Using a laptop for work

[bobbin]

I now have a laptop (Toshiba) and am struggling to get up to speed using it.  The "master plan" is to take it to customer meetings and use it as a replacement for the spiral notebooks I've always used.  How many of you guys do this?  I still have to figure out the camera thing (mine is nearly 10 yrs. old and it's time to think about replacing it).  My question is about integrating book-keeping software... does your software allow you to set up customer accounts/information in addition to the accounting basics (I'm not fully up to speed with Peachtree)?  At present, I'm simply creating documents and storing them in a folder.  How do you guys do this basic stuff? 

[sofadoc]

I don't know about all the bookkeeping software, but if your camera is 10 years old, I'm guessing that it may not have a media card that you can just pop in to your laptop?
You can get a pretty nice one in the $100-$150 range. Most of them come with some nice photoshop software that will give you all the photo enhancement capabilities that you need.
The short videos that I posted in the "Handy tool" topic were made with a small camera that takes stills, and video clips. I bought it about 3 years ago for $125. They're probably better and cheaper now.

[byhammerandhand]

I have a laptop (just got a replacement one).  I carry it with me and rely heavily on:

- Electronic calendar for appointments and to-do lists.  This controls my life, literally.  Most stuff gets cut and pasted in and out of here.

- Quickbooks for accounting - estimates, invoices(billed later), sales receipts (work and paid on the spot), bills, credit card charges (gas, supplies, etc.), customer files, and billing (most invoices are sent via e-mail).  It's also a God-send come monthly time to file sales tax (I have to do a separate total on each of the five counties in home state and then two neighboring states).  To answer your question, potential clients get added in.   If I do an estimate, it's there.  If I do work, it's there, so if they call me three years later, I know I fixed their sofa back on June 23, 2008 and billed $80.

- File of "work orders" that come in via various means, faxes (I use a fax service that creates a PDF file and e-mails it to me), e-mail, and web interfaces.  There's a sub-folder for "done" and "canceled or on hold" work orders.

- File of photos downloaded from digital camera.  I'll do photos of pieces if I need them for an estimate, and usually before and after photos of all jobs.  They are filed by date so I can go back and look them up.

I carry a note pad because though I'm a fast typist, I can't keep up with voice mail speed or calls received.  But that information gets transferred to the calendar as soon as possible.

When I took classes in time management (Franklin, Day-Timers, etc.) the rule was: When you write something down in the right place, you do not have to worry about remembering it.

My business is probably different than yours, as I do mostly on-site repair work.  Much of that is third party work for retailers, delivery companies, or insurance, done either at their site or their customers' location.

Each of the important files get backed up to a flash (thumb) drive at the end of each business day.   And the most important thing I learned in high school Latin -- Don't get behind in a language, translates to me: Never get behind in your accounting.   Top priority at the end of each day is to update the day's transactions.  Never get behind in your accounting.

[bobbin]

Everything about "computerizing" is hard for me.  I'm not inclined to the medium and have no one nearby who is, either.  So this is a real struggle for me, albeit one I know I must master for the "greater good" and longterm ease of business.  My affinity for the medium counts for something less than nothing... this is how the world now works and I must master it.  Like it or not.   ::)

My camera does none of the things you referenced, Sofa..  I smiled at your mention of the price you paid for your camera... about double the price paid for my now obsolete model (Nikon Coolpix 4300).  How funny is that?

I'm pretty good about entering important information into Peachtree, but I have not explored any of the other "options" the program likely offers.  That's why I'm asking about this sort of thing. 

[byhammerandhand]

Moore's Law : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

I've had a home computer for almost 20 years.   My current is the first that cost less than $2000, which is where we were stuck for many years.    My first had two 5.25" floppy drives -- one for the program and one for the data.  I think it had 64K of memory and an operating system called CP/M - which eventually lost out to MS-DOS that became Windows.  Among other things, my wife used it as treasurer for a nursery school.

http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/kaypro/

[MinUph]

bobbin,
  I believe you asked about accounting sf awhile ago and you choose Peach Tree. I recommended QB as it is much simpler to master for a non computer person. As well as the experienced users. Anyway lets progress.
  As noted by hammer.... A notepad is still required for most people but transferring these notes to a calendar is important and ASAP is the best way. I use Outlook, not Outlook Express but the full office version. You can buy Outlook without the whole office package. It is the most used e-mail, contact, calendar package there is among other uses. I have mine sync with my google e-mail and contacts so that syncs with my phone. Speaking of phones. Do you have a cell phone and if yes does it have a camera? Most newer model phone have very good cameras and are more than sufficient for pictures of furniture.
  Keep at it and you will get there.
  Ask specific questions and we will help solve them.

[Ihavenoname]

How and why I went back to a spiral notebook.

I was using Quickbooks and using and taking hours and hour and hours with it all. I was  figuring it out and creating accounts and keeping track of every thing and so on. Time, time, time is all it took. And if I fell behind, boy now some real time.

I like quickbooks and it seems to be a great tool for accountants and book keepers to keep cost and time down,  but for an upholstery shop, it is not billable hours. So ... Why was I spending so much time to make it all pretty, when I just needed to keep track of a few things like custmer, sales, deposits, Accounts Relivable and so on.

I just wanted it simple not 1 to 2 hours a day in book keeping that produces no income directly. So I stopped all the junk and time wasting and have a very simple system. 

So I got a smart pen. One that keep track of what I write and puts it on my computer.

The one i use and like is livescribe. It uses special paper that is a bit more expensive but not to bad. About 3 time the cost of regular paper, but you don't need that much. $20 of paper will get you though the year.

