This is my first post.....Hope I am doing it right!
I am training to become a Piano Technician. Part of this process is learning about the "Business" side of things. I was curious if any of you use a particular Accounting software or Contact Management software in your business.

Thanks in Advance!

Renee

I use Bento for a customer database on an iMac. I created the fields I wanted and also carry it on my iPhone. I don't use accounting software.

For accounting software, talk to your accountant and see what they are most comfortable with. Some accountants are real picky about what they like to work with. Talk to a couple accountants anyways, even if you want to do everything yourself. Some of the easier learning curves on user freindly software have caveats, they can let you input things into the wrong place if you are not aware, and cause snafu's later on at tax time.

I use Quickbooks Pro 2012 for accounting and Outlook for contact scheduling

I used to use KOrganizer (for Linux, not Windows or Mac) for scheduling. But now, I just use spreadsheets for everything.

LibreOffice Calc spreadsheets work cross-platform, are easily backed up, and are very customizable. Plus, LibreOffice is itself is completely free.

I've also started using the 3-2-1 Backup Philosophy for my files. For off-site storage, I just use Dropbox. Dropbox uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption.