Question: In QuickBooks, do I set up my items as “non-inventory part” or “inventory part?” Answer: Most always, ad specialty transactions are of the “non-inventory part” variety. The items ordered are customized to our clients’ specifications—drop shipped directly to them, and we, the distributor, do not take physical possession. And in QuickBooks, these transactions are…
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Let’s face it: Holiday feasting is an Olympic sport. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I definitely indulged in candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, tons of turkey and, of course, massive amounts of pumpkin pie. It was then I realized that athletes have sporting uniforms, why don’t we have special outfits for our marathon holiday feasting? There are certain…
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I love data. I really do. The more data you have, the better decisions you can make. Unless… Unless you read the data without context and understanding. Consider this example: Your e-commerce vendor is reporting to you that your Google Adwords (the ads that show during a Google search) campaign is doing extremely well and…
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In my last blog article, I discussed the fact that most distributors don’t really own a business, but rather, they own a job. The test to determine if you own your own business is if you can fly to Hawaii for three months and tell someone else where to send your check. The key words…
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Question: I want to be able to invoice and receive payments electronically from clients and have them entered automatically in QuickBooks. What are my options? Answer: Currently, the best two options you have are Intuit Merchant Services and a service that integrates with QuickBooks called “Bill&Pay.” Intuit Merchant Services, being a QuickBooks service, is the…
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Hopefully, by now, you know that you cannot just be a product source and expect to command a premium price or a loyal customer base. Quite simply, if you don’t want to be commoditized, don’t be a commodity. Think about why your customers buy, and work to give them a reason to buy from you.…
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Donald Trump shocked the world last night when he won the 2016 presidential election. While political campaigns are usually won on the issue, there’s another element that I think is worth looking into: promotional products. It may be a leap, but I believe promotional products played a huge…
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If you are like most business owners, you want to make money from the efforts of others. A lot of people say they own their own businesses, but many really don’t own businesses at all. They just own jobs. Here’s the test: Can you fly to Hawaii for three months and tell someone else where…
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Question: I need to change sales tax settings for a large number of my customers. Do I need to go into each customer to make the changes? Answer: No, fortunately! QuickBooks has a wonderful feature to save you time with that chore. Go to “Lists”>”Add/Edit Multiple List Entries”>”Select Customers” from the dropdown box at the…
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Competitive research is important, but it can be hard to find time to do it. Trusting someone else to summarize for you can leave important holes in your understanding of competitors’ strategies and processes. I want to make sure I’m clear about who I am and where I fit into the marketplace, as well as…
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