Xero For Dummies. Heather Smith

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Foolish Assumptions

      It’s never nice to assume anything about people without walking a mile in their shoes. But to write this book I had to assume a few things. Firstly, I assumed you buckle down to work with a nice cup of tea, and when things get really hard you grab the chocolate. (Or is that just me?)

      Here are some other assumptions I’ve made:

       You can navigate your way around a computer or a mobile device and understand the basic steps required to access the internet.

       You don’t have a background in bookkeeping or accounting. Through my work I’ve been exposed to literally thousands of people who have no accounting or bookkeeping background, and I’ve trained them in the essentials and got them up and running in Xero. I’ve used this experience to write this book in a way that highlights what’s important, and breaks it down appropriately.

       You probably don’t have access to Hermione’s Time Turner or the TARDIS from Doctor Who, and your time is important to you. You want to work as efficiently and effectively as possible — so I’ve included lots of productivity enhancers.

Icons Used in This Book

      Throughout the book I’ve used different icons, which appear on the left side of the page. These highlight handy pieces of information that enhance your understanding and ability to use Xero. The following outlines what they stand for.

      

Xero is used internationally, and while the main skeleton of the software is identical for all users, some elements are specific to a particular jurisdiction. I’ve used this icon to highlight information that only relates to a specific country or jurisdiction — if the information doesn’t relate to your country’s version of Xero, skip over it.

      

This icon highlights pearls of wisdom you should make a mental note about — or even write down for yourself in an actual notebook!

      

This icon flags tricky procedures or in-depth detail. Depending on your level of skill, you may want to ask your accountant for further advice on topics marked with this icon.

      

This icon highlights handy strategies and shortcuts to speed up your productivity or just generally make life easier — gained through my own experience.

      

This icon outlines something you should be aware of and highlights any issues so you’re prepared and empowered. If you’re reviewing a section that contains a warning, make sure you take the time to read it.

Where to Go from Here

      This book is written in modular style (and, no, that doesn’t relate to a new lounge suite). It means you can pick up the book, open it at any page, select a heading that takes your fancy and read the information under that heading.

      It also means Xero For Dummies, 5th Edition, is not a story book — you don’t need to read it from cover to cover. Review the Table of Contents or the Index, locate what you’re looking for and jump straight into the section. If you’re totally new to Xero, or need more of an idea of what it’s all about, you should take a quick read of Chapter 1. Or, if you’re a people person, Chapter 5 is all about setting up contacts in Xero.

If you need to set up your Xero file, start at Part 1. If you’re already set up and you simply need to enter data, start in Part 2, which covers contacts, sales, purchases and reconciling your accounts. If you need to do routine tasks in Xero, including preparing for period end, start in Part 3.

      In addition to the material in the print or ebook you’re reading right now, Xero For Dummies, 5th Edition, also comes with some access-anywhere online goodies. Check out the free Cheat Sheet by going to www.dummies.com and searching for ‘Xero For Dummies Cheat Sheet’ in the Search box, and visit www.dummies.com/go/xerofd5e for an online-only appendix you can download for free, which gives you all the info you need to master your pay run.

      Wherever you start, just make sure you keep this edition of Xero For Dummies handy and, whenever you need to enhance your understanding of a feature, grab the book, open it to the relevant section and enjoy!

      One last thing — I encourage you to connect with me on all the social platforms via HeatherSmithAU.com. Once you’re there, if you are keen to keep up to date with cloud accounting and business technology solutions, you can also sign up to my newsletter.

Part 1

      Getting Started with Xero

IN THIS PART …

      Discover the many advantages of Xero, including collaboratively working with bookkeepers and accountants, live bank feeds, remote invoicing, single ledger and Xero’s ability to seamlessly integrate with other solutions.

      Find out the pros and cons of working in the cloud, and get the answers to any questions you may have about the online environment.

      Get the scoop on who should be in your Xero advisory team and how they can assist your business.

      Delve into the nitty-gritty of setting up Xero from scratch, or find out how to convert from another accounting software solution.

      Become familiar with the way Xero sets up tax rates, and understand how the system uses these to produce useful information for tax time.

Chapter 1

      Getting to Know Xero

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Looking at Xero and what its different package options can do for you

      

Exploring the Xero Dashboard

      

Getting your Xero advisory team together

      

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