Each month, Certum Solutions presents feature highlights in QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Advanced, and other products in the Intuit ecosystem. If these updates are helpful to you and your business, please drop us a note to tell us how you are using them, and what you’d like to see us cover in the future

When it comes to a loss, there is no commonality. You could operate your business out of a warehouse or manufacturing plant, or maybe your company is on the 12th floor of an office building. Whether you’re hit by a hurricane, earthquake, or tornado—or you’re the victim of a massive fire—no one I know has ever said they were 100% prepared for the potential loss of business, let alone your livelihood.

There are many reputable QuickBooks Solution Providers (QSPs) that offer excellent services and support. Currently there are approximately 350 in the US alone! The best provider for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. It is recommended that you read customer reviews and consider factors such as expertise, customer service, budget, location, and industry specialization. Ultimately, it is important to choose a provider that aligns with your business goals and can provide the level of the specific services and support you require.

Between big summer blowouts and back-to-school sales, retailers are slotting in time for the biggest shopping season of the year: the winter holidays. Even though it’s still July, it’s exactly the right time to start thinking about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and year-end celebrations that drive an influx of cash flow for many product-based businesses.

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2022, 52 million consumers worldwide spent $7.5 billion with independent brands through Shopify’s ecommerce platform alone. With the right tools, your small business could be benefitting from that big spending.

QuickBooks Online is continuously evolving to meet the needs of small businesses, and July 2023 brings some exciting updates to the platform. Hot off the presses, these are the latest features and improvements to four areas of QuickBooks Online. Don’t break a sweat this summer; take advantage of the updates to make the most out of your software.

Is it possible to turn your hobby into a business? Possibly, but there are some definitive IRS rules you need to be aware of—and income you need to report on your tax return. Hobbies are near and dear to us. They help us get through stressful times and reflect our passions. In my own case, I love growing my own vegetables and raising chickens, so if I were to really pursue making money from my hobby, I might open up a roadside vegetable stand, or have a booth at the local Farmer’s Market to sell vegetables and eggs.

One of Certum Solutions’ niches is working with nonprofits — and that includes working with non-for-profit entities. Unless you’ve sat on a charity or church board, been involved in a community fundraiser, or have been employed by these types of organizations, it is probably hard to figure out the differences when it comes to accounting and bookkeeping.

Buying decisions can sometimes be a mixed bag. From time to time, business clients ask us whether it’s better to buy a car versus leasing a car. While the answer is often based on an ROI and tax savings, there are often other non-business factors as well that lean to, for example, how emotionally you’re tied to a certain car.

Having a staff can be one of the most rewarding parts of running a small business — and one of the most stressful. The updates to QuickBooks Online this month take away some of the stress by making it simpler to manage, pay, and support employees. Other big updates in June include an increase to $5 million in QuickBooks Checking and QuickBooks Money accounts that’s FDIC-insured, streamlined user management, and a new tax feature for solopreneurs.

How many times have you heard “The Future is Here?” Well, this time, it’s really here, and any business with an e-commerce site can now take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) in a number of ways.

If AI still feels somewhat mysterious and robots seem like something you may only see in “The Jetsons,” the still-recent introduction of AI-content generators make AI attainable and actually affordable, even for the smallest business.

MONROE, N.C. – May 24, 2023 – Certum Solutions, a one-stop shop for business technology using integrated solution stacks and peripheral hardware with QuickBooks software at their base, has awarded a $5,000 grant to Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Botanical Garden for encouraging the use of reusable water bottles for healthy hydration and reduced waste.

The Intuit team has spiffed up a couple features in QuickBooks Online Advanced®, including a much-requested addition to custom reports. Just in time for the influx of part-time summer gigs, there’s a trio of changes that ease some of the burdens of managing employees and contractors. And for those contemplating a software migration involving QuickBooks Payments, the road has gotten a little smoother. In all, these three sets of QuickBooks updates can help you launch into summer fun with a little less stress.

The air is thick with pollen, which means it must be time for spring cleaning! It’s not just our homes that can use a refresh. If it feels like it’s time to throw open the windows of your business and let in the fresh breeze, I’ve got a few tips to keep you organized for a thorough spring cleaning. Clear out the dust bunnies, say farewell to the cobwebs in the corners, and bring some Marie Kondo energy to your company.

With the goal of making it easier for Americans to save money for retirement, Congress signed into effect the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act in December 2022. The legislation affects businesses and employees across the country. There are more than 90 provisions that affect various aspects of retirement savings plans in the SECURE Act of 2022, so I’m going to highlight seven updates of note and what they mean for employers and employees.

Responsible money management is at the heart of all bookkeeping and accounting. Where an organization’s financial goals drastically differ is whether it is a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization.

When the goal is stewardship and reinvestment of funds, you’re in the realm of nonprofit accounting. If you’re a nonprofit treasurer, president, board member, or executive director, you want to be sure that funds are being used responsibly and keep the books in shape in case of an audit. For nonprofit leaders or bookkeepers dipping their toes into nonprofit work, there are a few basics you’ll want to know before you jump in.