Technology In A Box

Virtually Control Time & Costs – Field Service Management ES

2010-01-05T23:55:00.008-05:00

Blog posted by Christine Galli, M.Ed. - Does your business send technicians out into the field to install, service or repair customer equipment? Later this month, I'm co-facilitating an event that will provide you a solution to streamline your business. At this event you'll hear how Kotz Heating and Air Cooling decided to embrace a time-efficient dispatch process and increase revenue and reduce costs at the same time. Our event will showcase how Donna Tenbusch of Kotz Heating and I worked together to deploy Intuit Field Service Manager ES with QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions to achieve this resolution, and more, despite difficult economic times. During this event learn how this solution was just a stepping stone for Kotz’s larger plan to departmentalize and develop a system to grow their business and lead with cutting edge technology in a competitive market. Turn your “On-Demand” Business Model into a recurring revenue approach to field service management and see how you can do more with less. This event will be on Friday, January 22, 2010 from 12:30 - 2:30 pm Eastern time. It's easy to register. Click this link. You'll be taken to the Intuit Community website. You'll have to create a log in and password account and then you can register for our Field Service Management Event. Oh, and it's free!

Doug Sleeter on the Sleeter Conference

2009-10-14T15:38:00.005-04:00

Blog Posted by Executive Director Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP –

Andrew and I are participating in next month’s Sleeter Conference in Orlando. You’ve got until tomorrow, 10/15/09, to receive a discount off the Main Conference. Just click here and you’ll get to the website to register. We talked to Doug Sleeter, President of The Sleeter Group, about what’s going to be new at the conference this year. Thought you’d like to read some of our Q and A with Doug. We’re going to have a full article on Andrew’s and my participation in the conference this week in our Technology In A Box newsletter. If you’d like to read that article – sign up for our newsletter by clicking here. Just fill in the blanks and let us know you'd like our newsletter. Here’s Doug’s Q and A.

Amy: You’re back on the East Coast this year. What brings you back and how long has it been – 5 years or so?
Doug: Many of our long-time network members and accounting software consultants are located on the east coast and we often get requests from them to locate the conference closer to their home. So this year, we’re hoping to see lots of east cost people at the conference. It’s been since 2004 that we were on the east coast.

Amy: Did our economy have any influence on what you are presenting this year as far as topics?
Doug: This year we’re having a keynote speech on the topic of thriving in tough times. It’s something everyone is dealing with and we felt the need to get some good, actionable information out to the audience to give them food for thought on what they can do to thrive in these tough times.

Amy: Anything new you’re offering because of participant suggestions?
Doug: People are asking for more information about the online tools in the market so we’re adding a whole track of sessions that focuses in that area. Also, by popular demand, we’ve brought back the Train the QuickBooks Trainer preconference session, taught by you, the master trainer herself.

Amy: Talk a bit about the session you and I are facilitating – the QuickBooks Deep Dive.
Doug: In this session, we will dive into some of the tough issues that happen when clients screw up the data entry. Sometimes these seemingly unimportant data entry problems can cause consultants or tax preparers to spend hours unraveling the data. So we’ll discuss several of these common problems, along with our tips on how to fix them.

Amy: We have a special event planned for conference attendees this year – a yoga class to begin the day on Wednesday morning. That’s definitely different for an accounting conference!
Doug: As we were reaching out to our conference content committee to plan the event, we were all sitting around and just about to start the meeting. Remember, we were catching up on what was new for each of us, and you mentioned that you were just certified as a yoga instructor. So we all seized on that and said, “How about you give a yoga class at The Sleeter Group conference this year?” We all loved the idea and we’re glad you agreed to do it. I think it fits so well into the work-life balance we’re all striving to achieve.

2009-10-02T10:53:00.003-04:00

Blog posted by Executive Director Amy Vetter - Mark your calendars – The Sleeter Group’s Next Generation Accounting Solutions Conference is slated for November 9 through the 12^th in Orlando, FL. We’ve got so much going on at Technology In A Box we didn’t have room to promote it in our newsletter this week! I thought I’d fill you in on some of the highlights and give more details in next week’s newsletter. By the way, if you want to sign up for our newsletter, contact me through our website by clicking here and let me know you’d like us to add you to our newsletter.

