How to Customize Sales Invoices in Quickbooks
Does your business use invoices in its day-to-day operations? It’s not uncommon for contractors and service providers to send customers an itemized bill known as an invoice. Upon receiving this bill, the customer can look it over for a description of the purchased products or services and their respective prices. While Quickbooks has a generic template invoice that’s used by default, you can actually customize your invoice in just a few easy steps.
To customize your sales invoice, go ahead and launch the Quickbooks accounting software and choose Customers > Create Invoices. From this menu, click the Print Preview button for a first-hand look at how your current (default) sales invoice looks as an email attachment. It’s always a good idea to view your sales invoice so you’ll know what customers are seeing. Quickbooks’ default sales invoice is optimized, but if you change it, some of these elements may be broken. To exit the preview screen, click the Close button.
Assuming you want to change your sales invoice from the default design, click the Customize option from the drop-down menu followed by Manage Templates. Next, click the thumbnails in the Template Gallery to see how it appears as an invoice. Quickbooks comes with several different pre-made templates from which users can choose. Best of all, you can further customize these pre-made invoice templates according to your own preferences. Once you’ve found a template that you wish to use, click to open it. From here, go through the options menu to customize the invoice. Quickbooks allows users to customize nearly every element of their invoice, including the company logo, company name, font size and color, contact information, invoice title, adding or removing fields, disclaimers, notes and more.
After customizing your sales invoice, click the Print Preview button one last time to see how it looks from a customer’s perspective. If it looks good and contains all of your preferred formatting options and settings, click OK to save the invoice. Congratulations, you’ve just customized your sales invoice in Quickbooks! Sorry if you were expecting more, but that’s all it takes!
You might be wondering how to set this newly created template as the default template in Quickbooks. Well, Quickbooks automatically uses the last saved invoice as the default template for the next invoice. Therefore, you don’t have to perform any additional steps. As long as it was the last saved invoice, it will automatically become your new default invoice.
Did this tutorial work for you? Let us know in the comments section below!
How to Raise Capital for Your Small Business
Looking to start your own business? If so, you’ll need to acquire capital to fund your new venture. Regardless of the industry, all businesses need capital to survive. So, how can you raise capital for your small business?
Bank Loans
Many banks and similar financial institutions offer small business loans specifically for entrepreneurs such as yourself. It’s a safe and effective way to acquire capital for a startup. However, the downside to bank-issued small business loans is the simple fact that you generally need credit, and good credit, to obtain them.
Crowdfunding
The advent of the Internet has paved the way to an innovative new way for entrepreneurs to raise capital: crowdfunding. Crowdfunding sites like KickStart and GoFundMe allow entrepreneurs to seek capital from a large pool of users (investors). Unlike traditional methods of raising capital, the entrepreneur typically does not have to forfeit equity of his or her business in exchange for investments. Instead, the entrepreneur may offer other perks, such as free products, special “premium” versions of the product, credit, etc.
Personal Credit Cards
Of course, you can always use your personal credit cards to fund your small business. Although easy and effective, it’s not exactly the best approach. Personal credit cards typically come with steep interest rates and hidden fees. So if you’re thinking about using them to fund your business, check the terms beforehand so you know exactly how much it will cost throughout the duration of the repayment.
Friends and Family
Another idea is to seek capital from friends and family. Being that they know you, they’ll likely feel more inclined to loan you money — even if you have a less-than-stellar credit history. And if a friend or family member needs enticing, offer to create a written contract that details the way in which you’ll pay him or her back. Seeing the terms in writing will boost confidence, making it easier to acquire investment capital.
Angel Investors
Last but not least, angel investors offer yet another way for entrepreneurs to raise capital for their small business. Angles differ from independent investors in the sense that they offer both capital and expertise, usually in exchange for an equity share in the business. If you find the “right” angel, however, you’ll have an invaluable lifeline to help your business grow and succeed. After all, it’s in the angel’s best interest for you to succeed, so it only makes sense for them to help.
The Scoop on Quickbooks Class Tracking
There’s a reason why Quickbooks is the leading choice of accounting software for small-to-mid-sized businesses: it offers a plethora of features and customization options to fit every user’s needs. Among these features is a special tracking system known as “classes,” which we’re going to discuss in today’s blog post.
