Xero is Our Hero for Small Business Bookkeeping

QuickBooks® has a foothold in the world of small business. But cloud-based accounting software Xero™ is our top pick — especially for creative services firms and nonprofits. And I’ll tell you why.

QuickBooks (the software in a box) and now QuickBooks Online has served untold thousands of businesses quite well. Many accountants I know love and swear by QuickBooks. It’s what they’re most familiar with, and they’re not likely to recommend anything else, anytime soon.

When Moxie Met Xero

We felt the same way. For years, we wouldn’t recommend anything other than QuickBooks. But that changed when we met a prospective client who was already using Xero. While I was initially reluctant to learn a new platform, the opportunity with this client was just too good for us to pass up.

I soon became a raving fan and, before I knew it, was evangelizing Xero to other clients. The tipping point for total Xero fandom was when I realized that a key executive at QuickBooks (someone I knew personally) left the company to join Xero. I thought, if he could make the full leap, Moxie could, too.

Why Xero Gets Our Vote

Fast forward to today, and now more than 100 of our clients use and enjoy Xero. Our other clients use QuickBooks, and we’re happy to continue to work with both platforms. But more and more, we’re encouraging our small business and nonprofit clients to consider Xero.

Here’s why we recommend Xero:

Its interface is visually cleaner. Xero calls itself beautiful, and we agree. QuickBooks was designed by tech engineers and, to this day, still doesn’t offer the best user experience. The creative professionals we work with — photographers, designers, makers, web developers, et al — appreciate Xero’s design and generally find it easier to use.

Processes are more streamlined. With Xero, it’s easier to know what tasks a user needs to do next — and some tasks are automated. For example, with QuickBooks you have to reconcile banking transactions with invoices and expenses. Xero skips that step and does the initial reconciliation for you. Then it flags anything needing your attention.

Xero is innovating in a way that Intuit (QuickBooks’ parent company) isn’t. I think it’s fair to say that most every meaningful update that’s been made to QuickBooks Online has been borrowed from Xero. Regular innovation means a better accounting platform and one that’s focused on the needs of its customers. Who can argue with that?

We’re a Xero Gold Certified Advisor

Moxie became certified in Xero back in 2012, after we’d been using it for almost two years. (We’re certified in QuickBooks, too, by the way.) We were one of the first bookkeeping firms to make the leap to Xero and, being early adopters, we attained “gold” advisor status pretty quickly. (Gold is related to how many bookkeeping clients you have using Xero, and it’s also a designation that represents platform knowledge.)

As a gold-level advisor, we offer Xero setup and training services. We’re available to help businesses migrate their books from QuickBooks to Xero, although Xero’s customer services can do this, as well.

Think Xero Could Be Your Hero, Too?

If you’re a current Moxie client and are considering Xero, share your interest with me. Here’s my email address, in case you don’t have it handy.

A next step could be taking advantage of Xero’s 30-day free trial. (No credit card is required. Nice.) Then, you can experiment with Xero using a demo company that’s been set up.

If you’re new to Moxie’s bookkeeping services and would like our help with Xero, you can book a free consultation with us. My first question to you will likely be this: Are your books current and clean? If not, we’ll want to help you remedy that before you move to Xero.

A word of caution: Switching to Xero at the beginning of the calendar year might seem like the best time for the change. But it’s usually the worse, due to everything else most businesses deal with in first quarter. Third and fourth quarter are typically better.

You can learn more about Xero here and watch a short video about its top features. There’s a lot to love with this accounting software, as you’ll see.

Are you a Xero fan?

Or is there a feature you wish it had that it doesn’t? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below.