How to use import rules on the bank import tool
This video shows you how to set up and use import rules on the bank import tool.
Rules can save you a lot of time; by learning what different items on your bank statement are, Clear Books can automatically select the correct supplier/customer name, accounting category, VAT rate and other details.
How to email a sales invoice to a customer
This video shows you how to send an invoice to a customer in Clear Books via email.
The customer will receive an email with a link to a customer statement containing all their invoice history.
Xero
- Website
- www.xero.com
- Company Name
- Xero
- Company Location
- Based in New Zealand, its headquarters are in Wellington with offices in Auckland, Christchurch and London, UK
- Company’s Founder(s)
- Rod Drury and Hamish Edwards
- Company’s Shareholder(s)
- Xero is a public company listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange
- Website Launch Date
- July 2006
- Number of Employees
- 57
- Number of Paying Customers
- 6,000
- Name of Each Package and Cost
- Standard package £19 per month. A discounted pre-pay option offers its users 12 months membership for £289.
- Free Trial
- 30 days
Company History
Founded by technology entrepreneur Rod Drury and specialist small business accountant Hamish Edwards, Xero advertises itself as the world’s easiest online accounting system.
Offering its users access to bank transactions, invoices, expenses and reports from across the globe, Xero was initially designed with small businesses in mind but has become an increasingly popular accounting system for large stock exchange listed companies.
The ambitious duo behind Xero met at software company AfterMail and, in 2006, Drury and Edwards combined their business acumen and accountancy experience to create a new online accounting system. By 2007, Xero was listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.
Xero now aims to ‘revolutionise small businesses’ around the world. For its founders, ‘that’s what (they’re) here to do.’
Links
Sources
CODA 2go
- Website
- http://www.coda2go.com/
- Company
- CODA (Unit 4 Agresso)
- Location:
- Chippenham, UK
- Founder(s):
- Rodney Potts
- Shareholder(s):
- The register of CODASciSys PLC.
- Launch Date:
- May 2008
- Number of Employees:
- >550
- Number of Paying Customers:
- 2600 corporations
- Cost:
- £85 p/month (full), £16 p/month (existing SalesForce CRM customers only)
- Free Trial:
- 30 days
The CODA 2Go Story
Founded in 1979 by Yorkshire entrepreneur, Rodney Potts, CODA is a massive multi-national corporation with seven offices in the UK alone. CODA operates in countries as diverse as Sweden, Australia, Spain, and the US.
Far from being the product of a decade’s struggle by a handful of impoverished individuals, CODA 2Go manifests itself as a natural expansion of an already successful company. The package is designed to work alongside CODA’s extensive range of software, and is fully compatible with the hugely profitable CRM vendor, Salesforce.
Released in mid-2008, CODA 2Go currently boasts full Software as a Service (SaaS) accounting capability. The package claims to be suitable for businesses of every size, but its relatively high cost may frighten freelancers away.
CODA 2Go is built on the Force.com service platform, and competes directly with fellow SaaS company, Intacct.
Links
Sources
Information correct as at 15 May 2009
Bionic Books
- Website:
- http://www.bionicbooks.com/
- Company:
- Monks Vaughn Ltd.
- Location:
- Camberley, Surrey, UK
- Founder(s):
- Jon S. Vaughn, Trish Monks
- Shareholder(s):
- Jon S. Vaughn, Trish Monks
- Launch Date:
- March 6th 2009
- Number of Employees:
- 2
- Number of Paying Customers:
- Undisclosed
- Cost:
- Free (£0 /month), Premium (£5.50 /month, £60/year)
- Free Trial:
- None (free account available)
The Bionic Books Story
As evidenced by the most recent entry to Jon Vaughn’s Twitter page, Bionic Books is competing directly with the Software as a Service (SaaS) crowd for the signatures of frightened accountants everywhere. “Quickbooks,” he writes, ought to “look out!”
Bionic Books was designed for small businesses and young pioneers with no time to ponder the intricacies of double entry bookkeeping. Since 2005, the Monks Vaughn company has endeavoured to ease the stress of back-office accountancy by providing confused entrepreneurs with an outlet for their woes.
Born a consultancy firm, Monks Vaughn switched to software development in order to concentrate on practical solutions to common problems: “Bionic Books represents our best effort to make superb small business accounting software, a good value product that solves a real world problem.”
Links
- Visit Bionic Books online
- Follow Bionic Books director, J.S. Vaughn, on Twitter
- Read the Bionic Books Blog
Sources
- Review of the Bionic Books service
- Bionic Books at CrunchBase
- Customer support community for Bionic Books
Information correct as at 17 May 2009
Netsuite
Website: http://www.netsuite.com/
Company: NetSuite Inc.
Location: California, USA
Founder(s): Larry Ellison, Evan Goldberg
Shareholder(s): Larry Ellison (majority); common stock traded on NYSE
Launch Date: 1998
Number of Employees: >1000
Number of Paying Customers: >5600
Cost: $4,800 /year (max. 3 users), $45,000 /year (12 instalments of $3750) (unlimited users)
Free Trial: On request.
The NetSuite Story
As of March 11 2009, NetSuite shareholder, Larry Ellison, ranks 14th on the Forbes rich list. His acquisition of the NetSuite platform cost him a whopping $125 million. Judging by the current price list, however, the dented coffers will not have to wait long for a refill.
Much like the CODA 2go accounting platform, NetSuite is the brainchild of an enormous corporation. The package may not demonstrate the accessibility of other Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, but in combining back-office functions with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, the company has found a niche within the online accountancy market.
