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Eric Jones inquires about our courses every day, but he also has a message to share

Who is Eric Jones - online sales training by EzyLearn

When you’re a business owner you see all sorts of things that employees don’t normally see. I get to see every online course enquiry for all our courses and its interesting to see what students want to learn but Eric Jones takes the cake.

Eric and his friends enter their details into our enquiry form at least once a day. He wants to learn everything and in ever format possible but want he really wants is tell his own story..

Continue reading Eric Jones inquires about our courses every day, but he also has a message to share
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Should we rename Bookkeeping Academy to Office Academy?

The-Career-Academy-for-EzyLearn-Online-MYOB-Xero-QuickBooks-and-Microsoft-Office-and-Excel-Training-39-cropped

The Bookkeeping Academy is a membership program designed to help our graduates get more training and exposure to find work. We have a lot of Bookkeeping course students who want to learn how to use MYOB and Xero but many of our students are looking for office admin and business admin jobs.

One of the biggest differences between Office Admin and Business Admin jobs relates to business finances and strategy.

Business Admin jobs pay more because you perform tasks that relate directly to the profitability of the business. These tasks relate to both the initial strategy and the financial reporting so they consider all aspects of the business.

Our Career Academy include the following services:

  1. Course Refresher – Cheap ongoing course access and support
  2. Bookkeeping Academy membership – online exposure via National Bookkeeping directory
  3. Job Getter – actively help you find a job that suits your skills and experience
  4. Online Affiliate – work with you to earn an online income
  5. EzyLearn Tutor – help students work through our training programs
  6. Remote Contractor – find office admin and business admin work
Bookkeeping Career Academy short courses in MYO, Xero and QuickBooks Online - get certified

When you look at these services do you think we should rename our academy from Bookkeeping to Office Academy?

Discover the courses that give you discounted membership to the Bookkeeping Academy.

If you have an opinion please send a reply email (if you are a subscriber).

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Over 100 Microsoft Excel files to practise and FREE Excel Beginners sample course materials

Learn how to use Microsoft Excel in our Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Excel Training Courses

I don’t think I’ve spent much time mentioning how many sample files you get when you enrol into the Excel Complete Microsoft Excel Course Package.

There are over 100 Excel course practise files and they cover all sorts of different topics including:

  • databases,
  • calculations and formulas, and
  • graphs and charts.

Most of these files come from the work that I have been involved with over several different businesses.

These Excel course practise files are all unlocked and open so you are also free to use them for your own personal use or business use. Some of the personal uses include calculating your mortgage repayments and figuring out how to reduce your mortgage faster.

There are also practise files to help with forecasting, managing a large contact database and visually showing what the numbers mean using useful charts.

Here is some other information you might not be aware of about our online Microsoft Excel courses:

Excel online training course FREE sample course workbook
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MYOB Business Courses 50% OFF

Get 50% Off MYOB Business Courses!

MYOB Business is the online version of MYOB that now has a full feature set that is desired by small business owners.

MYOB Business now the features that make MYOB better value for money than Xero and at half the price and better payroll features for 2-3 employees it’s the go to accounting software for micro businesses.

We’ve noticed an increase in MYOB Business Course enrolments since their last major upgrade and it might have something to do with their partnership with Bunnings.

Upskill in the newest MYOB online accounting software with our individual MYOB Business short courses.

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MYOB Business vs Xero comes down to payroll

MYOB Business is better value than Xero for small businesses with 2-3 employees

MYOB is far better value for micro businesses with 2 or so employees. When you go past the current marketing discounts and look at the regular monthly rate MYOB is far better value for money at $31 per month vs Xero who charges $70 per month.

Micro businesses are massive employers even though they only have a small number of employees yet they have some of the hardest work to do.

These small business employees have to do all the same administration tasks that larger companies (with more staff) do while also stretching themselves to keep their customers happy.

1-Learn-Beginner-Level-Payroll-skills-with-Trim-and-Styles-Hairdressing-salon-Payroll-training-course-and-Certificate-using-QuickBooks-Xero-and-MYOB

Xero’s pricing has been criticised recently because they’ve continuously increasing prices almost every year despite the hardships that small businesses are going through.

