education, childcare, corporate and non-profit sectors.

            Aliya’s insight into the workings of a newsroom allows her to identify the qualities that make stories stick. She understands the science of generating media interest, and her rapport with media connections enables her to secure media interviews for clients on a wide range of topics.

            Today, using her experience as a television news reporter, Aliya has also trained countless CEOs and company spokespeople for some of the toughest media interviews. She’s used her platform and company to help successfully launch a variety of products and charities for her . She has also media trained a wide range of spokespeople and managed numerous fundraising events while positively positioning her clients in ways that have raised awareness and brought attention to their stories.

            As Aliya found herself making a career transition from journalist to media trainer and media relations consultant, she found herself in pursuit of added flexibility to help her dedicate more time to motherhood, “When I really needed that flexibility, I didn’t have it. So I left, and it was scary. I was very lucky that I had the support of my parents and my spouse because it’s a scary thing to go from making really good money on a consistent basis to not being sure how much money is coming in”.

            Today, Aliya is able to maintain a balance that suits her professional profile while also carving out enough time to spend time with her family. As she continues to scale her , she remains focused on her passions while allowing FreshBooks to take over the parts she’s happy to spend less time on.

            Was the transition from journalism to media relations consulting slow and natural, or something that sort of happened overnight?

            Aliya: After spending over a decade as a TV news reporter and anchor, and a little bit of time as a producer with various news outlets at places like CBC and CTV, the natural progression from journalism for me was to move into media relations. I got a job working at a large PR agency, and there was so much I learned there about just the actual job and media relations, media training, writing, editing, and managing teams. Then I got an opportunity to work at a smaller agency, which involved a lot of leadership, as it was a smaller firm. The biggest perk there was I got to work from home most of the time.

            After a lot of commuting from the suburbs to the city with that job, I found myself having to endure a struggle that a lot of parents face when their kids first start daycare–being at an age where they are changing socially and sick often—you need a very understanding employer who is comfortable with you stepping away and go pick up your kid first, and putting the grind second.

            After a while, I realized I didn’t really have that flexibility, and I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells. With both of my parents being self-employed, they would say time and time again that consulting or starting my own business would be the right move. With that in the back of my head, when I really needed that flexibility I decided to leave and transition to working for myself, which was very scary initially. I was extremely lucky to have the support of my family and go from making really good money on a consistent basis to not being sure how much money I’m going to make.

            With FreshBooks, it’s hard for me to fall behind on invoices and lose grip of my income projections since everything is tracked month to month. That makes tax time especially painless.

            What unforeseen challenges hindered you early on in your journey as a small business owner?

            Aliya: The actual client services part came naturally to me because I was already managing clients, and I knew exactly what the clients needed. Having the taste level with the writing and the editing along with having that news judgment of what will help clients get media coverage, all of that came naturally to me. But knowing how to run a business? That was tougher to handle.

            Making sure I was the person who was client-facing and doing the work wasn’t an issue at all, but also being the person sending out invoices and making sure the money came through was not something that came naturally to me. I was lucky to have the guidance of my parents who were both self-employed and both accountants. They kind of guided me through the process of and tracking my billable hours to make sure I was ready for tax time.

            What was your old accounting process like, and how do you think it changed over time?

            Aliya: For me, it was a series of spreadsheets and Word documents. Microsoft Office was my best friend initially because that’s all I knew. And when you only have a handful of clients, you can get away with it. As soon as I started ramping up clients, it became apparent that I needed a better way to do things.

            The other challenge when you’re a consultant is, you need to really be prepared for the ebbs and flows of the business. Some months can be very, very busy, and suddenly other months can be very quiet. You need to really manage your cash flow properly so that you not only have the money when it comes time to pay your taxes and and all that fun stuff, but also so that you have the income to carry you during those slower months.

            How does the seasonal nature of your business translate into tax prep? Is tax time an especially intense period?

            Aliya: When it comes time for tax season, I basically give my accountants access to my FreshBooks account and they see everything at a glance. What I have to stay on top of are expenses, and incurring any mileage. With FreshBooks, it’s hard for me to fall behind on invoices and lose grip of my income projections since everything is tracked month to month. That makes tax time especially painless.

            At what point did FreshBooks become the clear solution to help you streamline your accounting?

            Aliya: It was really when I started scaling and adding more clients to my business. In the beginning, when you only have a handful of clients, tracking in a spreadsheet and having a column for billables and another for taxes felt sufficient. But at scale, those things were impossible to sustain. I started working with agencies who would subcontract work, and when I was getting 10-12 invoices per month, I knew it was time to find a better way—I was taking way too long to process them. I went from spending hours upon hours with my invoices to spending maybe two minutes tops. It was such a breeze to track billables in FreshBooks and then simply press “Generate Invoice”. It’s the best!

            What sets FreshBooks apart in your mind?

