Sending Large Files

Many times, the QuickBooks data file is too big to email to someone. Or perhaps, you have a large powerpoint file to send to someone. There are several services to transfer large files. A few FREE ones include:

www.sendthisfile.com
www.yousendit.com
www.pando.com

Check them out next time you need to send a large file!

If you're sending a QuickBooks data file, make sure the file has a password. Send the password in a separate email--not with the data file!

You can use this option to help clients when you cannot use remote access--have the client send you a back up or portable file. Then, you can open the file and talk with the client about it.

QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program and Certification Town Hall meeting

Mark your calendars for a Town Hall discussion ‘Everything you wanted to know about the ProAdvisor Program and Certification’. We’ll meet in the Long for Success room in the Small Business Town Hall on Tuesday, July 21, at 9:00 am PT (12:00 pm ET).

Michelle Long, CPA will be the moderator. Michelle is an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor, one of the national trainers for Intuit and author of the book Successful QuickBooks Consulting.

Special guests from Intuit include:
· Kate Viotto – Senior Marketing Manager, QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program
· Andi Anchetta – Program Manager, QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program

Discussion topics include:
· What is the ProAdvisor Program?
· How can it help me grow my business and be more productive?
· Details about the different ProAdvisor Certifications
· Tips & Tricks to help you study and pass the certifications
· Best practices for study and exam preparation methods
· Most importantly—your questions!!!

You can type your question into the chat window or use a webcam and/or mic (about $20) to join in the conversation! If you’re already certified, you can share your experience with others too!

Here are a couple of links to join, but I’ll post again next week as a reminder.

http://community.intuit.com/small_business_town_hall

Click Under Small Business Experts -- Long for Success and type in your screen name to join room.

http://apps.facebook.com/smallbiztownhall/Home.aspx?auth_token=4b41dfb9c5fa6cceea9469e5e023dfdc

There is no need to register in advance or sign up, just type in your screen name to enter the room. You may want to do it in advance to see how it works. You should have Adobe Flash Player installed. When you enter the room, it will ask if you want to allow access to your web cam/mic. You can Allow or Deny. If you Allow access, then you can click on 'Request to Speak' at the bottom of the middle section and you'll be put in the speaker's que. When you're finished talking you click on 'Stop Speaking' at the bottom of that window.

If you don't want to speak up or use a web cam, you can type your questions or comments in a chat window on the right side.

Feel free to go into the room in advance to check it out and see how it works. You can even try out your webcam to see yourself & how it works!

Accountant's Copy improved in QuickBooks 2009

There have been a lot of improvements in the Accountant's Copy over the past few years. New for 2009, if there are a few 'bad' transactions, the other 'good' transactions will still be imported. In prior versions, if there were bad transactions the entire import would fail. Now, we can feel more comfortable using the Accountant's Copy to work with our clients.

The Accountant's Copy allows the clients to continue working in the data file for the current year (after the dividing date) while we (the accountant) can work on the data file for the prior year (before the dividing date). Then, we can export our changes to a file for the client to import our changes. With a backup or portable file, the client cannot work in the data file while we have it our they will lose their work.

So, if you haven't used the Accountant's Copy in the past, this is a great year to start using it! Don't forget that you need QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition to work with an accountant's copy.

Grant opportunities for accounting professionals and small businesses

Recognizing that times are tough, I wanted to make people aware of a grant opportunity for accounting professionals. Intuit is offering ten $10,000 Stimulus Grants to accounting pros who want to either start a business or grow an existing one. The grants are part of Intuit’s Power to Get More Done campaign, an initiative created to help accounting professionals succeed in this economic environment. You can find out more about the application process and apply (by April 30) for a grant at http://proadvisor.intuit.com/product/getmoredone/stimulusgrant.jsp.

For small businesses, Intuit is also offering over $300,000 in small business grants and free software. See http://smallbusinessunited.com/ for more info on that program.

FREE Online Courses plus FREE CPE

There are a lot of great courses available online (http://accountant.intuit.com/training covering a variety of topics:

• What's New for QuickBooks 2009
• QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2009
• Lacerte Tax Update
• Payroll for Today's Accountant (by me)
• Preparing for QuickBooks Certification (by me)
• and more

Plus, coming in the next week or so:

• Common QuickBooks Mistakes and How to Fix Them (by me)
• Effective Marketing for Accounting Professionals (by me)

These online courses are free and inlcude CPE credits if you need it! Check them out!