From time to time we spotlight an IAC-EZ user. In this blog, we’re shining the spotlight on Actuali Design.
Actuali Design makes beautiful custom handmade cards for various occasions. I’d try to describe them but words won’t convey what they’re like. So, visit her store to see her cards! (I bought a card and it looks even better when you’re holding it in your hand).
Now here’s the amazing thing: Actuali Design is run by a young lady named Ali and she’s a high school student from Canada. Ali has done a great job of making the leap from enjoying a hobby to creating a successful business based on that hobby… at a time in her life when her peers are not nearly as focused on similar pursuits.
Our fearless leader, Heather Villa, had an email conversation with her recently and was impressed by her business drive and creativity. Heather will be blogging a little more about her and her business over at HeatherVilla.com.
Ali, we at IAC-EZ would like to wish you the very best in your business!
Two of the videos we received as part of our “Why I Love IAC-EZ” video testimonial contest were so excellent, we’re happy to announce that both are winners of one free year of IAC-EZ! Congratulations to Howard Yermish and George Inglis and thanks for sharing your experiences!
Each brief video offers important tips on how these business owners are using IAC-EZ for the benefit of their company. To learn more, be sure to check them out:
IAC-EZ has an amazing community of users, and Howard and George are two great examples. Don’t be shy – if you’d like to tell us why you love IAC-EZ (either in writing or by video), just let us know!
We love our customers! From time to time we’ll feature a customer in this blog so you can see how other freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners are using IAC-EZ for their business’ bookkeeping.
So much of today’s business is done through the internet. To generate revenue from the web, organizations need to operate a website or a blog. That can take time just to create, and even more time to maintain. There can also be some challenging technical factors that require expertise to resolve.
David Szpunar is the founder of Redeemer Systems, LLC, a company that helps businesses with their web presence and other IT needs.
Recently, we sat down with David to ask him about his business and about how he uses IAC-EZ.
Here’s the conversation:
What does your company do?
A little bit of many computer-related things. I have a day job, but I set up Redeemer Systems so I could pursue some work on the side. Mostly, I work with the WordPress blogging/content management software installing or upgrading it or doing setup tasks. Occasionally I’ll do some WordPress Plugin programming or tweaking. I specifically don’t do design as that’s not one of my strengths. I also do some general web maintenance and have done some computer and network purchasing and setup for local businesses.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your business?
Time. I’m sure every side business faces time issues and Redeemer Systems is not unique in that regard. The recent holidays were great though, with several projects at once and time off from the day job to work on them, things went great! I have to make sure I’m spending time with my wife and two kids (one is still on the way, so for a few more months I get a two-fer when spending time with my wife!). Fortunately, because Redeemer Systems is not my main source of income, it’s quite nice but not strictly necessary financially, which in this economy is a blessing. That also means that there aren’t many other business-related challenges to deal with at the moment, regardless of other personal or family ones.
Why did you choose IAC-EZ? What were you using before?
I was just using FreshBooks by itself. Which is great for time tracking but doesn’t track the whole financial picture. The fact that IAC-EZ integrated with FreshBooks was probably the biggest impetus to trying it in the first place. I found it when I saw a forum post by Heather Villa in the FreshBooks forums, in a thread listing several online bookkeeping services. I looked at several, but the FreshBooks sync and the active development and customer service is why I’m still using IAC-EZ.
I recently formed Redeemer Systems, LLC to create a vehicle for the informal side work I’ve been doing for the past year or two, so technically Redeemer Systems, LLC is brand new as of January 5th of this year. While what I’m doing hasn’t really changed, with the formality of an actual company I’ve spent some time setting up more structure and IAC-EZ is so far my choice for bookkeeping to go along with FreshBooks that I already use and love (there are FreshBooks alternatives that I’ve looked at, but third party services like IAC-EZ tend to integrate only with FreshBooks if anything at this point, because they are the largest and most well-known, and likely have the most developed integration systems and API in place to tie things together).
What benefits does IAC-EZ offer over your previous bookkeeping method?
I actually know where my outgoing money is going and not just incoming like FreshBooks provides! I’m also enthusiastic about having a ready-to-go list of business expenses for taxes and tax deductions next year!
What IAC-EZ features do you like the most, and why?
FreshBooks import is my favorite by far. Why? It saves time. I often log into IAC-EZ and, because I’m doing such low volume right now, there’s nothing to do. I get to enter an expense here or there, but FreshBooks import makes it almost too easy. I can track my time, send invoices, and record payments over there and all I have to do is log in and IAC-EZ knows all about it.. I did find one bug in the system which had to do with some peculiarities with the FreshBooks API but I couldn’t be more satisfied with the way and speed with which Heather Villa and her team handled it. I think my issue was verified within hours and fixed within 24 hours or something, I’d have to look at my email history to be sure, but it was really that fast. With ample communication along the way.
I’m not a big customer service user; I’m a big reader and I tend to figure stuff out for myself and only make contact as a last resort (I’d say 90% of the time or more, when I contact customer service it’s because it’s technologically impossible for me to resolve the issue myself and it requires personal attention). Because I only contact Customer Service anywhere when it really matters, it’s very good when I get a fast and accurate response and action, rather than getting lost among many others who might be asking questions that they could find the answers to in the FAQ (which I probably read in its entirety already )So far, the customer service has been awesome and I’d say even above and beyond the call of duty in helpfulness.
What are your goals for the next year?
I’m looking at adding more structure and possibly some pre-defined services rather than just taking jobs as they come. I don’t see the as-they-come stuff going away; that is the whole reason I’m actually doing this in the first place! It doesn’t usually make sense to turn away look that comes looking for you. But I’d like to set up some core services that I know I can quickly and reliably provide and offer them to the public.
David has some exciting plans for the future and IAC-EZ is thrilled about growing with Redeemer Systems.
Good luck, David, both in your growing business and with your growing family!
Imagine spending more of your valuable time and resources on growing your business instead of administrative work; imagine focusing your energy on your customers instead of on your bookkeeping; imagine making better business decisions based on more accurate information rather than on estimates and guesswork. IAC-EZ helps you to run your business more efficiently and profitably with our easy-to-use bookkeeping interface that does all the hard work for you! Save time, money and effort while you grow your business. Meet the team, take the tour, and sign up for your free trial.
)So far, the customer service has been awesome and I’d say even above and beyond the call of duty in helpfulness.
