One of the most frequently asked questions I see in Facebook groups for small business owners is "What kind of system should I use to invoice my clients?" As someone who has used Freshbooks for years (and is also a Freshbooks Certified Bookeeper), I always recommend them, especially for business owners who are just beginning. It has an incredibly simple interface, and is powerful enough to handle your basic small-business accounting needs, without being so powerful that it becomes daunting.
Whether you're a seasoned Freshbooks user yourself or someone who just started the free trial, these tips can help you get the most out of your account.
1.) Turn on your support desk.
Did you know that Freshbooks has a built-in support system you can use for your clients? You can handle handle their questions, track your time, and add it to invoices all in the same program. To turn on this feature, go to Settings >> Permissions. There you can select the options you want for your staff and clients.
When you turn on the "Support" option, your clients will be able to create and review tickets directly from their accounts, giving them a convenient and organized way to keep track of what you've done for them!
ProTip: If you reach out to Freshbooks on Twitter, they'll create a gif for you to send your clients, showing them how to create and view support tickets in their accounts!
2.) Create items, projects, and tasks.
As embarrassing as it is to admit, it took me a while to figure out that I could create and price items for my service-based offerings. Once I did, however, it made estimating and invoicing a LOT easier. Take some time to figure out exactly what you'll be offering, and then create items/tasks that can be easily dropped into invoices with the same rate or price every time. You can create new items under Estimates >> Items, and your projects and tasks will be under the Time Tracking tab.
ProTip: Not sure how to organize your items versus projects/tasks? Use items for packages or set fees, like consulting hours. Use projects and tasks to track time you're billing hourly on a time sheet, which can then be quickly converted to an invoice!
3.) Keep track of your expenses and bill clients.
Freshbooks is great for keeping track of your business expenses, as well as expenses incurred on behalf of your clients that need to be billed back to them. You can attach an image of your receipt, assign expenses to the appropriate client, and even create recurring expenses. When you assign expenses to a client, you'll be able to easily add that item to your invoices, and your client will be able to see the expense and receipt right there with the invoice, saving you the trouble of having to create separate expense reports, and your clients the hassle of chasing down separate documents to make sure everything stays organized. It's a win-win, really.
ProTip: Use the amazing built in reporting functions under the Reports tab to get a big picture idea of where your business is spending money, find out your profit and loss, and more!
Freshbooks is great for simple business bookkeeping, but if the idea of all this accounting still makes you want to rip your hair out, take a deep breath, and let's talk!
