Tanya phoned us in a panic wanting help! She’s lost her MYOB data files.

When clients tell us that they cannot find their MYOB data files, there’s normally quite a simple explanation, and there’s a checklist of things that we run through to work out when and how this may have happened.

How many times can we stress the importance of backing up your computer data files. A hard drive is not 100 % relaible all the time. We are not computer experts but we do know this. If your computer dies, the motherboard fails, or the hard drive dies witout notice, and you have no backup, then you’re in trouble.

If any of the above events occur and you do have a backup, then you’ll only have lost your bookkeeping information since your last backup.

One of the computer techies in the our local computer repair shop told us that they back up everything TWICE – they have two backups.

Here’s another of our Bookkeeping Tips: How to transfer data from MYOB to Quickbooks

Kathy sent us an email: ” Hi. I’m located in the United States. I have a client who wants to transfer his books from MYOB to QB2009. I’ve had no luck finding a way to do it in the US. Can you do this? Would you take on a one-time job if I send you the backup file from MYOB, and finally, how much would you charge? His is a very tiny graphics design company; he can’t afford to pay too much, otherwise I would just re-enter everything for the last 15 months or so.”

It is possible to transfer from MYOB to Quickbooks, though not as straight forward as either company would have you believe.

The first point to consider is that the Australian versions of MYOB and Quickbooks are different from the USA versions. A basic difference is that our tax year runs 1 July – 30 June whereas the USA the fiscal year is from 1 October – 30 September apparently.

When transferring from MYOB to Quickbooks, you may consider the following:

1) You can transfer card files – suppliers customers etc very easily between MYOB and QB – ask us how if you don’t know

2) If you need detailed transactions recorded, i.e itemised invoices to be transferred, then that’s where the expense occurs

3) we suggest to clients that they start a new file on the new software at the beginning of the new financial year

4) If it’s only a small company with not much money then you could just do journal entries to get the balances upto date in the new file rather than re- enter all the previous data

We’ve not found a cheaper way to do it – we’ve looked at this problem many times before

There is a software program that costs around US $400 – then the time taken to extract the data from MYOB into the software and extract out into QB – not worth the time/trouble based on the budget – for what result?

How often would your client need to refer back to their previous MYOB files? Do they own the MYOB software, in which case they could still have it if/when they needed to refer to them?

Why not just refer back to the hard copies as /when required?

Contact us for help with How to transfer data from MYOB to Quickbooks

When thinking about whether or not you should engage a freelance professional bookkeeping service to attend to the bookwork for your business, the first thought that springs to mind is the extra cost

Many businesses struggle with cashflow and look for ways to make savings -this 90 second video highlights some important reasons why you need a bookkeeper for your bookkeeping

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

“Do you think they’ll let me play?”

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

“When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?”

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued:

“I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.”

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.

Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?”

I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance and said, “We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.“

Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.

I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field.

Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, ‘Shay, run to first!

Run to first!’

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, ‘Run to second, run to second!’

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, ‘Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay’

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, ‘Run to third!

Shay, run to third!’

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, ‘Shay, run home! Run home!’

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

‘That day’, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, ‘the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world’.

Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!