Category: Various Reviews
Try Crunch Accounting For Free
I’m a big fan of Crunch Accounting. I love the simplicity, and I love the convenience. It’s not for everybody but it’s perfect for me.
Crunch is an accounting solution, exclusive to the UK, for freelancers and small businesses. I’ve been using the software for over a year, and I’ve endorsed it to many other Internet Marketers with similar business models.
It’s a sleek, easy-to-use and very potent weapon in the battle to stay on top of my company’s finances, and by that virtue my own sanity.
Before Crunch, I was a disorganized slacktopus of number stained notepads, overflowing ‘in-baskets’ and accounts that only sometimes made sense. The resulting mess had my titties in a twist on more than one occasion. I spent much of my time in Thailand wondering if HMRC would be there to collect me – whip in hand – when I re-entered the UK.
“What have I missed? What have I done wrong?” Those thoughts kept me awake at night, or at least until I wisened up to the fact that keeping track of my accounts ‘the good old fashioned way’ wasn’t exactly working out.
Crunch got my company accounts in order. And despite the fact they still haven’t integrated support for foreign currency transactions, I’m very satisfied with the service.
Last week I spoke to Darren Fell, founder and Managing Director of Crunch, and he had some news that may tempt those of you who didn’t bite my initial positive review of the service.
It’s no secret that Crunch has been growing at a rapid rate. The software seems to boast new bells and whistles every time I login, which is either a testament to their proactive reinvestment, or a damning indictment of how often I actually log in. Probably a bit of both.
Either way, the latest development is more than just a software upgrade.
Crunch is being set free.
Well, kinda…
Crunch has unveiled a stripped down ‘Solo’ package for those who want to use their software free of charge. It’s not the whole shebang – some key features, like your bank feeds, remain upgrade-only – but it’s an impressive raft of features for anybody who wants to track, create and manage their invoices and expenses.
Perhaps more importantly, it’s a workable platform for startups and those on small budgets who need to get their accounts in order, but don’t have the flexibility to commit to a monthly plan of £70-or-so after VAT. You can join for free, track your company’s financial activity, and then upgrade seamlessly when the time comes (hopefully!) that you need a more complete solution.
I think it’s a deadly smart move from Crunch. Their software already boasts the holy grail of a simple interface matched to powerful functionality. It’s an impressive package, particularly when you stack it up against the competitors out there – many of which are overpriced, not to mention complete bastards in the user-friendliness stakes.
By offering an entry-level package, I would expect a lot of trial users to convert in to paid customers from the software advantages alone. Another wave will convert after the first whiff of taxation stress. I include my girlfriend and her newly launched limited company in that bracket. She signed up for a peek this week, much to my relief. Her previous outlook to taxes was “Well, you can help me with them, can’t you?”
“Those sweet words,” my dogs would bark, knowing damn well they’re about to be charged out the front door on ‘walkies duty’ in my bid to escape.
The second part of Crunch’s product rejiggery involves a new service called ‘Max’.
Max is designed for small businesses who need just a little bit more, as Darren put it. Priced at £89.50 per month, Max users can support up to four directors and ten employees on the payroll. It’s a premium service, designed to satisfy those customers with slightly more complex needs than a rogue Internet Marketing cowboy such as myself.
As part of the Max service, you will receive your own dedicated senior accountant, and a much more hands-on ‘We’re in this together‘ approach to your dealings. That includes a twice-yearly accounting health-check with your advisor. Sounds pretty cute and whimsical to me, but I’m sure there’ll be takers.
These new product launches, the first since Crunch started in 2009, should position the company to capture an even greater share of small businesses and freelancers in the UK.
I recommend you take a look at the Solo package if you were on the fence about trying them before. Take a nose around the software and see if it ticks the right boxes for your business.
Crunch are good peoples. Good peoples with a good product. I think they will continue to grow, and you’ll definitely be hearing a lot more about them.
