Intuit is giving away QuickBooks Simple Start, accounting software that can be used by just about any new business owner. This version is far easier to set up and learn. Intuit claims that you can set up your company in Simple Start after answering 3 easy questions.
If you have no book-keeping experience and want to use something more sophisticated than pencil and paper or simple spreadsheets, you might want to consider this freebie. It is available in an online and a desktop version. The Simple Start ONLINE edition permits up to 2 users plus 1 “accountant” user per business, I’m not sure how many the desktop version allows.
QuickBooks Simple Start Pros and Cons
Posted in Product Reviews, Free business resources 
14 Comments »
Lessons Learned from a Mastermind Group
November 8, 2007
Coach Sandra Martini offers up new challenges in this weeks article.
If you were a fly on the wall during a powerful mastermind meeting, you’d quickly realize how the sooner you learn the following lessons, the faster your business will grow.
Please tell me more! »
Posted in Food for Thought, start up advice 5 Comments »
Need start-up capital? Compete for $50K in Intuit’s Just Start Contest.
November 7, 2007
For all my male readers who complain that all the best business startup contests I list are for women, here’s one that you can enter too.
Intuit, the software company behind Quickbooks, Quicken and other great software is sponsoring the “Just Start” business contest. (note that you can still enter even if you have a business already). I love the name of this contest- complements the concept of this blog don’t you think? 
Here’s the scoop in a nutshell.
Prizes:
One Grand Prize winner gets $40,000 in cash and $10,000 in resources
Two First Prize winners get $5,000 each
Eligibility:
Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, who are 21 years of age or older as of date of entry. Please read all the fine print and other eligibility details at Intuit’s website.
Enter the Contest
Access the online entry form which is very straightforward at IWillJustStart.com. Register and either submit a 2 minute video or a 250-word story with a photo attached explaining your business idea, what you would be resigning from and what you would do with the winnings to pursue your business. That’s it!
Deadline to apply: Entries must be submitted online no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on December 15, 2007.
There are two phases of judging. All entries will be judged by Intuit’s team of judges which include a marketing expert and business consultants/bloggers who will choose 5 semi-finalists. The public will then get to decide which of the 5 semi-finalists should be the grand prize and first prize winners.
All winners will be announced around February 1, 2008
Good luck and if you choose to enter, please let the rest of us know in the Comments section below.
Posted in BusinessPlan Competition, funding your business 2 Comments »
