or understand how well you are or aren't doing (and what you can do about it), learn what you need to know to set up your new company or start up's books and financial records, and start getting ready for next year's tax season.

This customized, one-on-one, in-person event held at your place of work or quiet coffee shop, up to a three (3) hour is limited to no more than two people from the same company is taught by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with additional certification in the company's Point of Sale (POS) for retail operations and Enterprise (for middle market companies) products and former Operations and Office Manager or COO for a professional services company that earned 2 million a year, had 15-18 employees, and a 22-30% profit margin, and small business owner.

Why fight and wait in traffic (and lose all that potentially billable time) to get to a event (usually never at a time or location that is convenient to you) and go at the slowest person's pace (and do you really want to ask intimate financial questions about your business in front of 15-18 strangers?) when I will bring this event to you? The cost is at the bottom of this ad.

Do you need someone to teach you one-on-one or in a small class (never more than two people) how to properly set up or check your non-smoking business or start ups chart of accounts, financial records, or books? Have you slowly come to the realization that you don't know how to use your accounting software and it is affecting your bottom line? Has your company grown to the point where it would be nice to have someone come in on a regular basis to train, tutor, and instruct you and your staff in QuickBooks (not Quick Books) to do your bookkeeping and financial reports and let you make more money by doing what you really enjoy doing? Are you embarrassed by the state of your books or piles of unsorted or unfiled financial records (don't worry, I've seen worse) and wish someone could come in and give you or your staff a quick "class" on how to improve them?

Or would you rather sit in the dark?

Well, let me come to you so you can show me your business or bring your friendly PC or Mac laptop to an independent coffee shop so I can tutor you over coffee, juice, tea or ice water.

You’ve hired an attorney, accountant, insurance broker, HR person, business coach, SEO expert, marketing guru, and other professional consultants to help you set up, start and manage or run your business. Shouldn’t you hire someone to teach you how to effectively use the accounting software that you will be relying on to discover how well you are (or aren't) doing? Or generate an accurate profit and loss statement for your lender when you decide to expand or buy a competitor or another business?

Or would you rather walk in the dark with no financial lantern?

Let me show you via my personalized, one on one events how to solve some of the following common accounting software, bookkeeping issues and problems:

• Help you pick the right QuickBooks program [there are five (Enterprise, Premier plus many sub categories for various professions and industries)], Pro for Windows and Pro for the Mac, Online and Simple Start) for your business and converting company files from other software programs such as Peachtree, Microsoft Small Business Accounting, and Quicken;
  
  
• Set-up your initial financial Chart of Accounts applicable to your business (something software can't personally provide) including bank, petty cash, employee advances, fixed assets and other assets, credit cards, loans, payroll, sales tax payable, and other liabilities, taxable and non taxable sales or services, billing rates, custom prices, fixed or nut expenses (the bills you have to pay every month) versus variable and setting up tax lines for most accounts to make it easier to file your income tax returns and save on your accountant's fees;
  
  
• Explain why your chart of accounts should be numbered and when you should use classes;
  
  
• Set up your accounting software for On-line Banking for real-time knowledge on where your account balances currently are at including some credit cards (unless you like to pay over limit and NSF fees);
  
  
• The proper way to record personal credit card charges so you can reimburse yourself;
  
  
• Show you how to turn on certain accounting preferences in QuickBooks related to your business;
  
  
• Establish correct service or inventory items, classes, and adjusting Inventory (and if you sell informing you why it is important to keep track of your shipping costs);
  
  
• Using custom billing rates for employees and creating custom price levels for products and services.
  
  
• Using integrated third party applications.
  
  
• Job Costing and Estimates (and explaining how to convert your estimates into an invoice);
  
  
• Bank, Petty Cash, Credit Card, and other Account Reconciliation;
  
  
• Bill and Credit Card Posting including matching up net credit card receipts to charges;
  
  
• Show you how to design your own customized Invoices or Sales Receipts with your company logo;
  
  
• Demonstrate the proper way to receive and deposit payments;
  
  
• Teach you how to file your City & State B&O and Sales Taxes;
  
  
• Online Payroll and direct deposit through QuickBooks whether you have one five, or 18 employees;
  
  
• Use QuickBooks to prepare your Payroll Taxes and Forms (Unemployment, Worker’s Comp, & IRS) and pay them online;
  
  
• Filing and organizational advice to keep your financial and office files in shape (such as using color tabs for certain types of files such as green for customers, blue for vendors, etc.);
  
  
• Preparation of monthly, quarterly, and year end management financial reports including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow predictions, and who are your most profitable customers or job productivity.

I am a member of the Better Business Bureau, the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program, the Intuit (the folks who make TurboTax, Quicken, and QuickBooks to name a few products) Accountant's Inner Circle which advises the company on ways to improve their products (I recently identified a bug in QuickBooks Pro 2008 and suggested a way to fix it) and make them more consumer friendly (gasp!), and Biznik - the 25,000 member (10,050 in Greater Seattle) social business networking group that offers online networking and in person events and classes. I am available evenings and weekends if you work during the day and I am willing to travel throughout Western Washington State to bring my classroom to you.

I have taught "Ten Things You Need to Do to Set Up Your Start Up's Books Correctly" at the Renton Almost Free Biz School and accounting and bookkeeping fundamentals at the Six Hour Start Up Conference. I also was the subject of an article Spotlight on a QuickBooks Instructor: Teaching Small Businesses to Fish on the TeachStreet Blog. TeachStreet is a web site that brings together local teachers and inquiring students.

I have a Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa, completed two years of law school, was the former operations and office manager with a "cents" of humor for a non smoking professional services (architectural) firm that did around 2 million a year in business, had 15-18 employees, and a 22-30% profit margin. During my two and half years with the firm, I was invited to speak about my experiences with QuickBooks and office management issues at my professional association's national convention.

Previously, I was a career temporary (administrative assistant) for seven years, securities arbitrator, real estate agent, VISTA volunteer for Solid Ground (formerly Fremont Public Association), and patient financial and collections representative for the UW Medical Center.

All you have to gain is your self-confidence and self-respect by learning how to make your bookkeeping and accounting software program work for you, instead of the other way around. My goal is to teach you how to make your own financial bread or electricity for yourself.

And as for the question you've been wondering while you were reading this post, because I come to you, I offer three tiers of pricing. If you want to hire me on an hourly basis because you can't concentrate more than an hour at a time and which is why you don't attend most events or teach you a specific issue such as payroll, how to create reports, or review your work, the cost will be $120 an hour with a one hour minimum. If you want to save $65 off my hourly rate and make the event longer, I only cost $295 for a three consecutive hour session (I find that most people need that amount of time to begin to basically learn the program or have their company file set up or checked) and $90 an hour thereafter so you can count dollars instead of sheep and learn how to fish (or make Tofu if you are a vegan) for yourself. Or you can pay $1,195 for unlimited events and training and in person or telephone support in a year for one person in your company for QuickBooks Pro or Premier if you are not using the latter's advanced functions. References exchanged upon request.

And if you respond today, even if you decide not to take my class, I will throw in a link to a fully featured but limited to 20 vendors or customers, unlimited use, basic copy of QuickBooks Simple Start Start 2010 Edition for Windows.

QuickBooks (not Quick Books) and QuickBooks ProAdvisor are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit, Inc. Used with permission.

• Location: Seattle: Wedgwood / N. Ravenna
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests