We have discussed how to use Sandy Botkin’s book: “Lower Your Taxes—Big Time” (available through your bookstore, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble) along with your small or home-based business to legally pay a LOT LESS in taxes. If you missed this column, go to www.tulenko.com/Main/CategorySelector.html and select Category M: Taxes! Taxes! Taxes! Sandy’s website is www.taxreductioninstitute.com, phone: 1-301-972-3600.

YOUR JOB ONE- TAXES!
Impressing and satisfying customers are the job-one targets for a firm of any size. Next week we will discuss how to accomplish this task big-time for less money, but this week’s focus is simple, fast, and effective ways of recording the necessary information to accomplish the tax saving tasks outlined by Sandy while improving the looks and feel of your company to your customers…all of which can result in improved business and more income. It’s PR through accounting! Record-keeping is not only required by the IRS, but if done right can help your small, growing or home-based businesses prosper. My suggestion? Use Intuit’s QuickBooks 2003 as your basic vehicle for success, and no, I do not work for Intuit. My respect for this company and my recommendations are based strictly on their products, products I personally use for my business. (Prices begin at $99.95 for QuickBooks Basic.)

MY RECOMMENDATION
I recommend QuickBooks over other computer software (and pen/pad systems) for any home-based, small, or growing firms because it works. Every time. You don’t need an accounting degree to install or use it; the software has a clean upgrade path as you grow and add employees (QuickBooks Pro, Premier, On-Line, and Enterprise for example); it is updated periodically; you can customize forms and invoices (including a new logo program) to give you that ‘big-firm’ look; you can install industry-specific software (Intuit Master Builder for contractors & construction firms and QuickBooks Point of Sale for retail firms); and you can avail yourself of on-line employer management services for 2 to 250 employees with applications such as QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Retirement Solutions, (and QuickBooks Employee Organizer if you use the QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Business Management Software). Most importantly, your CPA or Tax Advisor probably already uses QuickBooks Premier: Accountant Edition 2003 and knows your system.

A special feature for home-based, small or growing businesses is the QuickBooks Credit Card system that allows your customer to pay on-line, and will allow you to process cards at trade shows or at home using the Virtual Terminal Plus system. It is priced right!

WHY USE QUICKBOOKS?
It boils down to this: “Why should you, a home-based, small, or growing business want to use QuickBooks?” Simple! You have enough to do with your own personal Customer Relations Management Program (CRM). You are out there soliciting new business; building or presenting proposals, out and about getting your name known, and doing what is necessary to obtain new customers and clients. Like most entrepreneurs you have absolutely NO time for ‘bookwork’ of any type and you ‘do’ most of the work you are selling! Your days are filled with enough challenges! Even if you are lucky enough to have a spouse willing to help you with the bookkeeping, chances are they are not trained in the intricacies of single or double entry bookkeeping, inventory control, collections, and all the other services you need to survive; so I suggest you hire a software package to do many of these chores for you, accurately and efficiently. If you are using something else, I recommend you seriously consider changing if you want to grow. It’s worth the effort.

PERSONAL TESTIMONY
For my business I use QuickBooks 2003 (Premier Version). To select the version best for you, visit www.quickbooks.com. What I have briefly covered is but the tip of the services Intuit provides. As you grow your business you can add features such as sending invoices or paying your bills on-line, obtaining prospect D&B credit reports, banking on-line, identifying/using specific industry solutions for your business, selecting from a panoply of training programs, obtaining on-line help and support, and referencing a set of resources that will do everything from finding a QuickBooks Certified Advisor near you to showing you how you can integrate your proprietary software into the Intuit Developer Network (a money-making opportunity for software developers). This software is a Five Star Best Buy!

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.)
Paul Tulenko is an International Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico, USA. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.