How to choose your Business Management Software

Business Management Software is designed to make your company more efficient. All parts are integrated, so information has only to be entered once. All interaction with your contacts is stored so that it is easily accessible to all staff with permission. Invoices are quickly created using contact and product information. Stock is recorded in real-time as purchases come in and sales go out. All information for particular projects can be stored and managed in one place. The accounting part takes place in the background.

All Business Management Software looks like it could be the answer to all your prayers, so look closely when choosing the right one for you and your company.

1. Changing from whatever you use now to a new system will involve upheaval – money, time, training and implementing new procedures. Are you, your staff and your company prepared for this?
2. No new system will do everything exactly the same way as you do things now. This is a challenge as people naturally resist change. On the other hand it’s an opportunity to make those changes you’ve wanted to make for a long time, to have a fresh start. You could ask your staff for ideas on how they would improve the present system and see if you can find something that will accommodate them.
3. When having the system demonstrated to you, tell the demonstrator as much as you can about how you work, how you want to work and ask lots of questions. Is the system going to make things easier and more efficient or are its limitations going to be irritating? It would be rare for somebody to want to sell you something that isn’t going to enhance your business practices, so make sure they understand your requirements.
4. Make use of the free trial. Play with it. Try to replicate some parts of your business and see if it does what you want it to do. Make notes of questions you want answered then contact the demonstrator or the help/support. It will be time well spent.
5. Are you going to use the whole system or just parts of it? Because of the integration, if one part isn’t used it could affect a part that is. You may not be able to do something that was demonstrated or pull off a particular report you wanted.
6. Now for the positive. You like it. It seems to meet most, if not all your requirements. Think how this is going to change your business for the better. Be more efficient. Better customer service. More organised stock management. Effective project management. Up to date accounts. Stress these points to your staff, build up enthusiasm and look to the future with optimism. It will make the changes take place much more easily.

Business Management Software should make big, positive changes to your company. Take time to find out what you, your staff and your customers require, research the market to find something you like. test it to its limit, decide a date for implementation and train everybody thoroughly. The transition will then be as smooth as possible and you’ll reap the benefits for a long time to come.

Facing my Fears

Last week I faced up to a fear and the positive effect it has had on me already is amazing.

For as long as I can remember I have felt incredibly uncomfortable having my photograph taken. As soon as that lens is staring at me I feel false. Do I smile? Not smile? How do I hold my arms? etc etc.

So when I started using social media, I was perfectly happy to have no photograph or to use the 4 in my logo. I had no photo to use and I had no intention of getting one.

As I mentioned in a previous blog Why I Enjoy Twitter I had to overcome my resistance to posting personal opinions and comments to the world to even start using any form of social media. But once I’d started I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and conversing with new-found friends and my self-confidence was increasing on a daily basis.

Then my new friends started commenting on how faceless I appeared and so my coach, Stephen, set me the task of getting a professional profile picture. So with gritted teeth I searched the internet, found Matthew Seed, and booked an appointment.

Matthew soon put me at ease, even though standing on a mark in the middle of a large studio while he adjusted the lighting and took test shots was not the most comfortable feeling in the world. Then we were off. Matthew’s instructions of how to stand and where to look made it easy and my confidence grew. 45 mins later we had lots of great photos. I am so happy with the one I chose. I had faced my fear and could feel my confidence growing already.

I had a minor panic when I got home and needed to post the photo on Twitter. All those people I’d got to know so well. What did they think I looked like? Would I look completely different to the person they expected? Another gritted teeth moment as I posted it. I needn’t have worried, the comments I received were so lovely, I felt amazing.

That was less than a week ago. Since then my confidence levels have soared and I’m full of energy. I’ve rewritten my website (it’s not quite finished but you can take a look), have started to put new business ideas into place, I’ve arranged to have a day in York with Helen, I’ve booked to see the Renaissance Drawings at the British Museum in July and most surprisingly, am getting a new car next week.

It’s buying a new car that has made me realise just how much my confidence has grown. I knew how much I could afford  and two and half hours later I got what I wanted. The negotiation with the salesman, manager and used car manager was an enjoyable experience! A week ago, the story would have been different.

So, if anybody reading this knows a fear is holding them back, just grit those teeth and do it. You’ll be surprised at what it will bring you.

Does Cloud Accounting Reduce the Need for a Bookkeeper?

I was asked this question by Brian Barnes of Call Assistant UK.

