Newbie

[jumpincactus]

I am almost embarrased to ask. I am a newly formed painting contractor. I just purchased QB Contractor Premier 2004. Herein lies the problem. I am currently so busy I can't even see straight. We are in the midst of the busy season here in Seattle. I am wearing all the hats, estimator, project manager and feild worker too. My math skills are about 10th grade level and I desperatly need help getting QB set up so I can track job costs, employees hours, and use the other features. My girlfriend has set us up with Intuit complete payroll.

What I would like is will anyone here take me under thier wing and day by day and step by step teach me what I need to know in getting QB's up and running. I know it's a lot to ask for a free forum but I am desparate. If I dont get straight soon my financial situtaion will be out of control and I will find myself in trouble with the powers that be.

Any takers on this daunting task?????

[Joey]

You can find a list of QB Pro Advisors on the QuickBooks web site and if you enter your zip code, it will give you a list of the Advisors in your immediate area.
You can also sign up for classes at a lot of the community colleges. Many of them offer a QuickBooks Basics course.
And, there is also a book called QuickBooks for Dummies written by Stephen L. Nelson CPA and Edited by myself that is very informative, gives you the basics, and it's written with humor and in non-technical language that is easy to understand.
Lastly, there is this forum and the forum on the main QuickBooks web sites for individual questions you may have.

[BizCoach]

I'd recommend you find someone locally who speaks YOUR language (not accounting). Pay them to come in for an hour or two every week and help you and your girlfriend out. In between visits, keep a list of Quickbook Questions for them to help with. I think you'll have it licked in about 4 visits or less.

It sounds like your time is at a premium and you'll find this a much better use of your time than any of the other options. Yes, it will cost some money, but with more time you'll be able to make a bunch more money. [If this is not the case, there are more problems with your business than not understanding QuickBooks]

If you take a course or read a book the information will be so general, it will take much longer to figure out how to apply it to your situation. Also make sure the person you hire "gets" you. If you can't communicate with them it will be very expensive and not helpful.

[jumpincactus]

thank you both

[giovanni]

Congratulations Jumpincactus!

Just by recognizing that setting up and keeping the books properly is the first step to success in business you are ahead of 99% of all construction start-ups. The sad statistic is that 95% of all contractors fail in business, most from not knowing their financial situation day-to-day, month-to-month and year-by-year.

We started our remodeling and custom home business in Seattle 15 years ago and have been using QuickBooks since DOS Version 1.2. We've found that while QuickBooks is a great program for contractors, the QuickBooks documentation isn't very helpful for setting up construction company books.

I'd be happy to help you set up QuickBooks properly and answer your questions. I'm a retired CFP and have had success coaching ten or twelve trade contractors and former employees through business system set-up. You can contact me directly at 425-644-2535.

Good luck with your new business,
Giovanni