Okay – the Sleeter Conference. Lots of training coming up at the Conference! Everything from the Next Generation Accounting Practice to Awesome QuickBooks Add-Ons for 2010 to a QuickBooks Troubleshooting Deep Dive that Doug Sleeter and I will be facilitating. Other courses I’ll be facilitating or helping to facilitate:

Financial Reporting, Analysis and Business Intelligence
How to Reach Level W in Report Design - and Why Levels D, I, and K Aren't Good Enough Anymore
Retail and Restaurant Set-up and Consulting using QuickBooks
Professional Services Set-up and Consulting using QuickBooks
New Features in QuickBooks Accountant Edition: An In Depth Perspective
Advanced Financial Reporting Using Intuit Statement Writer
Streamlining Your Collections Process with Intuit Payment Solutions – 2010

There’s a $150 savings if you register before October 15. Click here to get more details. Oh, and we have a very special “training session” planned for registrants – a “first” for an accounting conference. We’ll tell you more in our next newsletter!

Milwaukee QuickBooks 2010 Event

2009-10-02T10:31:00.004-04:00

Blog posted by Executive Director Andrew Abrams - We have a great event coming up in Milwaukee next month where you can find out what’s new in Intuit QuickBooks® Enterprise Solutions 10.0, QuickBooks Point of Sale 9.0 and actually see how some third party softwares work that integrate with QuickBooks. Our event is based on Taking Your Business to the Next Level and with the improvements Intuit has made to all its software this time around – you’re sure to find ways to make your business more productive and streamlined! This free event is happening on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 from 9 am – 5 pm at the Milwaukee County War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee. Even if you can’t be there in person, watch it from your office on your computer – yep come to our event virtually! There’s more information here at this site – and you can register for the event too. See you there!

Technology In A Box Customer Finds QuickBooks Point of Sale Cleans Up Labor and Payroll Costs

2009-09-03T12:31:00.006-04:00

Blog posted by Executive Director Andrew Abrams - One of our clients Mike Barr from Sudsational – a carwash chain in the Chicago area – is going to be featured as a Case Study on the Intuit website next month. We’re able to give you sneak peak at how QuickBooks Point of Sale has helped Mike -

· It was a fraction of the cost of similar competitive products.
· It saved 25-30 labor hours per month on clerical work.
· It reduced payroll costs by identifying underperformance.
· And it helped establish repeatable processes for business expansion.

Pre QuickBooks POS and Mike, the car wash chain was managing all their financial transactions using pen and paper.

"When you have ten or 15 people hand writing customer invoices, it can be a real headache, especially if you're trying to read information like VIN numbers," Mike said. "QuickBooks POS has cleaned up our process a lot, which definitely makes running the business easier overall."

Those standardized processes have been critical to the firm's expansion. Mike and his team plan to add more locations around the Chicago area with another purchase soon to be finalized. "It makes it much easier to grow if you have a consistent process and a system you know you can rely on. All the information is there; it's just a matter of setting-up a computer and getting an internet line," says Mike.

Talk with us about Point of Sale and what it could do for your business. It’s as easy as sending me an email!

Advanced Seminars for QuickBooks Users - Golden, CO

2009-07-21T05:58:00.006-04:00

Blog posted by Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP - You can still sign up for advanced QuickBooks training coming up in Colorado. I'm an instructor at the upcoming ASQU (pronounced "ask") or Advanced Seminars for QuickBooks Users to be held Wednesday and Thursday, August 5th and 6th at the Green Center at the School of Mines in Golden, CO. This seminar is designed to help you achieve your next level in understanding QuickBooks. The seminar is not a beginner's seminar, but is for the person who has been using QuickBooks and is familiar with the basics of the program. I was at this training last year too and it's a bit different because three topics are presented each hour in a different classroom so you can select the topic that interests you most. Topics range from Company Setup to Job Costing to Computing in the Clouds. Click on the ASQU website at http://asqu-us.com/ to find out more.

