We specialize in cleaning up and reporting on QuickBooks data. We offer several standardized methods to analyze the integrity of a QuickBooks data file and to make specific recommendations to fix the problems we identify. Using third-party report design tools, we design and produce reports on QuickBooks data, especially highly customized reports that are otherwise not available in QuickBooks. We produce reports that integrate QuickBooks data with accounting information in other programs, such as Sage Software’s Timeslips. We design and produce customized financial statements for QuickBooks using Intuit’s Financial Statement Designer and the new-for-2009 Statement Writer. In short, we help you use QuickBooks more efficiently and profitably.

Our QB Tune Up is the process of fixing a problem they’re having using QuickBooks. Some generically refer to this as a “clean-up.” There are really 3 types of problems that our QB Tune Up addresses:

• problems where management reports, especially financial statements, are showing erroneous results
• problems where the configuration of QuickBooks is preventing owners and managers from getting the information they need to run their businesses
• problems where retention of every transaction detail over a period of years has slowed program operation or forced users to unproductively scroll through very long lists

Before we can fix a problem, we have to identify it and understand it. We start with listening to you to understand your problem. Next, we conduct an analysis of your QuickBooks file. During our analysis we compare how you’re using QuickBooks to industry best practices and look for common trouble points. That’s why we’ve developed several standardized services to analyze QuickBooks data files for common problems as a starting point to the clean-up process.

Let’s look back at the types of problems a clean-up addresses and give some examples to better illustrate what’s involved. Erroneous data on management reports, especially financial statements, is a signal it’s time for a clean-up. Imagine you’re the owner of a business that sells inventory items. You print your QuickBooks Profit & Loss statement, and based on easy-to-learn facts (such as the amount of cash on hand) you believe the net income shown is inaccurate. But why? QuickBooks’ built-in P & L statement accurately calculates the difference between revenues and expenses, so that can’t be the problem. One possible problem is that you’ve allowed inventory levels to go negative, or that your inventory item costs have become distorted. The result: your net income isn’t accurate. This is a common problem identified in our analysis.

Sometimes, the way QuickBooks is configured prevents owners and managers from getting the information they need to run their businesses. QuickBooks is a very powerful program that addresses a wide range of business information needs, but if it’s not set up properly, it won’t produce the results owners and managers want. Imagine you’re the owner of a contracting business that works on multiple projects for each client. To manage your business effectively, you’d like to track profits not only for each client but also for each job. You purchase the same product or service from multiple vendors, but you want to use your overall purchasing power for that product or service to negotiate the lowest possible costs. The detail you need isn’t available on the reports available to you. This is a common problem that we identify by looking at how your QuickBooks data file is set up. That involves looking at your General Ledger chart of accounts, the lists you use, and the way you enter transactions.

Computers are so good at storing and processing information that we can easily become information “pack rats,” keeping data that became stale and outdated long ago. Businesses change over time, and it’s just as important to remove stale information as it is to add new data. Since many features of QuickBooks are built using lists, you and your staff are wasting time making selections from lists that may contain a lot of stale entries. You’re also increasing the odds that staff members pick the wrong item from a list by allowing more stale items to show up on it. If you’ve used QuickBooks for several years or process a large number of transactions, the failure to remove outdated information can result in a data file that is considerably larger than necessary. That can slow the overall operation of QuickBooks as well as other routine tasks, such as backing up and exchanging data with outside service providers. Our analysis identifies whether you should be seeking out local chapters of Data Hoarders Anonymous.

Let’s move forward with fixing the problems. Unfortunately, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to the problems that our clean-up analysis identifies. That’s the principal reason why we’ve worked hard to make the analysis portion fast and inexpensive. It’s much easier to clean-up an inventory item list of 100 entries compared to one of 10,000. Some clean-up solutions may be a simple General Journal entry. Once we’ve identified what needs to be cleaned up, we’ll give you a firm price and time frame for doing it.

No, because we realize that you need your accounting data to run your business. Once we’ve completed our Inspection and we’ve agreed on what we’re cleaning up, we’ll get that done with minimal interruption to your business. Typically, most Tune Ups can be accomplished my making use of the Accountant’s Copy file. This is a special file that QuickBooks supports to allow you to continue to work in your company file while we perform our Tune Up. Once we’re done with the Tune Up work, we’ll return our changes to you in a special file. Then, you’ll import those changes into your company file. In most cases we’ll exchange these files electronically, and the Accountant’s Copy file we’re exchanging is encrypted to protect the privacy of your data. Unfortunately, while the Accountant’s Copy file makes most Tune Up jobs much easier, it’s not suitable for every project because of restrictions on what can be successfully imported back into the original company file. In some cases, a portion of completing a Tune Up will require that you not have use QuickBooks for a short period of time. We’ll first complete everything that can be done without interrupting your use of QuickBooks. Then, we’ll schedule that part of the Tune Up that requires restricting your QuickBooks access to a day and time that works for your business.

Just like there’s no universal description of what needs to be fixed in a Tune Up, there’s no hard and fast rule as to how long it will take. Most Tune Ups will go from start to success in a week or less, but your own Tune Up could be much shorter or much longer depending on the problems we identify in our Inspection and how many of those problems you want to fix. Some problems are fixed with a few keystrokes; others, especially when they’re the result of a business practice that has occurred over years, may take a lot longer to fix. That means you may very well decide to spend the money to implement some fixes, but address others only on a going-forward basis. Ultimately, you’re the judge of how valuable it is to your business to have accurate historical books and records, and the decisions you make about what to fix will control how long it takes to complete our Tune Up.

Let’s start with our QB Inspection, because we want you to understand up front 4 important things:

1. how your QuickBooks data file is running now
2. what we think needs to be fixed
3. how much that’s going to cost
4. how long it’s going to take to get it done

Best of all, getting started is free. Here’s how.

No, because that would be kind of boring, and boring isn’t any fun. QuickBooks comes with a variety of standard or “canned” reports, which are good to get up and running fast. But since there aren’t too many “canned” businesses, sooner or later you’ll find that you need a report to run your business that’s not directly available in QuickBooks.

We’re talking about truly custom reports, such as reports that include complex calculations that are outside the scope of QuickBooks. You can think about custom reporting in 2 ways. The simplest way is to start with an existing report and identify what’s missing or what needs to be changed so that you can more effectively manage your business. The more involved approach is to start with a blank piece of paper so you’re not influenced by the constraints of an existing report. Show your creativity and your management prowess. What do you want to see on that piece of paper to run your business better?

There are 2 steps to getting a custom report: designing the report and then running the report on a regular, periodic basis with live data. Designing the report takes anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the complexity of the report and how responsive you are to approve the final layout. If you’re automating a report that you previously prepared manually, we like to reproduce your report for at least 1 period for which you already have a manually produced report as a way of checking the new version.

Once a report is designed and tested, running the report on live data is accomplished quickly, typically in a few hours. To run the report, we’ll need an electronic copy of your QuickBooks data, such as an Accountant’s Copy file. To get started with a custom report, just fill out our inquiry form.

Absolutely. There are several ways that we produce more stylized financial statements. One method uses the Financial Statement Designer that was included with some versions of QuickBooks up to 2008 version or its replacement for 2009, Intuit’s Statement Writer. The second approach is using our reporting tools. Both approaches allow you to have financial statements that are more readable and complete. For example, we can easily include the notes to your financial statements, information that bankers or trade creditors may expect to see as part of a financial statement package. To get started with custom financial statements, just fill out our inquiry form.