That Bookkeeper - Latest Comments

Re: Bookkeeper Training: Learn By Doing

thatbookkeeper — Sun, 07 May 2017 20:07:41 -0000

Hi. It's so great to hear from you again. It's been far too long. I'm glad you're still around. Have a great day!

Re: Bookkeeper Training: Learn By Doing

Jedidja Bourgeois — Sat, 06 May 2017 06:06:44 -0000

Glad to see you're still around! A willingness to learn (on the job, or anywhere else) is definitely key to so many things.

Re: Visa Debit Cards...Almost Useful in Canada

Emily — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 16:28:29 -0000

Came across this article while madly googling trying to figure out why my card only worked on certain websites. Now that you mention it, every time I've had success, it's a US-based company. Whenever it's been declined, it's been on websites for Canadian-based businesses. Seems like it should have been the responsibility of Visa, once they started partnering on debit cards, to get word out to merchants that they would need to enable this technology on their end in order to get paid. I've only had this card a few months, but I can count at least four $200+ orders Canadian companies have missed out on by not accepting Visa Debit (I no longer use credit cards). I also find I'm unable to use Interac online with this card. It's not "credity" enough to be a visa, but not "debity" enough to be used as interac. Definitely not well thought-out.

Re: Visa Debit Cards...Almost Useful in Canada

Lucifer999 — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:12:54 -0000

STILL not working. I tried to pay my Bell mobility bill with my CIBC visa debit card and it wouldn't go through.

Re: 3 Things I Don't Know About Cloud Bookkeeping — That Bookkeeper

thatbookkeeper — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:40:35 -0000

Thanks James. Very good point about tutorials. It's a lot of software to figure out, so having the right level of instruction is important.

Yes, let me know if OnlyOffice works for you.

Re: 3 Things I Don't Know About Cloud Bookkeeping — That Bookkeeper

James Kovalsky — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 09:45:50 -0000

Hi! I guess that one need to customize a CRM the right way to make it useful for own purposes. Current CRMs have plenty of options, promise a lot but give not so much because of low tutorial level. Yesterday I finally registered in Onlyoffice and on my way to explore the system. For sure I can say they have doc and project management for free. If it is ok from ad point of view I can give product link for they have several solutions.

Re: 3 Things I Don't Know About Cloud Bookkeeping — That Bookkeeper

thatbookkeeper — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 17:09:04 -0000

Hi James. I'm so sorry I didn't reply sooner. Apparently my comment notifications are messed up.

Thanks for the recommendations. I've tried out Insightly, but not the other 2. I'd like to say I had some really strong opinions on why Insightly was or wasn't right for me...but I'm guessing I just didn't give it a proper chance. I like the idea of having the doc management built-in...especially with a small price tag. If I end up using one of these I'll be sure to write about it.

Are you using one of these?

Re: 3 Things I Don't Know About Cloud Bookkeeping — That Bookkeeper

James Kovalsky — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 04:14:08 -0000

One's experience is always something interesting. Have you tried any free CRMs like Insightly, OnlyOffice or Zoho? I believe that's the best solution for a one-person shop. BTW some of them offer free document management. Don't remember exactly but it seems that OnlyOffice.

Re: QuickBooks Online: First Impressions

Lisa — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:17:12 -0000

I'd actually like to know this as well, specifically to QuickBooks online.

Re: QuickBooks Online: First Impressions

Ashton College — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 20:37:11 -0000

Very in-depth and informative review of QB online. Just wondering if you took any kind of educational course to help prepare you, or if you're self-taught when it comes to Quickbooks?

Re: Just Get Started — That Bookkeeper

thatbookkeeper — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:38:13 -0000

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Re: Just Get Started — That Bookkeeper

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Re: Just Get Started — That Bookkeeper

thatbookkeeper — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:57:53 -0000

Hey Jedidja.

There's no such thing as a negative comment if it provides insight and an honest opinion. Those are great points, and I appreciate the different view.

