If you ask a random person to name the first accounting software that comes to mind, QuickBooks will likely be their answer.
Intuit?s QuickBooks took the business world by storm, rocketing to stardom (especially in small business circles) and landing squarely on the pedestal reserved for all software unicorns.
Even today, with so many software options available, QuickBooks is still seen as being just as bright, shiny, and rainbow colored as it was many years ago. And that has helped this powerful unicorn (sporting the classic green associated with the company) remain number one.
Over 4.3 million customers rely on QuickBooks. And that makes having a solid understanding of how the software works a quintessential skill for small business ownersand many accountants.
But, if you?re running a business, you might not have the funds available to dedicate to paid training. Luckily, there are ways to learn how to make this unicorn sing for you without a big financial investment on your part.
Here are 11 resources to get you started:
1. QuickBooks Tutorials
When you?re looking for information on a program, sometimes it?s best to turn to the unicorn that began it all. Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks, offers easy to follow video tutorials for small businesses and accountants that use the software.
The information is highly accessible and designed to help you accomplish a wide variety of tasks with ease.
2. QuickBooks Learning Center
Another great source of information provided by Intuit is through the QuickBooks Learning Center. This feature is included in the software through the help menu.
You can access quick learning modules, download PDF guides, and connect with other users for guidance all through this learning portal.
3. QuickBooks-Training.net
While this site primarily focuses on paid training options, they also provide access to free webinars.
QuickBooks users may be especially interested in the QB Power Hour, a webinar series focused on giving viewers the skills they need to become QuickBooks power users.
Additional webinars focus on popular topics like taxes and various tips that can help you get the most out of the program.
4. QuickBooks Training
QuickBooks Training is a second site that concentrates on paid options, but also provides access to free how-to style tutorials and articles.
Most of the free content is geared towards beginners, with videos being only a few minuteslong, so it can be a great place to start if you need to get a grip on the basics.
5. Fit Small Business
Divided into seven lessons, Fit Small Business provides a wide range of information in digestible chunks.
In total, there are 39 video tutorials available covering such topics as ?how to manually enter business credit card transactions,? ?how to handle bounced checks from customers,? and ?how to run an accounts payable aging report.?
Cumulatively, these offerings are more intensive than some others, so it?s a strong option for those who need to dig a little deeper than the surface.
6. GCF Learn Free
GFCLearnFree.org is known for its free learning tutorials. It provides access to some QuickBooks resources designed to help you get started with the desktop or online versions of the software.
The information provided is very basic and even includes advice for purchasing the program.
If you?re starting from the very beginning, it could be a great stop. However, anyone who has already done some initial set up may be better served by other sources.
7. QuickBooks Explained
Another source of video tutorials, QuickBooks Explained takes a different approach regarding the structure of the information. Some of the segments are longer, so they are more comprehensive than the offerings at certain other sites.
There are also shorter videos for handling specific tasks, giving you an alternative to the longer form segments.
QuickBooks Explained also has a newsletter that may include information about new developments in the software, so it could be worth exploring as well.
8. Udemy
Udemy is a large scale learning platform, combining access to free and paid classes. The QuickBooks offerings that you can access at no cost vary in topics, with some being general and others being task specific.
Unlike some other platforms, you can read user reviews (when available) to help you decide if a course is right for you, and you can also see how many people are taking the class now.
New classes may be created at any time, so don?t be afraid to check back regularly to see the latest course offerings that may become available.
9. Dummies
Most people are familiar with the Dummies brand thanks to the helpful instructional and information book series that made the company famous. But many people don?t realize you can access information and articles online for free.
While the content isn?t as comprehensive as you would find in the newest versions of the books, there is a lot of helpful information in there, some of which is in tutorial form.
A quick search yielded over 1,000 titles associated with QuickBooks, so you might be able to find details about more advanced techniques here.
10. Better Bottom Line
Better Bottom Line has numerous free PDF guides that focus more on information and less on direct instruction.
However, there are handy guides for learning what?s new in the latest edition of QuickBooks as well as FAQs about upgrades.
11. LinkedIn Learning
While this site isn?t technically free, you can get a 30-day free trial that can help you get a lot of QuickBooks (and other) training at no cost.
If you do choose this route, and you don?t want to pay for the subscription after, make sure to keep track of when your trial ends. Otherwise, you?ll automatically get charged the monthly fee for the next month?s service.
About The Author
Larry Kim is the CEO of Mobile Monkey and founder of WordStream. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
