USA Simple desktop program search - OSX

[NoClue101]

Hope my screen name says it all. I'm a renaissance gal and can do just about anything from home improvements to web design/coding - except accounting. I've been searching and searching for something that can do what I need without being overly complex - and especially never charging monthly fees - which is the corner most accounting software is backing everyone into.

I have a brand new drop shipping business of custom made to order items http://www.gatorpromo.com, with one supplier and one product (more to come eventually).

I take the order, Invoice the client, get paid, and send the order to the manufacturer who builds and ships it or provides will call.
The manufacturer bills me right back for my cost, and my system will figure out the rest.
Some clients are tax exempt, others are not. (I have a resale license, EIN etc. - all the legal stuff is in place)
Some clients have different bill to, and ship to entities.
I have a mobile credit card setup in place (www.flint.com) though it doesn't hook into anything other than Quickbooks online and I want to stay away from eternal monthly fees. I would reconsider another one if it interfaced with the program.
I have no employees for the foreseeable future, and if this runs right, shouldn't need any, as all it is, is pushing orders.

I'd like to automate as much of this as possible. Like an estimate can turn into an invoice which creates an email order to the manufacturer to build/ship - once it is marked as paid or if it has terms.

I started doing invoices manually, in Pages temporarily, but of course it causes redundant data entry among other things. I need to get into something fast with as little learning curve as possible. I'm a creative type and accounting is my weakest skill. I found a free online solution in www.waveapps.com - it comes very close to perfect, but is lacking speed and features I need, just barely enough to make it drop off the list.

A huge additional ask - is CRM, but I have a decent one in place. It's just a redundant entry into a separate system is all...but in an ideal world having a full contact database with email histories, and date/time stamped notes right in the accounting program would be awesome.

I've downloaded and previewed many accounting softwares, and the defacto standard answer "Quickbooks for Mac" is more than I would ever need - it's just a bit too complex for my needs and skill sets. Setting it up to have cross talk between a bank account, invoices, manufacturer order, income, etc. gives me dizziness and a headache. lol

I know what I want is simple, but not to me, so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Becky]

This is a bump - your post went into the moderation queue because of all the links. Welcome to the forum!

 

[NoClue101]

Thanks for the notice, I just figured inactivity from the forum, meanwhile I've been using the waveapps onine for now, it's decent for what it is and we're not doing tons of transactions for the beginning so it's a good time to play wth options.

I went with a seperate CRM so I can change to a difffernt acocunting system if needed and not be at risk of losing time or data. If I could fnd the right desktop software though it's certainly something I'm interested in. Online has it's good points too though, being able to invoice while on the road from one's phone etc. - it's the monthly fees we can do without.

 

[smallbushelp]

I'm sorry NoClue, but it sounds like you're looking for "something for nothing." Good quality software that can do everything you're looking for costs money. I don't believe you're going to find it for free. There is good quality desktop software out there that doesn't have monthly fees but as you know, technology changes, and you'll need to upgrade it every so often.

If accounting isn't your forte, I would suggest that you invest in some good software and a good accountant to help you with it. My feeling is that you'll save time and aggravation - which equates to money - over the long run.

Good luck.

 

[NoClue101]

I'm sorry NoClue, but it sounds like you're looking for "something for nothing."

Thanks for the reply and you have some good input, however nowhere did I say I wanted anything for free. I mentioned waveapps but that was it.
No monthly fee isn't asking for anything free - it's just stating the deisre to avoid the "pay for life" scheme being pushed by so many right now.
So for now I prefer desktop software - it even may have upgrades and improvements available in new revisions which should only be optional. What's unacceptable and heinously evil are software companies which put a poison pill in their programs to stop working fully after a short time - forcing a full version upgrade to restore it's fundamental functionality. It makes one Quicken their pace to escape away, and not In-to-it.

 

[3Dmerchant]

First, I know your business. I've owned a company in the same vertical for over a decade so I have the exact same needs.

• Quickbooks online doesn't work for the business- can't remember exactly why, but every time I review my options, I come to the same conclusion.
• There isn't a perfect all-in-one solution that will do everything you want via desktop.
• I've never used QB CRM, but I heard it's horrible and there's reasons to choose others.

I decided long ago that QB is the best solution for my accounting. I've tried others. I used the Mac and switched back to PC using Parallels.
I download my bank statements (revenues) and credit card (expenses) into QB. I don't record every order there- As my company grew, I decided it wasn't worth the work, nor was trying to sync data with other sources. Desktop QB is not a good way to manage CRM and estimating unless you're a homebody; cloud is far more useful and efficient. I made my online store the master of all order data; with a couple of clicks it automatically generates the PO. For sales tax, it's a manual process. I export my orders monthly in a spreadsheet; sales tax is it's own field, so if there's none there, and all I need to do is file $0 FL return.

Here's a good example of a cloud solution for CRM and ecommerce, even if you're manually entering the orders. http://www.crm4ecommerce.com/magento-zoho-synchronization.html