I can definitely see where you're coming from. Each person has their own way of "getting started". For me it's actually putting myself out there in public. I've spent lots of hours doing "the work" for people, basically for free, but being too scared to call it a business and tell people what I'm doing. I'm also incredibly cheap. So, anytime I make a public proclamation AND let real money leave my clenched fists I suddenly have a strong desire to justify the act. Of course, on the other hand, I'm often guilty of just what you described. Messing around with the periphery to convince myself I'm doing something without really getting anything accomplished.

Thanks for the comment. It's always great to hear your thoughts on these posts.

Re: Just Get Started — That Bookkeeper

Jedidja Bourgeois — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:12:00 -0000

I would claim that the first three suggestions

- think of a name for the business
- buy the domain name and start thinking about how the site will look
- setup a Twitter account under the new name

are actually not a step towards a goal at all. I would claim they're easy things that make us *feel* like we're starting a business, but only

- write 10 blog posts about different aspects of your business

is actually *doing* something. Activities like the first three, coming up with business card designs, etc. don't move you closer to a business at all. As you mentioned, buying a domain doesn't move you closer to your goal.

Starting a business requires *starting* the actual work of the business. Yes, it's important to get your bookkeeping :) and website/business cards in order, but as long as you know these things are required at some point, they're no excuse for not actually starting your core business activities.

Hope that's not too negative a comment; I completely agree with the idea of starting but have a different definition of what starting means.

Re: Let Xero Supercharge your bank reconciliation

thatbookkeeper — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:35:28 -0000

Yeah it's tricky when you're trying to use csv's to fill in the gaps...and I know Wave has had its issues over the years with duplication control. I know they've improved drastically over their first year, but not sure how it's improved lately.

Re: Let Xero Supercharge your bank reconciliation

Jedidja Bourgeois — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:52:10 -0000

I had pretty much reached the conclusion that I should just export/import CSVs as well, but Wave wasn't doing a great job of auto-reconciling duplicate entries between their automatic imports and my own. Perhaps things have improved.

Re: Let Xero Supercharge your bank reconciliation

thatbookkeeper — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:03:08 -0000

Great questions. I can answer 2/3.

I mostly use Xero with US-based clients. I don't have a lot of clients on Xero, but the ones I do put a lot of data through Xero so I've spent a lot of hours in there. I have tested it out with a couple Canadian clients. I haven't had any Canada-specific bank issues. I have had times in all of these apps where the feed needs to be repaired, but no more in Xero than anywhere else. I've gotten really good importing/exporting csv's over the years so it's rare that something fails so badly that I'm stuck with pure manual entry.

I haven't had any multi-currency clients in Xero so I'm afraid I can't answer that one. I find it frustrating that multi-currency is always limited to the top pricing tier.

Yeah, dumb oversight on my end. I linked up the logo and the first instance of the word Xero. This is what doing all my writing after 10pm looks like. :)

Re: Let Xero Supercharge your bank reconciliation

Jedidja Bourgeois — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 08:10:24 -0000

- They seem to only have country-specific sites for the US, UK, Aus, and NZ. How well does it work with Canadian banks? I wonder if they have the same issues as Wave did where "accounts can fail aggregate" (i.e. whatever transaction clearing house they use) and you're back to entering transactions by hand.

- They mention multi-currency support. Have you had the chance to issue an invoice in non-CAD funds and then reconcile the deposit made in CAD in your bank account?

- Having the 'Xero' logo (or any of the first time it's mentioned in the post) linked to their site would save us lazy people some typing :)

Re: Hourly or Flat Rate: How to Charge For Your Time

thatbookkeeper — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:26:37 -0000

Great points Gordon. Thanks so much for leaving a comment.

Re: Should bookkeepers be certified?

thatbookkeeper — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:23:59 -0000

That's great insight (and big thanks for the compliment)!

