Moxie Bookkeeping

2011-11-09T20:40:00.001-05:00

Support for QuickBooks 2009 will be discontinued 1/31/12. Upgrade to v2012 at moxiebookkeeping.com

2011-09-29T11:00:00.001-04:00

"QB for Mac not for everyone who has a Mac" Mac.http://ping.fm/UIlx3

2011-09-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

Oldie but goodie IRS employee vs contractor guidelines.
http://ping.fm/FF6y7

2011-09-22T14:37:00.001-04:00

http://ping.fm/0Y7px

2011-07-19T18:52:00.001-04:00

Do you know your true 'cost of sales'? Take your direct costs and divide by number of sales made in a day (or hour). Helps with cashflow.

2011-07-14T07:13:00.001-04:00

When planning your week, focus on what you want to achieve (outcome) not just for activities. If you are missing desired outcome, rethink!

2011-05-25T21:15:00.003-04:00

While I don't love QB Online, it does work on an iPad

2011-05-25T21:15:00.001-04:00

www.sleeter.com/blog/2011/05/manage-payroll-from-your-iphone-or-ipad-with-intuit-online-payroll-mobile/

2011-05-19T10:03:00.001-04:00

Just offset 20.5 tonnes of CO2 for another carbon-neutral year. Make your site or biz carbonfree : www.carbonfund.org/carbonfreewebsite

2011-05-19T09:41:00.001-04:00

Intuit Complete Payroll to be discontinued as of 12/31/11. Don't just go with another Intuit service, unless it truly suits your needs.

2011-05-18T19:01:00.001-04:00

Intuit GoPayment credit card swiper compatible with iPad. Very cool.
http://gopayment.com/

2011-04-28T13:22:00.001-04:00

WIBO hosts free legal and accounting clinics for NYC entrepreneurs
http://wibo.org/events

2011-04-25T16:10:00.001-04:00

QB Mac users may want to consider rightnetworks.com instead of Parallels: remote hosted QB. awesome.

2011-03-30T16:18:00.001-04:00

"I think that maybe inside any business, there is someone slowly going crazy" - Joseph Heller.
Happy Tax Season!

David Allen - Getting Things Done newsletter - What is Wrong with Lists?

2011-03-22T16:39:00.001-04:00

What's wrong with lists? Most people haven't had a lot of success with lists, especially the ones they've tried to use to "get organized."

You are either attracted or repelled by your lists and everything on them. There is no neutral territory. When you look at any one item you will either be thinking to yourself, "Hey, when can I mark THAT off?" or "Yuck! Back away!" My educated guess is that 98 percent of people's responses are some version of the latter.

Why? Because 1) they're hard work and/or 2) they're scary and/or 3) they're disappointing.

1) Hard work

If you know your list of calls to make doesn't include every single call you have to make about any and everything in your life, you will feel that you still should be remembering things that aren't on the list. That's low-level and hard work for your psyche, so it's not really getting the relief from the list it is seeking. If you don't have everything out of your head, it hardly feels worth trying to keep ANYthing out of your head. Also, most big to-do lists have things grouped together on them that cannot be done in the context you are in at the time, and a lot of repetitive re-thinking (wasteful mental effort) is required to figure out what you actually have the opportunity to do in the moment versus what can't be done until another place and time.

2) Scary

If a to-do on your list is not the very next physical visible action to be done, there is a gap between current reality and what you are looking at, and it can trigger a subtle but very real sense of being out of control with what to do about it, every time you glance at it. Some part of you knows that there is more thinking and decision-making required, and you don't feel you have the energy or capability to do that well, in this moment. Simply having "Mom" on a to-do list reminds you that her birthday is coming and that you should think and decide about what you're going to do about it... but, oh my... I don't have the juice to deal with that right now!

3) Disappointing

Ever had to rewrite a list of things you didn't get done when you thought you should? People who try to work daily to-do lists usually have undone things at the end of the day that create guilt and the trouble of having to transfer them to the next day.

So, to change your relationship with "lists" to a more positive one:

1) Make them complete, so your brain gets to graduate from the job of remembering; and organize your action reminders by context (phone, computer, errands, at home, etc.) so you only need to review what you actually can do at the time.

2) Make sure every actionable item has the very next visible physical action identified along with it, so you don't freak out about unknown territory between here and there.

3) Only put items that cannot be done any other day on your calendar, and everything else hold in "as soon as I can get to them" lists.

I suppose "love your lists" could be a little too radical an admonition for some of you. But how about at least "be good friends" with them?

QUOTABLES

"If you aren't yet at the point of clarity, then make that your first goal. It's a big waste of time to go through life being unclear about what you want. Most people wallow way too long in the state of "I don't know what to do." They wait for some external force to provide them with clarity, never realizing that clarity is self-created. The universe is waiting on you, not the other way around, and it's going to keep waiting until you finally make up your mind. Waiting for clarity is like being a sculptor staring at a piece of marble, waiting for the statue within to cast off the unneeded pieces. Do not wait for clarity to spontaneously materialize—grab a chisel and get busy!"

-Steve Pavlina

2011-03-17T14:02:00.001-04:00

I am loving the new Collections Center in QB 2011 PC!

2011-03-15T16:56:00.001-04:00

QB 2011 Premier for PC now has Balance Sheet by Class. Great news for non-profits! @TechSoup may have discount copies

2011-02-15T13:34:00.001-05:00

http://ping.fm/3geZp

2011-02-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

psyched for QB workshop @GPCW on 3/3/11

2011-01-18T13:51:00.001-05:00

5 $ Mistakes Freelancers Make - right on the money!
www.freshbooks.com/blog/2011/01/12/five-money-mistakes-freelancers-make/

2010-10-27T16:20:00.001-04:00

QB for Mac 2011 is out now - but requires OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) to run

2010-10-13T17:21:00.001-04:00

For the period Oct 1, 2010, thru March 31, 2011, NYS sales tax exemption
for clothing and footwear under $110 has
been eliminated.

2010-10-08T21:48:00.001-04:00

FINALLY a resource for QB Mac!
http://ping.fm/J2PCs
with link to v2011 ebook even
yay!

2010-07-23T19:41:00.001-04:00

Everyone should have a budget. Everyone.

2010-06-28T14:21:00.001-04:00

iPhone users beware when upgrading to the 4.0 OS you may loose all of your phone numbers and contacts. Be sure to backup before you upgrade

2010-06-17T09:56:00.001-04:00

Miss the sales tax deadline? Memorize a $1 bill in QB as a reminder for when tax is due -then void and enter payment info in memo when paid

Smart Accounting Principals for Small Business

2010-05-27T18:35:00.002-04:00

1. Use accrual-based accounting: Accrual basis better represents the financial condition of the organization than Cash basis accounting. (Note: QuickBooks allows you to see most reports on both Accrual and Cash basis)
Accrual accounting will help you:
- recognize revenue in the correct fiscal period and when related expenses occurred.
- restrict income to the period or purpose to which it was intended.
- highlight expenses paid in advance or due to be paid to recognize in the correct fiscal period

2. Use double-entry bookkeeping: for every transaction, the money has to come from somewhere (i.e. a checking account) and go to somewhere (i.e. office supplies). Since debits must equal credits, double entry provides a safeguard against error. (Note: QuickBooks is double-entry automatically)

3. Customize your Chart of Accounts: the Chart of Accounts is the key stone to your organizations finances. It should list every possible way for money to come in, go out, hang out in or move around in your organization. It should encompass what board, staff, management, and investors need to know. If your organization uses a budget, the categories of the budget should be the same as your Chart of Accounts. You can create sub-accounts to give you more detail and get a subtotal for types of expenses. (Note: QuickBooks also has Class codes to break out expenses by Program area without duplicating expense categories)

4. Print and review the Profit and Loss report and the Balance Sheet report on a regular basis (at least monthly) to catch errors and omissions.

