How do you do it

[fattony]

I've only started to get a few jobs recently but I already can see how easy it is to get behind with paperwork etc

I want to keep a record of how much mnoney is made from a job on the computer, do I just create a spreadsheet in excel or go the whole hog and get Sage or similar.

Just after some pointers from other trades that have been a newbe at starting a business.

 

[breezer]

i have no idea about sage, but alegedly its the bees knees. (costs a lot too)

the only problem i can see is time, be it you write in in an excell spreadsheet or use sage, you still have to input the info.

I let my acountant worry about how much i make, so long as i know each "job" is priced right i dont worry untill i see my acountant. he then tells me how much i have made / lost.

Yes i watch the bank statements, but that only tells you how much you have, not if you made a profit.

Never get behind with your paper work, it can be a right nightmare, set asside say 1 day / week to do this, and stick to it.

look at it this way, would you go for a dump without doing the paperwork?

 

[noseall]

look at it this way, would you go for a dump without doing the paperwork?

interesting analogy breezer.

 

[WoodYouLike]

i have no idea about sage, but alegedly its the bees knees. (costs a lot too)

Don't agree here Breezer. Sage sucks, no value for money, not very easy to learn when you're an 'amateur' bookkeeper.
MYOB is much, much better, user friendly and cheaper too.

It has a function called jobs. With this you can easily track revenue and costs per job. Am using MYOB for 7 years now, my accountant loves it too (because I can hand in my almost finished year accounts).

Wrote a article about Sage versus MYOB on one of my blogs.

Most important item for any business: watching your cash flow. This can be done very easily in a spreadsheet.
Bank-balance at the top, costs (per date) listed (and subtracted of the balance), incoming revenue (per date) listed and added to the balance: you can see the 'health' of your business at once. (I normally list costs and revenue - if known - up to two months in the spreadsheet)

 

[breezer]

I stand corrected Karin, i bow to your superior knowledge,(no, i really do) however in my defence, i did say

i have no idea about sage, but alegedly its the bees knees. (costs a lot too)

the important part being Alegedly

 

[WoodYouLike]

No worries Breezer and my apologies. It's one of my pet-hates.

I just can't understand why the most stupid user unfriendly software program is being promoted so much (hmm, come to think of it, accountants who do insist you use Sage, normally get paid by Sage for the 'effort')

 

[breezer]

sage always remnds me of this

 

[JohnD]

or

 

[breezer]

no he's parsley

 

[WoodYouLike]

Sorry guys, being 'import' I don't know what you're talking about

 

[breezer]

sorry, i wondered that after i had posted.

It was a kids tv programme clicky from way back in the 70's?

 

[WoodYouLike]

(When I was watching Star Trek you watched childrens programs in the 70's?

 

[breezer]

why not

 

[JohnD]

in the 70's Breezer watched then with his grandchildren

 

[breezer]

not quite,

but my "claim to fame" is i have met the wombles