ipod software

[keith gigabyte]

Im a small fry guy. I have a full time job as industrial electrician and moonlight doing residential and commercial. I do quite well at it and am not working for free. I have some established rehab customers and rental units as well as word of mouth customers.

I am interested in getting some software to use on my ipad for estimating and keeping track of time and material costs. I also hire additional labor that i would like to track as well. As a bonus I'd like to be able to track clients names/phone numbers addresses previous jobs etc.
Does a beast like this exist or am I dreaming?

Also who has experience with Quick books?I am thinking of getting it but heard you have to buy new updates every year. any good estimating software?

 

[controlled]

take a look at
www.electricalflatrate.com

 

[kwired]

Im a small fry guy. I have a full time job as industrial electrician and moonlight doing residential and commercial. I do quite well at it and am not working for free. I have some established rehab customers and rental units as well as word of mouth customers.

I am interested in getting some software to use on my ipad for estimating and keeping track of time and material costs. I also hire additional labor that i would like to track as well. As a bonus I'd like to be able to track clients names/phone numbers addresses previous jobs etc.
Does a beast like this exist or am I dreaming?

Also who has experience with Quick books?I am thinking of getting it but heard you have to buy new updates every year. any good estimating software?

I am using 2007 version of Quickbooks. I think I upgraded to that version from 2001, I am not going to buy new version every year. Biggest different between the two versions was improved interfaces/methods of doing things, the basics remained the same. Optional paid add ons was the other difference, as the older version may not support some of their current options, and they are good at retiring service to older products, can't exactly blame them though, why put money into development for older products when your goal is to come up with new stuff? They are not the only software company that takes that approach.

For basic accounting practices you never need to update it, to use some of their additional services like payroll services or abilities to accept credit card payments (which you don't have to use their services either, it just integrates more smoothly into their program) you do need to update it. Occasionally they have new features in newer versions, but basic accounting methods hasn't changed. There are free updates for bugs, and limited services, but the premium services is what you pay extra for, all of which are also available elsewhere if you don't want to buy those services from Intuit, they just will not automatically integrate into the Quickbooks program and will require manual entries if you want the results to be included in the accounting.

 

[Fulthrotl]

take a look at
www.electricalflatrate.com

+1 on that. james brush is a good guy.

i use the mint app on the iphone to keep track of my expenses for tax time.
you can track your job expenses on it as well if you set it up for that
with appropriate flags.

i use neatworks for keeping all my paperwork paperless.

there is also invoices2go in the app store. it's pretty damn good.

i run everything on that. i'd be using electrical flat rate
if i did more service truck work, but my work keeps moving
more towards commercial and industrial.

most of my bidding is either from the seat of my pants, driving home
from work, or a material and expense take off, with mark up on that,
and a labor number.

i've got quickbooks... or i did till i threw it away this winter.

i just looked at my phone... got gross receipts, and A/R from invoices2go,
expenses from mint, subtracted the little number from the big number,
and that is my taxable income so far this year, when it's time for quarterlies.

and my quotes, the bulk of which is waiting on customers getting the money
together, is $532,229.10, which probably will need to be done by september.
it's gonna be a busy year.

if i'd a looked on quickbooks, the only thing i'd have learned is that i needed to
upgrade for $199 to get all the latest features..... :thumbsdown: