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One of the photo studio management systems we are taking a look at is Táve Studio Management.  Like many software in the marketplace, Táve offers an export capability that imports transactions directly into QuickBooks – that is, when it works.

Táve uses a QuickBooks functionality called IIF import.  Actually, Intuit no longer encourages the use of IIF transfers for transaction entries and prefers the use of their SDK software to directly communicate with QuickBooks.  The rub here is that many photographers prefer the use of MAC computers – and Intuit SDK does not work with QuickBooks for MAC.  So software developers like Táve – who want to support both PC and MAC computers - have no choice but to use the IIF transfer function to import data into QuickBooks.

The truth of the matter is that if set up correctly the IIF transfer does in fact work.  That said, however, there are a number of issues surrounding setting up the IIF transfer so that it does work properly.  Unfortunately, the IIF functionality in QuickBooks provides very little feedback when something does go wrong.  Either the import process simply crashes or the QuickBooks file itself gets corrupted with no explanations.

(NOTE – and I cannot emphasize this strongly enough – ALWAY, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make a backup copy of your active QuickBooks file before attempting any IIF import, whether from Táve or any other software.  And always use a test copy of your QuickBooks file to determine if a new IIF import will actually work.  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER perform an IIF import into your only working copy of your QuickBooks data file.  Be warned that any IIF transfer can fail for a host of reasons – even previously working IIF imports – and you risk permanent corruption of your QuickBooks data file with each import.  So, having a previously created backup copy available is an easy way to recover your otherwise lost data.)

One of the issues we found with the Táve IIF export is that the maximum size of the data fields in Táve can be longer than some of the QuickBooks maximum field lengths.  What can happen, for example is that the Táve IIF output provides QuickBooks with a list of the Items that are being billed to customers in the current Táve export.  QuickBooks reviews the list of Items and adds any that are missing from the QuickBooks Item List before processing the sales transactions.

A mis-match can occur because QuickBooks has a 31 character limit for the Item Name – Táve does not.  So if your Item Name in Táve is, let’s say 40 characters long, QuickBooks will automatically truncate that Item Name to 31 characters when setting up a new Item in QuickBooks.  Then later in the IIF transfer, Táve sends a sales transaction with the 40 character Item Name.  QuickBooks cannot handle the data mis-match and simply crashes the import function.

There are a number of solutions to this, which I have suggested to Team Táve, but I have not heard back from them.  In the meantime, the easiest solution for the current Táve users is to simply not exceed the QuickBooks data field character limits when setting up the corresponding fields in Táve.  So, for example, if you limit the Item Name in Táve to 31 characters or less and the Customer Name to 41 characters or less, etc. then the Táve-to-QuickBooks IIF transfer has a better chance of working – unless, of course, that is there are other data mis-matches.

You can find the complete list of field character limitations in QuickBooks at http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/Support/Articles/INF12402.  If you keep these field limits in mind when setting up your Táve file, you are less likely to incur some of the IIF transfer problems.

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In 2010 Intuit introduced a new service called QuickBooks Document Management which was a service that provided the option to attach a document to any transaction in QuickBooks by clicking on a paperclip icon.  This become a handy way to easily drill back to the source of  the transaction or provide supporting documentation.

Some took issue with the requirement that the attached documents could only be stored in “The Cloud” on Intuit’s servers.  Not everyone, it seems, has embraced the concept of storing sensitive information on someone else’s servers.

So in 2011 Intuit morphed the service into a similar sounding QuickBooks Attached Documents and added the option to save the attached documents on a local drive instead of on Intuit’s servers.  You can still save the documents on the Intuit server, but now you have the option to save locally in you prefer.

There is a subscription fee required for each company file in order to save and access the files regardless of whether they are saved on the Intuit Server or on your local computer.

Current pricing was quoted to me by their customer service rep as follows:

• $ 9.95/month – allows only one document attached to each transaction.
• $14.95/month – allows up to 5 documents to be attached to each transaction.
• $19.95/month – allows unlimited documents to be attached.
• $24.95/month – bundles Attached Documents along with 3 other Intuit Connect Services: QuickBooks Connect, Intuit Data Protect, and Free 24/7 Support.
• Prices are always subject to change and there are other pricing plans available depending upon the service(s) selected and the number of licensed users - so you will need to contact Intuit to get an exact subscription quote.