Here is what I did:
Got the livescribe pen and paper
Got standard 3 copy carbon sales sheets.
Made a photo copy of the sales sheet
Set up the copy of the sheet so I could print the outline on the special paper from livescrib
Took 100 sheets out of the livescribe binder and printed the overlay of the carbon sales sheet on the now loose paper so it lined up perfectly.
Then punched holes in the livescribe paper and the carbon paper and put it into a 3 ring binder.
Now I have the livescribe paper with the sales sheet outline on the sheet of matching carbon paper.
Now I use the pen to write and record every sale, estimate and job notes on the livescribe paper (which I keep) on 2 of the carbon copies (one goes to the customer and on is a back up if the customer looses theirs) and then the pen puts a digital copy on my computer for later.

With one pen stroke I have 4 copies, one on my computer which is searchable, pdfable,  and emailable. It has a date, time and a voice recorder if needed . I have  1 original copy, and 2 carbon copies.

yes there is still tax and book keeping work but it is a lot less then before. I have everyone's name, phone number, address, job, job notes, deposit, paid in full, and so forth. And I can email them all this if needed.

It does take a bit of work to set up but once done, it's really nice.

Side note:

There are other pens that write on regular paper, but after spending time looking and researching and now using, the livescribe pen is the way to go at least for me.

[scottymc]

My camera does none of the things you referenced, Sofa..  I smiled at your mention of the price you paid for your camera... about double the price paid for my now obsolete model (Nikon Coolpix 4300).  How funny is that?

 

Bobbin don't throw out the coolpix, my wifes first digital camera was a Coolpix 5400. In front of me right now is a copy of a canvas she sold for $1000, it's about 24" x 48", people could not believe the photos she took with it, they don't understand it is the quality of the lens not the megapixel's. She has more expensive cameras now but still uses the coolpix as it is easy to jam in your pocket, thanks to ebay we have 2 more of them, pick them up for a little over $100 , way better quality than new ones. It works well with all the laptops we have owned, plugs straight into it, if you want good a photoshop program google gimp, it's free     

[bobbin]

Thanks for the insights, you guys.  I find the whole computer thing pretty tough going in general, but I have been picking away at it and it does get easier, so there is hope.  Peachtree isn't all that different from Quickbooks, at
least according to a friend of mine who is familiar with both and has been helping me when I get stuck or really frustrated. 

I have a cheapie TracFone and it does take pictures but I have no idea if I can transfer them to this laptop, or how to begin doing it.  This is the first cell phone I've had and we live in an area where reception can be marginal and while it's OK, it's nothing to write home about and my experience with it has not filled me with a desire to upgrade to something "better" (if there is such a thing).  A friend of mine uses a Iphone and I am amazed at how much it can do for him... for now, though, way outta my league.  I figure I'd best learn how to walk before attempting to run, you know?

[scottymc]

One easy way to transfer pictures across to your computer is to email the picture to yourself.

[Rich]

Hey OneBoneHead, that's pretty smart! I'd never seen or heard of the Livescribe pen and paper before. The first thing I wondered about was whether or not it could record patterns. Or does it have to be on a Livescribe paper?

[Ihavenoname]

Rich,
Not sure what you mean by pattern but yes you need live scribe paper. But what ever you right is recorded. So text or pattern layout or drawings will be recorded.

[Mike8560]

Now I use the pen to write and record every sale, estimate and job notes on the livescribe paper (which I keep) on 2 of the carbon copies (one goes to the customer and on is a back up if the customer looses theirs) and then the pen puts a digital copy on my computer for later.

With one pen stroke I have 4 copies, one on my computer which is searchable, pdfable,  and emailable. It has a date, time and a voice recorder if needed . I have  1 original copy, and 2 carbon copies.

yes there is still tax and book keeping work but it is a lot less then before. I have everyone's name, phone number, address, job, job notes, deposit, paid in full, and so forth. And I can email them all this if needed.

It does take a bit of work to set up but once done, it's really nice.

Side note:

There are other pens that write on regular paper, but after spending time looking and researching and now using, the livescribe pen is the way to go at least for me.

so with a pen that writes on normal paper. You oils take a laptop to the customer write on the normal car on papers get 3 copys and one on your laptop. 

[Ihavenoname]

Livescribe paper is placed over carbonless paper. this give me a copy on livecribe paper, in the pen ( which is then later transferred to the computer), and on the carbonless paper copy that is handed to the customer.

The Pen    http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/echo/
Special pen paper that goes on top  http://www.livescribe.com/store/20070723002/c-107.htm
Carbonless paper for customer that goes under  http://www.staples.com/Adams-Carbonless-Sales-Order-Form-Book-8-1-2-x-10-7/product_301697


One pen stroke 6 copies, Paper, 2 Paper copies, in Pen, in computer and also  I can now email to customer as well ie customers computer.

And I can put it all on evernote and or onenote and it is search able via phone number, name, date, item as long as I write like a grown up.

[gene]

It sounds like you have found a way to 'electronify' the paper and pencil method of running a business. Very interesting. And very clever.

I remember when livescribe type pens first came out. They were going to renovate the manufacturing industry. The main problem was misspelling and unreadable writing by the shop workers - often done on purpose.

I can't imagine not using Quickbooks. The only time that I spend more than an hour with it is when I have a lot of Estimates to do. And most of that time is figuring out the fabric requirements.

(When I figure out fabric requirements now, I always ask God to mind her own business and not tell my customers a different amount of yardage than what I need.)

The accounting on QB is worth it to me. When I go to pay sales tax or my yearly income taxes it takes a few clicks and I've got my info printed out.

Thanks for the topic.

gene