QuickBooks Online Success Story

QuickBooks Online Payroll helps manufacturer take care of business

When Jim Hamlin retired from the Navy, he stepped into his own booming business, thanks in part to QuickBooks Online Payroll. Jim Hamlin isn't going to spend his retirement sitting still. Five years ago, he started selling wooden cases and other products for displaying military memorabilia. The business grew as a sideline until the fall of 2005, when Jim retired from the Navy after 20 years of service.

He's been hopping ever since to keep up with the demand. When Jim incorporated his company, he was looking for an easy way to do his bookkeeping. He'd been using Quicken Home and Business, but his accountant wanted him to upgrade. When he found QuickBooks Online, his accountant said it was just what he needed. That took care of his day-to-day book-keeping. But paying himself, his wife, and any help he might hire was another issue.

Less than 30 Minutes to Set Up

"I knew I had to come up with a way of doing payroll for myself and anybody that I hired to help," says Jim. "I was looking for a payroll solution that would integrate easily with QuickBooks Online. And I knew going in that I didn't have time to keep up with all the state and federal payroll laws and changes." He was concerned that doing his payroll would mean keeping a second set of books or paying more accounting fees.

When he found QuickBooks Online Payroll, he jumped at the chance to try it...and he's been pleased ever since. "In less than 30 minutes, I was able to set up all my company information and tax liabilities, and add myself as a salaried employee and my wife as an hourly employee," he says. "I didn't have to go to my accountant. It was all integrated in QuickBooks. It was basically too easy!"

Now Doing Payroll Is Simple

When it's time to pay himself, his wife, or other employees, Jim can do it with a few clicks of the mouse. "It takes no time to do the payroll. It's automated, so all the taxes and deductions are done for me," he says. "It also tracks and summarizes my liabilities for quarterly reporting. That means I'll be spending a lot less time doing my taxes every quarter."

QuickBooks Online Helps Jim Work Smart

Jim lives just south of Chesapeake Bay in North Carolina, an area with many military personnel from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and even the Coast Guard. Beyond this local market, his goal is to become the biggest retailer on the Web for his type of military-oriented products. But like most entrepreneurs, his time and cash are in short supply.

"I'm neck-deep in work already, and there is only one of me," he says. "Even though I'm busy growing the business, I don't have the cash flow to pay additional full-time employees, or hire full-time book-keepers to ensure that all my sales taxes and payroll deductions are recorded, reported, and paid accurately." Using QuickBooks Online with Online Payroll helps Jim squeeze every minute and every dollar out of his days. He considers the $14.95 monthly fee for the Online Payroll a bargain that saves him far more in time and trouble.

Jim's Accountant Likes It Too

Jim was his accountant's first client to use QuickBooks Online. But she's taken to it as well. "My accountant has her own password and can view any of my information she needs. And I don't have to drive 18 miles to bring her a disc every month or every quarter. Many of her clients still have to do that," he says. That saves him time. And that's not the only way his accounting service has improved. "Whenever my accountant needs to review my books, she pops up my account to look at what I've been doing. And she emails me if she sees anything I did wrong," says Jim. "They are a great CPA firm and with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Online Payroll, it guarantees me continuous, real-time, quality accounting service for my company. Do you see why I love this stuff?"