Archive for the ‘Peachtree’ Category:
New Research Shows Small Businesses Most Vulnerable to Employee Fraud – Market Wire (press release)
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New Research Shows Small Businesses Most Vulnerable to Employee Fraud
Market Wire (press release) - Accounting software — such as Peachtree by Sage — that allows for very specific user access levels also can be extremely helpful in deterring fraud. … |
Times Business Solutions Now Offers Act! and Peachtree by Sage – WebWire (press release)
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Times Business Solutions Now Offers Act! and Peachtree by Sage
WebWire (press release), GA - Now, by having members of our staff certified in Act! by Sage and Peachtree by Sage, we can effectively provide high-quality, affordable business management … |
Sage Releases Peachtree by Sage 2009 – CPA Technology Advisor
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Sage Releases Peachtree by Sage 2009
CPA Technology Advisor, MD - Sage Software has announced the availability of the Peachtree by Sage 2009 product line, offering new features and improvements that assist small businesses … |
Small Business Software And Support Giveaway: Help Is On The Way – North American Press Syndicate
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Small Business Software And Support Giveaway: Help Is On The Way
North American Press Syndicate, NY - Through the Peachtree Family-Owned Business Support Program, Sage Software is offering free copies of Peachtree Complete Accounting 2009, along with six … |
The Sleeter Group Selects MISys Inc. as Solution Partner – Earthtimes (press release)
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The Sleeter Group Selects MISys Inc. as Solution Partner
Earthtimes (press release), UK - MISys SBM also integrates with Microsoft Office Accounting, Intuit's QuickBooks products, Sage Peachtree , and Sage Simply Accounting. … |
Sage Software Program Aids Family-Owned and Operated Small … – Earthtimes (press release)
 Earthtimes (press release) |
Sage Software Program Aids Family-Owned and Operated Small …
Earthtimes (press release), UK - Through this initiative, Sage Software will provide a free copy of Peachtree by Sage Complete Accounting 2009, single user, with six months of free customer … |
St. Therese Leverages Microsoft Dynamics NAV – Trading Markets (press release)
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St. Therese Leverages Microsoft Dynamics NAV
Trading Markets (press release), CA - The previous software included Sage Accpac, Sage BusinessWorks, Sage MAS 90, Peachtree by Sage, CAD Shareware, CheckMark MultiLedger, Intuit QuickBooks, … |
Small Business Dashboards Guide | Peachtree | Quickbooks | MYOB
Guide to Small Business Dashboards : What small businesses should keep track of and what are the tools available.
Dashboards are essentially one-screen, customizable computer snapshots comprising charts and tables of your company’s key indicators: sales reports (daily, monthly, year-to-date), cash on hand, profitability, back orders, inventory levels, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, etc. Costs range from about $150 to $1,500 for an off-the-shelf program, but there are also Web-based subscription models that start at about $150 a month.
What is the important information that SMBs should have it at their finger tips?
Ans: Expenses
Expense is the first that needs to be eye-balled frequently. If you have just started your business then revenue and profits come a little later. So keep an eye on your Expenses.
Fig 1.
If you have an established business then a trending expense chart as above gives you a visual clue on how your business is growing. Growing Expense line doesn’t mean its a bad sign. With growth of Expense should follow growth in Revenue and hence profits. Another thing to monitor is the Average Expenses by day
Fig 2.
Using this Expense Gauges, you can don’t need to monitor day to day expenses. Such charts help you stay focused on other important things and occasionaly take a look in detail if the pointer jumps into the yellow or red zone.
Similarly you can keep track of Expenses by whom you pay regularly and the Accounts and categories.
Fig 3.
Fig 4.
What is the next important thing that you should be monitoring?
Ans: Revenue/Sales/Income (all used interchangbly)
Without sales you fill fall into the charity business. Even the so called Non-profit organizations sell stuff in order to keep going.
Fig 5.
Your slope in sales trend should be greater than your Expense line. Always compare Fig 1. and Fig 2. at the same time to get a perspective on your business.
Similarly keep track of Sales as below
Fig 6.
Love your Customers and more importantly your Top customers
Once you got the basics covered, you can start tracking some of the financial ratios (courtesy: Financial Troubleshooting, by David H. Bangs Jr. and Michael Pellechia.)
