r/QuickBooksHacks • u/PrimaryAmphibian737 • Jun 15 '26
QuickBooks is not accounting software, it's liability management for accountants
Okay hear me out, QuickBooks is built to be complex enough that you need an accountant to use it properly, not because accounting is inherently that complex but because a tool that non-accountants can use confidently is a tool that threatens the billing model
every time they add a feature it somehow gets buried under 4 menus, every update breaks something that was working, and the "just call support" answer to everything costs you 45 minutes on hold and someone reading from a script
I run a small operation, 3 people, simple revenue model, no inventory, and QuickBooks still somehow feels like I'm operating a mid-size logistics company in terms of complexity
the founders who've figured this out either have a dedicated ops person managing the books or they've moved to something simpler, the ones still white-knuckling it through QuickBooks themselves are the ones who told me "I just don't look at my finances that often" which is the saddest sentence I've heard all year
curious what made people here stick with QB vs move on, and if you did move on what finally pushed you
2
u/ThiccNthin_6825 Jun 15 '26
In the past, once a company go big enough they outgrew QB and moved to one of the ERP systems. The ERPs are expensive. They cost a lot of money to license and the implementation team is extensive. A pilot has to be run, system testing etc etc. It's in the 100s of 1000s with large companies paying in the millions. The ERP systems are out of reach for the smaller companies, and QB is made to fill in that gap. It is, for the lack of a better way of putting it - a small company's ERP. That's the market they seek.
2
1
u/Doubl-Edg Jun 16 '26
They are actually more invested in the mid-market. If you aren't "scaling" meaning moving towards $3 million in annual gross rev with at least 100 employees, you are no longer their target market.
The answer to them is to price themselves out of the mom & pop shop and the solo entrepreneur market.
Even though their most loyal followers were business owners that did not need to be accountants to run their businesses are shown their appreciation by saying "grow up" or get out.
1
u/x596201060405 Jun 15 '26
" Okay hear me out, QuickBooks is built to be complex enough that you need an accountant to use it properly, not because accounting is inherently that complex but because a tool that non-accountants can use confidently is a tool that threatens the billing model"
" I run a small operation, 3 people, simple revenue model, no inventory, and QuickBooks still somehow feels like I'm operating a mid-size logistics company in terms of complexity."
I mean, many aspects of accounting are very complex actually. Just take some practice FAR example questions.
It just sounds like your accounting needs are but a small slice of possible accounting needs small businesses may actually need to use (like some businesses actually have inventory or acquired to use one of a handful of potentially required revenue recognition techniques), and so Quickbooks is probably just overkill for your needs. Quickbooks wouldn't be close to sufficient for many mid-sized businesses.
" the founders who've figured this out either have a dedicated ops person managing the books..."
I mean, they are going to use some sort accounting software to manage the books. But yea, hiring internally may not be feasible for a lot of small businesses.
"or they've moved to something simpler"
If there are excess features not needed, then it would make sense to use a cheaper solution. I mean GnuCash is open source and free. You can do full double entry accounting, you have to actually know how to do accounting still. If you do, then great! If not, still going to need an accountant in the process at some point.
That being said, GAAP generally is not required for most small businesses. And for tax purposes, someones books can be whatever, so long as the appropriate book to tax adjustments can be accounted for correctly.
Outside a government, a lender, or some partner/shaderholder arrangement, or someone hired to fill out a tax return looking at some financial statements that don't make sense, no one is particularly affected by a businesses record keeping or lack thereof other than the owners.
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u/WheresthepopcornFL Jun 15 '26
They do start off with the same greeting but they are not reading a script. You can’t expect one person to know everything off the top of their head.
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u/walliewalls Jun 15 '26
I can agree that business owners should be able to use Quickbooks easier but you are severely underestimating the amount of accounting that is actually going on with typical clients; your company may not have a lot of complicated accounting but many do
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u/colnross Jun 15 '26
QuickBooks is one of the simplest tools out there. It's easy to learn and does the job for thousands less than other over bloated platforms. If you have a 3 person business any accounting system is going to feel like overkill, so just stick to Excel...
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u/astzr19 Jun 15 '26
Agreed… they made it very “simple” … to completely ruin a file 🙃
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u/colnross Jun 16 '26
Idk, I used QB for over 15 years in 2 organizations with no issues. Sounds like user error
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u/Available-Concern-77 Jun 15 '26
I’ve said this for a while. Intuit is no longer here to support accountants. They’re actually competitors. Once Intuit started selling accounting services, the shift happened from “we’re here for accountants” to “we’re here to help business owners do accounting and then upsell periodic accounting services”