technotes

FreshBooks makes managing your own business easy! February 1, 2010

Posted by Kristin Lynch in : technology , 2 comments

I’ve been using FreshBooks for a few months now after switching from MacFreelance. I love it. It allow me to easily and quickly set up the client/time/invoicing/expense management portion of my freelance business so I can spend more time focusing on my clients and their needs.

Set up your free account to get started. Check out the very reasonable pricing chart. You won’t pay at all until you enter your fourth client into the system. At that point, you’ll be charged $19/month, with rates increasing at a fair rate dependent on client numbers. The most you’ll pay for the service is $149/month – and that’s with 5,000 customers!

Go here to set up an account now!

What can you do with FreshBooks?

Maintain your client information
Track your time
Allow team members to add their time and other details
Allow clients to view their own invoices
Create custom invoices with your own branding
Customize e-mails, late notices, etc.
View and print reports
Manage expenses, including one-time and recurring charges
Manage your time, view your invoices and add expenses using the iPhone app
Send your invoices via e-mail or snail mail (snail mail includes a statement, payment stub, and window return envelope)

Those are just a few of the features of FreshBooks. Go here to set up an account now and get more details.

I’m still discovering very handy features!

I also like how FreshBooks maintains its customer relationships. As soon as I signed up, I received an e-mail from a customer representative thanking me for signing up and providing me with their full contact details in case I have questions or need help. I also received a sample invoice in the mail showing me how my invoices will look if I choose to send them that way – including a payment stub and return envelope. If you decide to go that route, you just pay for an allotment of ’stamps’ and they handle the rest. FreshBooks also provides a toll free number, online support form, a blog and customer forums – all designed to help you find the information you need quickly and easily.

Their system even provides a report card so you can see how you’re doing. You’ll need to be on the system for a full fiscal quarter before you can view any data, however.

I’m very impressed with the system. It allows me to easily and professionally maintain the financial data of my new business, providing me with more time to manage my customer relationships and the work I do for them. I even ENJOY using my business management system. When have you ever heard such a thing? Go here to set up an account now!

technorati tags: Accounting, Add new tag, Business Services, Freelancer, FreshBooks, Invoice, iPhone, Management, Time Tracking, Web Based

Saving a soaked cell phone December 1, 2009

Posted by Kristin Lynch in : technology , 1 comment so far

Image by JonJon2k8 via Flickr

I heard a great tip for saving a soaked cell phone – or any other unfortunate electronic device, for that matter. I’ve had a few friends who have had the misfortune of dropping their cell phone in a puddle or a glass of water (that friend was heavily medicated) or – GASP – through an entire washing machine cycle. But fear not…

If you ever find yourself with a wet device, don’t cry – that will just create more moisture! Trust me…we can get through this. Try these steps instead.

1. Get your vacuum cleaner out and use an appropriate attachment to suck out as much water as possible. Look for the largest input area on your device and start there.

2. Always try #1 first to get as much water as you can out of the device quickly. Next, pick up a bag of Fresh Scent cat litter. You must use the one with the blue/green crystals. A small bag will do. (HINT: uncooked rice will also work!) Grab a small container that can be sealed tightly – such as Tupperware. Pour some of the cat litter (or rice) in the container and place your device on top. Close the container and leave it alone for a day or so. The cat litter (or rice) will suck up the moisture from the device!

If neither of these methods work, you might be out of luck but at least you’ll have tried a couple of quick and easy fixes before throwing in the towel.

Thanks to the guys on the MacBreak Weekly podcast for these suggestions.

Good luck!