With the startup of a new business comes a wide range of choices. Often, accounting software is not the most top of mind concern. However as a company grows, the need for a more robust accounting software package becomes evident. The basic software package that was installed upon startup lags behind and cannot keep up with the complexity of the growing business. Here are five main ways that basic accounting software packages differ from more advanced (or mid-range) accounting software.

Customizability: The longer you are in business, the more you realize that your business has a unique set of needs. For example, you want to show a special field on your invoice, or you want to start tracking information by sales category or by project. With a basic accounting software package, there is limited customizability, and therefore you must make due with a system that is made for the masses. Advanced accounting packages recognize that your business develops its own specific needs over time as it grows, and therefore allows for customization.

Data Limits: This is a major different between basic and advanced accounting software packages. A basic system will only allow for a finite number of things like inventory items, concurrent users, transactions, accounts, etc. Often this is the main reason for needing to upgrade to a more advanced system. When your business starts to require additional data storage, this is when a more advanced system can really make your life easier. Reporting: Again, for the sake of ease of use, basic accounting programs provide a limited set of reports for you to run. Yet your business may really need to see the data in its own way. For example, perhaps you want to include a line that shows the subtotal per item with tax. A more advanced program will allow for revisions to be made, and the reports can then be saved for later use, so that you can view the information in a way that is more helpful to you and your accountant.

Data drill down: How easy is it to view all of the details of a transaction when you are looking at your business numbers on a report? In a more basic system, you will likely need to close out the report and go searching through layers of information to find the details. By contrast, a more advanced system will allow you to view the transaction details that make up the number with just a few clicks, and will even allow you to edit the information on the fly.

Service: As with any product available today, the end result of paying too little means your service will be less as well. Many basic accounting software programs will defray service expenses by outsourcing their service to an overseas call center. More advanced programs provide more complete support services, with a variety of contact methods, and technicians with years of experience.

When choosing accounting software for your business, be sure to consider all of the above points so your system will grow along with your business.

Do you have some exciting news to release? Make the most of your news! There are Web sites out there that allow you to submit your press releases at no charge. (Of course, most of them do also offer upgraded services for a fee.) This link offers a great list of 20+ free press release distribution Web sites.

More and more people are turning to the internet to find their news. Having your press releases submitted online is another way for you and your news to be found.

Hint: If you are able, include your company’s most popular keywords within the press release, and also include a link back to your Web site. Even better if you can make the keywords be the link back to your site! This helps the search engines and people find you and your news.

After almost 30 years, Carol Dicke, Finance Manager at Red Wing Software, retired in November. Carol is one of the first employees that helped the company grow from just a few hard working employees to a place where many dedicated people write and sell the software and support to customers. Carol handled all of the internal accounting needs of the company. Outside her normal accounting duties, Carol was also quite often in charge of fun. She coordinated the company golf outings and most recently - a marshmallow driving competition that Red Wing Software held in conjunction with the United Way fundraising week. Starting in December, Carol will be bowling, camping, and golfing around the country with her husband, Keith!

Are you looking for a payroll company to help you process payroll? This short article will help you understand the different payroll company types, and will also tell you how to find them more quickly than just browsing around the internet.

So, what kind of payroll company is right for you? There are two main types:

• Payroll Software Company

  This company develops payroll software which is purchased and installed on your computers. Some payroll software companies sell at retail stores, and some sell through partners or accountants. The software can be installed on one or more computers and all of the payroll data is then housed internally. The benefit of using software from a payroll software company is you have more control of the process. Depending on the size of your business and the depth of your payroll needs, it might also be more economical.

• Payroll Service Company

  A payroll service company provides the service of processing payroll for you, and can also take care of the payroll tax filing. You will still need to input such things as hours worked and maintain employee information. Instead of purchasing and installing software, the software is typically accessed online. Accessing the software online does save you from having to maintain the software with updates. The benefit of using a payroll service is the burden of tax filing is on their shoulders instead of your own.

It is nearly impossible to do a thorough job of researching to find a payroll company by merely searching online for ‘payroll company’. You won’t find a comprehensive list of payroll companies on the first page of Google. You need a better way to find the best payroll company. There are a few good directories available, and here are a couple of them.

• Capterra.com allows you to choose in detail, which payroll features you will need. Look within the accounting software category, as this is where payroll is typically found.
• FindAccountingSoftware.com also allows you to choose the details of the type of system you are looking for by choosing necessary features.

Both of the above Web sites also offer the possibility of calling them to speak with a consultant, tell them what you are looking for, and then receive calls from the vendors that fit for your search. This is free for you as a software purchaser.

Has anyone ever tried to sell you something you were completely uninterested in purchasing? You know, the long and drawn out sales pitch with the salesperson talking non-stop about features, not even stopping to take a breath for fear you will say, “NO.”

It’s times like this when we appreciate our ability to be assertive and walk away. This situation can happen just about anywhere from the car dealership to the perfume counter, or to a work situation. The simple resounding answer to give these tenacious sales people is “NO.” Purchasing software for your company is no different! If you are currently satisfied with the accounting or payroll software for your business, it’s probably a good idea to stay with what you have. After all, switching software involves a learning curve, and your company will need to take the time to adjust.

While the above is true most of the time, there are certain times when a business person believes they don’t need to move to a different software application, yet for the good of their business, they absolutely should. Here are the main reasons a company should consider a software move, even when they don’t think they need to.

1. You are still using a DOS based product. There were many excellent DOS products available in the 1980’s. In fact some of them still work well to this day. This leads some people to believe they can keep using the program(s) to run their business indefinitely. If you are using a program that was created in the 1980’s, the upside is that the company you bought it from must be pretty good to have kept it working that long. If you drive a car from the 1980’s you have surely had a lot of work done just to keep the thing running. Nothing can last forever. When it comes to software, DOS based software is a thing of the past and you need to move forward as soon as possible, or at least develop a plan to do so. Operating systems are moving forward and Microsoft has released Vista, with talk of the next system around the bend. Your DOS system probably won’t work on either one. So if any of the computers in your operation crash, you will need to purchase a new one. Where will you be when there aren’t computers available to run your DOS program? Develop a plan now, and you won’t have to panic later.
2. Your software product is no longer being supported. If your product is no longer supported, you will not be able to get your questions answered and will be left to handle questions and problems on your own. Updating to something newer will allow you to ask questions and get help when you need it.
3. You are spending more time ‘tricking’ your system than simply working with it. This is the kind of thing you don’t realize you are doing until after you change software. Set aside one whole week where you consciously keep track of how much time you or your staff spends manipulating your software to handle the way you need to enter or analyze your data. Are things such as invoice entry or inventory tracking taking you three to four steps when they should really only take one or two? If so, you and your staff could save significant time by moving to a system that can handle your needs.
4. You have a hard time finding hardware that will work. Simply put, you should be able to find hardware such as computers, printers, and other devices for your business without much hassle. If you have to search from store to store or on eBay to find a device that will work with your old software system, it’s time to upgrade your software.
5. You stay with your accounting software and/or payroll software because you are afraid. Don’t feel bad. There are many business people who simply stay with the software they have even while they know full well they really should move to something different. They know that their security would be better, their processing would run more smoothly, and that they would save themselves and their staff valuable time by moving to newer software. Feeling bad won’t help, but developing a plan to move forward will. Even if you can’t make the switch now, planning it out ahead of time will reduce the worry and stress you are feeling right now.