If you are making the switch back to MYOB from Xero or starting a micro business from scratch you can learn everything you need to know with the MYOB Business COMPLETE Course package, including:

  • Daily tasks like quotes, invoices and payments
  • Weekly tasks like credit management (A/R and A/P)
  • Payroll Administration tasks
  • End of Month tasks like bank reconciliation and financial reporting, and
  • Quarterly tasks like lodging your Business Activity statements.

See what is included in the MYOB Business COMPLETE Course package

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The $600 Shed that really cost $4,000

Garden shed being erected at Windale investment property - office admin courses - Advanced Xero Projects Course

House renovations and improvements are interesting projects which need good project management skills. Several years ago I had to erect a shed for a tenant and to show how naïve I was about building back then I just saw a nice sized shed advertised for $600 and thought that would do the trick – good size and nice and cheap.

Job Tracking, Projects in Xero, MYOB AccountRight & QuickBooks Online Training Courses to report profits for tradies and builders - garden shed

Luckily I had a friend who was much handier than me and some staff who could help with the project.

Job Tracking (in MYOB) and Projects in Xero is a system where you can allocate job numbers to transactions and then run reports to show the income and expenses that relate to that job number. Seems pretty simple right?

The problem with proper project and job tracking is that it involves many people making sure that they use that job number. Not just office admin staff but the trades people who are working on site need to keep track of every aspect of the job.

tradie pouring concrete for concrete slab for garden shed - project and job tracking in cloud accounting bookkeeping training courses (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)

In this case study you’ll see how the trades people going to Bunnings to buy screws and wood for the concrete slab need to keep track of their expenses, just like the tradies who picked up the 10 bags of cement from the depot.

A tricky transactions was when they needed the help of another staff member to come and help put the roof on the shed. This person had to come from another work site, spend 30 minutes helping and then driving back to the other site – it was 1.5 hours of time that needs to be tracked as an expense!

Learn Job Tracking in MYOB and Projects in Xero

Learn how to manage the income and expenses for job tracking using both MYOB and Xero in The $600 Shed Case Study with the Advanced Xero and MYOB Courses. Read other blog articles relating to Xero Projects.

Combine these skills with good credit management skills and you can ensure that your business doesn’t lose money when working on small or large projects for clients.

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Advanced Xero Training Course Workbook for Cashflow, Budgeting and ROI is now available for Immediate download

Advanced Certificate in Xero Cash-flow, Reporting, Budgets, ROI and Credit Management

This Advanced Xero training workbook BUNDLE follows on from the BAS course case study of Jerry’s Messy Startup and continues Jerry Lames small business endeavours for The Next Quarter.

You’ll learn how to import transaction data for 3 months of bank statement activity and produce advanced financial reports to learn about and interpret the financial results for his business.

Advanced Certificate in Xero Cash-flow, Reporting, Budgets, ROI and Credit Management

This Advanced Xero Course workbook goes deeper into understanding the financial results of bad business decisions on cashflow and credit management. Many small business owners use all of the money in their bank account because they see it is there and available to them when they can instead chose options that help their cashflow.

Jerry uses digital marketing to find clients for his various businesses and in particular uses HiPages to attract leads. HiPages is a project bidding site just like Airtasker, Bark and ServiceSeeking and this case study looks at whether you are better off getting your own website and using Google Ads to attract people to your business directly.

I’ve written about project bidding websites a few times in the past and am not a huge fan for various reasons. See some of the articles I’ve written about project bidding websites.

Don’t get me wrong, project bidding websites are handy and cheap compared to creating your own website and running Google Ads campaigns but the main winner is the project bidding websites themselves.

Bella interviewed some EzyLearn course graduates and one of the interviews with Jo-Anne, a Registered BAS Agent in Melbourne, revealed a great way to use Bark.com when you’re starting a bookkeeping business.

In this case study Jerry buys a small warehouse for his business so he doesn’t have to bring clients to his house and we explore alternative ways that this “capital purchase” could have occurred.

