Pro Tips for QuickBooks (a.k.a. How to Survive Without Throwing Your Laptop Out the Window)

QuickBooks: the necessary evil of small business accounting. It’s the software you love to hate. It’s saved countless shoeboxes of receipts from doom… while simultaneously causing more than a few “why is this in my life?” moments.

But hey—once you get past the mystery menus, cryptic error codes, and that one client who still insists on paying in paper checks, QuickBooks can actually be… dare we say… useful.

Here are some funny-but-real pro tips you might not know:

Pro Tip #1: Did You Know You Can Send Invoices Straight from QuickBooks?

Yes, you don’t have to download, attach, or play the “find invoice #33-final-FINAL-v2.pdf” game in your email. QuickBooks will send it directly—complete with a “Pay Now” button.
Translation: Your client has fewer excuses for ghosting you.

Pro Tip #2: Mileage Tracking Exists (and It’s Actually Good)

If you’re still writing mileage in a spiral notebook (or worse, guessing come tax time), QuickBooks has a mobile app that logs trips for you. Swipe left if it was personal, swipe right if it was business. Yes, it’s Tinder for your gas receipts.

Pro Tip #3: Connect Your Bank Account — Stop Manually Typing Stuff

QuickBooks will pull in your transactions automatically and even suggest how to categorize them. Think of it like a helpful intern—except this intern doesn’t eat your snacks or call in sick.

Pro Tip #4: Reports That Actually Mean Something

Behind those scary dropdowns are dashboards that tell you things like:

• Which customers are always late to pay (looking at you, Bob)

• What services/products are actually profitable

• Whether your business is a lean machine or a dumpster fire in slow motion

Pro Tip #5: Recurring Invoices = Sweet Passive Aggression

Tired of sending the same invoice every month? Set it once, and QuickBooks will keep reminding your clients until they pay. It’s like a polite but relentless robot accountant.

Pro Tip #6: Integrations Are Your Friend

QuickBooks plugs into all sorts of tools—Shopify, PayPal, Gusto, even your CRM. Suddenly your financial life looks less like a tangled ball of Christmas lights and more like… well, slightly untangled Christmas lights.

Final Thought: QuickBooks Doesn’t Have to Be Painful

Sure, the interface sometimes feels like it was designed by someone who really loved drop-down menus, but once you know the hidden gems, it can save you time, headaches, and possibly your sanity.

At Sea Change Advisors, we help SMBs not only set up their systems right but also find ways to get business intelligence out of the data you already have. QuickBooks doesn’t just keep the IRS off your back—it can actually help you run smarter.

Want to stop wrestling with your accounting software?
Let’s talk about how to make QuickBooks (and the rest of your tech stack) actually work for you.
Contact Sea Change Advisors