5. Have a consistent bookkeeping system that standardizes when and how you enter data, summarize/report data, and reconcile data. A written "bookkeeping manual" can ensure continuity between bookkeepers.

6. Have internal controls and segregation of financial duties to prevent error or theft. Unless the owner of the business, the same person should not be responsible for cutting and signing checks and reconciling the bank accounts.

7. Petty Cash should be small amounts, carefully managed by at least two people, for short term use only.

8. Do not loan money to staff or board members. Do not use business funds for personal charges, even if you are the business owner - transfer money to your account instead.

2010-05-14T09:36:00.001-04:00

Merch Service-enabled QB files must update in June to new password protection requirements for Payment Application Data Security Standards

2010-05-10T14:46:00.001-04:00

Moving your office? NY Enterprise Report on making a smooth transition. http://ping.fm/mQRMh

2010-05-07T20:11:00.001-04:00

Now all NY nonprofits must file a 990 with the IRS, even if revenue is below $25k Only affects NFP who have not filed previously.

2010-05-05T12:58:00.001-04:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2010-04-30T20:36:00.001-04:00

WIBO NYC workshop: How to Use Financial Statements for Strategic Growth
RSVP required, limited to 20.
212-684-0854 x0534

2010-04-28T13:03:00.001-04:00

QB error for AVG anti-virus fix:
http://ping.fm/3LMkU

2010-04-21T16:14:00.001-04:00

Now you can get personal bank info (.QFX) into Quickbooks with the .QBO converter from Big Red Consulting $59 www.bigredconsulting.com

2010-04-19T12:22:00.001-04:00

Better than merchant services? http://ping.fm/6KAug cheaper for sure at $.50 per transaction, no minimum. Exports to QB

2010-04-05T20:53:00.001-04:00

NYReport @smallbizawards: Are you a non-profit looking to get noticed? Nominate Small Business Awards -more info. visit http://ow.ly/1uSvq

2010-04-05T15:57:00.001-04:00

Testing out Mint.com as free personal finance manager - who has used it and with what success?

2010-04-02T20:52:00.001-04:00

Looking at CRMs & reminding myself that success is driven by the biz, not the software (tho good software really helps!) Recommendations?

2010-03-05T08:21:00.001-05:00

Ean speaking at Apple SoHo NYC tonight at 6pm about QB Mac v2010

2010-02-18T09:36:00.001-05:00

Ean presents bookkeeping with QB Mac 2010 at Apple Soho on Friday March 5 @ 6pm
http://ping.fm/VwIap

2010-02-04T18:30:00.001-05:00

Moxie partners with Carbonfund.org
http://ping.fm/j9yeD

2010-02-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. - Frederick Douglass

2010-01-19T15:42:00.001-05:00

www.biztoolkit.org, powered by James Hill Library, search everything needed for any size biz: demographics, templates, etc. Exceedingly cool

2010-01-19T11:41:00.001-05:00

Know about WIBO? Great events for small biz
http://ping.fm/7taR3

2010-01-13T17:13:00.001-05:00

Used http://ping.fm/Pcuz2 to decide that Partners In Health is best place to send $ to Haiti

2010-01-12T12:03:00.001-05:00

Employee vs Contractor?
http://ping.fm/xUlqz

2010-01-12T12:02:00.001-05:00

Did you get your 1096 form from the IRS? If not, request it. It needs to be filed with the red copies of your 1099s by March 1st, 2010.

2010-01-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

Regular 1099s must be sent to individuals or unincorporated business you paid more than $600 for Service during calendar year 2009 by Feb 1

2010-01-02T11:05:00.001-05:00

The Dow is up, but best things in life are free. Find 5 things under $5 that make you laugh out loud.

2009-12-29T12:22:00.001-05:00

Just made a loan using kiva.org
1st person-to-person micro$ site to alleviate poverty around the globe for as little as $25

2009-12-16T12:34:00.001-05:00

New Years Resolutions? myGoals.com helps you track and reach goals. Would be even cooler if it were free instead of $50/year.

2009-12-14T19:34:00.001-05:00

Wait! Don't download that QB update yet! PC v2009 R9 update has a bug that affects Sales Tax. Mac & other PC versions ok.

When Do You Need A Bookkeeper?

2009-12-10T15:37:00.005-05:00

I had a great meeting last night with a smart woman (I’ll call her Diana) who is getting her life organized. She is still working on getting the physical structure of her office set up and figuring out how to organize her paperwork (I recommended my favorite book of 2007 "Getting Things Done" by David Allen), and she asked a question I hear a lot:

“how do I know when I need a bookkeeper?”

The short answer is *everyone* needs a bookkeeper, but most people are able to do it themselves or have their accountant do it at tax time.

If you're doing your own books, the time you spend may be better spent developing new business opportunities. Accurate bookkeeping is crucial to a healthy business, but so is having the freedom to concentrate on creative direction and business development.

If an assistant is doing your books, she may be distracted by other tasks, may not have any expertise, nor have a vested interest in getting it done right.

Accountants specialize in taxes and tax law. While accountants can provide bookkeeping services, they organize your information to make tax filing easy, rather than to give you details of your financial picture. You might, for instance, track detailed sales by item or service, when an accountant might just call it all “Sales Income”. Having a good bookkeeper is just as important to the growing business as having a good accountant. One cannot and should not replace the other.

So, how do you know when you need to hire a bookkeeper?

You need a bookkeeper when you are ready to start being proactive about your finances rather than reactive. Sure, it is important to pay your bills on time and put a little away each month - but with good bookkeeping, you can evaluate the profitability of your efforts.

For instance, Diane has multiple income sources: she works freelance for two companies as well as pursuing her own clients and also working in the performing arts. She could be tracking not just how much she makes at each gig, but what her time investment and profitability is for each job so she knows where to focus her efforts. If she wants to hire an assistant, she can evaluate exactly at what point that would be wise to do so, and what her cashflow would need to be in order to be able to afford one.

Too many people hire a bookkeeper after being in business for years, when they run out of time to do the books themselves, but a bookkeeper should be part of your business team from the beginning. Bookkeeping should be a valuable tool for making smart decisions instead of one more hassle at the end of a long week!

2009-12-10T15:32:00.001-05:00

CREDO Mobile now has Blackberry! 1k min & 1k txt for $50 until 12/31/09 http://ping.fm/JJR6j

2009-12-07T16:49:00.001-05:00

We may not have a choice about what happens, but we can choose how to deal with it. Can you find the gift in what drives you crazy?

2009-12-04T17:59:00.001-05:00

"The difference between try and triumph is a little umph." (thanks, Manny!)

2009-12-02T18:29:00.001-05:00

celebrating Tax Season!

2009-11-17T19:13:00.001-05:00

celebrating Thanksgiving by adopting a turkey www.farmsanctuary.org.

2009-11-12T21:59:00.001-05:00

Only a few days left to Ask the Expert Mac v2010 with Ean http://ping.fm/3EO0k

2009-10-27T16:56:00.001-04:00

Ean will be the Expert at Intuit's first Mac "Ask The Expert" online event week of November 9th.

2009-10-23T09:49:00.001-04:00

QB v2010 for Mac is here - with credit card processing integration. More features with a the look of Mac. Love it.

2009-10-13T21:12:00.001-04:00

loading the new QB2010 on the PC (can't wait for the Mac release with integrated credit cards)

2009-10-05T09:40:00.001-04:00

And We're Off and Running! Tax season officially starts today for Moxie Bookkeeping.

2009-09-09T22:23:00.001-04:00

Now you can accept credit card payments using your mobile phone (http://ping.fm/VwkiG)

2009-09-02T14:37:00.001-04:00

iPhone Tap2Track Mileage keeps records of driving trips. 3 options: Auto, Manual & Copy (frequent trips) Also emails in Excel format

How Many Hats Are You Wearing?

