Getting Started with QuickBooks: A Simple Setup Guide for Small Business Owners

Whether you're just launching your business or finally getting serious about tracking your numbers, QuickBooks is one of the best tools out there to manage your finances. But if you’ve just signed up and you’re staring at a blank screen wondering what to do next, this post is for you.

Step 1: Choose the Right QuickBooks Version

QuickBooks offers several options — QuickBooks Online (QBO), QuickBooks Desktop, and QuickBooks Self-Employed. For most small business owners, QuickBooks Online is the way to go. It’s cloud-based, user-friendly, and integrates with a ton of other apps.

👉 Pro Tip: If you plan to scale or hire help with your books, QBO is the easiest version to collaborate in.

Step 2: Set Up Your Company Info

Head to the gear icon in the top right and click Account and Settings. Fill in your business name, contact info, and EIN (if you have one). This info will automatically populate on invoices and other forms, so take the time to get it right.

Step 3: Customize Your Chart of Accounts

Your chart of accounts is the foundation of your bookkeeping. Think of it like your financial filing cabinet. You’ll want to customize it to fit your business, but not overcomplicate it.

Start with:

• Income categories (what you sell)

• Cost of Goods Sold (direct costs of selling)

• Operating Expenses (software, rent, utilities, etc.)

• Assets and Liabilities if you own property, vehicles, loans, etc.

👉 Need help with this? A clean, simple chart of accounts can save you so much time down the road.

Step 4: Connect Your Bank and Credit Card Accounts

This is where the magic happens. Once your accounts are connected, QuickBooks will automatically pull in transactions so you can categorize them. Go to Banking > Link Account and follow the prompts.

👉 Pro Tip: Don’t connect personal accounts. Keep business and personal money separate—it’ll make tax time 100x easier.

Step 5: Set Up Products and Services

If you invoice clients or sell anything, head to Sales > Products and Services and set up what you offer. This makes it easy to create clean, professional invoices in just a few clicks.

Step 6: Invite Your Accountant or Bookkeeper

If you’re working with a CPA or bookkeeper (🙋‍♀️ hello!), go to Manage Users and invite them as an Accountant. They’ll get special access without counting toward your user limit.

Step 7: Start Categorizing Transactions

Now you’re ready to start reconciling and categorizing. Go to Banking, click into each transaction, and assign it to the right category from your chart of accounts.

Bonus: Set Up Recurring Invoices or Bills

If you have clients you invoice regularly or bills you pay monthly, set them up to recur automatically under Sales or Expenses. This saves time and keeps things consistent.

Final Thoughts

Setting up QuickBooks might feel overwhelming at first, but once it’s dialed in, it becomes one of your most powerful business tools. Take it step by step, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

Need a clean setup or help organizing your chart of accounts? I offer custom QuickBooks setups and bookkeeping services tailored for small business owners. Let’s get your books working for you—not against you. 🌱