Listen to our Intuit Podcast on Assisted Payroll

2009-07-10T12:44:00.007-04:00

Blog posted by Lisa McCarthy - Intuit recently interviewed me and one of our clients - Carl Gurney who owns Gurney Electric in New Jersey - about Assisted Payroll and why Carl loves the product so much. Carl says, "I absolutely love it. Intuit's Assisted Payroll gives me my time back to make money for my company but yet I still have some control because I write the payroll checks."
Here are five reasons why you might love Intuit's Assisted Payroll, too

Intuit handles the tax filings and payments
Intuit handles your tax payments and files tax forms for you—
guaranteed accurate and on time. You don’t have to worry about
dealing with the government.
Payroll specialists help you get started
From set up to running your first payroll in QuickBooks, Intuit can help
with personal, step-by-step guidance. With Assisted Payroll you can run
payroll with confidence.
You’re in control (that's what Carl likes about Assisted Payroll)
Simply enter employee hours in QuickBooks and create paychecks in just
a few clicks. Easily print paychecks or use Direct Deposit (additional fees
apply).
Save time—no double data entry (He likes this too.)
All your payroll data automatically integrates with your business
finances in QuickBooks. There's no need for double data entry,
transferring totals or rekeying your payroll information.
Job costing
Effortlessly track job costs for no additional fee.

We can help you get set up with Assisted Payroll - it's easy - just contact us. Listen to our podcast by clicking here.

Accounting 101/QuickBooks 101 Virtual Training and Tools for your Business Virtual Tradeshow

2009-07-10T10:56:00.010-04:00

Blog posted by Christine Galli, M.Ed, - We've got a great training and mini tradeshow coming up on Wednesday, July 22. It's an awesome value to learn what business owners need the most - training on financial basics (accounting and QuickBooks) and demos of solutions that are tools for every business owner.
Andrew and I will be at the Milwaukee County War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee facilitating the Accounting 101 and QuickBooks 101 training in person as well as the Tools for your Business tradeshow. But anyone can join in as long as they have an Internet connection.

Each two-hour training session is $29.95. But if you take both sessions, the cost is $39.95. The Tools for your Business trade show is free!

Stop by the trade show when you can that afternoon -- just with a click on your laptop. Dave Stamm from Milwaukee based Stamm Technologies will discuss VOIP phone systems:
- how does VOIP compare to analog and PBX phone systems?
- what businesses is a VOIP phone system a good fit for?
- a brief discussion of various VOIP phone systems on the market
- a focus on Trixbox Pro, a VOIP phone system
You'll get to see Oasis CRM - which integrates with QuickBooks, an hour of LinkedIn training by Karen Felten of MKE Live and you'll learn more about hosted applications at InsynQ. Lots of knowledge that won't cost you a cent!

Click on these links to learn more and to register!

Accounting 101

QuickBooks 101

Tools for your Business Tradeshow

Red Flags of Fraud

2009-07-10T10:39:00.003-04:00

Blog posted by Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, - I'm seeing a lot of response to an article I wrote for Intuit called Using QuickBooks to Prevent Fraud. Click to be linked to the article. The article includes a Checklist of 24 Elements of Appropriate Controls of Fraud.

In the article I write from personal experience about a client I helped when she found some items in her QuickBooks that just didn't look right. Accountants should have discussions with their clients about the Red Flags of Fraud below. If you’re a business owner reading this blog – keep an eye out yourself for these Red Flags:
· Irregularities in time, frequency or amount
· Transactions not entered timely, in wrong period or wrong accounts
· Lack of original documentation for transactions
· Missing inventory, physical assets or office supplies
· Excessive credit memos or adjustments to accounts receivable
· Common or insider names on customer or vendor lists
· Duplicate payments or invoices
· Increase in expenses – small tools, supplies or COGS

Blueprint Your Employees and Future Hires

2009-06-25T16:16:00.009-04:00

Blog posted by Executive Director Lisa McCarty - In our newsletter this week, we're running an article about using a Predictive Index (or PI) as part of an HR solution for your company. We use PIs when hiring new team members as they are a great way to find out how a prospective team member is uniquely wired. The PI identifies a person's "blueprint." We want to identify those who have "customer service" as part of their "blueprint."

Jay Hawreluk, a PI Consultant we work with says the PI is a good tool to use with the employees you already have on staff - especially right now.