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Volusion Review – My First Impressions
I recently registered with Volusion to setup my own commerce store at FinchPremiums.com. I’ve been experimenting with the software for 2 weeks now, and I’m impressed at how many bases they’ve managed to cover. If you sell products – online or offline – Volusion is a powerful beast that deserves a closer look.
If nothing else, it’s certainly a step up from E-Junkie.
Volusion: The Basics
Volusion simplifies the process of running an online store. It’s branded as the definitive all-in-one ecommerce solution, boasting 24/7 support, and over 35,000 active websites currently using the software.
Volusion looks mighty fine in the presentation stakes. It’s sleek and professional. The product listings, checkout process and homepage are distinctly un-Clickbank, which is always a good thing in my book.
You can choose to install one of the many existing design templates, or hack it together yourself. I got lucky with one of the ready-made templates being a perfect match for what I was looking to achieve.
There are a number of payment gateways available; including PayPal, Google Checkout, wire transfers, electronic cheques, money orders and straight up cash (seriously, how many online stores accept a fistful of dollars these days?).
You can also apply for a merchant account to handle credit and debit card transactions in-house. While I do like the idea of a one-page checkout, I don’t hate Paypal enough to want to go through the ball ache of setting up a merchant account. Horses for courses, right?
Why I’m a Fan
Before using Volusion, I had been selling my products via a rather primitive ‘Add to Cart‘ button on your typical WordPress page. There are three features I wanted that required ugly hacks to mesh with the E-Junkie shopping cart: coupon codes, Facebook integration and an efficient affiliate program.
Coupon codes are easy to setup with Volusion. You can set as many codes as you want, and they look far less jarring than they did with E-Junkie. Previously I would be forced to ask the customer for their coupon code in a dirty text field before clicking any checkout button. This led to many customers bailing on a purchase because they couldn’t find a coupon code and didn’t want to miss out on a deal. Not a problem with Volusion.
The Volusion affiliate program is a must-have for anybody like myself who relies on word-of-mouth buzz to promote his products. Affiliates can sign up and receive a fixed % commission, or a specific payout set at the product level. If you have ‘super affiliates’, you can reward them Amazon-stylio by ramping up their commission for extra sales delivered. Very nice, very sleek and very easy to manage.
Volusion is also nicely prepared to jump on future trends. There is complete integration with Facebook, the ability to set ‘Daily Deals’, and even the option to run your own rewards scheme. Some of the more visual features, like bestselling lists and featured products, can be added in the space of about 5 seconds using the many fully customisable widgets.
I haven’t immersed myself in these features yet as I’m only selling 4 products, but they look like excellent tools for increasing sales. Arguably Volusion’s greatest selling point is how effectively it presents your products, and how easily it lets you promote them.
If you have a great idea, there’s every chance you can execute it within the hour thanks to the huge array of features Volusion packs in; many of which are likely to sit dormant for months until a sudden brainfart alerts you to their potential.
The Packages
Behold:
Click to enlarge.
Problems I’ve Encountered
I expect I will get to grip with the following grievances as the software becomes more familiar. But that leaves a question mark hanging over the learning curve. How long does it take to get to grip with Volusion? I think you’ll need at least a week to learn this thing inside out. Even then, you’ll still be finding new functionality hidden four menus deep.
Some problems I’ve noted:
Shipping has been behaving randomly.
Perhaps the biggest problem – one that I’m still in conversation with support over – is the tendency for some shipping emails to get lost in the shuffle. I’ve had to send several customers their purchases manually. It would be mighty foolish to expect all orders to come in through 9-5 BST, especially with customers scattered all around the world, so I’d like this to be automated and foolproof ASAP.
I’m told that the issue is now fixed. Fingers and bollocks crossed.
Too many options?
I understand the need for flexibility on an ecommerce platform, and I’m admittedly biased from the viewpoint of a guy who only wants to sling his digital products. However, the number of options to get your head around in the configuration process may prove slightly overwhelming if you’re not a numbers man.
