Today, checking your bank balance on your smartphone from
the stands at your child’s soccer game is commonplace. In fact, more and more SMB
owners are finding this type of mobile flexibility an invaluable approach for
handling accounting needs as they arise. The increasing dominance of cloud-based
financial management software is changing the way entrepreneurs are going about
their work. According to a recent survey by Intuit Canada, 43% of SMBs say
financial management software, such as QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online, is
their primary method for tracking income and expenses—up from 37% five years
ago.
“The real beauty of financial management tools and software like
QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online is that it really brings everything into one
place,” said Barb Anderson, Intuit's global QuickBooks Online leader. “In my mind, every small business should be thinking about how
they can use financial management software for their business.”
When starting up a gourmet food truck business based in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, entrepreneur Jamie Lynch received similar advice
from his accountant, who suggested Apple-loving Lynch try out QuickBooks
Online. Before becoming the owner of Fresh Mobile Bistro, Lynch had only basic
accounting knowledge. He was looking for a program that allowed him to track
his finances on his MacBook Pro, and he appreciated the quick and easy solution
available through the Intuit product.
“I was hesitant towards accounting management, in general,”
Lynch said. “I didn't want to do it—I’d rather pay somebody to do it. It’s just
not the part of the business that I really enjoy. But the [QuickBooks] program
has made it pretty easy for me.”