Acid Test = Cash and Near Cash ÷ Current Liabilities
Measures ability to meet current debt, a stringent test since it discounts the value of inventories. The rule of thumb is 1-to-1. A lower ratio indicates illiquidity. A higher ratio may imply unused funds.
Current Ratio = Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities
Another measure of ability to meet current obligations. Less accurate than the acid test for very near term, but probably better a measure for six months to a year out, since it contains receivables and inventories as well as cash and near cash. The rule of thumb is 2-to-1, though this will be affected by seasonality.
Receivables Turnover = Sales ÷ Receivables
Measures the effectiveness of credit and collection policies. If your ratio is going down, collection efforts may be improving, sales may be rising, or receivables are being reduced. If your ratio is going up, sales credit policies may be changing, collection efforts may be flagging, or sales may have taken a nosedive.
Caution: This ratio depends on when receivables are measured and the seasonality of the business. Careful bookkeeping is also essential. The same applies to inventory turnover: Make sure that the measures are comparable from month to month. Use average receivables (inventories) if you can.
Days Receivables = 30 ÷ Receivables Turnover
Another way of looking at receivables. Particularly useful in explaining graphically what changes in credit and collection operations do to a business.
Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average Inventory
A measure of how well inventory is managed. Most businesses have a steady inventory turn. Compare your figures from year to year, asking yourself what causes the inevitable fluctuations. Small fluctuations are probably due to the flow of work. If you produce one jumbo jet a year, your inventory picture will be very different from that of a dealer of ripe tomatoes.
Days Inventory = 30 ÷ Inventory Turnover
Another way of monitoring inventory. This is controlled by your inventory ordering patterns (among other considerations), so be careful how you interpret it.
Gross Margin Rate = Gross Margin ÷ Sales
Permits comparison of margins over months with dissimilar sales. Ideally, this holds pretty steady in good months and bad — but it depends on your business. It can distort fluctuations if sales are erratic.
Net Profit Rate = Net Profit ÷ Sales
An overall batting average: The aim is consistency over the long haul, not just short-term stardom.
Return on Investment (ROI) = Net Profit ÷ Net Worth
(Note: Net worth might show up on your financial statements as shareholder’s equity.)Another profitability ratio, best looked at occasionally, because it tends to magnify short-term shifts in thinly capitalized companies.
Return on Assets (ROA) = Net Profit ÷ Total Assets
A better profitability measure than ROI. ROA shows how well you’re using your assets. However, since profits are a volatile short-term measure, this should also be taken with a grain of salt. The long-term trend is what matters. A large investment in fixed assets to handle growth will seriously alter this ratio.
All ratios must be taken in context. The reason to look at them on a monthly basis is to make sure that you spot trends as they develop, not afterward. If you are doing something exceedingly well, you need to know it. And if something is wrong, it’s better to find out sooner than later.
Tips & Tactics
- Check to see if your current accounting software has dashboard capability.
- Plan on two to three months to get up and running, both in terms of implementing the software and inputting the data.
- Inquire whether the software you’re considering has different views for different people: CEO, salespeople, bookkeepers, accountants, etc.
- Your dashboard may need to change as your business changes. Make sure your dashboard can grow with you and your business.
Some of the dashboard providers are as follows
- MyBizhomepage: You need to send your financial information to them. We couldn’t get it to work with our various trials.
- VisualCalc : They seem to have a Quickbooks based dashboard
- GSM Dashboards: They have partnered with iDashboards to provide dashboards for Quickbooks. But the software is expensive and is based on annual contract.
- InfoCaptor: You download Dashboard tool on your desktop and we were able to get the dashboard working in 25 minutes from start to finish.
NOTE: If you come across a Dashboard solution for Small Businesses please tell us and we will update this article
Tags: business dashboards, customer dashboard, dashboard charts, dashboard gauges, download dashboards, Excel Dashboards, quickbooks dashboard, receivables dashboard, software dashboardquickbooks,peachtree,sugarcrm,small business
CRM-ERP App Integration Efforts On Track, Sage Says
Company unveils partner-hosted option for Act application at Insights ‘08.
Sage Sketches In Roadmap To Common Components
Sage Software has parsed its product line into strategic and maintenance stables.
