As an entrepreneur, you’re always on the hunt for the fastest route to greater efficiency. After all, there’s only one of you and no shortage of jobs to take on at any given moment. Some of the best time-saving software in the cloud is FreshBooks, a complete accounting package suitable for non-accrual companies.
FreshBooks is designed with the business owner in mind. Set up takes minutes and can be easily branded with your company logo and colors. You’re assigned a custom URL, such as yourbusiness.FreshBooks.com. The dashboard is easy to read: it lists which clients have accessed their invoices and accounts receivable balances. Most importantly, data is completely secured and backed-up.
Consider what invoicing might mean to you today. Maybe some QuickBooks and Word, mixed in with a bit of snail mail and, quite possibly, billable hours scrawled and forgotten on the back of an old lunch receipt. And someday, when you have a few extra hours, you have the best intentions of getting it all sorted out.
Invoicing clients will go from an exercise in procrastination to a joy, thanks in part to the many functions that can be automated. Billing, late payment fees, and invoice reminders with customized messages all can be generated automatically when scheduled for a future date.
If you like FreshBooks, you’re clients are going to love it. The software integrates quickly with Authorize.net, so clients can pay invoices online or authorize credit card payments to be processed on the same day each month. Clients can login and review their invoice history and payments at a glance. You’ll probably see more than a few clients start to useFreshBooks for their own businesses once they realize its ease of use.
Despite doing everything but folding your laundry, FreshBooks is a rock-bottom bargain. Some plans are free, and even at the high end of $40/month the cost is well worth the time saved. You’ll be shocked to find you spend nearly zero time on collections or reconciling client accounts. It’s pay-as-you grow software, allowing you to pay monthly, cancel at any time, and not worry about upgrades, updates, or backups. In case you’re still not convinced, FreshBooks offers a free 30-day trial.
Once you join, you’ll become a believer. Your receivables will turn like clockwork, but your favorite FreshBooks feature might just be the prominently displayed bar graph on the dashboard indicating the dollars you’ve dutifully invoiced every month. A good enough reason to spring for fluff ‘n’ fold.
Dan Moshe helps business owners in the Minneapolis area with all things tech, and is the CEO of the Caring IT company Tech Guru. He cares about your business as much as you do!