What are Class Tracking?
Class tracking is a feature in the Quickbooks accounting software that allows users to group items, transactions and other elements according to their reporting needs. Basically, you are “classifying” transactions and items so you can find them more easily in the future. It’s a simple yet highly useful feature that really improves the functionality of Quickbooks, especially for businesses handling lots of transactions and items.
How to Enable Class Tracking
First and foremost, you’ll need to enable class tracking in Quickbooks. This is done by logging into your Quickbooks account and choosing Edit > Preferences > Accounting > Company Preferences > at which point you can tick the “Use class tracking” box to enable this feature. You’ll only have to enable class tracking once, as Quickbooks will automatically remember these settings the next time you log in to your account.
How to Create a Class
Once you’ve enabled class tracking, you’ll want to create a new class to track. This is done by accessing Lists > Class List > create new class (or Ctrl+N). This will bring up a new window with several fields pertaining to the new class. Go ahead and enter a name for your new class and either click “Next” to add another class or “OK” to save the changes and close the window.
How to Use Class Tracking
Class tracking is actually easier to use than most people realize. When creating transactions, the transaction window will reveal a special field dedicated for class tracking. Simply click the drop-down arrow in this field and choose the appropriate class. If the class you wish to use is not listed here, you’ll need to go back and create it using the steps mentioned above. Keep in mind that invoices also have a field for class tracking. Found next to the “Customer:Job field,” it allows users to track invoices based on their preferred system.
Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of Quickbooks class tracking and how it works. Remember, classes provide almost limitless freedom regarding tracking. You can create a class for just about anything, using it to track your transactions and items in the Quickbooks accounting software.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Accounting Software
Not surprisingly, poor accounting and bookkepping is one of the most common reasons why small businesses fail. When a business owner is busy performing the countless number of tasks that go into his or her day-to-day operations, they may overlook the importance of keeping good financial records. It’s not until tax time rolls around the following April when they realize just how important keeping records really is.
Thankfully, you can facilitate the otherwise difficult and tedious task of keeping financial records by choosing the right accounting software. But not all accounting software is the same. To ensure you choose the right type, you’ll want to avoid making the following mistakes.
No Automated Backups
As the saying goes, “hope for the best but prepare for the worst” holds true when speaking of small business accounting. Hopefully, nothing will happen to your financial records, but if disaster strikes you’ll need a backup copy on hand to restore the lost data. This is why it’s a good idea to choose accounting software with an automated backup feature. Granted, you can always create manual backups of your financial transactions and data, but opting for an automated backup feature will save you time and energy.
Infrequent Updates
How frequently is the accounting software updated? One of the great things about Quickbooks is the fact that it’s updated on a regular basis, with developers patching bugs while implementing new features. Accounting software that’s updated less frequently is more prone to bugs and errors, as well as security vulnerabilities. And given the fact that accounting software contains sensitive financial data like bank accounts and customer invoices, you’ll want to ensure it’s protected from such vulnerabilities.
Lack of Security
If there’s one element that shouldn’t be overlooked when choosing accounting software for a small business, it’s security. Hacking and other cyber attacks have become all too common in today’s world, with nearly half of all businesses reporting some type of security breach within the past year. Good accounting software, however, should come with several built-in safeguards to protect your data from unauthorized use or access.
Poor Customization
What kind of customization options does the accounting software offer? Quickbooks, for instance, allows its users to customize nearly every form, including invoices. So instead of sending a generic invoice, you can send customers and clients a fully customized invoice containing your company’s name, logo and other brandable elements.
Top 5 Benefits of Choosing Quickbooks
As a small business owner, you are probably well aware of the importance of keeping good financial records. From receipts and invoices to income statements and paystubs, maintaining good records is essential when running any type of business. Thankfully, the right accounting software can make this process a breeze, simplifying and facilitating the otherwise tedious and time-consuming task of accounting. So, what makes Quickbooks the preferred choice among seasoned small business owners? Check out some of the benefits it offers listed below.
Backed by Intuit
With Quickbooks, you can rest assured knowing that it’s backed by one of the most trusted and reputable companies in the world. Intuit has been a leading player in the tax/accounting market for more than a decade now, and there’s no signs of this changing anytime soon. If you ever encounter a problem when using Quickbooks, you’ll have no problem finding a solution thanks to their unparalleled customer support.
