What program do you use?

[NYRookie]

I am currently looking for a business program for a small business. I am currently looking at Quickbooks Pro. Has anyone used it? Are there any other programs that are good and relatively inexpesive? Any comments would be helpful. I would be using it for my landscape and snowplowing business.

[wyldman]

I've used Quickbooks Pro for years for all my businesses.It works very well.

[BWinkel]

Quickbooks pro is a good program. We use it for snowplowing and my wife's business. Most accountants can work with it so it makes it easy for taxes.

[4evergreenlawns]

DITTO Quick Books Pro. Just did the converasion from Quicken Home and Business to Quick Books since we will be adding more employees this spring. Works great.

[BRL]

Sorry to bore the thread but.... Ditto LOL
QB is a good general accounting program that is easily adaptable to many situations & types of businesses. There are programs out there that work with QB to add more industry specific needs or desires that work with & are integrated into your QB if you so desire. Do a search here for another thread with lots of comments on QB & I believe some other software companies also.

[Pelican]

Another

[gvlawncare]

I am going to disagree with every one so far. I use Groundskeeper Pro. You can use it for landscaping, and snow/ice. If you are looking for snow only, the same company makes Blizzard Buster. I used to use QB Pro, but like GK Pro better. I think it is all around better than QB because it is designed for our type of business, not any business in general. Im not knocking QB, it is a good program, but like Groundskeeper better. Just my opinion.

Matt

[Snoworks]

I just started using QB Pro as well! It seems to be a good program, if used correctly. There are lots of different tools in QB, to dissect your buisness to any level. I also still use some Excel spreadsheets that I just cant get myself to give up!:D

Does anyone pay for the QB Pro support. If so, how do you like it.

Chuck B.

[CPSS]

QuickBooks Pro-Contractor edition.

[WoofsPlow]

I use a program named "My Invoices" it's a little easier to use and suits my needs. I picked it up at Staples about 3 years ago for under $30 - give it a try.

[Rob]

I used the "My Invoices" for quite a while, actually a pretty old version of it as well. When I upgraded the software, I moved to QB.

[slowpoke]

I've used most of the versions of QB Pro at various clients offices. I chose QB Pro Basic edition.

If you use the extensive help menu's you shouldn't need to pay the very high rates for customer support from QB

I installed the trials for a couple of the snow industry specific programs and found them lacking some of the features I like. I can sort a plow list by order, seperate my commercial and residential clients and produce more reports than I'll ever use.

[coolgreen]

I just started using Quicken XG 2004 For Business. It seems to have all the features I need, although not very user friendly until you get the hang of it.

[Big Nate's Plowing]

I dont like QB Pro, I tried the sample disc and I just didnt like it. I use Excell Spreadsheets that I built, just puch in the first 4 letters of the name and it automaticaly fills in the rest, it also computes everything.

[DanG]

I use Quick Books Pro mainly Too..:D

I do have some things that are on excel and some on word programs that my wife set up.(she's good at the formulas and such.)

Dan

[Pelican]

Qickbooks does everything you mentioned, Nate, and much more!

[urethane dino]

I use QB Pro as well, wife rules on excell so she does all our profit loss job tracking there. I know QB does that, but its easier for her in excell.
Dino

[BWhite]

I want to setup my laptop for the truck so I can call up each account and have all information including "special notes about the property .......maybe graphics like a big red hydrant for those accounts that have one close " and a digital photo . wireless accesss to a doplar radar would be cool too. Any prepackaged software out there that will do the account info part ?

[D&T Repair]

Maybe I should write some software code and publish a program made specifically for snowplowing :)

Excel, Access, VB, Qbasic, VisualC++, heck I can even have Word utilize form data.....and then charge like $20 for the software.

Yes?

:D

I tried QB Contractor edition, but at $499 retail, it's awfully steep!

I am using Access right now, and have the information sync'd to my HP iPaq PDA, so that I can enter information while on the road, and even draw maps, notes, etc on the PDA. When I get home, I just sync the PDA with the computer, and then send out the bills!
Oh, and I can use GPS with the iPaq also, it's pretty handy at times.

[BWhite]

creating that software sounds great to me . I also have a Palm PDA If I could do the same thing with a PocketPC that would be an idea too

[D&T Repair]

Yeah, my iPaq is a PocketPC obviously, PalmOS wouldn't work very well, as you can only use text, and not forms, etc.
I'll get working on it for several platforms (Excel is free on the PocketPC) so I will make that one first.

David

(Probably be free for members here) :D

Merry Christmas everyone!

[ChicagoSnow]

QuickBooks Pro(accounting) combined with Visual Clip Pro to handle all routing, customer information, job scheduling (mainly for lawn maintenance operations), check reader(fast input of customer payments), job costing(very important), etc. etc.

This combination of software serves my operation quite nicely!

ChicagoSnow

[Snoworks]

ChicagoSnow - Glad to see you here! Where have you been!:D

Chuck B.

[kl0an]

I'm surprised quickbooks isn't available for the PocketPC's already. I know I've got Microsoft Money on my Jornada 548. Pocket Excel works very nicely too. Putting photos on the pocketPC of the site would be nice as well. Then you can mark over each photo while it's still on your PC with things like the places to pile snow, electrical boxes, other things that suddenly appear..

You guys are definitely makin my brain start to work here..

Thanks,
Paul

[BWhite]

I use something called "My Deluxe Invoices and Estimates "by Elibrium ..... its easy to use and inexpensive

[myoder]

Quickbooks contractors edition

[ChicagoSnow]

Hey Chuck...................

How about our first snow event??????? Finally!

Yea, just found this site the past week. Picked up the link on a SIMA thread.

Joe