"In tough economic times, a positive outlook on your job is very important. You can use the PI to make sure that all people in your organization - regardless of their stresses and challenges - can say 'I'm glad I'm doing what I'm doing,'" said Jay.

Jay gave us this quote from one executive.

"One thing I've learned in all the interviewing I'm doing is that there are a lot of people unhappy in their jobs for a lot of reasons. As challenging as things are for me, I'm glad I'm doing what I'm doing," said Tom Barrett, President of Mac Arthur Corporation.

Jay says through utilization of people's "blueprints," the PI can more effectively handle issues between workers (or even in personal relationships), better align job functions with an individual's hard wiring (significantly improve hiring), create better teams and maximize productivity of the person and the organization!

We're always offering solutions for our clients - QuickBooks and IT solutions - but the PI is also a useful business tool!

Are you a part of a Franchise? We have a franchise event coming up this month!

2009-06-03T21:12:00.003-04:00

Blog posted by Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, Executive Director, Technology In A Box - If you're involved in a franchise in anyway, there's an event coming up later this month you should find interesting. I'm speaking at the South Florida Franchise Business Network and Women's Franchise Network meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The topic is Monitoring Financial Performance in QuickBooks® And How it Influences Behavior. The event takes places at the law office of Genovese, Joblove & Battista in the Bank of America Tower at 100 SE Second Street in Miami, FL. If you'd like to register or want to know more just contact me through this page on our website: http://www.technologyinabox.net/webinar_reg.html.

2009-05-22T05:36:00.002-04:00

Blog posted by Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP - We get so many clients asking us the difference between QuickBooks software. Which is the best fit for my business? What's the cost difference? Is there one software to choose that will grow with my business? Which one handles inventory? So many questions. So many answers.

Here's what we recommend:

1. Discuss your business needs with a QuickBooks professional first off.
2. Compare QuickBooks products on the Intuit website.
3. Check out this Total Cost of Ownership - Premier vs. Enterprise document on our website.
4. Listen to a podcast I recently recorded for The Progressive Accountant website about the difference in QuickBooks products. I'm told the podcast will be loaded soon so keep checking back with the website.

These suggestions should get you a much better idea which is the best QuickBooks software for your company.

QuickBooks® Seminar in Milwaukee

2009-05-20T05:22:00.005-04:00

Get to see that new IBM Intuit Smart Cube that we wrote about below at an event coming up on Monday, June 1 at the Milwaukee County War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee. Grow Your Business! QuickBooks Tips and Tricks is designed for business owners, managers, IT specialists, accountants, and bookkeepers:

· Insight on QuickBooks features and functionality
· Which QuickBooks software is right for your growing business
· Third party QuickBooks integrated software solutions
· Brand New! IBM Intuit Smart Cube - IBM Smart Business with Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions is a new, simple and cost-effective way to install, run and manage business management solutions.The plug-and-go Smart Cube, a self-managing platform, can have QuickBooks up and running in less than an hour, with built-in security, automatic software updates and daily backups.
· And much more!

Great price for this one day event - lunch included - $34.95. Monday, June 1, 2009, 9 am - 5 pm, War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee. Register today at:https://www.tiabonlinestore.net/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=0100&keywords=all

Technology In A Box, LLC, IBM and Intuit Collaborate to Help Small and Medium Businesses Work Smarter

2009-05-20T04:53:00.007-04:00

Post by Executive Director Andrew Abrams - Big announcement while I was in Washington, D.C. for the National Small Business Week Conference. IBM named Technology In A Box as a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of its new IBM Smart Business solution with Intuit QuickBooks® Enterprise Solutions. This is such a cool product. Small or medium businesses can be up and running with the new IBM Intuit Smart Cube in a matter of hours with all the fundamentals needed to run the business - QuickBooks Enterprise, email, calendaring, security - all in one shot!

Great event! Great announcement! Lots of press - take a look:
http://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid96_gci1356739,00.html
http://www.cnbc.com/id/30821969/site/14081545

Here's the link to IBM's site with the news. You can find out more about IBM Smart Business here too:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/27543.wss

If you're interested in the IBM Intuit Smart Cube, contact us here:
http://www.technologyinabox.net/emailteam.html

My wife Kimberly (on the right) and I with Karen Gordon Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

More Pictures!