Access Anywhere, Anytime
Assuming you choose either Quickbooks Online or Hosted Quickbooks, you’ll have the freedom to access your account from any Internet-connected computer or device. Whether you are working at the office, or if you are hundreds of miles away on vacation, you can access your Quickbooks account. The convenience of accessibility is just one of the many reasons why Quickbooks is the preferred choice of accounting software among small business owners.
Supports Excel Files
Have an excel file that you would like to import into Quickbooks? This is another task that Quickbooks is capable of performing. It’s cross-compatible with Excel, Word and other leading file types, meaning you don’t have to worry about manually entering each field into your account. Just import the file and Quickbooks does the rest.
Mobile Apps
Quickbooks also has some pretty convenient apps available for use. Using these apps, you can connect to your account and perform other accounting tasks like checking your balances and even sending invoices.
Secure
Cyber threats have become a serious problem for small business owners. If a hacker were to access and delete your data, would your business be able to stay afloat? The good news is that Quickbooks offers a highly secure platform on which to perform your small business accounting; thus, reducing the risk of a cyber attack.
Did we leave out any other benefits? Let us know in the comments section below!
What’s the Best Way to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner?
There are roughly 28 million small businesses operating in the United States, according to data from the Census Bureau. Running your own small business certainly has its perks, such as the ability to be your own boss, set your own hours, and control your financial destiny. But it can also prove challenging for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the laws regarding business operations. One such question that’s often raised by new business owners is how to yourself — something that we’re going to tackle in today’s blog post.
Unfortunately, paying yourself as a business owner isn’t as simple as transferring money from your business account to your personal bank account. If you are an officer of a corporation, for instance, federal law states that you must receive checks like a regular employee, complete with withholdings for Social Security, Medicare, federal taxes and state taxes.
Owners of an S-Corp business must also receive paychecks with withholdings for Social Security, Medicare, federal taxes and state taxes. However, one of the key differences is that S-Corp business owners are allowed to draw additional money beyond their standard paychecks. This is done in as a draw or distribution, and checks written for them are not subject to the same withholdings as standard paychecks.
Of course, sole proprietors are given the freedom to pay themselves without the normal constraints of withholdings. Since there’s no corporate entity in a sole proprietorship, all revenue is acquired in the business’s owners personal account. This eliminates the otherwise confusing process of having to write a paycheck with the respective withholdings. Sole proprietors can simply use their earned money just like any regular money they have.
The downside to running a business as a sole proprietor, however, is that it doesn’t offer any type of liability protection. Unlike corporations, the owner of a sole proprietorship has no protection for his or her personal assets. In other words, if a disgruntled customer sues you, they could potentially take your personal assets, assuming the court sides in their favor. This is why many experienced business owners operate under a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), both of which offer liability protection.
Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of the ways in which small business owners can pay themselves. The bottom line is that you need to understand your business entity type, at which point you can choose the best way to pay yourself.
How to Fix Quickbooks Error 6000
Have you encountered the error 6000 message when attempting to run the Quickbooks accounting software? It’s frustrating when you get ready to do some accounting, only to discover an error message such as this. But the good news is that Quickbooks makes it relatively easy to diagnose problems, as each error is given a specific code corresponding to its respective cause. So by analyzing your error code, you can find and fix the problem.
What Causes the Error 6000 Message?
There are a few different possible causes of the error 6000 message in Quickbooks, one of which is an incomplete Quickbooks installation. When you first install the Quickbooks accounting software, it will launch a “Wizard” that performs most of the steps automatically. It’s important that you allow the Wizard to finish the installation. If you abort the installation mid-way through, it may leave some files corrupted, which could in turn lead to this error message.
Another possible cause of the error 6000 message is a damaged company file. The company file used in Quickbooks has the extension .qbw, and if this file is damaged or otherwise corrupt, it may trigger this error code.
Even if the actual company file is fine, however, the folder in which the file is stored may be damaged, which can also trigger the 6000 error code.
Other possible causes of the Quickbooks error 6000 code may include incorrect permissions to access the company file, compatibility problems with different versions of Quickbooks, and the use of firewalls or other security software that blocks access to the company file.