Buy your copy of the Advanced Xero Course in Cashflow, Budgets and Return on Investment Workbook

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Is Jerry Lames Next Quarter Normal?

Quarterly revenue and profit growth - business admin training course decisions - master financial reporting using Quickbooks, MYOB and Xero Courses

I wrote about the messy startup for Jerry’s new business venture. It is used in the BAS Courses for QuickBooks, MYOB and Xero and in The Next Quarter case study you’ll see the results of Jerry’s business decisions and how some of his financial transactions have turned out.

You’ll get enough information from the financial reports to advise Jerry how to make future decisions for his business – particularly when it relates to cashflow, credit management and purchases.

In The Next Quarter Bookkeeping Course case study we look at Jerry’s financial reports and start to keep better track of income vs expenditure as well as better ways to use his money (like buying assets vs paying off loans).

Jerry will also have the knowledge to make product and services decisions because he’ll know what is selling well and where he is making more profit.

Xero Advanced Certificate Training Course cashflow-forecast-charts-reporting-budgets

In The Next Quarter we look at how his business gets discovered online and what other digital marketing options are available to him.

We explore whether he should continue to use a project bidding site like HiPages or focus on getting more traffic to his own website.

Ultimately, no matter which digital marketing medium you use you’ll want to strengthen your sales skills to learn how to identify ideal clients and turn them into customers. At the same time you’ll want to learn how to help clients who are not ideal.

Cashflow is critical for the survival of a business. It’s like the blood pumping through the veins or the air going into and out of the lungs and without enough positive cashflow you don’t have a business that can survive.

This case study is used in our Advanced Certificate in Xero Cashflow and Financial Reporting Course.

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The Xero BAS Course takes 5 hours

MYOB GST, reporting and BAS training courses

People often ask “How long does it take to complete a Business Activity Statement” but there are several different correct answers to that question.

If all your transactions are entered correctly in your accounting software and your bank account is reconciled the BAS Lodgement takes a matter of minutes.

The hard work is often completed by bookkeepers who do the daily data entry or the catchup bookkeeping to make sure all the data is captured. This task can take days or even weeks!

If you want to save money you can lodge your BAS yourself and use our BAS Course workbooks to learn how to do it.

Advanced Certificate in BAS and Financial Reporting Training Course - introduction to Payroll using Xero Workbook

Advanced Xero Training with the BAS Course Workbooks

Learn how to lodge your BAS, including simple payroll wage payments using our Xero BAS Course training workbooks and sample data.

We use Jerry’s Messy Startup case study and you will be his bookkeeper to make sure everything is accurate for lodgement.

It is assumed that you know how to perform daily data entry and bank reconciliations using Xero.

The tricky part of lodging Business Activity Statements is making sure you get the correct tax codes for GST transactions and payroll. If you get these codes wrong you could end up paying less tax to the ATO than you are supposed to or even underpay your staff.

BAS Courses for BAS Agents

The difference between a BAS Agent and a junior bookkeeper is the compliance requirements to make sure they get it right. A BAS Agent has a duty of care to ensure that the correct tax codes are used and the Cert IV in Bookkeeping and BAS Agent skillset courses (which are Nationally Accredited) take students through the legal framework around compliance.

When a Registered BAS Agent provides these services as a contract bookkeeper they are providing a BAS Service and that is administered by the Tax Practitioners Board.

A BAS Agent is trained but more importantly insured to ensure they get the information 100% correct – otherwise they can be sued. That means they have to have Professional Indemnity insurance to provide BAS Services to clients.

If you want to start your own bookkeeping business and provide BAS Services you need the Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping Course.

You don’t need to complete a Cert IV in most circumstances

In most circumstances where you are completing the BAS as an employee you will be working under the supervision and direction of the business owner, business manager or the bookkeeper or accountant for that business.

Students who enrol into our BAS Courses simply want to know how to perform these tasks using accounting programs like QuickBooks, MYOB and Xero.

