Apr
30
Intuit, the maker of popular software like QuickBooks and TurboTax, offers many free tools that will help you start and grow your small business. Their small business website offers everything from free downloads of QuickBooks to valuable articles on marketing and hiring employees.
Intuit is clearly dedicated to helping small business owners get on their feet and plan for success. One of their most valuable small business tools is a free download of QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software. Simple Start is a “light” edition of QuickBooks Pro, and it includes many of the basic accounting features you need to run a small business.
It has limitations (like a limit of up to 20 customers), but Simple Start is a great way to try out QuickBooks before you spend money on a professional accounting solution. I personally used QuickBooks Simple Start for about 6 months with my business, before I felt the need to switch to QuickBooks Pro. Simple Start allowed me to learn basic accounting techniques and track my invoices effectively. However, I eventually needed more advanced features like importing online bank statements, so I switched to QuickBooks Pro. The switch was seamless and the software took care of importing my data automatically.
Intuit also offers a 6-month free trial of Intuit Online Payroll and a 1-year free trial of Intuit Websites. Online Payroll is an easy way to manage employee payroll and taxes, right in your web browser. Intuit Websites is a fast and easy way to create your business website from hundreds of customizable templates. It also features easy website hosting and domain registration.
In addition to these free software tools, Intuit also offers help to small businesses in the form of articles and online resources. One of my favorites is a their free Word-of-Mouth Marketing Toolkit. This 23-page document outlines successful business strategies for marketing through a blog, Twitter, and other social networks. It’s written by Robin Stavisky, a Managing Partner at New Venture Marketing, and includes some great marketing strategies. Check it out if you are interested in learning about the world of Web 2.0 marketing.
Another great, and completely free resource Intuit offers is their Guide to Hiring and Paying Employees. This guide includes everything you need to navigate the tricky world of hiring employees for the first time. It also includes information on taxes and dealing with the government regarding your employees.
For even more information for small business owners, check out the Intuit Small Business website. You will find many additional tools and information there, along with Intuit Community, where business owners interact with each other through Q&A sessions and forums.
When you are ready to step up to the full versions of Intuit software for your business, check out our complete selection of QuickBooks accounting software at incredible prices.
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