2009-08-20T12:48:00.002-04:00

Are you trying to do more and more with the same (or less) resources? Are you doing the job that someone else used to do - on top of the job you were already doing?
If you are the boss, there isn't a lot you can do to lessen your workload without hiring an assistant our outsourcing/automating some of the general administrative tasks

But, what if you *are* the assistant, and the boss is piling more and more on your plate? Communication is key. Try these strategies to keep a happy work relationship and prevent overwhelm/burnout:

- Ask for clarity in your job title, role in the business and responsibilies - in writing if possible. That way if things change, you have a guideline to refer back to.

- Know not only what you are expected to do, but why and by when. Knowing the underlying intention can help prioritize tasks.

- If you are given an 'emergency' task, check in whether it is more important than what you were working on already or if it should wait.

- Ask for feedback, don't wait for someone to offer it. Know how your progress and success will be measured.

- Identify if there are things you need to know in order to perform better & make a plan to get the information or build your skills. Usually, these tasks must be done on your own time, but add value to you not just in your current job, but future work as well.

- Keep things in perspective - there is only so much you can do, so just focus on doing the best you can. If you can't meet an expectation or deadline, let the boss know right away!

- Find ways to chill. Take a 5 minute stretch break, eat outside (weather permitting), have a dance party in your head. Try to keep work from taking over your personal life as well.

Know that the skills you are developing now may help you run your own business one day!

2009-08-20T12:12:00.001-04:00

list your NY business for free at NY B2B Online
http://ping.fm/0PSF6

2009-08-19T14:47:00.001-04:00

"There is one certain criterion by which you can measure your success: the degree of peace that you feel within yourself" E. Tolle

Using QB Data for Business Management

2009-08-06T21:00:00.003-04:00

You spend time, effort and money tracking and entering all the receipts for your business - isn't it time you got more out of it than just an Income Statement?

July 2009 New York Enterprise report by Alan Badey gives six tips to get the most from your data to analyze business performance.

http://nyreport.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=382

- keep it simple! make sure you are tracking what you need to know, but don't waste time tracking details you will never use. Find the metrics that work for you.

- use the data you already collect to "tally and compare" over a period of time, e.g. don't just look at last month, look at last month compared to last year. Look at this month compared to this year-to-date, and compare to last-year-to date.

- ask key employees for contextualizing input (any unusual events that would make the numbers better/worse than normal)

- create a budget & then update/change as more information comes in.

- use data to identify fraud

Ask your bookkeeper to help you identify what you should be tracking and help you read the reports to better understand what your organization financial reports are telling you!

Facebook: Groups vs. Pages

2009-08-05T08:42:00.001-04:00

Mashable is a great Social Media guide site.

When I realized I had no idea what the difference between a Facebook Group and Facebook Page was, or which I should have for Moxie, I checked their site and found this article:

http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/facebook-page-vs-group/

It was nice to know I'm not the only one with this confusion!

Pages are more like a corporation - managed by a person, but not necessarily connected to the personal profile. Pages are also indexed by Google.

Groups are more like clubs & offer greater control over membership, but are linked to your personal page (posts show as come from you).

Given how much personal interaction I have on my Facebook, I've decided to go the Page route. Find me and become a fan!

2009-07-31T13:14:00.003-04:00

Another Reason to Save Energy
The New York Enterprise Report published:

"The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council recently issued its 'Energy Cost Index 2009' which ranks all 50 states based on their energy costs. The report looks at how much a gallon of gasoline costs at the pump and how much electricity costs per kilowatt hour. It may be little surprise for business owners in New York and Connecticut to hear their states are tied for the second most expensive energy costs in the country. New Jerseyans didn't fair much better; their state was ranked 43rd". (Who was most expensive at 50? Hawaii)

http://ping.fm/T47oN

Makes buying new bulbs & other energy saving devices look a little more cost effective!

Share your resources/tips for saving energy - especially for keeping offices cool with less (without?) A/C.