Learning how to keep records using QuickBooks

There's a lot to learning to use any software.  There's the look and feel, the special tips and tricks. There's the best practices to stay out of a mess.

A couple of years ago, I spent four months writing, and then two weeks delivering a ten part series on how best to keep records, and yes, it's using QuickBooks (but really, it should be any software) because in this series, I incorporated the best ways to keep records for business paperwork. Except that anyone who uses other software isn't willing to spent the time on it, because all they see is ...blah, blah, blah QuickBooks. That's sad, but it's true... maybe this winter, I'll have to create something that is software neutral on the business paperwork angle.

This is a little 'flipsnack' I created with the content descriptions for each of the ten sessions.

http://www.flipsnack.com/TaxDetective/

Then, after IPBC (www.ipbc.ca) which now has 1,100 members... and I recorded these ten sessions in March 2011, I went on to record another five hours just on working papers in March 2012, and other answers to questions posed by the live participants who attended those two series.

In October 2012, we realized how expensive all these individual pieces had become, so to make it affordable for bookkeepers, we decided to bundle 44 products, and call it a training bundle. Bookkeepers purchased the bundle (members at half price) and sent me emails telling me they were watching the videos three times with the sample data file open so they could play while they learned. They would set up a laptop with the recordings to listen while they worked on their desktop with QuickBooks open.  Pretty effective way to learn something, by doing as you listen. Stopping, starting, pausing, rewinding to hear it again...

Business owners would call and I'd say, well you could spent thousands on training one on one with me, or you could buy my training bundle for $290.00. You choose.  Sometimes they would choose to spent several thousand, and then at $125/hour, eventually, they'd get it, and ask me, didn't you have a training video series that would cost me less and I could do it on my own time?  Then later, they'd email that yes, they wished they had listened to me in the first place. You can lead a horse to watch, but you can't make him drink...

Last fall, because members were asking, IPBC and I did another three hour series, this time in November 2012 on just Inventory Parts.

In January this year, a series on using Quicken for Investment Accounting

And in February, we recorded a tax series on self-employed record keeping, another five hours.

This fall, we're half way through a series on Internal Controls. There's nothing about QuickBooks in this series.  The tax series on self-employed, it's not about QuickBooks either, though I do use it to show how to do account for tax.

You can purchase all of these products on my website. Learn at your own pace.  If you have staff turn-over in your bookkeeping and accounting department, you can pull out the videos and start over without incurring additional training expenses to send your staff off to school. You'll know exactly what they are learning, because you've already watched it.

This winter I'm thinking about doing a new series on using QuickBooks Online. And during the Internal Control series, several people expressed interest in a course just on how to keep records, for any software, to minimize the risk of audit. I may use QuickBooks Online, and maybe add in some other software, as I did a survey of what's out there (find it under Keeping Records>Productivity Tools on my website www.taxdetective.ca

Training bundle $290 (44 products, including 20 hours content included in Flipsnack above)

Inventory Parts $134.87  (3 part series)

Quicken Series $219.80  (4 part series requested by bookkeepers after September 2012 overview)

Keeping Records - self-employed $274.75 (about tax, not QuickBooks, though it does use QuickBooks to show how to do the accounting for tax)

To register for the Internal Controls workshop, to download the first two recordings, and attend the last two sessions, which are looking really interesting, visit www.ipbc.ca to register. They'll send you a link to the protected page with the downloads and the next session is December 4th at 1 pm PST.

Oh yes, I also created along the way, something you might want to share with your teens, young adults, and teachers...it's slowly being picked up and used by business education teachers who care...

Free - Student WorkBook for Canadian High School Teachers - Case studies & YouTube videos to learn how to use TurboTax Online for free / anonymously to protect student privacy

And, if you're looking to acquire more PD hours for reading before year end, my TaxLinks Pro Portal is free links to a variety of tax topics. Everything from Artists & Writers ( a very popular page) to Personal Services Businesses, or T2125 and self-employed, or Leaving Canada.

Look under the Learn About Tax button on my website (top of each page)
or go direct to http://www.taxdetective.ca/taxlinksportal.html