            Aliya: From the moment I first used FreshBooks it was immediately apparent that it was quite user-friendly. I didn’t really want to go through a steep learning curve with a new platform, I just wanted to use something that I know works. What I really needed was to be able to track billable hours. It was important for me to make sure that I was billing my clients accurately. At the same time, if I had a , I wanted to be able to let my clients know in advance that this was going to be a slow month, but that we had some money to carry over. Or, if it was going to be a really, really heavy month, maybe we want to scale back a bit next month, just to balance things out. FreshBooks gives me a level of foresight that I couldn’t achieve before.

            [embedded content]

            Which features are you the biggest fan of? Do you use some FreshBooks features more than others?

            Aliya: I use invoicing literally all of the time. Every single project that I do with every client that I service involves invoicing through FreshBooks. I also put all of my expenses in there which includes monthly expenses like newspaper subscriptions, but also includes parking or any purchases I make for my business—software, subscriptions, etc. The one thing I still want to implement would be using the feature more. With COVID, I haven’t had as many excuses to travel!

            Invoicing was a very manual process and something that took a lot of time for me before. I was tracking the time on a spreadsheet and then manually creating an invoice, whereas now I spend a couple of seconds generating invoices directly in FreshBooks.

            Today, I can probably block off an hour at the end of every month and get all my invoices and expenses sorted. That’s a game-changer for me, and it helps me put that time back into my business, or spend more time with my family.

            If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

            Credit: Original article published here.

            What Are Accounting Advisory Services? Here’s What You Need to Know

            Software Stack Editor · May 7, 2021 ·

            Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

            The term “advisory services” gets thrown around a lot, so it can be hard to know exactly what it means. “Is this something new?” “Is it different from what I’m already doing?” “I feel like I advise my clients all…the…time!”

            So what is it really?

            I believe advisory services will be the future of accounting and bookkeeping for firms and solo practitioners. Why? One reason is that technology is making compliance work easier. Increasingly, businesses can automate accounts receivable processes, expense management, and more, making outsourcing less appealing.

            Another reason is that the post-pandemic economic uncertainty has prompted business owners to keep a close eye on cash flow. More than ever, businesses need the advisory services a professional can offer.

            So, let’s break down what accounting advisory services really are, what they mean to your firm, and what they can do for your clients.

            Table of contents icon

            Table of contents iconTable of Contents

              But First, Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Advisor?

              Want to hear a secret? No degree or credential is required to offer advisory services. What is required is the ability to help your clients solve their problems and improve their business.
              Delivering on a value proposition like that requires you to continually grow and develop these skills:

              • big-picture thinking to envision solutions for your clients’ problems
              • research and evaluation skills so you can poll current clients, evaluate industry and market trends, and follow tech advances
              • empathy, curiosity, good communication, and change management to guide clients through these recommendations and develop deeper client relationships

              You don’t need to be born with these skills. You can identify your strengths and weaknesses and create your own path through books, training courses, and mentorship to fill out your advisory toolbox.

              The key here is to realize your clients don’t need someone with all the answers. What they need is someone willing to ask the right question (sometimes a lot of questions). They need someone who understands how stressful and isolating it can be to run a business and who will come alongside them and help them solve problems. What they need is a human being. What they need is you!

              What Advisory Services Are (and Are Not)

              Most of the traditional services we think of as accounting and bookkeeping are compliance services. These include keeping up with the books, generating financial reports, and filing taxes—all compulsory for business owners. These services are focused on historical data.

              Advisory accounting goes beyond this by examining the present or looking to the future and providing guidance to business owners. With the right direction, owners can make better-informed business decisions, increase their profits and cash flow, and avoid potential problems — but more on that later.

              Consulting Versus Advisory

              Consulting services are typically provided on an as-needed basis, often as one-time engagements. When the client runs into a problem, they call you up to ask for your help. You consult until the issue is solved, and then go back to compliance. You may collect a consulting fee, or—far too often—your client may just assume these 911 phone calls are part of the deal when they hired you.

              Advisory services, on the other hand, are built into your engagement with the client. Your client knows you’ll provide guidance in certain areas, and they understand that they’re paying a higher fee for the added value of your advice.

              In a study conducted by CPA.com, nearly . So, it’s likely that you’ve already been offering advisory in one form or another.

              However, if you want the best results for you and your clients, it’s important to make it integral to your offering.

              Compliance Versus Advisory

              Compliance services are increasingly becoming a commodity. There’s little differentiation between the tax returns or financial statements produced by one firm versus another. The result is a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. This is why you see so many firms marketing themselves with phrases like “trusted” or “accurate,” which are standard expectations.

              A way to set your firm apart is with advisory services.. You can add real value to a client’s business and help them reach new levels of success, and it all starts with your greatest areas of expertise.


              Related Articles


              So, What’s Your Specialty?

