There are no questions about it. We live in a new age. Many people still have a regular job. But for the majority of working adults, the landscape has changed. Online connectivity has allowed some to work from home and set their own schedules. Trends in technology allow independently owned small businesses to thrive with far less infrastructure than was once necessary. FreshBooksA subscription finance tracking app, it gives people who run small businesses the tools they need to stay organized.
It is designed for the self-employed to take the hassle out of managing money and keeping track of expenses. Writers, artists, and programmers are well served by automatically generated reports and the ability to check specific accounts for new expenses. Multiple user accounts, dedicated client portals, and credit card management make it great for businesses that go far beyond standalone contracting.
If you’re starting a business or working independently, you’ll want something like FreshBooks. At the very least, you’ll want to consider it alongside traditional pieces of management software from Intuit and others. Here’s what you need to know before signing up with FreshBooks.
FreshBooks Uses Automation to Track Your Cash
If you’ve tried other financial apps and programs before, you know that managing them can be time-consuming. Some accounting applications still require you to enter each expense manually.
FreshBooks allows you to save time and energy by importing your expenses. You can automatically file and categorize them, or you can go in and do it yourself. The service itself interacts directly with your bank. When it’s time to organize your paperwork for a meeting with your accountant, everything is already set. The service and apps also make it easy to deal with an accountant in other ways.
You Can Use FreshBooks Wherever You Are
With high price tags and annual update cycles, software programs are no longer a major focus. These were mostly replaced by cloud services with mobile applications. FreshBooks follows this direction.
You can interact with the service using apps for iPhone, iPad, and devices running Google’s Android operating system. You don’t pay anything extra to use these apps. There is also no charge to get an upgrade. FreshBooks treats them like a service and is always adding new features.
In addition to the apps, there is the FreshBook site itself. When you sign up for the service, you get a full-fledged portal with its own subdomain. By adding your own logo to this portal, you can make it look as professional as you want. Customers can log in to this portal to browse your estimates and invoices.
FreshBooks Plugins Can Save Time
Best apps connect to other services to make your life easier. Your smartphone is indispensable because apps downloaded from its store allow you to simplify the tasks you care about. FreshBooks is not an island. It works well with other services you might be interested in or already have.
If you have Shopify, you can automatically import invoices. You can directly invoice customers through G Suite. There are payment tools and customer relationship management plugins. Partial.ly, a plugin, allows you to offer payment plans to your customers.
FreshBooks Simplifies Tax Time and Management
Everyone hates dealing with tax season. It’s time to bring together all the different elements that make up your finances. If you are an independent contractor or entrepreneur, you need reasonable records of how much it costs you to run your business. These records better not include giving your accountant a box of receipts.
FreshBooks makes tax season easy. A built-in reporting system lets you see exactly what you’ve spent, for example. Profit and loss statements can be run with just a mouse click. You don’t need your accountant running to you for any of this information. FreshBooks lets you give them permission to log into your portal so they can get the information they need to assess your situation.
In fact, reports are useful for more than just tax season. FreshBooks keeps track of your expenses and invoices so you can get a real-time look at how your business is performing. Account aging lets you see if your customers have paid and how much time they spent doing so. A counter on the homepage gives you an idea of how much money is coming in versus how much money is in.
After you create an invoice, you can have it emailed or mailed to your customer. When they receive the email, you’ll get a login on your dashboard letting them know they’re taking a look. Your dashboard can be configured for credit card or PayPal payments. If you find yourself sending the same invoice to the same customers frequently, you can automate the invoices.
How Many Customers You Have Determines FreshBooks Cost
Old-style accounting software has accustomed many to the idea of only paying once. FreshBooks is different. You pay for each month you use while you use it.
FreshBooks Lite costs $15. FreshBooks Plus costs $25. The most expensive version of FreshBooks is FreshBooks Premium. $50 per month.
Normally, different plans mean different sets of features. Not with FreshBooks. Differences in prices are related to how many customers you have. Lite limits you to only 5 active clients. Upgrades the Plus package to 50 active customers. Premium allows you to have 500 active customers. Simply choose the right plan for your business needs.
If you’re looking for something to manage your company’s finances, check out the FreshBooks free trial. You will have 30 days to try its features. You can then decide if it fits your needs.