2009-05-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures from the 2009 BizTech Conference and Expo in Milwaukee. BizTimes Milwaukee presented Technology In A Box with their Innovation Quotient (IQ) Award. There's a picture of the award in the blog below.

Technology In A Box Executive Directors Andrew Abrams and Christine Galli receiving the IQ Award.

All the IQ Award winners. See more

photos and a video of the presentation at http://expo.biztimes.com/events.cfm?id=6.

The Technology In A Box booth at the BizTech Conference and Expo. We had great response to the new IBM® Smart Cube - more on that in a post next week - and our QuickBooks® consulting and IT support.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us!

Happy Anniversary Little Caesars®!

2009-05-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

Little Caesars® celebrates it 50th anniversary this month and Technology In A Box is proud of its five year relationship with the franchise! We offer franchisees a way to gain control over their business finances through our QuickBooks® manuals designed specifically for Little Caesars franchise owners and personalized setup, training and troubleshooting. We had a great time at the convention this month in Detroit! Here are some pictures of the event:

Little Caesars franchisee, Technology In A Box client and former Little Caesars Senior Vice President of Global Operations Mike Scruggs singing the National Anthem at the Detroit Tigers baseball game.

These photos courtesy of Little Caesars. Michael and Marian Ilitch rev up the crowd at the convention, a picture of the first Little Caesars store and the Motown group, Horizon with the special 50th Anniversary cake. See more photos and videos at http://www.littlecaesars.com/50th/LCE-50th.html.

Click here for info on our Little Caesars Party Packs.

2009-04-30T05:57:00.000-04:00

Grow Your Business - QuickBooks® Enterprise News - Blog posted by Executive Director Andrew Abrams

That's our team at the BizTech Conference and Expo in Milwaukee this week. Simon Pass, the Southeast Regional Manager for Intuit's Solution Provider Program is on the left. One of my partners, Christine Galli, is on the right. We're at our booth at the Expo (I'm holding the IQ Award we won) where we're telling everyone about a great Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions offer we have going on through May 15, 2009.

If you're still using an accounting software other than Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions - NOW is the time to switch! If you purchase Enterprise by May 15, 2009, you'll get up to eight hours of free one-on-one consulting with Technology In A Box as well as free Data Migration from the Intuit Data Migration team. Great deal, huh? This offer's good for those of you switching from another accounting software to Enterprise. Contact us through this link and we'll call you right back to get you switched over to Enterprise. http://www.technologyinabox.net/emailteam.html

Haven't seen Enterprise in action yet? Executive Director Christine Galli, M.Ed. will be facilitating a free demo of the software on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at from 3 pm - 4 pm EDT. Get registered here: http://www.technologyinabox.net/webinar_reg.html

QuickBooks and Accounting Classes this Spring

2009-04-08T05:50:00.001-04:00

Like to learn in a classroom setting? Mark your calendars because here are the classes we have scheduled for May and June:

May

Classes in Florida!
QuickBooks For Business Owners and Managers
Hosted by: Hudson Institute of Entrepreneurship and Executive Education at multiple Nova Southeastern University locations
Presented By: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP

QuickBooks Fundamentals for Business Owners and Managers Thursday, May 21, 2009
9 am - 4 pm (See course description above)

Advanced QuickBooks for Business Owners and Managers Friday, May 22, 2009
9 am - 4 pm (See course description above)

Click here and we'll make sure you get registered. Or click here for more information on the NOVA website.

June

Classes in Florida!
QuickBooks for Business Owners and Managers
Hosted by: Hudson Institute of Entrepreneurship and Executive Education at multiple Nova Southeastern University locations
Presented By: Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP

QuickBooks Fundamentals for Business Owners and Managers Wednesday, June 24, 2009
9 am - 4 pm

Advanced QuickBooks for Business Owners and Managers Thursday, June 25, 2009
9 am - 4 pm

Click here and we'll make sure you get registered. Or click here for more information on the NOVA website.

