Adam's New Toys : Part Three
I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am a technology nerd. Now, before you get visions in your head of me showing up at a Sci-fi convention in full Han Solo garb, understand that I do not follow along the lines of a cliche nerd. I am however a sucker for new technology, software and gadgets – especially when it has practical business applications. Because of this, I am without a doubt obsessed with FreshBooks.com.
I first heard about FreshBooks in an article featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. For those of you who are familiar with QuickBooks and other invoicing software, FreshBooks handles a lot of the same responsibilities however it is geared more toward creative professionals and consultants. They have stripped away all of the extra features found in most business software that designers do not need and have added some features of their own.
Over the years with New Harbor I’ve billed clients using Quicken, Quickbooks and Quickbooks online. Each time, I’ve left whatever billing system I was using and went back to Microsoft Excel because it allowed for better control. Not anymore, FreshBooks allows me to quote, track time, invoice, bill for expenses and even assign jobs to other employees or contractors all from one account. All their invoices and quotes are hosted on their server in PDF form. A client can then receive a link and accept a quote right there on the web. The system will even automatically re-send invoices if they are 30 or 60 days past due.
In addition, you can setup a merchant account so your clients can pay their bills online. As if that weren’t enough, for your snail mail loving clients, FB has a service where they will print your invoices and mail them with pay slips directly to your client. You never have to keep track of it because it is all on your account.
The best part of all? It is affordable on any budget and they even have a free plan for people just wanting to try it out.
There are way too many features for me to write about so please check it out for yourself by going to www.freshbooks.com.