              Start by asking yourself:

              • What do you do best?
              • What do you know that your client doesn’t?
              • Where do they need the most help?
              • What matters to your clients?

              Through advisory services, you can help answer those questions by offering support such as:

              • tech stack implementation
              • budgeting
              • business planning
              • financing and loan applications
              • operations reviews
              • HR, payroll, and employee benefits
              • KPIs and metrics
              • pricing analysis
              • technology training
              • tax planning
              • improving workflows

              It can also mean helping your clients understand complex business issues based on their accounting data. For example: Advising on increasing revenue, reducing costs, determining the right time to hire, or renegotiating a bank loan.

              Again, consider what matters to them.

              What Advisory Can Do for Your Clients

              A few years ago, I was working with a fitness studio owner looking to expand to more locations across the country. We went into our meeting with plans to review the previous quarter’s financial results, followed by an examination of the forecasts I had prepared for the next 3 locations they wished to open. (You can see that I was dabbling in advisory by forecasting.)

              When the meeting started, instead of getting right into the numbers, we ended up spending 20 minutes talking about our children, business travel, and the mom guilt that we both felt as with children who sometimes have to be away from our families. We spent the next 20 minutes discussing staffing challenges they were facing and developing a plan to kick off a program that would help motivate employees.

              Only then did we discuss the forecasts and opportunities for their 3 new locations to determine the capital required to grow their business.

              That may sound like wasted “free time” chatting with a client and fielding questions, but it wasn’t wasted at all. It was an essential piece of developing trust and understanding. At that moment, she didn’t need just accounting expertise, she needed me to be human.

              By empathizing, listening, asking questions, and contributing to the conversation in a relatable and authentic way, I was able to uncover the client’s biggest pain points and, ultimately, developed a better financial plan for her that aligned with her goals and values.

              It’s Not All About the Accounting

              As an advisor, it’s important to remember that clients don’t primarily value the spreadsheets, numbers, or the effort you put into creating them. What makes a real impact is the outcome. The partnership and relationship you bring to the table are a huge part of helping them get where they want to go. Financial reports and data should support client conversations, not monopolize them.

              The fitness studio owner I previously mentioned initially came to me for bookkeeping and taxes, but she became an ongoing advisory client. She later confided that there was no way she would have been able to expand her business and add new locations without us. Developing that “partnership” plus the financial insight made it happen.

              Key Advisory Advantages for Clients

              When clients recognize you as a partner or integral part of their team, it can alleviate their stress about income and expense concerns and give them a sense of financial security for the future.

              “The intersection of your client’s needs and your skills forms the basis of advisory.”

              They can simplify their business and better understand their finances by or another platform. A powerful aspect of advisory services is helping clients design suitable workflows and coaching them to effectively use tools to streamline their day-to-day financial tasks.

              Ultimately, advisory services are all about to overcome their biggest problems and achieve their biggest goals. These are unique to every business, and the intersection of their needs and your skills forms the basis of advisory.

              It’s crucial to remember that many businesses don’t know what they need or what’s causing their biggest problems. They may also be floating downstream, headed toward a waterfall, and be blissfully unaware of the trouble coming their way. This is why it’s vital to build advisory into your . Often, clients don’t know they need to ask for these services and won’t ask for your help in a consultative capacity until it’s too late.

              What Advisory Can Do for You

              Advisory services are a fantastic opportunity to grow, both in terms of income and professional development.

              By embracing the , you can revolutionize client interactions and enhance your capacity to deliver scalable advisory solutions.

              Collaborative Accounting is a technology-driven approach to accounting, supported by a shared workflow between accountants and their clients. It streamlines front-end tasks for business owners through an intuitive software platform, leaving accountants the space to focus on high-value advisory services.

              This approach offers numerous benefits, including:

              • client experience
              • pricing (explained below)
              • niching
              • scalability
              • advisory

              With Collaborative Accounting, the possibilities for enhancing client experiences and delivering impactful advisory solutions are endless.

              The Benefits of Value-Based Pricing

              Advisory allows you to create more value for your clients and increase your prices. If your clients still pay by the hour (), it might be time to reconsider your price structure. Value-based pricing ensures that your clients know exactly what it will cost each month and lets them clearly see the return they’re getting from your services.

              Hourly rates, on the other hand, punish you for getting better at your job and don’t reflect what clients are actually paying for.

              Ready to Get Started?

              If you’re an accounting professional interested in offering advisory services but you aren’t sure where to start, begin by taking small steps.

              The best thing to do is to get educated by obtaining the . In under 4 hours, this program will guide you through various advisory opportunities related to the everyday tasks of business owners. It covers the framework in detail, including shared workflows for each front-end accounting tasks, tips on advisory conversations, and much more.

              Remember, every journey begins with a single action. Your path to becoming an indispensable advisor for your clients starts today.

              This post was updated in May 2024.

              If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

              Credit: Original article published here.

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