You're right, there are so many ways you can build up a lucrative career based solely on your own merits. I like learning new things, and I suppose getting certifications is just a by-product of that pursuit. If by getting certified I learn something new that will allow me to take on a task I couldn't before, that's its own reward. If I can achieve the same learning without any paper-based proof, but can then offer new services to my clients...I don't think the certification itself remains relevant.

Re: Hourly or Flat Rate: How to Charge For Your Time

Gordon — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 13:39:19 -0000

There are actually 4 organizations in Canada that say they support the bookkeeping industry. Having been in the industry for many years, I know that the member numbers of these organizations tend to slide as there is no direct benefit. What also is not known is if the organization shares the same values of honesty and integrity that you have. Their website will show a code of ethics, but how people behave in the real world is a totally different subject. A good way to check people out is by googling CSO, that will bring up the courts site, be sure to check both the civil as well as the traffic/criminal tab. Always remember that the people at the top dictate the ethics, not a written document. Do massive research on the people and who they recommend before you join any organization. Just like in every organization, it all starts at the top.

Re: Should bookkeepers be certified?

Jedidja Bourgeois — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 06:35:45 -0000

My industry (software development) is also not certified in the same way as engineers, etc. Sometimes we wish it would be, although occasionally events like March 2000 happen and that kinda, sorta helps to weed out people that shouldn't be around.

We have all sorts of certification offered by different companies (e.g. Microsoft, Oracle) or organizations (e.g. Agile Consortium. Hah!) and depending on where you work and who you work for they may really help. If you're contracting to government or certain organizations, it can practically be a requirement.

In *general*, though, I don't think they're worth anything at all. In my experience what's worthwhile is demonstrating what you know at work (or your own personal projects shared on Github, a blog, etc.) and being someone people want to work with.

For instance, if I was looking for a bookkeeper, I'd take what you write here as a great reason to hire you :) It would mean much more than any certification.

Re: Hourly or Flat Rate: How to Charge For Your Time

Jedidja Bourgeois — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 16:20:42 -0000

I think you've got a good handle on some key points:

- don't charge too little (can't overemphasize this enough as you want "good" clients, not ones that will nickel-and-dime you)
- tiered pricing based on market segment is very useful. (anything with 'enterprise' in it is immediately tons of cash)
- if you can develop a good working relationship (or have a good introductory session) then offering them packages and demonstrating ROI is a powerful tool (and usually quite lucrative for you)

Good luck with the reading :)

Re: Hourly or Flat Rate: How to Charge For Your Time

thatbookkeeper — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 14:12:13 -0000

Great points. Thanks so much for the comment.

I read the FB book, and would definitely recommend anyone else read it too. Now I've got 2 more sites to check out. I am 99% sure I'm overthinking it...overthinking is a core competency of mine.

Once I've read those I have a feeling I'll have some follow up thoughts. Stay tuned!

Re: Hourly or Flat Rate: How to Charge For Your Time

Jedidja Bourgeois — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 13:37:58 -0000

A few points (not as a bookkeeper, but someone who has been involved in a lot of discussions on how to price yourself as a consultant)

- Tiered pricing is great; it sounds like limiting transactions would be part of a given tier (or be listed as some overage/100 transactions).

- Following on tiered pricing is value-based pricing. You can kind of see this with the way some people express the bullet points for their tiers, but if you are selling to a medium/larger client, then demonstrating ROI is the way to go. This should allow for much higher effective hourly rates.

- Have you ready @patio11? If not, spend some time on his site (http://www.kalzumeus.com/gr... might be a place to start). Amy Hoy (http://unicornfree.com/) also has a ton of articles on this.

- I'm guessing you've already read FreshBooks' "Breaking the Time Barrier" (http://www.freshbooks.com/b... which also had some ideas of how to price services.

It's definitely an interesting topic; looking forward to seeing the rest of the comments and any follow-up posts you do on the subject.