This is not a product review, but rather a bit of a plug for 3 products that really should be 1. If you have trouble setting plans, recording your books and billing and invoicing then these tools may be for you.
First PlanHQ allows you to build a collaborative plan with your partners and advisors. There is tons of accountability and realtime reports on how your organization is doing. I am not sure if there is actual business planning involved but it definitely helps you execute.
Here's a demo.
Bootstrap is a piece of software that will help you track expenses and income on a day by day level to help you manage cash flow. It also forecasts your tax payment (only for 1099 IRS forms for the US, unfortunately). It is free right now -- so get on board the beta test period. A product demo is available on their website.
Finally FreshBooks has been around for a while and is a Toronto company. They specialize in sending invoices and bills by email or regular mail. They will help you get paid on time, and even benchmark you against others in the same field as you. Their product has been integrated with Bootstrap so invoices you receive can be automagically inserted into Bootstrap to keep track of cash flow and your real-time profitability. There's nothing like knowing you are in the bold, dark black, rather than deep RED!
I think these 3 products bolted together would make one hell of a operational package for small business. If you have tried any of these please comment below and let us know how it's worked out for you.
And a little about lightweight businesses from Tim at PlanHQ...