See the BAS Courses for Quickbooks, MYOB and Xero

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Can you process Payroll manually? You sure can and the ATO will help you

ATO Weekly tax pay table for BAS & Financial Reporting Training Courses

You don’t need to subscribe to expensive accounting software like Xero if you only have one or two staff members. Business owners have been processing payroll manually for years and these basics are taught in our BAS Course with the Ad hoc payroll spreadsheet.

I was speaking with a hairdressing salon owner last year and she mentioned that she uses the manual weekly pay tables provided by the ATO and a spreadsheet program to pay all her staff.

We use these pay tables to introduce students to the foundation concepts about payroll.

Advanced Certificate in Payroll Training Course includes MYOB, Xero, QuickBooks, Square Team, Deputy, TSheets

Every business owner collects GST and taxes on behalf of the ATO from the money they pay their staff. This money is a liability payable to the ATO as part of their quarterly or monthly Business Activity Statements.

As part of the BAS Course you’ll be introduced to the process to enter payroll transactions as journal entries.

It’s a great introduction to basic payroll skills and leads beautifully into the Advanced Certificate in Payroll Courses using QuickBooks, MYOB and Xero.

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BAS Course and Financial Reporting training by rescuing Jerry’s messy startup

Jerry profile startup course and social media marketing for small business entrepreneur

Some of the most challenging bookkeeping work is catchup or rescue bookkeeping. When there are 3 months worth of transactions of all different types and you need to

This course is designed for students or workers who already have an understanding about data entry for daily financial transactions, credit management and bank reconciliation.

You’ll work with 3 months of data and end up producing financial reports to help Jerry be compliant with the ATO for GST as well as his payroll PAYG obligations.

This BAS Course case study is available to help you learn BAS and Financial Reporting using QuickBooks, MYOB and Xero.

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Advanced Payroll Training Workbook BUNDLE NOW available to purchase separately

Xero Advanced Payroll Training Course Workbook BUNDLE on Sale now

I wrote about our case study in the Advanced Payroll Course and now happy to announce that you can buy this training workbook separately.

When you buy one of our Xero Training Workbooks you get them instantly as a downloaded PDF file.

You can print it out and bind it at Officeworks or just open it up on your screen.

You can use the training workbooks on any device including a tablet or mobile phone but it is always easier to work with on a desktop computer or laptop.

Some students prefer to learn using the workbook and performing the practical tasks in them. This Xero Advanced Payroll Course Workbook BUNDLE includes extra training workbooks in

  • Single Touch Payroll (Phase 2) and
  • Processing Termination Payments.

See what EzyLearn course graduates say

Graduates across Australia love EzyLearn course because they are thorough and inexpensive and cover a wide range of skills.

EzyLearn Office Admin Course student testimonials

Watch our video interviews and see what they have to say

How do you learn payroll?

A comprehensive training course and certificate includes many different learning resources, including:

  1. Instructional videos
  2. Practical case studies
  3. Training manuals and workbooks
  4. Assessment questions
  5. Online support

An online course with EzyLearn is more than just a handful of videos of someone speaking to a camera. Our instructional videos actually show you how to perform the tasks performed in our practical case studies.

The case studies are carefully created to teach you by taking you on a learning journey starting with basic beginner level tasks and progressing to more advanced topics later on.

Learn more about how we deliver online courses and support students to learn Payroll

See the Advanced Payroll Course workbook and buy online now.

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Forms, Forms and more Online Forms!

Creating Forms in the Microsoft Word Intermediate course for Microsoft Office admin training courses - EzyLearn

Do forms frustrate you? I’ve come to learn that forms are critical to organise and systemise a business. They’re an orderly way to collect relevant information for the different admin tasks of a business.

Without forms you’ll have a messy filing system or an Inbox that is so full of confusing information that you’ll spend half your time just looking for thing!

Different uses for online forms

checklist for job interview questions for bookkeepers

We use forms for tasks like:

  • Enrolling into an online course
  • Customer feedback
  • Online course enquiries
  • Surveys
  • Free training course samples
  • Requesting a certificate
  • Joining one of our Career Academy services

When you think about forms the concept is pretty simple really – you just use a program like Microsoft Word to create a form and then hand it to your clients to fill in, right? WRONG

Most forms are completed online these days so you need a specialist form builder that enables you to collect the information from anywhere (usually your website).

