Comments by "" (@dingokidneys) on "Lawrence Systems" channel.

  1. As an actual accountant, I think you're best off using a system that you understand and that works for you rather than deploying a "full featured" solution because it's a "full featured" solution. Many people can get away with a simple cash book style spreadsheet - which is effectively what was demonstrated in the video - where the principal advantage of electronic form over an actual paper book is making it easy for your accountant to import the data to a "full featured" system where they can prepare the proper reports and returns. The KmyMoney process shown provides an additional benefit in that it helps ensure consistency of coding. That's a useful feature. Even if you don't code accurately, if it's consistent it's easier to fix. With a small business the key element is keeping an eye on the money coming in and going out - and knowing when to expect each cash flow. Balance sheets and accrual based P&L is all fine and good but "cash is king"; and lots of people (C-suite execs!) don't understand the accrual based statements in any case. As someone who's worked with accounting systems ranging from physical hand-entered cash books, PC accounting systems to full-blown ERP systems (SAP, D&B, Tech1) work with whatever works for you and which doesn't demand heaps of your time just to administer. Your job is business, not accounting. Good luck.
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  2.  @ITonOccasion  If you're new to tracking finances and especially if you don't have experience with accounting software, I'd be cautious about going all in on a SaaS solution like Wave. If you find it's not actually a good fit, trying to get your data out of these systems in a way that you can import into another can be difficult. They also often have unique work flows which can be confusing initially and, when you become used to them, make transitioning to a new system more confusing than it needs to be. For a real noob, I'd rather get them going on a spreadsheet - a simple cash book style layout - and probably an invoicing app like Tom outlined because it's easy to understand and it can lay down some core principles which then make transitioning to a more sophisticated accounting solution easier. If you then want to move on to a basic accounting system, I'd rather go with a local software package like GnuCash or KMyMoney because they support industry standard import/export file formats, you have total control of your data, and your personal and business details are not being leveraged to sell stuff to you and others. However, as I said earlier, use what works best for you. Different people understand and relate to things differently and if Wave works for you, that's great. I had a quick look at it (10 minutes or so) and it's got some nice features. There are also a few little traps for the unwary in there. Be good friends with your accountant. I'm not selling accounting services here but most small businesses go down the tube within the first two years of operation. Often that's because they didn't know where they were financially at all times. Sometimes this is because the book-keeping just gets on top of them which is a shame because if it's set up properly - for you - it can really be easy and be a great help. All the best.
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  3. If you don't need the session control and just want screen splitting, Terminator will do that and the key bindings are easier to remember and use. Tmux looks really interesting as like a combination of screen and Terminator but the key bindings look a bit too Emacs for me. :)
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