Quickbooks 2013 Training - Bookkeeping Made Easy Course

Editorial Take

Infinite Skills' QuickBooks 2013 Training course offers a methodical, beginner-friendly approach to mastering one of the most widely used accounting platforms for small businesses. Designed for entrepreneurs, bookkeepers, and non-accountants, it demystifies financial management through hands-on setup and transaction workflows.

Standout Strengths

• Structured Onboarding: The course begins with 'Getting Set Up' and 'Setting Up a Company File,' providing a logical entry point for users unfamiliar with accounting software. These early modules build confidence by guiding learners through initial configuration with clarity. Each step is explained in sequence, minimizing confusion.
• Comprehensive Product and Service Setup: Module 05 dedicates 43 minutes to configuring products and services, a critical function for accurate invoicing and reporting. This depth ensures users can tailor the system to their business model, whether service-based or product-driven, and avoid common setup errors that lead to data inaccuracies later.
• Customer and Job Management: Setting up customers and jobs is covered in detail, enabling segmentation of clients and tracking of project-specific income. This feature is essential for freelancers and contractors who need to track profitability per client, and the course explains it with practical examples that mirror real-world use cases.
• Banking Transaction Clarity: The section on basic checkbook transactions and other banking tasks simplifies reconciliation and payment recording. It walks users through deposit entries, expense tracking, and bank register updates, which are foundational for maintaining accurate books and preparing for tax time without stress.
• Reporting Fundamentals: Reports Overview and Understanding Your Finances modules teach how to extract meaningful insights from data. Users learn to generate profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and other key reports, turning raw data into actionable business intelligence with minimal effort.
• Lifetime Access Model: Learners benefit from unlimited access, allowing them to revisit specific sections as needed. This is especially valuable for small business owners who may need to reconfigure settings annually or onboarding new staff. The self-paced format supports just-in-time learning and long-term retention.

Honest Limitations

• Outdated Software Version: The course uses QuickBooks 2013, which lacks modern UI improvements and cloud integration features. While core functions remain valid, users may face a learning curve when transitioning to newer desktop or online versions, especially regarding navigation and menu layouts.
• Limited Advanced Features: Topics like payroll integration, inventory tracking, and multi-currency support are not covered in depth. This restricts the course’s usefulness for growing businesses or those with complex financial structures. Learners may need supplementary training for advanced accounting needs.
• No Hands-On Exercises: The absence of downloadable practice files limits interactivity. Learners must follow along without a guided dataset, reducing engagement and increasing the risk of missing key steps. Practical reinforcement would significantly enhance skill retention and confidence.
• Narrow Reporting Scope: While reporting is introduced, the course doesn’t explore custom report creation or data export options. Users seeking deeper analytics or integration with Excel and other tools may find the coverage insufficient for advanced financial analysis or audit preparation.

How to Get the Most Out of It

• Study cadence: Complete one module per day to allow time for practice. Spaced repetition improves retention, especially for procedural tasks like setting up customers or running reports.
• Parallel project: Set up a dummy company file alongside the course. Mimicking real transactions reinforces learning and builds muscle memory for actual business use.
• Note-taking: Document each setup step and shortcut. A personal reference guide helps troubleshoot issues and speeds up future onboarding for team members.
• Community: Join QuickBooks forums or Facebook groups. Engaging with other users provides support, troubleshooting tips, and real-world use cases beyond the course scope.
• Practice: Re-create the same setup multiple times. Repetition builds fluency, especially in product and service configuration, which varies significantly across business types.
• Consistency: Dedicate 30 minutes daily. Short, consistent sessions prevent burnout and help internalize the workflow, especially for users new to accounting concepts.

Supplementary Resources

• Book: 'QuickBooks 2013 For Dummies' by Stephen L. Nelson. Offers additional context and troubleshooting tips not covered in video format.
• Tool: Intuit’s official QuickBooks support site. Provides updated guides, templates, and updates relevant to current versions.
• Follow-up: Udemy’s QuickBooks Online courses. Bridge the gap between desktop 2013 and modern cloud-based accounting platforms.
• Reference: QuickBooks Keyboard Shortcuts PDF. Increases efficiency once core navigation is mastered through the course.

Common Pitfalls

• Pitfall: Skipping the company file setup. Rushing this step leads to incorrect tax settings or chart of accounts, causing reporting errors down the line.
• Pitfall: Misclassifying products and services. Incorrect categorization affects financial statements and tax reporting, so attention to detail is critical.
• Pitfall: Ignoring reconciliation. Failing to reconcile bank transactions regularly results in inaccurate financial data and complicates tax preparation.

Time & Money ROI

• Time: Completing the course takes approximately 4 hours. This investment saves hours of trial-and-error when managing real business finances.
• Cost-to-value: Despite being paid, the course pays for itself by reducing bookkeeping errors and improving financial clarity for small businesses.
• Certificate: The completion certificate adds credibility to freelancers and small business owners managing their own books.
• Alternative: Hiring a bookkeeper costs significantly more; this course offers a cost-effective way to gain foundational skills independently.

Editorial Verdict

The QuickBooks 2013 Training course excels as an entry-level guide for individuals who need to manage business finances without prior accounting experience. Its strength lies in the clear, linear progression from installation to reporting, with a focus on practical, repeatable tasks. The instructor’s straightforward delivery ensures that even complex concepts like chart of accounts and transaction reconciliation are approachable. While the software version is dated, the core principles of double-entry bookkeeping and financial organization remain timeless and transferable to modern platforms.

However, learners should supplement this course with updated materials if they plan to use QuickBooks Online or newer desktop versions. The lack of advanced topics and interactive exercises limits its depth, making it best suited for solopreneurs and micro-businesses rather than growing companies with complex needs. Still, for its intended audience—beginners seeking confidence in bookkeeping—it delivers solid value. We recommend it as a foundational stepping stone, especially when paired with hands-on practice and community support. With consistent effort, learners will gain the competence to manage their financial data accurately and efficiently.