There has been a major breakthrough for accounting software for Mac. For over a decade the Apple Macintosh has been seen as a great home and education computer, but when it came to software for small business it lacked the related applications to “get the job done”.

However, there is a new hope for Mac users. New business applications are being developed on the web, and Mac users (Linux users, too) enjoy the same access to that software as everyone else. This is part of what people are calling Web 2.0, the new way that business embraces the strength of the internet, a new approach to marketing online. The other part of Web 2.0 is the “social media” like Facebook, Twitter, and blogging.

Accessing Macintosh Software for Small Business

A new generation of web standards allows desktop-quality applications to be delivered over the internet directly to a browser.

• Online accounting software
• Invoicing software
• Financial reporting
• Expense reports
• Time tracking software
• Project collaboration
• Contact management
• Appointment scheduling
• Custom databases
• To Do Lists

and much more are being delivered as web applications. Including our accounting software for Mac. Most web applications run just as well on Mac OS X as on Windows (you may have to switch to Firefox, however, for some of them).

Is SaaS the New Phenomenon in the World of Macintosh Software?

There is no doubt that there is still a market for offline products and services. When I go to networking events, there are people that have never heard of the idea of using accounting software that is hosted online. Almost all the small business owners I have met were thrilled to find out this was possible and even available in Canada.

SaaS, Software as a Service, is still a relatively new phenomenon, most users are still considered to be “early adopters”. Once they actually convert to using our accounting software for Mac, for all their financial matters ,they never look at Saas the same way, they never go back.

Advantages to Using SaaS

• Faster implementation of services
• Lower cost of ownership
• Expanded client base
• Relationships through direct contact
• Enables users to access technology immediately
• Increases time-to-benefit
• Software upgrades at no additional cost
• More available resources to fund business growth

How to Reap the Benefits of SaaS

Sass changes the way people sell buy and use software on line. Accounting software for Mac can now be accessed the easiest way possible, down loaded directly from the service provider. This availability makes Macintosh software more accessible and functional.

We offer a thirty day free trial so customers can connect directly to our services. We have found that this process increases our business and our client relationships.

To experience the ease and comfort of our superior accounting software try our thirty day free trial. Once you try our extraordinary accounting software for Mac or your PC you will find it be extremely cost effective.

By meeting our clients needs and expectations we offer Free Customer support, free multi currency support and unlimited multi user access to name only a few of our amazing benefits that you will only experience here at Clarity Accounting. Start your thirty day free trial for our accounting software now and watch you business succeed.

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Today is an interest day, maybe because it is Halloween.  We have had 2 people email us within a 2 hour time span asking “What are your future plans with Clarity Accounting?” and “Where are you going?”.

First of all, I am greatly flattered by peoples’ interest in our small business accounting software.  We have come such a long way in such a short time and have a quality piece of software to show for it.  I would like to take a brief moment to share my response to the question:  “Where are we going?”

In terms of where we are going, we are looking for a crystal ball (do you happen to have one?). It is hard to concretely say exactly where things are going.  We believe that this is a sensitive time period and it is very important to remain flexible. Obviously we would like to grow our user base, make more money, and live happily ever after… Does any of you have any other suggestions?

Given that statement, there are a few things we know for sure:

• Our operation is financially stable and steadily growing
• Our intention is to provide the most innovative small business accounting software possible
• We want to empower people to deal with their finances powerfully either through the use of our online accounting software or through software integration / partnerships with other products and service providers such as Freshbooks, Booking Calendar, and Ledgers Online (development is currently underway)

One thing I have realized is that making a difference in peoples’ lives does not only include selling subscriptions to Clarity Accounting.  There is so much more to it than simply providing accounting software.  We have really good reasons why we work long hours and stay up late at night.  I can’t even say this is “work” because it has been so much fun connecting with people from all around the world.  I never thought something seemingly boring like accounting can be the central link for establishing great customer interactions and key connections.

Our goal is to incorporate fun, innovation, and inspiration in our quest to transform peoples’ relationship with money.  That, is where we are going…

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Recently I wrote an email to Ben Kepes, one of the editors on Cloud Ave – a blog dedicated to writing about the phenomenon of cloud computing.  He had mentioned on his blog posts he was interested in reviewing a few online accounting software applications and I thought I would just write him an email and see what becomes of it. 

What resulted from our interaction was my first guest post ever.  I wrote a post about what I really think about SaaS (software as a service) and where I think this industry is going.  Before entering into the blog world with my personal blog Manifestation Stories (which has been long neglected since I started working on Clarity Accounting), I never thought of myself as much of a writer.  Less than a year after I started blogging, I am now writing for other blogs. 

Here is a quote on what I think about SaaS:

It is unclear at this point if any SaaS player will ever reach significant market share in their target market. Probably not in the way Intuit (creator of Quickbooks) can capture 90% of the US market share in the small to medium sized accounting software space. Interestingly enough, even Quickbooks Online struggles to get the kind of market share in the SaaS business accounting space, reaching 100,000 users online in 2007. This is nowhere near the numbers they are used to in comparison to their offline distribution.

