The Attivo Blog

A few weeks back I blogged about my 5 favorite manufacturing applications that integrate with QuickBooks and referred to them as the “Fab Five.”  Now if you follow my blog on a somewhat consistent basis you will note that I have already given JobBOSS and MAX their own postings.  Not wanting to be accused of nepotism (I was an employee of Exact Software for 5 years) I felt it was only fair to give the other 3 members articles of their own. I put Acctivate!, MISys and BatchMaster’s names in a hat and drew to see which one I would start with.  The winner was MISys which is an application designed to fit the needs and budget of small manufacturing firms.  Pretty cool to have an application that automates your manufacturing processes, integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks and is cost effective to boot! Another pretty cool feature of MISys is the fact that it is modular.  So in other words, you only need to purchase what you need from the package.  That is awesome for small businesses with manufacturing needs. So now that I have covered 3 of the “Fab Five,” I think it is safe to say that small manufacturers have plenty of options out there.  Stay tuned for more blogs on the “Fab Five.”   Please don’t let the anticipation for them keep you up at night!

Consultants come in all shapes and sizes.  There are tall, short, fat, skinny, old, young, male and female Consultants that work in every industry.  Now, even though we don’t know what each Consultant will look like before they show up to a job, we of course assume they are all there with the same intentions… To provide good, quality, efficient service! Well, what if I was to tell you this is not always the case?!  At the risk of being “Enemy #1” amongst all you Consultants out there lets for the sake of argument and entertainment break you into 3 categories.  The Hostage, Vacationing, and Professional Consultant. The Hostage Consultant is the guy that just isn’t happy to be there.  You might even think his dog was run over by a car that morning.  Either he is not happy at his current job, is having a really bad day, or is just there because the boss absolutely made him go!  Safe to say, this is a tough person to work with and should be avoided at all costs! The Vacationing Consultant can be a little tricky at first.  (Note… Vacationing Consultants are often found on jobs in Hawaii or other coastal located business’s) An immediate tipoff is when they show up to the job in a Rein Spooner and flip flops.  This type of Consultant appears energetic and happy to be working when he is actually just excited to get to the beach.  Often times the Vacationing Consultant will do a 2nd rate job and will be more interested in the beautiful scenery than the actual work he is doing. The Professional Consultant is the one that is at the job to provide quality, efficient and cost-effective service.  This Consultant is prepared for the job and always has a plan in place!  Here at The Attivo Group we take pride in only having this type of Consultant.   Implementing a new software system is tough to begin with.  Knowing what you are getting with your Consultant can make that process a whole lot easier!

Leaders are only as good as the people or parts that surround them.  Whether you are a quarterback, a military general, or the CEO of a corporation, each individual can only be effective with good resources around them. How successful would a quarterback be without a good offensive line and skilled wide receivers?!  How effective would a general be without loyal and well trained soldiers?!  Let's think of QuickBooks as a leader for small businesses.  QuickBooks will manage your financial accounting, keep track of your customer, vendor, and employee data and will give you the ability to create professional looking invoices. But what if you are a small business with manufacturing needs?  This is where QuickBooks can only be effective with the help of valuable teammates.  The Attivo Group offers what I like to call the "Fab Five" of manufacturing applications that integrate with QuickBooks.  ACCTivate!, MISys, MAX, JobBoss, and BatchMaster.  Ranging from JobShops to chemical manufacturers these products have you covered.  With great teammates like this, QuickBooks only becomes that much more powerful and a much better leader for small businesses!