NetSuite is not a stand-alone accountancy package; rather, it is a complete business solution designed to cater for the needs of mid-level companies and audacious accountants, or to support commercial entities in their web-based endeavours. Freelancers and sole traders need not apply.
Links
Support blog for NetSuite e-commerce websites
Sources
PCMag Review of the NetSuite service
Information correct as at 18 May 2009
Intacct
- Website:
- http://us.intacct.com
- Company:
- Intacct Corp.
- Location:
- San Jose, California, USA
- Founder(s):
- David C. Thomas
- Shareholder(s):
- Privately owned
- Launch Date:
- June 1999
- Number of Employees:
- 130
- Number of Paying Customers:
- >2500
- Cost:
- $25 per month (plus $10 per user, per month, per application)
- Free Trial:
- None
The Intacct Story
Intacct Corp. is every bit the business automaton – a functional website, comprehensive product lists, and fully customisable solutions ensure that all but the most robust of small businesses can find something to play with.
Established in 1999, the Intacct package was designed to reduce the financial burden of operating clunky server software. Intacct’s on-demand service is far too detailed for the simple freelancer, but professional accountants will have difficulty finding a more suitable package for their needs.
A self-proclaimed “market leader,” Intacct Corp. utilises the SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, and provides both a consultative and prescriptive service to its customer base.
Whether Intacct truly represents the apex of on-demand accounting software is debatable, but the company continues to proffer success to its users: “more than 95% of our clients succeed in going live within three months of subscribing to our service.” Intacct is a pricey, but ultimately reliable piece of software.
Links
Sources
Information correct as at 28 April 2009
Saasu
- Website:
- http://www.saasu.com
- Company Name:
- Saasu Pty. Ltd
- Company Location:
- Sydney, Australia
- Company’s Founder(s):
- Marc Lehmann twitter and Grant Young
- Company’s Shareholder(s):
- Small number, undisclosed
- Website Launch Date:
- June 2000
- Number of Employees:
- 11-15
- Number of Paying Customers:
- Thousands of users globally
- Name of Each Package and Cost:
-
- Free (15 transactions per month)
- Pro Package £28.50 per quarter (1,000 transactions )
- Corporate Package from £72.50
- Free Trial:
- Limited to 15 transactions per month
The Saasu Story
Educated at Balgowah Boys High School in North Sydney, Marc Lehmann went on to make his mark in investment banking before developing SAASU with web developer Grant Young to provide a complete online accounting service. Products available to its users include invoice, purchase, ledger and payroll.
In 2007, they picked up the CeBIT Platinum Excellence in Innovation Award. The following year, SAASU won the prestigious AU Business Advantage Award 2008 and earned a place in Smart Companies list of Australia’s top web 2.0 entrepreneurs.
Lehmann says the company is now, “Used by thousands of businesses in dozens of industries and serves billions of transactions every year worth hundreds of millions of dollars.”
46% of the company’s business is now offshore and SAASU is expected to announce a major investor which will inject funds into improving sales and developing its international business.
Links
Sources
Information correct as at 28 April 2009
Outright
- Website:
- http://outright.com
- Company Name:
- Outright.com (formerly GoBootStrap.com)
- Company Location:
- Downtown Campbell, California
- Company’s Founder(s):
- Kevin Reeth and Ben Curren
- Company’s Shareholder(s):
- Shasta Ventures and First Round Capital
- Website Launch Date:
- February 2009
- Number of Employees:
- 3
- Number of Paying Customers:
- None, it’s a free service
- Name of Each Package and Cost:
- Currently a free service
- Free trial:
- Not necessary. Membership is free
The Outright Story
Outright is the brainchild of former Yahoo and Intuit employers and web developers Kevin Reeth and Ben Curren.
Previously known as GoBootStrap.com, Outright relaunched after Shasta Ventures and First Round Capital provided $2m in venture capital funding in addition to smaller undisclosed amounts from other investors.
A simple online bookkeeping service, Outright allows small businesses and entrepreneurs to track income, perform tax calculations and record business expenses. Pre-dominantly aimed at the US market and the self employed, Outright is currently a free service. Advanced versions are expected to become available in the future which will offer users more advanced features.
According to its founders, the aim of Outright is: “To keep accounting as simple as possible, while helping entrepreneurs track all of their income and expenses to get their taxes done accurately.”
Links
Sources
Information correct as at 29 April 2009
KashFlow
- Website:
- http://www.kashflow.com
- Company:
- KashFlow Software Ltd
- Location:
- Essex, UK
- Founder(s):
- Duane Jackson twitter
- Shareholder(s):
- Duane Jackson, Lord Young
- Launch date:
- February 2006
- Number of employees:
- 9
- Number of paying customers:
- 2,500 (as at March 2009)
- Cost:
- £15.99/month
- Free trial:
- 60 days
- Support & feedback:
- http://forums.kashflow.co.uk/
The KashFlow Story
Duane spent most of his childhood in different children’s homes in East London and left school at 15 with no qualifications. He said: “It was the cliche of I got into the wrong crowd, and eventually ended up with a five- year prison sentence.”
“I came out at the age of 24 and knew it would be hard to get work with a big gap on my CV so I approached the Prince’s Trust with my business ideas.”
He was given a loan and grant totalling £4,000 and Key One was born. Later is was developed into KashFlow, an online tool to help bosses in small businesses manage their accounts.
Links
Sources
Information correct as at 8April 2009