Running company accounts on Macs
You're a graphic designer so you use a Mac. You've been using Macs since college and you swear you wouldn't use anything else. But what happens when you start your own business and need to run the company's accounts? Do you really have to go out and buy an ugly beige box to sit in the corner and run Windows? Just to keep your accountant happy?
Bottletop Design avoided the problem by selecting MYOB Accounting to run on their existing office Macs. And in the process they taught their PC-using accountant a thing or two.
"By training we're designers not accountants and when we first started we just used Excel spreadsheets to keep track of income and expenditure," says John Hunt, one of Bottletop's founders. "But we soon realised we'd need to buy proper accounting software to really get the financial side of the business in order."
"One of the reasons we chose MYOB Accounting is that it works on Macintosh machines. Like most design agencies, we mainly use Macs so we were happier running software on this platform. When we looked at MYOB Accounting it seemed relatively straightforward and, as they say, 'it did exactly what it says on the tin'."
User-friendly accounting software
Initial impressions have proved correct. "Although I've never been trained as an accountant I find the MYOB software easy to use," says John. "Because I'm so used to using them, I find graphic design programs largely intuitive. Accounting software was a completely new field and I was concerned that it would be difficult to learn, but MYOB Accounting was very user-friendly and made sense to me, right from the outset. Obviously there was a learning curve, but it was very easy to pick up the basics - a matter of hours in fact."
"MYOB Accounting was very user-friendly and made sense to me, right from the outset. Obviously there was a learning curve, but it was very easy to pick up the basics - a matter of hours in fact."
John Hunt
If fact, the MYOB software has not only impressed the Bottletop team, it's also won over their accountant. "Our accountant had never used MYOB software before doing our books, and to be honest she was a bit reluctant to learn. But now she's really pleased with the software and happy that she can offer a wider range of services to her clients."
On-screen help system
The software's ease of use is one reason why John has never yet had to call MYOB's Support Team. "The on-screen help system is good because it's always available from within the program and you can read it while you're working on the application. The printed manual is also useful - it's compact and easy to read. It lives on my desk at home and I often refer to it if I've got a question about how to do something."
Lowering accounting fees
For all businesses, keeping the books straight is not a luxury. It's an absolute necessity. Efficient accounting software makes financial record-keeping a natural part of day-to-day operations rather than a laborious additional task that sucks in scarce human resources. For a start-up, this can mean the difference between survival and failure.
Bottletop Design employs an accountant to help them keep an eye on their financial affairs. "I maintain the books on a day to day basis and submit reports to our accountant at the end of each calendar month," says John. "She enters all the other required information into MYOB Accounting and calls me to confirm when it's been done. It doesn't take her long at all to do this, which helps to keep down her professional fees."
Windows/Mac compatible software
"One thing that did concern us when we bought the software was the fact that our accountant uses a PC. We thought there might be some compatibility issues between her PC and our Mac, but there have been none. The MYOB accounts that we produce can be read easily on either type of computer."
"Despite our growth, it's been easy for us to keep tabs on what's going on. MYOB Accounting gives us a great overview of our accounts and a good feel for the company's overall financial health."
John Hunt
Great overview of company accounts
Now that Bottletop Design has survived the most critical period in the life of any business, John can look forward to the future with some confidence. "We've established a reputation for professionalism, creativity, reliability and successful delivery. Although the company has stayed the same size, we've got busier as we've diversified from 2D and 3D animation for TV and video to a complete graphics design service for web and print. Despite this growth, it's been easy for us to keep tabs on what's going on. MYOB Accounting gives us a great overview of our accounts and a good feel for the company's overall financial health."
And not a beige box in sight. | 
