The sudden shutdown of Bench Accounting in December 2024 left 11,000 business owners without access to their financial data, highlighting the risks of venture-backed automated bookkeeping services. Hosts Alicia Katz Pollock and Veronica Wasek discuss how this pivotal moment presents an opportunity for professional bookkeepers to showcase their value through personalized service, deep expertise, and genuine commitment to client success. They explore how independent bookkeepers can differentiate themselves from automated services while maintaining sustainable pricing models and building lasting client relationships.

Send your Questions/Comments (we could read/answer them on air) unofficialquickbookspodcast@gmail.com

Links/Apps Mentioned in this episode:

• Year-end Cleanup and Tax Prep: http://royl.ws/yearend
• Converting from QBDT to QBO: http://royl.ws/QBDT2QBO
• Intro to Bookkeeping and Accounting class on Feb 18: https://royl.ws/intro-to-accounting-for-small-business
• QBO’s Banking Center on March 4: http://royl.ws/QuickBooks-Online-Banking
• https://5mbAcademy.com
• https://5MinuteBookkeeping.com
• https://5MBvideo.com
• https://mavency.com/

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Alicia explores important improvements to the QuickBooks Desktop-to-Online migration process, including expanded line item capacity and a new pre-migration checklist. Alicia also introduces new offerings like QuickBooks Live Expert Cleanup and the Mailchimp-powered Customer Hub, while previewing an innovative interface redesign that promises to streamline the user experience.

• (00:00) - Welcome to the Unofficial QuickBooks Accountants podcast
• (00:39) - Congratulations to OnPay
• (03:25) - Tags Discontinued
• (05:00) - QuickBooks Solopreneur Updates
• (06:48) - Migration from QuickBooks Desktop to Online
• (10:19) - QuickBooks Live Expert Cleanup
• (16:58) - QuickBooks Customer Hub Powered by Mailchimp
• (19:16) - New Recurring Payments Feature
• (24:11) - Outro and Upcoming Classes

Links Mentioned in this episode:

• January’s Firm of the Future article: https://www.firmofthefuture.com/product-update/january-2025-mpu/
• Trump’s Inauguration’s Business funding: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/16/trump-inauguration-corporate-donors-004242

Alicia’s classes:

• Year-end Cleanup and Tax Prep: http://royl.ws/yearend
• Converting from QBDT to QBO: http://royl.ws/QBDT2QBO
• Intro to Bookkeeping and Accounting class on Feb 18: https://royl.ws/intro-to-accounting-for-small-business

Sign up to Earmark to earn free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://www.earmark.app/onboarding

Alicia is joined by guest co-host Margie Remmers-Davis to explore the latest QuickBooks Online updates, from major developments like the new Amazon seller integration to small but impactful changes like the ability to print bills. They discuss exciting improvements to payroll features, including inline PTO balances and class assignments, as well as developments in e-commerce integrations and Credit Karma financing options.

Send your Questions/Comments (we could read/answer them on air) unofficialquickbookspodcast@gmail.com

Links/Apps Mentioned in this episode:

• http://royl.ws/yearend
• http://royl.ws/QBO1099
• https://learn.royalwise.com/visitor_catalog_class/show/1673087/Converting-QuickBooks-Desktop-to-QuickBooks-Online
• https://royalwise.com/
• https://akadian.com/

Sign up to Earmark to earn free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://www.earmark.app/onboarding

• (00:00) - Welcome to the Unofficial QuickBooks Accountants Podcast
• (00:49) - Margie's Background and Journey
• (05:19) - Biometric Logins and Modern Report View
• (07:12) - Add a Note in Modern Report View
• (09:59) - Payroll Updates and Enhancements
• (16:06) - E-commerce and Inventory Integrations
• (21:14) - PayPal Integration and App Transactions
• (24:45) - Limitations of Current System
• (25:47) - Exciting New Feature: Printing Bills
• (26:17) - Expense Claims and Bill Pay Updates
• (30:15) - QuickBooks Time Settings
• (33:45) - Financing Options with Credit Karma
• (44:05) - New Features and Updates Recap