Brian feels that cloud accounting packages like Xero are so intuitive and easy to use that they reduce the need for a bookkeeper. He wanted to know if my bookkeeping clients had reduced my hours once they started using Xero and how did it affect my business. His view is followed by my reply:

After having used Xero for over a year for our business accounting, I don’t think we could switch back to one of the ‘old’ players of the industry.

It was with reluctance we moved away from Sage, but it certainly has been one of the best things we have ever done – for the business.

For the potential bookkeeper we would have employed though, this wasn’t good news at all!

Xero provides such a user-friendly interface that even with no bookkeeping experience, you will not only be able to do your own bookkeeping, you will enjoy it, my Business Partner certainly feels that way.

Having a lot of common sense, my Business Partner likes everything in plain English in front of him, and that’s exactly what Xero does for him, he can log in from anywhere and see that the accounts department are logging payments, chasing payments etc, and this makes for some very easy going board meetings.

Now the good points have been mentioned about Xero and how you don’t need any bookkeeping experience to use it, how is it, and other similar solutions, having an impact on the professional bookkeepers position – is it attainable?

This is my reply as a bookkeeper:

As my clients move onto Xero I find the bookkeeping part of my business becoming more enjoyable. Suddenly clients become far more interested in the financial side of their business. I’m not constantly having to ask or look for invoices and receipts, question what the expenses are for, beg for bank statements.

Clients new to Xero start by entering sales invoices and tracking debtors. As everything is so clear, they quickly want to start entering purchase invoices to keep a rudimentary eye on cashflow. My bookkeeping hours are now reduced as I’m really only required to do the bank reconciliation, entering any missing transactions and make sure the VAT figures are correct.

So is a bookkeeper needed at all?

The role has become more advisory. I set up businesses on Xero, migrate the data and show clients how to use it. I can then do as much or as little bookkeeping required. Usually it becomes less as time goes on. But this is not a problem. I am no longer a necessary evil for my clients, “Oh no, the bookkeeper is in today, I’ll have to find all my paperwork and answer loads of difficult questions.” I am someone who can help and guide them. It is me who gets the questions now. I feel I’m a useful part of these businesses. I am helping them to move forward and grow. This is so much more rewarding.

With the reduced bookkeeping hours I have the choice to take on more bookkeeping clients and be involved in more businesses or use the time to evolve my own business and offer other services. A win-win situation I think.

Why I Enjoy Twitter

I have to admit that Twitter has become a very enjoyable part of my life. It has enabled me to converse, listen, receive and return support and advice, laugh and cry with people I would never have met otherwise.

A fair amount of my work is carried out on my own. This is when Twitter keeps me company. A funny or thought-provoking quote is posted or an interesting conversation starts, which I can choose to join in or simply listen – just as if I was working in a busy office full of people. A tiny downside is that I have to be careful not to be distracted from my work (see my previous blog Procrastination)!

Spontaneity is one of the most enjoyable things about Twitter. Sometimes it seems as if nothing much is going on and then someone posts a tweet and all of a sudden a great conversation starts, often with several people joining in. It then becomes a mad posting session, with, to the untrained eye, random responses appearing at a rapid rate. It is tremendous fun.

Forging strong friendships is one of the best things about Twitter. I can’t remember how my Twitter friendship started with Helen Stothard, @hlsbs, but we have helped each other with many issues, emailing or using Skype when 140 charaters are just not enough, as well as actually chatting on the phone.

Brian Barnes, @BriCallAssist, joined in a converstion I was having with Helen and another amazing friendship started. Brian has given me the courage and motivation to start writing blogs (another very enjoyable part of my life). We now encourage and support each other. I know that if I need help both Brian and Helen will try to find the time to do so. I still feel amazed it is Twitter that has provided these special relationships.

Free, instantly available information about just about everything is a very useful thing about Twitter. I have learnt a great deal about what is going on in my line of business, right now. I have found guidance on how to run all aspects of my business. And because I love learning, I have a myriad of useful information on all sorts of subjects I’m interested in.

It was just a few months ago I started using Twitter, after attending an excellent workshop by Beacon for Business, @Beacon4Business. Even then I wasn’t sure it was for me, openly posting opinions and comments to the world. But I’m so glad I got involved. Twitter has become an integral, important and enjoyable aspect to my business and to me.

I’m interested to know your experiences on Twitter. Please leave me a comment below. Thank you.

Nicola