Consumers are increasingly looking for SaaS solutions that can precisely meet their needs. One great example is Freshbooks - an online invoicing software that began by addressing only the pain of invoicing. They have since attracted more than 500,000 users worldwide. While there have been some grumbles within their online forum for them to add additional features to become an accounting software, it seems like Freshbooks is sticking to their plan of being the best online invoicing software possible for the time being.

It really seems like the most successful SaaS players are the ones who take on one or two pains and address them extremely well. Companies who create SaaS solutions with more features do not seem to win over those who focus on just a few features.

I also offered my crystal ball rendition of the SaaS market:

I have seen this as an increasing trend in the SaaS market place. In fact, our online accounting software has been approached by many of our customers and SaaS vendors to consider “integrating” with other SaaS applications. We couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t serve us or our clients for us to be the “jack of all trades and master of none”. It would be a lot better if we can just focus on what we do best and let others focus on what they do best. At the end of the day, we all win when customers get the best of all worlds.

As I am writing this blog post, Dobes is in the process of finishing and releasing our first working API.  If anyone is interested in testing it out, please let us know!  We already had 2 requests yesterday alone for a working API.

I think only time will tell if my opinion about the SaaS market has any merit. I certainly hope I am right — that way, I can be viewed as an expert. :P 

Where do you think the SaaS market is going?  Any thoughts?

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It is amazing how hard it is to get back in the game of blogging after an extended absence.  For some people, a 10 day absence might not seem like a big deal.  But I am starting to realize that the longer I don’t write, the harder it is to get back to the groove of writing.  In my defense however, I must say that I have been working very hard on the help files for our online accounting software.  The help file section is created like a whole other blog on our website.  We found this method to be useful in organizing help information as well generating consistent relevant content and SEO credits.

Many interesting things are happening on the Clarity Accounting front.  We are now being contacted by people from all over the world.  Today, we had a phone conversation with people over in Singapore (a place I used to call home for 3 years of my life) and we are getting requests from people all over the world to tweak Clarity Accounting to support their accounting needs.

One of the most important features we have to support international users is our strong multi-currency feature.  From our research so far, I can honestly say that Clarity Accounting has some of the best multi-currency support out there.  We now support currencies in the following countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Britain, Switzerland, Japan, Dubai, India, Pakistan, Japan and of course, the Euro for countries in the European Union. 

If you would like your currency to be included in Clarity Accounting, simply contact us and make your request known.

To record multi-currency transactions, you would have to use the “Enter Invoice” tab under the Income section or the “Enter Bill” tab under the Expense section. 

Recent requests from our international customers for multi-currency support also made us realize a wonderful vision for Clarity Accounting.  We are the accounting software that can connect small businesses together all around the world by providing a tool that faciliates doing business with each other.  This is a very exciting vision and we are looking forward to serving people from all over the world.

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My business partner and I are constantly being asked this question: “How are you different from Quickbooks?”. 

For a long time I struggled with this question.  After all, we are providing accounting software for small businesses like Quickbooks and many other players.  There are so many different accounting software applications out there and everyone says they are “easy to use”.  Some even say they are the “easiest accounting software ever”.  So, what really makes Clarity Accounting different from everyone else?

And what does this have to do with coffee?

I had an epiphany this morning when I got up uncharacteristically early at 6 am.  Instead of my normal routine of walking to a local coffee shop a block away to get some coffee and muffins, I decided to get in my car and drove a few extra miles to “the best coffee shop in town” called 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.  Two people in my life has recommended this coffee shop in the last week and I thought I should really check it out. 

In order to park right in front of 49th Parallel, I had to turn around and face the opposite side of the street.  This morning, I decided to use the parking lot of another coffee shop few doors down from 49th Parallel called Kits Coffee.  Kits Coffee has been in the neighbourhood for many years.  I remember going by Kits coffee whenever I got off my classes while I attended university and there were always loads of people inside the shop.  This morning, I didn’t see a single soul in Kits Coffee.  As I was turning around in the Kits Coffee parking lot, I stopped for a young man crossing the street before turning my car and parking right in front of 49th Parallel.  At 6:30 am, 49th Parallel had a line up, including the young man I had stopped my car for a few minutes before arriving at the coffee shop.

Both the young man and I had walked / driven passed Kits Coffee, the coffee shop that has been in the community for years in favour of the new coffee shop 49th Parallel.  What makes 49th Parallel unique is that they roast their own coffee beans in town. Upon entering the store, the rich aroma of freshly roasted coffee fills the well lit environment.  There were only 3 types of pastries available, but they were all freshly baked and immaculately presented.  The latte I ordered was presented with coffee art — the foam part on top of my drink looked like a picture of a leaf.  The prices are the same as all the other coffee shops in town, but this coffee shop had a line up, while others remained empty.  Even the Starbucks nearby did not have a line up at 6:30 am.

This was a very interesting experience for me to watch others, like myself, walking / driving past a well established coffee shop (Kits Coffee) and lining up for a new coffee shop instead.