Online form builder benefits

Using online forms in your business means you don’t need to do the data entry, your customers do. This makes the information accurate and takes away unnecessary work for your staff – and that is called productivity. It also makes it easier to get that information into other software programs used in your business.

Xero became a massively successful bookkeeping program because of the hundreds of software programs that integrate with it. Learn about some of the popular Xero integrations. Integrations enable information to be shared between different software programs.

Using an Online Form Builder enables you to do the same with information that is collected using your form.

Microsoft Forms Training Course - Build online forms for surveys, orders, opinions etc - Learn with EzyLearn Career Academy

Microsoft Forms is an online form builder that enables you to

  • create forms for anything,
  • embed them into your website and then
  • enable support and admin staff to access this information from anywhere.

The Microsoft Forms course is included for free with the Microsoft Office Academy training course package.

Typical Online Form Scenario

A typical use for online forms is:

  1. Collect customer details
  2. Sending the mobile number to an SMS authentication service
  3. Once authenticated, sending those client details to an email marketing system like MailChimp
  4. Have an email sent to an email support ticketing system (like Zendesk)
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Microsoft is pushing McAfee down my throat

McAfee warning on new Microsoft Windows Laptop popping up all the time - Master Microsoft Office online courses

I bought a new laptop recently and one thing is frustrating my like crazy. It’s only a small thing and easy to just click away but how many times do I have to do it!?

The ads for McAfee protection is what I’m talking about and I thought that one click to say “No, thank you” would be enough but it keeps coming up and it looks scary.

Microsoft partner with thousands of companies to leverage their command of the operating system market but how bad can this get? It’s enough that they are pushing their new “same as Chrome” browser to compete with Google Chrome but here are some of the examples that just keep popping up.

Surely new Windows Laptop buyers shouldn’t have to deal with this every day or so!

McAfee warning on new Microsoft Windows Laptop popping up all the time - Master Microsoft Office online courses
First message which appeared on new Windows Laptop from Dell
Last change or Accept the risk
Time is still running out
Another 4 days? Seriously?
How can you be allowed to add the McAfee extension to Google Chrome!!

Maybe it’s Dell I should be complaining about?

The laptop I purchased is a Dell and you can see that McAfee is recommended by Dell in some of these messages.

What you should realise is that I have NEVER clicked anything to say I consent to these message or want to use McAfee but they keep appearing.

The worst part of this saga is that McAfee now appear to have installed itself as an extension in my Google Chrome browser!

If there is a Government body or some organisation that allows you to vote to stop this constant bombarding of advertising messages please let me know because this is just over the top.

We seems to simple go with the notion that we should just accept these ads and just swipe them away but doing so is like swatting flies away around a BBQ in the middle of summer.

Master Microsoft Office with online training courses

Microsoft-Office-Academy-Beginners-to-Advanced-Training-Courses-in-Word-Excel-PowerPoint-and-Outlook-EzyLearn-Online

Microsoft remains the market leader for office productivity software and their flagship software programs are mandatory skills in most office support and office administration jobs. These programs are:

  • Microsoft Excel,
  • Microsoft Word,
  • Microsoft PowerPoint and
  • Outlook.

Master them all in our Microsoft Office Academy Course Package. It includes beginners to advanced skills in all these programs and include

  • instructional videos,
  • exercise files to practice with,
  • training workbooks with practical exercises
  • business case studies and scenarios

Discover our Microsoft Office Courses

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Xero reveals gaps in it’s own software

Learn how to use Xero and MYOB with online courses

It’s annual report time again and Xero just released their annual results. I always find their annual presentation fascinating because they reveal a lot of visual information about the small business market that they sell to.

Small businesses that employ 1-20 staff are the majority of their users so learning how to use Xero means that these companies will be your employers.

The annual report and presentation also reveal gaps in their software and one interesting one that I’ve written about before is inventory.

Xero has basic inventory for businesses like a telephone sales and support business in our Xero course case study but not for serious retailers.

Master Xero with the Xero Complete training course and find work with small to medium employers.