Just to add a product to the store, there are no less than 121 fields begging for your attention. Do they all merit the inclusion? It depends what you’re selling, but I’ve left a good 80% of my options empty.
If you’re buying Volusion with the sole intention of selling digital products, there’s a lot of information to digest that will never be relevant to your business, and yet you will still need to comb over it in case you miss something important.
Volusion could perhaps benefit from a modular approach. “Will I be shipping physical products?” If the answer is no, disable these four million extra options and Finch will stop drowning his neighbour’s kittens in dismay.
So, Volusion: Worth The Investment?
I shudder to imagine how many sales I lost with E-Junkie’s clunky interface and lack of marketing features. Volusion is exactly the opposite, and I’m optimistic that it’ll make a positive impact on my bottom line.
All things considered, the price is outstanding. I’ve started on the Bronze Package which is paid for with a single sale of my Premium Posts.
You can take a 14 day trial to setup your entire store on a demo server. Throughout the process, I’ve found the support team to be highly responsive and well worth their salt with the “We’re here 24/7” claims. I’ve had answers to my questions usually within 30 minutes of submitting a ticket. And I’ve been submitting a lot of tickets.
If you like what you see, upgrading to a paid package and putting the site live is relatively pain-free. It took me 5 days to go from a completed demo site to the public launch. A little longer than I expected, but worth it in the end.
I recommend taking Volusion for a trial spin if you’re in the market for a good shopping cart. It’s surpassed my expectations so far.
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Find The Bright Spots of Your Business
I’ve just finished reading Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, and there’s one point in particular that resonated with me throughout.
If a task is too daunting, or your goals too distant, search for the bright spots and focus on what’s already working.
This is a simple but powerful concept of great significance to Internet Marketers. We are notorious multi-taskers. Our greatest fault is traditionally that we spread ourselves too thin and don’t see projects through to their conclusions.
Think of an SEO project as an example. In your head, you have a starting point – it might be the Google Keyword planner, or an exciting new niche you’ve heard about. And similarly, you have a final destination – typically a highly trafficked, super profitable web property that earns money while you sleep.
The hard part is travelling the road that connects those two destinations. More specifically, it’s the feeling of “What in the hell am I supposed to do now that I’ve launched this shit and I’m sick to death of it?”
Somewhere between defining our vision, and reaping the rewards of its fruition, we face problems; twists and turns that deter us from completing the project. The middle part – the long open road – is always the hardest.
To use the SEO project example, our open road might involve endless backlink building, content creation and keyword tracking. Much of this is laced with dead-ends and hours spent unproductively. The only way to finish these projects, to realise our vision, is to keep searching for the bright spots.
Ask yourself, “What is working? How can I build on it?”
Maybe one of the pages on your site is whoring the majority of the traffic. In which case, can you isolate the variables that are fuelling its popularity? Is it being shared socially? Why is it being shared socially? How can you create more content that ticks the same boxes?
This flexible mindset of learning on the road is vital if you’re going to connect your launch foundations with the end vision of a prosperous money machine.
A fixed mindset rarely ever works in business, and certainly not where SEO is concerned. We are much more successful when we pinpoint the areas that are bringing us the most success, and adapt our work going forward.
This is a fault that has troubled me no end in the past. I have a habit of being too concrete with my processes, and not allowing user feedback or valuable data to manifest itself and shape a more productive strategy going forward. I’m a pretty stubborn bastard, and it’s probably cost me a lot of money.
Switch certainly struck a chord with my stubborn side. I’ve started to re-evaluate my career objectives and match them up to the bright spots of my current business model. It’s resulted in me culling two entire dedicated servers and dropping about 20 domains, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made the right decision going forward.
If you feel like your wheels are spinning in the tracks, and you can’t seem to inch closer to your defining vision, the easiest and most damaging attitude is to focus at what you’re doing wrong. It’s much more productive to find the bright spots and use them as a guiding light. Hinge your business around what’s already working. Focus on your strengths.
