5 Problems Intuit Wants to Solve for Small-Business Owners

At the 2013 Intuit Innovation Gallery Walk, the technology and software giant behind QuickBooks and Salesforce debuted its latest projects aimed at consumers and small-business owners. Here are the five major problems Intuit is trying to fix for SMBs with its latest lineup.

1. Problem: Payments come late (or not at all).

Intuit’s GoPayment tool is designed for business owners whose businesses are on the go, like contractors or landscapers. The technology allows business owners to quickly create an invoice, then scan cards using a smartphone or swipe, using GoPayment’s card reader. Small-business owners can pay either $12.95 a month and then pay a 1.75% fee on each swipe, or $0 per month and a 2.75% fee on each swipe.

2. Problem: Want to help employees with health insurance, but can’t foot the bill entirely.

Currently being tested on a limited basis in California, the Health Benefits Marketplace’s aim is to help small-business owners understand the health-insurance plans available for individuals and then walk them through the process of setting up contributions to help employees pay for insurance on their own.

3. Problem: Overwhelmed by options.

New users to QuickBooks will see a simplified sign-up that asks a few key questions about their business in order to provide a customized QuickBooks experience. For instance, retail operations don’t need to provide client estimates, so these tools will be hidden from sight. QuickBooks also redesigned the experience to be more “actionable” for small-business owners, so must-do tasks are called to business owners’ attention and highlighted on the right side of the screen.

4. Problem: Difficulty calculating paychecks for employees.

This free app, currently available in the iTunes app store, enables small-business owners to quickly and accurately calculate paychecks for W-2 employees, keep a record of all paychecks and store employee payroll information. Plus, the tax rates in each state update automatically on the app, helping business owners make sure everything is on the up and up.

5. Problem: Hard to keep personal and business expenses straight.

Intuit’s Mint product lets individuals track their expenses and categorize spending. With Mint MyBusiness, small-business owners who use their personal cards for business spending can quickly categorize their expenses into business or personal buckets, to help keep everything nicely organized. The tool will also help small-business owners calculate their tax burden, based on their income and spending for the business.