The customer service rep told me to think of the subscription fees as paying for the paperclip, not the file cabinet.  I’m not sure the imagery applies, but that’s the justification I was given.  You will have to draw your own conclusions as to whether the subscription price is worth the ability to attach documents to your transactions and whether it is better to save them on your local drive or on their server.

If you are interested in trying out the Attached Documents service – and it is a handy feature - simply click on the “Attach Icon” on the toolbar on any transactions and you will receive subscription instructions.  Once subscribed, clicking on the Attach Icon will immediately connect you to the Intuit document server.

Let me know what you think of this new service from Intuit.

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If you were to ask any photographer to name one of the most exciting aspects of their business, he or she is not likely to identify bookkeeping as one of them.  Which is unfortunate, because as business managers we know that the information gained from keeping good books can greatly improve the photographer’s chances of success.

Blah, Blah, Blah, whatever…

Why does all this sound so boring?  Probably because your creative self resents the time “wasted” on bean counting and having to follow arcane rules and procedures that don’t seem to make any sense and certainly don’t help you shoot better photographs.

Where does this sense of time wasted originate?  I believe it is because most accounting software in use today does not really address the needs of the photographer.  Accounting software is designed and focused on making the numbers add up so that the profitability and value of the business can be determined and the appropriate taxes paid.  None of that is terribly creative, exciting or interesting.

Wouldn’t it be nice if some software existed that in the process of maintaining your events calendar, setting up event coverage details and managing your photographs that somehow – magically – the necessary bookkeeping was generated almost automatically?

Not surprising, there is!

Over the course of the next few weeks we will be evaluating several software offerings that you can use to manage your photography business with (sometimes “free”) software that can scale with your business as it grows.  Even one-person studios can benefit from some of this software.

Stop by often as we compile our software reviews and some tips & tricks in using the software.  Initially, the software we will evaluate and compare include: Táve Studio, StudioCloud, and StudioPlus+.

Let us know if there is any additional studio software you would like to have us evaluate.

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Well known to some, but not known to many is the fact that QuickBooks has a host of applications built by third-party vendors that integrate with QuickBooks to provide additional business tools needed to run a business.

Keep in mind that fundamentally, QuickBooks is an accounting program. Over the years a number of CMS (Client Management Software) elements and business management features have been added to QuickBooks to help owners manage their business – and Intuit adds new features every year – but many aspects of running specific businesses are still not incorporated within in QuickBooks.

Instead, Intuit has provided SDK (Software Development Kit) capabilities to allow programmers to generate applications that integrate with QuickBooks and provide the needed capabilities. Some of these functions include expense tracking, field service management, better reporting capabilities, document management, project management and the like.

Several of these add-ons can be initiated from within some versions of QuickBooks including Merchant Services, Document Attachments and Inventory Management. But some of these enhancements are either cloud applications (SaaS) or stand-alone products that must be either initiated outside QuickBooks or installed separately.

If you think your business is growing beyond QuickBooks or wonder how you can better manage your business, then you may want to check out the Intuit Workplace App Center at http://workplace.intuit.com or http://marketplace.intuit.com. Here you can search for applications by business type, function, or application and review and even try out the applications in which you have an interest.

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Business Cards are often overlooked as something everyone in business has, but which most people pay little attention.  You should!

Business Cards are probably the simplest and most powerful way to introduce yourself and your business to prospective customers or clients.

Everyone in business practices their “elevator speech” – that 30-second pitch or description of what your business is all about.  In the real world you have precious little time to capture the interest of a prospective investor, or client, or customer.  Because every salesperson knows (and we are all selling something) that if you can grab a prospect’s interest in the first 30 seconds, then they may give you more time to explore what you are pitching.  If not – you may be out of luck.

Consider the businiess card a one-second advertisement of your business.  Maybe you use it to initiate a discussion.  Or maybe you like to use it to punctuate the pitch.  Either way it can help grap attention.