I really enjoyed the first half of Switch. It packs in a lot of useful actionable advice that I haven’t read in any other change bible (and I’ve read my fair share). The book loses its focus around the halfway point and descends in to more of a tribute towards the authors’ favourite social psychologists, which might go unnoticed and appreciated by some, but for others will feel like a Robert Cialdini overdose. Still, a recommended read.
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Rich Dad Poor Dad Review
This book, shockingly ranked #1 on Amazon for Personal Finance, might as well have been called Rich Dad Poor Dad Hopelessly Deluded Author. It’s so far detached from real-life wealth generation, that you should probably confine all future Robert Kiyosaki works to the Fiction section. He clearly specialises in talking out of his arse.
It’s five years since I was first recommended Rich Dad Poor Dad, a bestseller that I have always treated with skepticism given the murky nature of Kiyosaki’s upselling regime that sits behind the brand.
After reading the book in two pained sittings, I can safely say that anybody who recommends this slice of warble as valuable literature in the field of personal finance, is out of his damn mind, and knows jack diddly squat about personal finance.
Before we even get to the plot, it has to be said that Kiyosaki is a terrible writer. His storytelling unravels in scenes that would not look out of place in a poorly scripted infomercial. This, of course, is no coincidence. The infomercial is a perfect match for Kiyosaki’s primitive take on wealth generation. The rich are a collective, and the poor are a suffering crowd. It’s in such simple terms that Rich Dad Poor Dad thrives.
It’s difficult to decipher the author’s exact message at times. But I think I’ve nailed it down to 3 key points:
1. Education is important, but always second to financial literacy. People turn out poor because they’re not taught financial literacy.
2. Real estate is a fastlane to wealth. Buy properties at discounted prices, flip them and bank the just rewards. He doesn’t give details on how to implement this ninja wisdom, or how to beat the market. He places the burden on ‘insider tips‘. Mmm, fruitful.
3. Pay yourself first. Even if the government comes knocking on your door, you deserve to be paid first. The best way to do this, in Kiyosaki’s opinion, is to hide under the umbrella of a corporation. The author fails to recognize the difference between business expenses and personal expenses. I’m sure at least some of his devoted readers will have taken the words to heart, used expense accounts to buy rolexes, and will have enjoyed the fist of the IRS lodged firmly up their arses ever since.
Early in the book, Robert explains how he and his best friend Mike became swept under the wing of Rich Dad, a fatherly figure hated by his employees but blessed with the secret of knowing how to generate immense wealth. What could it possibly be?
The boys, at this point, are only 9 years old. Rich Dad puts them to work every Saturday, paying a pathetic 30 cents for their time. One day Robert snaps and can’t take it any longer. “You said you’d teach me the secret of wealth! All you’re doing is forcing me to bust my guts for nothing!”
At this point, Rich Dad launches in to a mind-bending interpretation that he has actually done the boys a favour. He’s proven that the rat race is no way to spend a life.
Note: I’m pretty sure exploiting child labour in the manner of Rich Dad is considered illegal, even in America. Somehow, the madness only escalates.
What follows is a laughably contrived debate between alleged moneybags entrepreneur and inquisitive 9 year old Kiyosaki. I don’t remember how savvy I was at 9 years old, but I’d be amazed if I was able to remember even a fraction of the investment ‘wisdom’ that Rich Dad throws in the face of this kid. It’s clear that the encounter is entirely fictional and designed to portray a conversation between Rich Dad and the reader. But what does it say about the lessons to be learned that Kiyosaki has cast the audience as a hapless 9 year old child?
Just like that, Robert sets off on his adventure in search of riches and fame. Well, I suspect he achieved one before the other.
