Introducing myself to you - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

loulton · Veteran Member

Introducing myself to you

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Linda,

welcome to the forum.

it sounds as though you are working on a self employed basis so just the usual prompt to ensure that you know that you have to be registered for Money Laundering... Sure that you are already but not wanting to see any of our members doing serious Jail time and / or being fined substantial amounts of money just because they didn't know something.

On the Sage front I've still managed to keep all of my stable well away from it although I did have a potential last week (that I didn't win) who was adamant that they wanted to go down that route. On being asked why they said "Well, that's what everyone has".

They were really shocked when I pointed out that they would be my only client on Sage if I agreed to take them on.

I really don't think that they were too impressed with the line about "If I accept them as a client". Up until that stage I think that they had been under the impression that it was purely a one way decision!

Anyway, not heard from them since and not really bothered as they just didn't feel right for my practice.

Personally I'm VT all the way although I keep an open mind that if I get a client who already has Sage (rather than me being able to steer them well clear of it's evil clutches) and I want them then I'm going to have to bite the bullit.

Hope that you enjoy being on the site and look forwards to chatting in the coming months.

All the best,

Shaun.

Don Tax · Expert

Welcome to the forum, Linda.
I'd second that for VT and as it is an Excel based program, your year of spreadsheets might not have all been in vain.
Tim

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

But just to add's to Tims comment. VT Transaction+ that's the version that most bookkeepers use doesn't need Excel but you do (currently) need it for VT Accounts which is only required if you are preparing accounts (Apparently a big overhaul is in the offing during which the link to Excel is to be broken).

Don Tax · Expert

Hi Shaun. I didn't know that. Big changes afoot then.

I'd got the idea that the year of data might be put in a suitable format to be imported into VT Transaction. I tried a google and one of the results was 'Convince Me I don't need Sage' lol which I link below purely for Linda's benefit.

http://www.book-keepers.org.uk/t43689388/convince-me-that-i-dont-need-sage/

kind regards,
Tim

Amanda · Expert

Also theres quickbooks, some like it some don't, its similar to Sage but alot cheaper!

Edit for spelling mistakes!

-- Edited by Amanda on Thursday 7th of June 2012 10:59:36 AM

TRAINING LINK · Senior Member

Hi Linda

Welcome to the forum, you will get to some great advice on here should you stick around, good luck with your Sage training.

Dave

PS MORE SIGN UPS FOR THE BKN EURO FANTASY LEAGUE PLEASE only 2 days to get your team in.

loulton · Veteran Member

Hi everyone
Thanks for your responses. I went down the sage route because that's the package that they are using at the college where I'm studying for my computerised bookkeeping qualification. I just assumed - possibly wrongly - that its the way everyone went.

What is VT? I'm not familiar with that?

Linda

Don Tax · Expert

http://www.vtsoftware.co.uk/

There you go. If you search on this forum or on accounting web you'll see very little but glowing reports and favourable comments on price. They've also gained a lot of praise for their handling of iXBRL.

Studying Sage will not be wasted though because it is such a popular, if expensive program.
best wishes,
Tim

Delightful · Member

I don't much care for Sage. What do other people use instead?. I'm stuck with it to a certain extent with one client because to start from scratch on another software would be onerous. Maybe something I could do on a winter's evening or two.

I agree with Tim that is is popular - some people won't consider anything else - but the expense is prohibitive in some cases. I managed to get two 'linked' companies to buy it for me but I'm moving one of them off it this week!

Good luck.

Deb

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Deb,

that thread (link posted by Tim above - http://www.book-keepers.org.uk/t43689388/convince-me-that-i-dont-need-sage/) is your best starting point for the decision for the best software for your business.

There is a definite division between those who rate Sage and those who don't.

To be honest the real complaint about sage is their extortionate prices and their licencing approach which is akin to a client tax.

VT gives you unlimited clients

Quickbooks I believe is 99 clients so normally more thn enough.

The basic Sage package is 1!

VT is very different to Sage and is firmly for professionals like us who are happy with the double entry and understand where the values entered will end up in the financial statements. It has shortfalls (such as no fixed asset register) and the front end is nowhere near as pretty as Sage.

Why not try it for free for two months with a sixty day free trial? (If you get the VT Accounts free trial it comes with VT Transaction+ and VT Cashbook thrown in and at the end of the trial you can continue to use the cashbook software forever (although you need more than that for a bookkeeping business)).

And while your at it why not try out a free trial of 12pay and Moneysoft payroll to decide which of those Payroll packages would be right for you? Current site preference seems to be for 12pay but there are devoted users of both on here.

Again, much cheaper than the Sage alternative and worth noting that more expensive doesn't always equate to better!

As you note though some clients believe that they need it (as in the one that got away from me last week) so regardless of the cost savingas to be had you may still feel it necessary to go down the Sage route for your business.

There you go. We may have just compensated some of your loss on the client who won't pay you!

Don Tax · Expert

My own favourite accounting work-horse is by Moneysoft but it won't take things as far as VT so I end up posting the results to the VT trial balance. Many others work this way too.

Here is another link where we have touched upon favoured software but there are plenty of other such discussions here.

http://www.book-keepers.org.uk/t49143968/which-software/

Regards,
Tim

loulton · Veteran Member

Going way back to Shaun's initial post about registering myself?? I didn't know I had to do this. I only got into bookkeeping to help a friend but have slowly got more and more interested. I don't want to fall foul of the authorities though.

Where would you register?

Linda

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Linda,

either through having a practicing certificate with an appropriate supervisory body such as the ICB or IAB.

Or

Register directly with HMRC

Here's the HMRC link : http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/mlr/getstarted/register/how.htm

Note (responses given to similar questions received on the site) that you only need to register premises that you work from, not premises that you work at.

Also you do not need to apply for the fit and proper test for bookkeeping work.

The fee for registration will be £110 and it's an annual charge rather than a one off so in the long run considering all of the other benefits you may find ICB/IAB more cost effective.

It seems a lot but compared to up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine I think that it's extortion worth paying.

Also worth noting and well worth investment is PII insurance to insure the quality of your work.

Arlington (see special offers above) is very reasonable but to get the best deal of £78 you need to be a site member (#1).

All these costs sure start to mount up espechially when you start adding memberships, software licences, advertising costs etc. So make sure that you make a good return on your investment and try to get a few more clients under your belt.

#1 Please note, I have no financial links to Arlington or the site beyond having both the PII insurance and membership myself.

Wella · Expert

Just one point Linda

If you areonly helping out a friend, and are not charging for your services in anyway, then you wont need to register for Money Laundering Regulations supervision yet.

It is only necessary once you start doing it by way of a profession

Obviously if you are getting paid, then it is as Shaun says

Bill