Recently I did some research on software to help manage your lawn care business. I compiled all that research into a list of all the software I found.  After putting the list together, I started to think about all the software I found, and just how complicated a lot of it seemed to be. Although all of the options I listed were specifically developed for the lawn care industry, they included a wide range of features that may be more than some business owners are interested in, or need for their businesses. I also outlined how all of the options did not include the ability to generate the comprehensive reports needed to check on the financial health of your business or to use at tax time, without also having to use a true accounting software package.

So what if you are not interested in all the complicated features, and just want a comprehensive accounting package to run your business. Something to keep track of your clients and generate invoices and all the financial reports your accountant may require at tax time. I started to look for an alternative for those who may not want or need industry specific software. However I had previous experience with some of the old school accounting packages and always found them to complicated to use if you were not an accountant yourself. I wanted to find something that wasn’t intimidating to use, yet was a serious and complete package and offered all the necessary reports. I also wanted it to be cloud based, so I could access my information when needed from virtually anywhere. Being cloud based also has the added benefit of built-in redundancy and always being backed up. Gone are the days of losing all your information with a hard drive failure or having your computer lost or stolen.

I’m happy to report that my search turned up Fresh Books. Fresh Books is a cloud based accounting package that offers a complete list of all the required features to manage any small business. Being cloud based means your accounts are accessible anytime, even from your smart phone or tablet. The software can handle invoices, expenses, time tracking, reporting and it can even handle credit card payments for you. You can even set up recurring payments, and have your client’s credit cards billed automatically on a monthly basis. Customize and create professional looking invoices with ease, and simplify your day-to-day book-keeping, with features like bank account and credit card expense syncing.  Fresh Books is a great alternative if you want a easy to use comprehensive accounting package.  If you want to check out Fresh Books for yourself, they offer a 30 day free trial. Click here to go to freshbooks.com through our affiliate link.

[rad_rapidology_inline optin_id=optin_5]