When you give your business card to new people you meet, do they actually study it or even look at it?  Do you hear: “Nice card!”  Or do they simply glance at it and then slip it into their pocket or purse or desk drawer?  Does your card tell the story of your business?  Or is it just a generic listing of your contact information?  If the latter, then you are missing a great opportunity to make a better first impression.

Today’s business cards tend to be graphical, glossy and creative.  Of course, you have to include the necessary contact information – but if there were no contact information listed at all, do the graphic elements capture interest by themselves?  The eye wants to be captivated.  It wants something noteworthy.  It needs a reason to pause and search for more information.  Captivating graphics or a unique logo may just do the trick.

Speaking of contact information… as a modern company have you included your company’s web address?  Do you have a professional e-mail address such as  yourname@yourcompany.com – or a less professional looking address like  item99@freewebmail.com?  Establishing a web presence and a professional e-mail address is not as complicated nor as expensive as it sounds and having them helps create a more substantial first impression.

If you have not looked at your business card recently - then do yourself a favor and take a long, hard, objective look.  Does your card stand out from the crowd?  …then maybe you will too!

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If you use QuickBooks on a regular basis learning and using Keyboard Shortcuts can help making your bookkeeping efforts faster and more effective.  Try these out:

As a final word about some of the new features in QuickBooks 2011 lets call you attention to the new Invoice Paid Date that has been added to the “PAID” stamp that appears on the invoices window after recording the payment received.

With the Paid Date right on the stamp it makes it easier to run through a series of Invoices without having to look up the payment date separately.

Another time saver introduced by Intuit in QuickBooks 2011.

In past versions of QuickBooks, there was only one option for recording the vendor’s address.  This created a problem if you wanted to keep track of where the vendor was shipping from, or trying to keep the corporate office separate from the remittance address.  There was no easy way to do this.

In QuickBooks 2011 we now have two addresses within the vendor record: the “Billed From Address” and the “Shipped From Address”.  This is not quite as flexible as the multiple Ship-To addresses allowed in the Customer record.  And it probably would have been better if there were at least 3 vendor addresses (e.g.: “Main Address”, “Shipped From Address”, and “Remittance Address), because the billed from address is not always the same as the remittance address nor the corporate address.

But at least having 2 vendor address is an improvement…

QuickBooks 2011 updates the options available for sending forms via Email.  In the past, the only options available for emailing Estimates, Invoices, and other forms etc. were to use “Outlook” or “QuickBooks Email.”

With QuickBooks 2011 new options are available to send Emails via an account with Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or most other servers that can be configured for outgoing mail.

You can still use Outlook or QuickBooks Email, but to designate your own web-mail, simply go to PREFERENCES and click on “Send Forms”.  Provide your Email ID and the Provider Name from the drop down menu or select “Other”.  If QuickBooks does not automatically fill in the correct Server Name and/or Port, then using the instructions from your email provider enter the Server Name (usually something like smtp@serverdomain.com) and the outgoing mail port.  If your Email server allows POP3 mail, this information will usually be found in the POP3 setup instructions.

Although you still cannot add additional attachments, this new email feature works great and should solve the problems many people were having sending emails, especially  if you handle a number of companies on your computer.  Using the above procedures, each company’s forms can now be emailed from their unique email address instead of using your mail server and will avoid the complications in setting up multiple POP3 accounts in Qutlook.  In addition, copies of the emailed forms should be automatically saved in your email providers “Sent Folder” – assuming you have set it up to save all sent emails.

A great new feature added this year to QuickBooks are the Customer and Vendor summaries.  When you open forms to Create Estimates, Create Sales Orders, Create Invoices, Create Purchase Orders or Enter Bills, a new column appears on the right.  As you select a customer or vendor this column is populated with their selected information.

For Vendors:

• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Open Balance
• PO’s to be Reviewed
• Recent Transactions
• Notes

For Customers:

• Open Balance
• Active Estimates
• Open Sales Orders to be Invoiced
• Unbilled Time & Expenses
• Recent Transactions
• Notes

You can hide this column if you want to, but the information displayed (some of it can be drilled down to the supporting transaction details) makes it easier to get a more complete picture of you customer or vendor without having to manually switch among a number of different screens.