How To Create An Efficient Accounting Kitchen
Kitchens are where we learn some of life's most important lessons.
::Together With Financial Cents::
Billing and Proposals is live in both the US and Canada now. Imagine the freedom of integrating this directly into your workflow!
Does your current tech setup feel like a crowded counter of half-used gadgets?
Let’s sharpen the knives, clear the clutter, and prep a streamlined spread that keeps your firm cooking with gas.
Why Cloud Apps Are the Modern Convection Oven
Accessibility & device independence
Automatic backups and server storage redundancy
Centralized, real-time data
Fewer maintenance headaches
Predictable pricing
Integrations & collaboration
The Pantry Staples of a Modern Firm
Document management
Dext, Hubdoc
General ledger
Campfire, Freshbooks, QBO, Xero
Payment processing
Bill, Melio, Paypal, Plooto, Ramp, Stripe, Square
Payroll
ADP, Gusto, Onpay, Wagepoint
Reporting
Fathom, LiveFlow, G-Accon, Reach, Spotlight
Specialty apps
E-commerce (A2X, Bookkeep, Synder)
Efficiency (FinOptimal, RightTool)
Inventory
Backups and security
2FA authenticators (Authy, Google, Microsoft)
Backup apps (CloudHQ, Rewind)
Password managers (1password, Dashlane)
Communication
Email (Google, Microsoft)
Form builder (Cognito, Google/Microsoft, Jotform, Typeform)
Meeting (Meet, Slack, Teams, Zoom)
Online scheduler (Acuity, Calendly, TidyCal)
Signature (Adobe - integrates with Financial Cents, Docusign, Signwell - soon to integrate with QBO)
Efficiency & intelligence
AI in many forms and iterations
Marketing
AI, Canva, Grammarly, Social media, Website
Practice management
Client tasks & communication, firm tasks & communications, proposals, time tracking
Fun & Efficient
AI, of course…
Marketing, spelling & grammar, coding, data verification
Text expanders
Widescreen monitor
Ahhhh… I love my setup! The widescreen monitor is extra deep so I can access those action buttons at the bottom of apps, and the little colorful gadget under my riser is my Stream deck.
My Can’t Live Without Ingredients
Financial Cents is the foundation app that holds our firm together.
We run our client work and our business with it.
Form builder - Typeform
LLM - GhatGPT
Online scheduler - TidyCal
Password manager & 2FA generator - 1Password + Google Authenticator
Practice manager (CRM/proposals/client & team communication/workflow) - Financial Cents
Video recorder - Loom
Workspace suite - Google
Selecting Ingredients Carefully is Key To A Great Meal
Yes - It suits the meal you are planning.
API & integrations
Creates efficiency or automation
Corporate culture fit
Evolving and iterating
Feature fit
Price
Support
No - just because all your friends are raving about it (I personally can’t stand “truffle oil” anything).
Making Sure the Tools Pass the Taste Test
Features alone are not enough. UX/UI is one of the biggest factors.
If you, your clients and your team don’t love it, they won’t use it well, or possibly at all.
UX/UI creates ease of use, confidence, and comfort when using the app.
Clean, consistent design
Consistent branding
Simplicity
Speed & performance
Financial Cents: The Sous-Chef That Never Sleeps
Automation (with dependencies for the win)
Client task reminders, change tags, recurring projects, send emails, start a new project
Billing and proposals
Chats
Client and team-facing, broken into topics
Folders
Drag & drop
Open docs in the app (annotate in-app is coming)
Integrations
Doc storage coming, QBO, Zapier
Settings
Customizable for branding, integrations, notifications, time zone
Templates
Email, workflows, folders
Template library
UI/UX
Confetti bursts (fun is underrated)
Simple, intuitive, with a ton of “quality of life” features
Universal search
Totally, absolutely universal
Workflow
Custom upload buttons
Custom recurring dates/days for projects
Sections for client and team tasks
So many little things
Great kitchens don’t run themselves, but smart mise en place makes service feel effortless. Audit your tech pantry, prep your processes, and keep the heat on the work that truly feeds your firm.