In this episode of QuickBooks Mastery for Small Business Success, father-daughter team Erica Northrup and Lee Davis walk listeners through the full process of creating a budget in QuickBooks Online. They explain why budgeting is essential for small business owners, how budgeting improves cash flow, and the biggest mistakes business owners make when trying to manage expenses without a plan.

Listeners learn how to use QuickBooks’ built-in budgeting tools, how to analyze Budget vs. Actual reports, and how budgeting creates confidence, clarity, and better decision-making throughout the year.

This episode provides simple, practical, actionable steps every business owner can follow — whether you’ve never created a budget before or you want to strengthen the structure you already have.

• A budget is a forward-looking plan that helps control expenses, assess profitability, and prepare for seasonal changes.
• QuickBooks Online offers built-in tools to create, edit, and track your budget with actual financial data.
• Monthly budgets provide far more clarity than annual-only budgets, especially for seasonal businesses.
• The Budget vs. Actual report helps identify overspending, revenue gaps, and opportunities to reallocate funds.
• Budgeting doesn’t need to be perfect — it simply needs to be active and reviewed regularly.

• Where is my money actually going each month?
• Which expenses consistently exceed expectations?
• What income patterns or seasonal trends should I prepare for?

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QuickBooks Online Budgeting Tool Overview – https://quickbooks.intuit.com

Chapters:

• 00:02 - Introduction to QuickBooks Mastery
• 00:54 - Creating a Budget: Essentials for Small Businesses
• 09:13 - Introduction to Budgeting with QuickBooks
• 14:04 - Analyzing Budget Reports
• 19:23 - Common Mistakes in Budgeting
• 23:35 - Budgeting Basics: Keeping Personal and Business Finances Separate

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Download our free 3-Part Quick Start Guide to get started with QuickBooks the right way.

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In this episode of QuickBooks Mastery for Small Business Success, father-daughter team Erica Northrup and Lee Davisdig into one of the most overlooked foundations of a healthy business: the business plan.

They start with a real story from Lee’s week—a potential client who reached out before jumping in—and contrast that with the many owners who launch with nothing but an LLC, an EIN, and a handful of credit cards. From there, they unpack why a business plan doesn’t need to be a 30-page document full of jargon—but it does need to be clear, simple, and actionable.

Lee shares how his own business started with an SBA-backed loan, a strong credit score, and a well-thought-out plan that covered structure, legal setup, and an operating agreement. Erica brings in her marketing perspective—especially around defining your ideal customer, niching down, and using both online marketing and old-fashioned word of mouth to build a sustainable client base.

Together, they walk through the 5 core sections every simple business plan should have and a 7-step framework you can use to build or refresh your plan—whether you are just starting or expanding an existing business. The episode closes with a 90-day action challenge and a free one-page business plan template to help you get started right away.

Listeners will gain clarity, encouragement, and practical steps they can put into motion immediately, plus a clear link between business planning now and budgeting in next week’s episode.

• A business plan isn’t busywork—it’s your roadmap so you lead your business instead of just reacting.
• The best business plans are short, specific, and focused on what you do, who you serve, and how you make money.
• Every business plan should cover 5 core areas: business overview, goals, products/services, marketing, and financials.
• Defining your ideal customer and your niche makes marketing easier and helps you say “no” to the wrong clients.
• Listing your revenue streams and key expenses gives you realistic numbers to bring to the bank—and keeps you out of the 14-credit-card trap.
• Word of mouth plus genuine relationship-building is still one of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies.
• Your business plan is a living document—review it at least annually (or quarterly) and adjust as you grow.
• A clear plan today sets you up for a smarter budget tomorrow, which Erica and Lee will walk through in Episode 6.

• Do I have a written business plan—or has most of my planning been in my head?
• If I had to explain my business in 2–3 sentences, who I serve, and how I help them, what would I say?
• What are the three biggest “rocks” that would truly move the needle in my business over the next year?
• Do I clearly understand my main revenue streams, pricing, and top 5–6 expenses?
• When was the last time I revisited my business plan or goals and adjusted them based on what’s actually happening?

• Free Business Plan Template
• Use this simple, guided template to map out your mission, ideal customer, goals, revenue streams, expenses, and marketing snapshot for the next 12 months.
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In this episode of QuickBooks Mastery for Small Business Success, father-daughter team Erica Northrup and Lee Davis dive into how to integrate QuickBooks with the other systems you use to run your small business.

Instead of entering the same information in three different places, they walk through how to connect QuickBooks to tools like payment processors, payroll and HR systems, ecommerce platforms, time-tracking tools, and CRMs so data flows automatically. They explore why integrations matter, how they reduce manual data entry and errors, and how they give you more accurate, real-time financial information.

Erica and Lee also outline a simple framework for getting started: identify your most time-consuming tasks, find the right QuickBooks apps, implement one integration at a time, and then layer on automation tools to refine your workflow. By the end of the episode, listeners will have a clear picture of which QuickBooks integrations to consider and what steps to take first to streamline their bookkeeping and operations.

• Integrating QuickBooks reduces manual data entry and errors. When your payment, payroll, and ecommerce systems sync with QuickBooks, you spend less time typing and more time running your business.
• Payment integrations speed up cash flow and reconciliation. Connecting tools like Stripe, PayPal, Square, or QuickBooks Payments to QuickBooks helps sales and payments flow directly into your books.
• Payroll and HR integrations keep payroll clean and compliant. Using tools like Gusto, ADP, or QuickBooks Payroll ensures payroll, taxes, and benefits are recorded accurately inside QuickBooks.
• Ecommerce integrations centralize your online sales data. Platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon can sync orders, sales tax, and fees to QuickBooks so you can see true profitability.
• You do not need to integrate everything at once. Start with the one area where you are doing the most manual work (invoicing, sales, payroll, or time tracking), set up that integration, and test it before adding more.
• The QuickBooks App Store and automation tools like Zapier can extend what QuickBooks does. Used wisely, they help you build a simple, automated workflow that matches the way your business actually runs.

• Where are you currently double-entering information between systems and QuickBooks?
• Which integration (payments, payroll, ecommerce, or CRM) would save you the most time right away?
• How confident are you that the data coming into QuickBooks from other tools is complete and accurate?
• What is one manual process you would love to eliminate in the next 30 days?

Free 3-Part Quick Start Guide to Getting Started with QuickBooks

Download at: www.leedavisandcompany.com

Send Us Your Questions

support@leedavisandcompany.com

• Payment processors (for faster payments and cleaner reconciliation)
• Payroll and HR systems (for automated payroll and taxes)
• Ecommerce and invoicing platforms (for syncing online sales)
• Automation tools and QuickBooks App Store...