Classes in Michigan!
Accounting 101: Back to the Basics Wednesday, June 3 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm
$125

QuickBooks for the Everyday User Thursday, June 11 8 am - 4 pm
$250

New Horizons Computer Learning Center, 14115 Farmington Rd, Livonia, MI 48154

Click here and we'll make sure you get registered.

Meet our Newest QuickBooks Consultant

2009-04-06T06:43:00.000-04:00

Blog posted by Executive Director Lisa McCarthy -

We wanted you to meet the newest QuickBooks consultant on our team! He's Jeff Lederer, CPA, CMA. Jeff began his career working at Arthur Andersen in Chicago where he worked with both large and small companies in a variety of industries. Since his first experience with the early IBM PC, he has had a passion for learning and working with computers. After becoming a CPA, Jeff earned his CMA (Certified Management Accountant). To earn that, Jeff had to perform additional study in economics and finance as well as strategic management.

Jeff eventually left Arthur Andersen to work in his family's small automotive-related manufacturing company. In this company of less than 25 employees, Jeff did much more than just manage the books.

"In large corporations, you work in one department and see only one area of the business. In the world of small business, you have much more responsibility. You do whatever it takes and you can have greater impact on the business as a whole," Jeff said.

The current recession led to Jeff and his family closing the doors to their business, which in turn opened a new door for Jeff - at Technology In A Box.

"This is really kind of a dream job for me," said Jeff.

Jeff enjoyed customizing accounting software and implementing computer procedures in his past jobs. Now he gets to do it again using QuickBooks as a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor and a Certified QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions and Point of Sale Pro Advisor.

"The real key is to make that QuickBooks information useful to business owners so they can grow and continue their businesses. Today, especially with tight credit and the need for cash at a premium, having timely and reliable financial information is critical. I think there's a huge value that Technology In A Box can give to clients," said Jeff.

"And for me personally, the technology aspect that Technology In a Box provides clients along with the QuickBooks part - I'm very excited about that," said Jeff.

Glad to have you, your expertise and your enthusiasm on board Jeff! Our clients will benefit from your deep knowledge of QuickBooks, financial management and small business. Welcome to Technology In A Box!

Fractional Controllership - Just what your company needs in this changing business climate - Post by Amy Vetter, Executive Director

2009-04-01T05:36:00.000-04:00

From the first day Cleon and Mary Frandsen opened their business, OTB Architectural Elements, the couple had a goal.

"I didn't want to think like a small business. I wanted to function like a major corporation," said Mary.

Keeping company financial records in a shoebox and then passing those records off to an accountant once a quarter or once a year was not going to be standard operating procedure.

The timing was perfect when Mary and I met. It was in the fall of 2003 just as they were moving toward the opening of the firm that designs and sells architectural elements such as crown moldings and columns out of a high density resin. Mary took a finance class at Nova Southeastern University that I helped facilitate.

"I was impressed with Amy and her knowledge of QuickBooks. I knew nothing about the software so this was totally foreign to me," Mary said.

After the class, Mary contacted me to set up the company's accounting process in QuickBooks.

Mary had the foresight to know that it was better to spend the money upfront to get the help they needed in setting up their accounting the right way, rather than waiting until they were too far down a path of a QuickBooks setup that would need to be fixed. That is always a hard decision for a new business owner since they are on a tight budget during start-up. Spending a little money upfront, saves a lot of money down the line! Not only in keeping your books clean, but also in getting the critical management reporting you need to run your business and manage cash flow which is the lifeblood of any business.

Following the QuickBooks set up, I worked with the Frandsens to make sure the accounting stayed on track. As the business prospered, Mary needed part-time bookkeeping help. We were able to provide an outsourced bookkeeper to help with the data entry Mary needed on a weekly basis. As the position grew to a full-time position, we helped train the in-house bookkeeper that Mary hired and Technology In A Box consultant Donna Poliseo and I transitioned to Fractional Controllers to review the accounting and have strategic discussions about the business.

As a Fractional Controller, Donna prepares a company's work papers for auditors. She shows business owners a comparative Profit and Loss statement to explain why the numbers are shake out the way they do. Donna runs a trial balance at each visit to spot what doesn't look right in the financials. What postings aren't correct? Why is income shown in one place on a report and not another?