How to Fix the Quickbooks Error 6000 Message
Being that there are several potential causes for the error 6000 message, the steps to fix it will vary depending on the root cause. If permission settings are causing the message, for instance, you should go back into your Quickbooks account to make sure that you have permissions to access the company file. Or if the installation was incomplete, it’s probably best to reinstall the Quickbooks software.
For most cases of the Quickbooks error 6000 message, however, you can fix it by using the File Doctor tool. This free-to-use tool will automatically scan your Quickbooks installation for errors, and if it finds any, it will offer to fix them. So if you haven’t done so already, download and run the File Doctor tool to see if it resolves your error 6000 message.
Did this resolve your Quickbooks error 6000 message? Let us know in the comments section below
Diagnosing Quickbooks Error -6190, -816
Have you experienced the error code -6190 -816 when attempting to run Quickbooks. Developed by Intuit, Quickbooks has become the world’s leading accounting software for small businesses, and rightfully so: it’s fast, versatile, easy to use, and loaded with features. But like all software, it’s susceptible to errors every once in a while, one of which is the error -6190 -816. So, what’s causing this error and how to you fix it?
There are several possible causes of this error code. Among the most common causes is a transaction log file not matching the user’s company file. Quickbooks automatically creates and saves a summary of the user’s transactions in a transaction log file. The system stores the file with the extension .qbw.tlg. When the transaction log is different from the company file, however, it will trigger the -6190 -816 error code.
To fix this problem, check to make sure the transaction log matches your company file. If it does not, you should edit your company file to reflect the appropriate transactions listed in the log.
Another possible cause of this error code is an update failure. If the company file is updated on a separate computer (not your primary computer) and you did not update the transaction file, it will create the error code -6190 -816.
A third possible reason for this all-too-common error code is a user accessing the company file in Single User Mode. Of course, a simple fix to this problem is to use the correct User Mode, which should resolve the error.
Regardless of what’s causing the -6190 -816 error code, you can often fix it, as well as other problems, by using the Quickbooks File Doctor tool. This free-to-use tool will automatically scan your Quickbooks installation for errors. And if it finds any, it will offer to fix them. Keep in mind, however, that you must be logged into your Quickbooks account as the administrator to run the File Doctor tool. Upon downloading and running the tool, you’ll have the option to check file damage or network connectivity. Choose the first option ad follow the on-screen instructions. The process should only take a couple of minutes, at which point File Doctor will reveal any errors that could be triggering the -6190 -816 code.
Did this tutorial work for you? Let us know in the comments section below!
Best Practices for Invoicing Clients
For many small-to-mid-sized businesses, invoices are a fundamental component of their daily operations. When a client or customer places an order, the business owner must send an invoice containing an itemized list of the purchased products and/or services, as well as the cost. But there are a few things you should know before blasting customers and clients with invoices.
Be Punctual!
In other words, don’t wait until a week after a customer has placed an order to send him or her an invoice. Invoices should be sent in a timely manner to facilitate the process and prevent confusion. Generally speaking, the sooner you send the invoice, the better.
Itemize
As previously states, invoices should contain a breakdown of all products and services purchased by the customer, along with their respective prices. If a customer orders five different products, you should itemize each of these products and their prices. Don’t just place the total amount due on the invoice, but instead break down each associated cost so the customer knows what he or she is buying.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Of course, business owners and accountants should offer multiple payments options in their invoice. This may include cash, money order, check, credit card, debit card, PayPay, etc. If the customer is unable to pay using the “preferred” method, he or she can choose a different form of payment.
Emphasize Payment Amount and Due Date
The two most important elements on an invoice are the payment amount and due date. This doesn’t mean that you should omit other elements, but instead you should emphasize the due date and payment amount by making them bigger and bolder than the rest. Doing so will ensure that the customer sees them, reducing the risk of confusion.
Tracking
You should also set up some type of tracking for your invoices. The purpose of this is to confirm that the customer has received the invoice. If a customer says that he or she didn’t receive it, you can refer to the tracking.
Double-Check for Mistakes
Before sending an invoice, you should go back over it one last time to check for mistakes. Even the most attentive accountants and small business owners are bound to make a typo. Something as simple as an incorrect digit placement, however, could prove disastrous. So to prevent this from happening, double-check your invoices for mistakes before sending.