From Detroit: Let’s Automate!

Detroit’s landscape is changing, I can feel it. But most of all, the phone is ringing with all sorts of requests from old and new owners. I follow Curbed Detroit on Facebook and I am in awe of the transformation of buildings and businesses. And guess what! They are looking for help on QuickBooks for services and inventory. Who would have thought that when I first touched QuickBooks over 20 years ago, I would still get fresh faces knocking on my door. No surprise there! There have been many transformations in the business world as well, especially automating and reporting day to day data.

QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online have been a household name for over 20 years. Some of my new favorite web based apps, such as TSheets Time Tracking, Transaction Pro Importer, LivePlan and Smart Vault are a bit newer, but gaining steam as we speak. No one who has used QuickBooks or these other applications can say “Wow, do they slow down my employee time tracking!” and “Dang, I wish one of these apps could cut down on my data entry time!” or “Geez, why don’t they make a software that gives me benchmark information so I can track my numbers against there’s!” and last, but not least “Why can’t I have all of my files in a secured environment accessible from EVERYWHERE!!!”

So, here is my own personal timeline of adopting new apps, in case you think I’m some rockstar-genius-Einstein-gal.

• 1993 – First kissed QuickBooks DOS 1.0
• 1993 – The door opened to QuickBooks Windows
• 1999 – Co-Authored the original QuickBooks Pro Advisor Certification
• 2000 – My first ride in the cloud with QuickBooks Online
• 2008 – Used Transaction Importer to move mountains (and mounds of data)
• 2012 – Created my own Little Caesars Transaction Importer app (to import their electronic Blueline bills)
• 2013 – TSheets Time Tracking Software
• 2013 – Converted my QuickBooks Enterprise file to QuickBooks Online
• 2014 – Live Plan
• 2014 – Co-Authored the original TSheets Pro Certification

Do you see how it’s escalating? Do you see that all roads are leading to online? That’s automation talking, as it is so much easier to have web based data talking the same language. Its so much more difficult to accommodate all of the different computers where so many desktop applications reside and make them play nicely in the sandbox. I’m constantly exposed to arm wrestling matches with people who don’t know and don’t want to know about the cloud apps. But transformation is hard. However, hitting a wall won’t get you anywhere and banging your head against the wall to make something go more smoothly only leads to more headaches.

A wise young man (I think it was Linus) said in the movie A Charlie Brown Christmas, “Make it eeeeeeeasy on yourself!” You don’t have to adopt these programs on your own, that’s what you have me for. But you do have to look within your own organization to see where you need to automate and THEN pick up the phone and call me. I look forward to it.