Donna's duties as Fractional Controller depend on the needs of the company. For some she prepares month-end reports. Others want their yearly financials prepared for their tax accountant. Donna's role at OTB Architectural Elements is more analytical.

"Last year, OTB Architectural Elements posted nearly two and a half million in sales. I wanted Technology In A Box to look at our financials the way a controller should. I thought it was a good check and balance so I knew that my staff was properly entering things into the right classes. When Donna comes in she can quickly spot when people aren't following processes," said Mary.

Through Donna's analysis, the Frandsens know if they are pricing their products correctly. If there are changes in profitability is it a commission structure issue? Donna's reporting may show operations expenses have increased. Is that because of declining sales?

"We now have this data available and can decide what changes we need to make to overcome what's happening," said Mary.

And these days a lot is happening to businesses. With the economic climate as it is, Mary finds the council she gets from Technology In A Box is invaluable.

"We're definitely in a downturn being a builder supplier. I need Donna to help us strategize on what changes need to happen so that we can continue to ride this storm. More than anything we're working with Donna on various break-even scenarios so we know where we need to be," said Mary.

That beginning mindset of a doing business as a large corporation has paid off for the Frandsens. They own a company that has an outstanding reputation in the building industry, a staff of full-time employees, sales over $2 million - and company "partners" from their relationship with Technology In A Box.

OTB Architectural Elements not only has an amazing product line and unique designs for their customers, but a strong management team that understands the importance of having good financial data and the right accounting and finance team in place.

"As a business owner, what do you want to do? Spend your time dealing with accounting issues? Always being in the dark about your business? Or do you want someone working along side of you who you can trust and see as a partner in the business?" said Mary. "I have tremendous trust in Donna and Amy. If Amy has something tough to tell me, she tells me. I consider them a partner in the business. They have our best interest at heart."

Talk with us about Fractional Controllership and how it could be just what you need in this changing business environment. Click here and we'll be in touch! OTB Architectural Elements has some great products -click here to take a look.

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8

2009-03-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

Microsoft just released Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft is touting improved security as a huge plus for IE8. Technology In A Box can download it and install it for you - contact us at http://www.technologyinabox.net/emailteam.html.

Here's an article from Information Week about IE8: http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/browsers/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=215901126&subSection=Browsers

Technology In A Box wins 2009 IQ Award

2009-03-20T09:18:00.001-04:00

Technology In A Box wins the BizTimes Milwaukee 2009 IQ Award. Check it out: http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2009/3/19/biztimes-announces-winners-of-2009-iq-awards

Congrats to Andrew Abrams, Executive Director, in our Milwaukee office and the rest of the Technology In A Box team! An in depth article about Technology In A Box will appear in a special May issue of BizTimes Milwaukee.

2009-03-16T08:49:00.000-04:00

Technology In A Box, LLC is a national consulting firm that offers complete end-to-end solutions to small to mid-market businesses, from hardware and software, to post implementation services such as QuickBooks Consulting, Fractionalized Bookkeeping and Controllership services, to computer systems support and maintenance.

The solution can be “in a box," simplified as much as possible, and tailored to your needs. As required, servers and hardware can be configured, QuickBooks can be installed with integrated applications, we can define accounting processes for you or set up a QuickBooks company file so its ready to go! With the assistance from a Technology In A Box QuickBooks Consultant, you are trained on the software and are fully equipped to utilize all of the features and reporting tools.

Technology In A Box has developed customized manuals, webinars, and seminars to help our clients with expediting their learning curve, in a stress-free and fun environment. We can provide training on a 1 on 1 basis, or you can register for one of our group training classes that we offer. Technology In a Box offices are currently located in five states and service clients throughout the United States and internationally. The company deploys the most up to date technology to deliver remote training and support, no matter where you are located!

Technology In A Box is a member of the International Franchise Association, serves on national IFA committees for Membership, Franchise Relations and Veteran Franchises, and is involved in local chapters of the IFA organization as well. We have many Franchise clients in which we have created standardized QuickBooks processes and training manuals, flash tutorials, live and recorded webinars and provide remote support to help them with their back office accounting needs. Technology In a Box is also Intuit’s first Solution Provider and can offer you deep discounts on QuickBooks products and services.