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Previous: Execs prefer print to email Would you rather be your own boss than an employee? If so, you're not alone. According to research conducted for Intuit, 72 percent of Americans aspire to run their own business. And, according to figures from the US Small Business Administration, in 2004, there were 19.5 million small businesses in the US that don't have employees. That's a whole lot of small, independent business owners. Small business has always been the backbone of the US economy. But in the last decade or two, changing technology has empowered more micro-entrepreneurs - those home-based business and businesses with no employees - to start and build profitable businesses. Now, if you're itching to start a business, at least one big business - Intuit - is ready to lend a helping hand in several ways. First, as part of the new Just Start campaign, Intuit is offering its QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software at no cost. Yes, for free. It's for real. It's directly from Intuit. The software, which previously sold for $99, is easy to use and refers to finances in terms that make sense to people who aren't accountants. Instead of receivables and payables, it tracks money in and money out. You enter and pay bills, you create estimates, write invoices, receive payments, and make deposits in your bank account. Customers and vendors are tracked within the software, too. So, you have all your business financial data in one place, organized and readily available. You can download the Quickbooks Simple Start Accounting software for free from www.IWillJustStart.com. Chance to Win Startup Cash, Too To enter the contest you'll need to describe your business dream, explain what you need to do to make it happen, and how you'd use the Intuit "Just Start" business grant to get the business rolling. Entries must be submitted by Dec. 15, 2007. Winners will be announce at the end of January 2008. For additional information and to enter the contest visit www.IWillJustStart.com Posted on October 15, 2007 at 4:51 PM | Comments (4)Comments The way I see it - they have to release free versions to compete with the open source products that are just as good or better than the commercial versions. Of course, I assume this “free” version from Intuit is pared down, so they “give” you this “free” version and then when you actually want to use it, you’ll have to upgrade to the paid version. Microsoft does the same thing. Posted by: Jon on October 16, 2007 at 10:15 AM Peachtree offered their software for free via a rebate, and I got the package. Then I was constantly getting mail and email from them about buying the next version. There was no way for me to stop the flow of information by opting out, so I changed my registration information to their home office address. Not that my quicken and quickbooks mailings ever go away, but they were not as intense. I vaguely recall a rebate offer in the past that offered the software free, or nearly free. Microsoft also gave away their small business accounting package in 2005 as a part of their small business summit. It was also packaged with the entire MS Office suite. They haven’t followed up as intensely as the others, mostly offering small business resources by email. I call this the drug pusher tactic: give it to people, get them hooked and unable to stop, and then you make money with repeat purchases. I’m going to go signup now for the free software, cause I’m hooked. Posted by: Jonathan Pletzke on October 23, 2007 at 5:35 PM Free software is definately becoming more and more available as companies compete for more customers. Its slowly becomming more important to have the attention of the widest audience possible as technologies make it easier to develop quickly for an ever-broadening audience. I commend big companies that are agile enough to jump on the bandwagon. Posted by: Free Inventory User on December 26, 2007 at 1:12 PM |
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Intuit Offers Free QuickBooks Startup Software & a Chance to Win $50,000
We talked a little about this today over at Pervasive DataSolutions, interesting move. My guess is we will see plenty more of the entry level packages begin a move towards free. I wonder if Peachtree is next?
Posted by: Bjacaruso on October 15, 2007 at 5:57 PM