I could find only one bright spot in the entire book. It arrives out of the blue when Kiyosaki expresses the importance of investing in assets rather than liabilities. This is basic financial footing. Don’t spend more money than you bring home. Invest extra money in assets, and stay out of debt. I can see how the big reveal – Kiyosaki calls it the only rule of wealth that matters – might bring clarity and a sense of direction to those who have been doing it wrong. But for everybody else, it should be common sense.
Kiyosaki explains very little about where to invest money, nor what makes a good asset. But he does launch in to a tirade about the importance of paying yourself first. The argument can be summed up best with this stroke of genius:
“When I occasionally come up short. I still pay myself first. I let the creditors and even the government scream.”
Perhaps I’m missing something, but if this doesn’t tick the right boxes for ‘catastrophic financial tip of the year’, then I don’t know what will. More tellingly, it goes against every sound cashflow suggestion that he squeaks in to the first few chapters, removing any hint of a saving grace from the diatribe to follow.
How can you truly appreciate the importance of assets vs liabilities when you’re continuously battering your credit rating by refusing to stump up cash for your bills and debts?
Kiyosaki argues that it doesn’t matter. Paying yourself first is ideal, no matter how loudly the government screams, because even if you don’t have the money in your bank account, the over-commitment will inspire and motivate you in to making ends meet. It’ll force you to grow as a businessman. What?! No really, what the fuck? Does he have the slightest Scooby what he is ranting on about?
One could argue that attempting to blood financial wisdom from a Kiyosaki sales device is like watching a SmackDown divas’ pillow-fight in the hope of extreme pornography. Expectations need to be met by reality. Yet I was still left wondering how such a half-baked cocktail of metaphors and generalizations could ever be met with widespread acclaim. Then it tweaked. The Warrior Forum flashed before my eyes, and normality was restored. Common sense looks like genius when it’s viewed from a cesspit of stupidity.
Do yourself a favour. Don’t buy Rich Dad Poor Dad.
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A better read on the subject of wealth generation, although still somewhat flawed, is The Millionaire Fastlane, which I reviewed last month.
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Want High Quality Banners For Free?
How many hours have you lost piss-arsing around in Photoshop and still getting no closer to a banner that is suitable for promoting your product?
How many freelancers have you paid to take away the torment?
Welcome to the world of SnackTools, a cracking suite of automation software that takes the hassle out of creating banners if you’re not already outsourcing the task.
SnackTools has a number of very handy and attractive looking apps, each designed to improve the visual presentation of your website. From professional quality slideshows, to online surveys and polls. There’s a lot to digest, and like sweet music to your ears, most of it is free.
The app most likely to capture your imagination is BannerSnack.
BannerSnack is my new best friend if I ever find myself weighted with the burden of having to produce a banner that isn’t embarrassingly slapped together like something out of MS Paint in the nineties.
The software allows you to create flash and gif banner ads using a very simple interface. It’s all drag and drop.
I consider myself a bumbling dinosaur when it comes to showing that deft touch in Photoshop, or indeed any of Adobe’s industry standard tools. BannerShack is simplified in such a way that even if you’re like me (you poor sod), you’ll be able to produce the eye-catching banners that have alluded you for so long.
Want fancy icons to give your banners that sleek 2.0 look? No problem. Want lots of direct response friendly arrows, buttons, labels and familiar visual cues to drive more clicks to your site? It’s all here.
Besides using BannerSnack to create images, I’ve adapted the software to create entire product landing pages for my affiliate marketing campaigns. Just select a custom banner size, adjust it to the size you want, and lavish the page in direct response love.
I haven't accessed ClipArt since 1997. But these arrows will come in handy for my landing pages.
Many different kinds of buttons, colours and effects available.
BannerSnack lets you save your artwork to the cloud, making it possible to drop back in and edit your creations whenever you feel like it. I have a growing assortment of banners and landing pages, all of which perform very well for me in their given tasks.
No automation suite will ever replace the genious of a super-talented designer. If you’re a designer reading this now, I’m not trying to put you out of a job. I admire you for having all the skills that I was never blessed with.
