I have been self employed for 2 full tax seasons now. Accountant got me Incorporated as of Jan 1, 06. I have been getting bigger jobs along with the handtman stuff I started out doing.
I love this site I don’t say much but learn alot.
I am looking for a simple spreadsheet type thing to help track job costs on my bigger projects. Anyone have a simple program you use?
Thanks
John
Replies
not much simpler than Excel, and you probably already have it.
"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
Try the Aqura accounting program. Free, download, 1.5Mb.
It has Cost Center capabilities which will track job costs and profits.
http://www.sadhanasoft.com/aqura.zip
You will have to set up your own COA.
Very short and shallow learning curve, even for me.
Thanks for the input. I have excell, and am playing with it. However I am not a computer guru.
John
I use QuickBooks Pro to keep my books. It's very straightforward and works well although it is definitely not construction software. For a small business the price is right.
Get an Excel For Dummies Book (not that I'm implying anything, it's just the name of the book). It's laid out in an easy to read manner. Hard part is figuring out what they call the process that you want do and can already see in your mind.
John
have excell, and am playing with it. However I am not a computer guru.
E-mail me.
Have you got a list of what details you want to track? SamT
Thanks for the offer Sam, I think I may have it figured out. My GF helped me out. Just not crazy about the idea of her knowing all my business yet, we're not that close yet.
Was mainly looking to see if someone had a sample of what they use.
Have done 3 big jobs, am finishing the 3rd now and have realized I need to track my costs better than just receipts in a folder.
Am reading Markup and Profit, just got How Much Should I Charge in today, have Emyth for Contractor and another book can't remember it now on order.
John
John,
I'm setting up a Footings & Foundations business. On my last computor, the one with the dead drive, I had completed my COA and was starting to seriously think about the Reports I wanted.
The COA has two parts, the Current Summary and the Data Base. The Current Summary is the Assets and Liabilities Accounts. The Data Base is the Revenue Accounts, Income and Expenses.
My friend, this is probably second nature to you, but I have just figured it out and this explanation is more for me than you.
On this computor, for my Project Expenses, I made an Excel Header Row of every possible expense type and assigned partial Account Numbers to them. I then copied that row into every Sheet in the Expenses Workbook. I went thru each sheet and deleted those columns that weren't pertinant. Next was to add the Main Account Number prefix to all the partials. U used the "Replace" function of Excel to do that, but it meant I had to plan the numbering system beforehand.
As I'm sure you know, when you Create Names from Column Headers where the Header name-string starts with a digit, Excel prefixes the Names with an underscore "_". I wrote a VBA script to put a Column Summing formula Into the cell above the Column Header. It automatically puts the underscore in the formula as needed.
I broke my DataBase into 3 levels with Column Headers being the detail level. The smallest Sub-group is one column. Each Sub-group Sums one or more columns. Each Sub-group belongs to a Group. Groups Sum Sub-groups.
Each Workbook is a major division of expenses, I use Billable, Non-Billable, Indirect, and Inventory. The Books are further broken down by Catagory. For instance Billable expenses has sheets Named Material, Labor, Subs, Equipment Rental, etc.
Each Sheets' A1 cell is the Category Sum, A2, the Groups' Sum, A3, the Sub-Groups Sum, A5 the Columns' Sum, and they are Auto Formated to go red if they're not all equal.
This procedure allows me to create Report formulas that read "=Billable]Summary!Total"=[Billable]Material!Acc#_Footings" or "=[Billable]Material!Acc#_Concrete"
The Assets Workbook holds accounts that detail each Expense books' Worksheets.
My next step is to write a VBA script to create fully qualified Range Names.
I also have a Footings and Foundation Estimator that I hope to tie into this thru a contract generator.
I'm willing to share the COAs and Excel tables I've came up with so far. I have two versions, the second one is better designed for Excel but not as complete as the first.
Thank you for letting me bounce this off you.SamT
I have been using MYOB for 17 yr. It requires understanding of double entry accounting; but if you can get a handle on the principles the program will help get you an understanding of P & L's & Assets & Liabilities. And accordingly an understanding of where your profitability lies.
I was just reading the fall catalog from our area comunity college, Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids, IA. They are offering an online training course for "Quick Books for Contractors" begins Sep 20 lasts 6 week cost $95. It can't be to difficult if they can do it online. Kirkwood is a really good school actually has bigger attendence than all but 2 of the State Universities.
Ph 800-322-8833
email foryourlifetime.com
Jim