Need a spreadsheet, book recommendations?

[Kayos]

Im currently using a generic small business spreadsheet for money in and out, but as my business grows I need something a little more bespoke.
Spreadsheets have never really featured in my life so while I can fill a template in I don't have the first clue about creating one from scratch.

What's the best book to buy? I'm running office 2010 on the pc but will probably use it with numbers on the iPad

It's probably not that complicated but it's something I've avoided all my life

 

[Parm]

Im currently using a generic small business spreadsheet for money in and out, but as my business grows I need something a little more bespoke.
Spreadsheets have never really featured in my life so while I can fill a template in I don't have the first clue about creating one from scratch.

What's the best book to buy? I'm running office 2010 on the pc but will probably use it with numbers on the iPad

It's probably not that complicated but it's something I've avoided all my life

I feel your pain

 

[addjunkie]

I have to agree. I have seen some absolute muppets build great careers on other peoples ideas into a spreadsheet.

Have you considered one of the pre build small buisness software packages pre built.

 

[rtbcomp]

I suspect there's a book called "Excel for Dummies", you may even be able to download a copy from Google Books. There's certainly an Excel forum that is very helpful.

Not sure what's available on the iPad, but make sure the PC and iPad spreadsheets are compatible. Some claim to be, but are not always

 

[Kayos]

I have to agree. I have seen some absolute muppets build great careers on other peoples ideas into a spreadsheet.

Have you considered one of the pre build small buisness software packages pre built.

Yeah but I'm from Yorkshire and that sounds expensive, I need something more than a 1 page spread sheet but less than a software package

I suspect there's a book called "Excel for Dummies", you may even be able to download a copy from Google Books. There's certainly an Excel forum that is very helpful.

Not sure what's available on the iPad, but make sure the PC and iPad spreadsheets are compatible. Some claim to be, but are not always

I've found the book on amazon, might research more before I spend £22....

 

[WorkshopChris]

Yeah but I'm from Yorkshire and that sounds expensive, I need something more than a 1 page spread sheet but less than a software package



I've found the book on amazon, might research more before I spend £22....

What about your local library as what you need to build a basic spread sheet will probably be in the first quarter of the dummies book, the rest will probably be more complex stuff.

 

[Kayos]

@Kayos might be worth £3 a month

http://uk.sageone.com/accounts/

Cheapest I can see is £6? But I would need some of the features of the full blown version and I can't justify £20 a month when I can buy the book for that and maybe do it myself. Maybe

 

[Luke]

Have a look at https://mybrightbook.com/

My dad's been self employed for a few years and it's working ok for him.

 

[rtbcomp]

You could keep an eye on charity shops, even if you get an old version it'll get you started and there's a decent help system within Excel. I wouldn't go down the monthly subscription route.

 

[rtbcomp]

http://bookboon.com/blog/2011/12/download-free-excel-ebooks/

https://capdtron.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/excel-2010-all-in-one-for-dummies.pdf

 

[RonA]

During my working life I started in a time where the basic calculators were a slide rule & the mechanical whirly gig calculator. In the 70's electronic calculators reared their ugly heads, later we had the first industrial computers on site which used Basic as a programming language. Nobody ever taught you how any of this advanced gear worked & you picked up as you went along. Eventuality I ended up reasonably proficient in basic & later C+. All of this came in extremely useful when Lotus 123 & later Excel turned up. Setting up a spreadsheet from scratch is basically computer programming albeit in a level up from machine code.
It never ceases to amaze me how many companies put in advanced gear yet fail to spend the effort or time showing their employees how to use it on even a very basic level. No wonder this countries gone to hell in a handcart.
RonA

 

[rtbcomp]

I used Lotus 1-2-3 for years before I realised you could write vBasic routines in it. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel is awesome.

 

[decca]

Yeah but I'm from Yorkshire and that sounds expensive, I need something more than a 1 page spread sheet but less than a software package



I've found the book on amazon, might research more before I spend £22....

I use VT.
It does all my book keeping Inc vat and it's a doddle to use.

 

[skotl]

I suspect that this is a lot more than you're looking to pay, but...

https://www.freeagent.com/

at £19 per month for a sole trader. Now... give me a minute... £240 is a ton of money each year (well, 2.4 tons to be exact) but the software claims to do away with your tax advisor, VAT analysis, etc. so may pay for itself. I'd also argue that if you charge yourself out at £10 an hour then this just needs to save you 2 hours a month to pay for itself.

I have no stake in the business, other than coming across the company while I was looking at a different business venture - my own business (legal software, so not related) is about freeing up time to allow small businesses to concentrate on what makes them money, so freeagent's message resonates.

It can sometimes (no guarantees!) make sense to spend more money to make more money...

 

[Kayos]

I'm not completely averse to spending money, I essentially want more info every month and year, so rather than just how much I've spent I want it broken down per supplier etc, I have to manually input the data so it will take no more effort once the spreadsheet is set up

 

[galooph]

Freeagent is excellent, I used it for my own business, and the company I work for now uses it too. Makes life a lot easier as it does an awful lot for you. I think I've still got a referral code that gives 10% off, if not, I should be able to get one from work, if you fancy it.

 

[Tiptop]

It sounds like you need to use a service like Rent a Coder (freelancer) to get your spreadsheet set up just how you want it.

 

[rockweasel]

I love my spreadsheets. Lotus 1-2-3 when it was floppies. Now I use Excel.
Although I've done a bit of programming and learned enough Visual Basic to make things appear to be more automated, I ended up using the KISS stupid model for my current spreadsheets. Built-in functions are faster than code (on my laptop anyway) and there's less to remember. You can look up Help on any given function for examples if you get stuck; but that piece of code you wrote 6 months ago and haven't looked at since is down to you to fault find if things go t*ts up or you want to amend it. Not fun as it always happens when you've 100 other things to do.

 

[rtbcomp]

There may be a problem looming with using a spreadsheet for your accounts, isn't there something about new tax rules whereby you'll have to submit accounts quarterly and use software approved by HMRC?

I used Sage when I ran a limited company because HMRC and my accountants understood it. I used Lotus 1-2-3 for quotes, costings &c.

 

[Kayos]

There may be a problem looming with using a spreadsheet for your accounts, isn't there something about new tax rules whereby you'll have to submit accounts quarterly and use software approved by HMRC?

I used Sage when I ran a limited company because HMRC and my accountants understood it. I used Lotus 1-2-3 for quotes, costings &c.

They have postponed it until next year, my understanding is they will supply free software if it's mandatory.

I use the cash in/cash out method and I think they want to stop that, as it's easy to make a mistake or lie when it's 3 line accounts