However, for those occasions where as webmasters we want effective banners ready to roll in 10 minutes, there aren’t many creative suites as fun and simple to use as BannerSnack. Check it out!
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My Experience With Crunch Accounting So Far
The single weakest area of my business prior to joining Crunch Accounting was unquestionably my ability to handle taxes.
If I could show you my hairline before and after tax crept in to my life, you’d appreciate just how integral it’s role has become as the chief tormentor of my business.
There are Republicans in the world who dread tax less than I, and that is saying something. That is really really saying something.
Anyway, political bumberclarting aside, what are the factors that convinced me to invest in an online accounting service?
Lost sleep, notepads full of calculations and four muddled bank accounts – these were just some of the symptoms that finally drove me in to the loving arms of Crunch Accounting. I considered us somewhat of a forced marriage, but one worth consummating for the good of my sanity.
I’ve had the best part of a year to weigh up the benefits of using their service, so here are my two cents for anybody else who is interested.
Note: This is only going to be relevant if you run a business in the UK. Crunch has yet to expand in to Europe or across the pond. Understandable, right? Who would want to vacate the lovely sunny landscapes of East Sussex during a fantastic English summer? Besides fucking everybody, of course…
Crunch is an online accounting service that handles all your paperwork and tax filing. It has a very sleek interface, allowing you to add expenses and invoices on the move. You can get a running total of what you’re due to be raped for in corporate tax, what you can afford to pay yourself in dividends, and all the cretins that currently owe you money.
For a monthly subscription of £70, you can avoid hiring an accountant (who would probably run the risk of contracting Herpes if forced to do the books in your cheesy wotsit contaminated basement/office).
Instead of having that personal accountant, Crunch supplies you with a qualified account manager who you can call, email or badger over Skype.
You may have to book in an appointment first, but hey, it’s probably more reliable than calling a part-time accountant. You know you’re not going to end up redirected to voicemail while the bastard enjoys his impromptu two week vacation in the Bahamas. Oh that vacation, the one he didn’t tell you about.
It took me several days to transition my accounts to Crunch’s system. If you’re firing your accountant during the middle of the year (always better to be an arsehole before Christmas), expect to spend a good few days loading invoices and expenses in to the system.
Crunch glosses over the process and makes the system as user-friendly as can be, but let’s face it, this shit is never going to be Friday night entertainment. Adding expenses is a pleasantly brainless experience, and that’s exactly how I like my accounting to be.
You can reconcile accounts automatically by feeding a spreadsheet of your bank statement and letting Crunch go fishing for correct matches. This thought would usually fill me with dread. The last thing I want is for some crazed machine to start reconciling thousands of payments with 85% accuracy, but it seems to be effective.
I personally have to reconcile statements manually because my bank (If you can honestly call yourself a bank, Santander) is a cock.
All in all, Crunch has gone to painstaking measures to ensure the online software is user-friendly, intuitive and easy for a tax-hater like me to get to grips with.
So what would I like to see improved?
The single biggest beef I have with Crunch is their non-support for foreign currency invoicing. It’s possible (and convenient) to invoice companies in Sterling from within the control panel, but the system will have a bitch fit if you dare to bill companies in anything other than GBP.
That’s bloody inconvenient for me, given how a large number of my invoices are actually in USD or Euros. However, you can work around the kinks by entering a quick invoice in GBP after the hard copy has been processed by your bank. It’s not a perfect solution but it will do for now. I hope you’re listening, Crunch!
A year in to our relationship together, and I would have to say, the marriage is still going strong.
Crunch has saved me a lot of time, not to mention the sleepless nights, by simply providing a qualified barrier between myself and the dreaded tax man.
They deal with my paperwork. I deal with the playfully coloured forms and buttons. This is how business should be.
You… smart. Me… colourful buttons.
I think we’re gonna do just fine together.
Click here if you want to try Crunch Accounting for yourself.
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