This experience allowed me to realize what makes Clarity Accounting different from Quickbooks.  Quickbooks is the well established coffee shop that has been in the community for years.  The features and usability of the software has been previously established, all the features are presented in similar formats and data is entered the same way.  It is like the coffee and the wide variety pastries at Kits Coffee that are pre-delivered from a supplier every morning.  Clarity Accounting is like 49th Parallel, the people making the software are also small business owners doing their bookkeeping on their own online accounting software – much like the owner of 49th Parallel, who brew and drink the coffee he roasts every day.  The 3 types of delicious freshly baked pastries offered at 49th Parallel are like the simple feature set Clarity Accounting offers.  Apparently they have the best chocolate croissant in town.  While we do not try to do everything there is to do with accounting (like detailed inventory tracking), we had carefully crafted the usability and functionality of existing features such as financial reporting and income and expense tracking to be the best of our abilities.  One customer called me this morning and couldn’t stop saying “wow” as he was navigating through Clarity Accounting.  This customer happened to have researched many accounting software packages before finding Clarity Accounting.

Here is my lesson from the coffee run I did this morning:

If a company strives to do everything to the best of its abilities and providing superior quality in its products and services, customers will come (and stay).  While it is not necessary for Clarity Accounting to have all the features available like larger software packages, it is important to provide the best usability and functionality for the features we do have.

This left me wondering, “what would I do if I was the owner of Kits Coffee?”

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It is almost impossible to turn on the news today without being bombarded by the reality that the economy is going through the exciting part of the rollercoaster ride — the part where the rollercoaster goes DOWN. Small businesses and self-employed professionals are particularly vulnerable during these tough times because they do not have the financial backbone of larger companies to weather this storm. However, there are several things you can do to as a small business owner to ensure your prosperity during a recession:

• Identify your most profitable clients and service them well.
• Cut costs by keeping track of your expenses by category — so that you can identify any unnecessary expenses and where you are spending the most money.
• Update your financial records frequently and diligently (preferably on a weekly basis); this will help you make important decisions regarding your business quickly and effectively. For example, if you are starting to notice that your expenses are exceeding your income; or if there are outstanding invoices, you will need to act quickly to decrease your expenses and track down the payments on your invoices.

It is a well known fact that many small businesses and self-employed professionals do not have an accounting system to keep track of their income and expenses. While many people have survived in the past by putting their receipts and income records in a “shoebox”, this may be deadly for small business owners during an economic downturn.

Why?

Without getting up to date information on the financial status of your business, you may not even know you are in trouble until it is too late.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Accounting may seem like a foreign language to many small business owners. Sometimes it seems easier to avoid dealing with the business finances instead of spending the time learning about bookkeeping. Trust me, we all think we have better things to do, this includes the founders at Clarity Accounting, we get behind on our bookkeeping too! Luckily, we have a super easy online accounting software we can use to catch up on our books when we need to.

We offer comprehensive support for anyone who asks for help — regardless of whether you are a paying client of Clarity Accounting. We usually try to respond to any support inquiries within one business day. No question is a stupid question. While we are not professional accountants, we know a thing or two about bookkeeping (after all, we created an accounting software). However, if you have accounting related questions that are specific to your country / region, you will need to speak to your accountant.
How to ask for help from the staff at Clarity Accounting

Here are a few ways you can request for support from the Clarity Accounting Team:

1. Visit our Accounting Help page to see if there is already a help file available for your question. You can use our “search” function and type in any keywords that are relevant to your questions.
2. Send us a question by email to: support@clarityaccounting.com.
3. Request a phone consultation by submitting an email inquiry so we can find a mutually agreeable time to chat. Please include some questions you would like to address so that we can assign the most appropriate staff member to assist you.
4. You can call us directly during our office hours.

Questions?

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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For over a decade the Apple Macintosh has been seen as a great home and education computer, but when it came time to do “serious work” it lacked the business-related software to “get the job done”.  Business-related software for the Mac was usually written for another operating system first, then rebuilt for the Mac as an afterthought.  Often the Mac versions were a “bad translation”, failing to take advantage of the different features available on the Mac.  Although the situation has improved over the decades, the Mac is still behind when it comes to desktop business software.

However, there is a new hope for Mac users - the web.  A new generations of web standards allows desktop-quality applications to be delivered over the internet directly to a browser.  Web applications like online accounting software, invoicing software, time tracking software, project collaboration, contact management, email, calendaring, appointment scheduling, simple custom databases, todo lists, and much more are being delivered as web applications.  Most web applications run just as well on Mac OS X as on Windows (you may have to switch to Firefox, however, for some of them).  This is part of what people are calling Web 2.0 - the other part is the “social media” like Facebook and blogging.

Thanks to Web 2.0, new business applications are being developed on the web, and Mac users (Linux users, too) enjoy the same access to that software as everyone else.  Although web applications are still missing features compared to our old desktop favorites like word processors, I’m confident that in the years to come they will close the gap.

This post was inspired by This Week With my Mac, where someone describes his attempt to switch fully to the Mac and running into software compatibity issues.

To learn more about our easy accounting software that works on your Mac, check out our demo.

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