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Who are you, and what inspired you to create something like this?

Please see a full explanation on the About page.

What’s a webinar?

Learn construction accounting and management through webinarsWho has the time (or money!) to leave town to attend one, two or three days of training at a time? At best, you can do this only once or twice a year, right?

Instead, recent changes in technology allow you to tap into specialty seminars that we can offer via the Internet. This means that you attend live seminars in shorter, focused segments throughout the year. Instead of getting overloaded with mind-numbing amounts of information that go into a notebook and get placed on a dusty shelf, you participate in a web-based presentation with a group of attendees. And then you can apply what you picked up – right away on your home turf!

As a Bronze, Silver, or Gold member, you will receive e-mail notices of upcoming webinars. You simply click on the link given to you in the e-mail. You then see, on your computer screen, what the presenter is covering (using PowerPoint, QuickBooks, Excel, etc.). You listen in via phone or headset, respond to polls, and ask the seminar leader questions (or share ideas and insights with fellow participants) by typing in your comments or speaking during “open mike” time.

The presentation takes place right in front of you – from the comfort of your home or office, and with a clearly visible screen (no more straining to read tiny type from fuzzy projectors!)

Will the webinar work if I use a Mac computer?

As long as you have access to the Internet, you will be able to attend webinars.  Please note however, that the Mac versions of QuickBooks differ significantly from the PC versions that we will be using for presentations.  We believe, however, that you will still learn a great deal about construction accounting concepts, requirements, and financial management even if you use the QuickBooks Mac version.

What if I’m a beginner in QuickBooks?  Or if I’ve been using QuickBooks for a long time?  Will you address my specific needs?

Everyone was a beginner in everything at some point!  Beginnings are a wonderful place to be because you bring an open and inquiring mind to the session.  We’ll present information at a pace that allows you to absorb new information and concepts while still making steady progress.  And best of all…you’re never alone.  You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions during seminar time – and we allow for up to 15 minutes of live coaching time following each Bronze-level class.

Have you been using QuickBooks for a long time? If so, we’re planning to present new and innovative ways to access features that you may have never explored, and that will help you to achieve mastery of this powerful package.  We’ve been working in QuickBooks for more than 15 years, and continue to learn new techniques, shortcuts, and workarounds on a regular basis.  So we’re sure that you’ll find a variety of thought-provoking tips, techniques, work-arounds, and advanced materials to keep you engaged.

And in addition to the live coaching opportunities included in the Bronze classes, we’ve creating an additional half hour live coaching session each month for Silver subscribers, and another hour of live coaching for Gold members.

I’m not in construction, but I’d like to learn QuickBooks job-costing and financial management for job-shop manufacturing or service firms… Will these seminars provide the information that I need?

Job Cost Accounting for Manufacturing or Service Companies

Identical Techniques Apply to Job Cost Accounting for Job-Shop Manufacturing or Service Companies

Yes, indeed.  Although these seminars use construction industry examples, the same principles and techniques apply to any companies who want to create job-cost reports and more useful management accounting information.  The QuickBooks methodologies and concepts that we teach are nearly identical for job-shop manufacturing and service firms who want to track and understand job profitability (e.g., job costing,  labor allocation, process-tracking, income-recognition, and profit-enhancement practices).

You’re welcome to join us, as you should be able to easily apply the construction-based concepts and examples to your specific needs.

(Note: Construction accounting is one of the more complex accounting arenas, so it’s likely that you will be exposed to most of what you need if you’re looking to implement QuickBooks or Enterprise in nearly any industry.)

What is the normal class schedule?

Classes will generally begin at 2 pm EST.  This allows participants throughout the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii!) to attend during normal working hours.  Specific class titles, descriptions, and dates are posted on the Schedule page of the site.  (Note: we reserve the right to modify class session times or topics as needed.)

How long will each session last?

Webinars will be scheduled as 30, 60, or 90-minute sessions as indicated in the membership plans.  Occasionally a class may run beyond the scheduled time due to participant interaction or the nature of the material being presented.  The instructor will also be available for up to 15 minutes after each seminar concludes to offer additional live coaching related to topics presented or discussed during the session.

Will there be breaks?

Due to the relatively short time periods involved (typically 2 hours or less), we don’t normally schedule mid-session breaks.  You might want to take a quick break and grab your refreshments about 15-20 minutes before the seminar begins so that you can start your sign in 5-10 minutes ahead of time (we’ll do our best to kick off right on time!)

What if I can’t attend one of the webinars?  Or have connection difficulties?  Or get pulled away mid-session?  Or just want to go back and review the material again?

We will record each session and post it to your membership site within 5 working days (generally sooner).  You’ll be able to view and/or revisit the recorded version until the end of the month following the broadcast, or until you terminate your membership – whichever occurs earliest.  For example, if a course is conducted on September 12th, it will normally be available for viewing until the end of the following month (October 31).  If you terminated your membership on October 20th however, you would no longer be able to access the membership site or recorded classes.

Will all of the classes be live, or will some be recorded?

We anticipate that nearly all of the classes will be live, but upon occasion we may present recorded materials.  When recorded materials are presented, a live instructor will still be involved and will encourage questions and class participation.

Will I have the opportunity to ask questions during the class?

Yes indeed… We actively encourage your questions.  You can enter inquiries during the class by typing into the “chat” window.  The instructor or moderator will review those questions and address them as part of the webinar.  Depending upon the size of the group, there will also be “open mike” opportunities where participants can speak in person to ask additional questions, request clarification and/or offer opinions.

What if I have questions that are very specific to my company’s circumstances?

As in traditional seminar settings, the seminar facilitator will attempt to answer questions that apply to the subject at hand and will be of interest to the majority of those who are attending the class.  We are allowing an extra 15 minutes after class ends to address “extra’s” that are still related to the topics presented (similar to what you would experience in a typical conference or seminar presentation.)

Another option is that the Silver and Gold Memberships include even more live coaching/consulting time where a variety of issues can be discussed.

If your circumstances are critical or require more in-depth exploration, we are available on an hourly consulting basis to discuss how you can go about resolving a wide variety of accounting and/or financial management issues.

How many classes will be offered?

Unlike a college or university with defined semesters, this subscription-style series is intended to be available to you on an ongoing basis.  It would be nice to think that we could cover the most critical concepts and techniques over a ten-to-twelve month time frame –but as in any profession or trade, there are many layers and levels of information and knowledge available. Information and ideas continue to evolve, and certain topics may generate requests for even more in-depth sessions.  Your involvement and desire to learn new skills, acquire advancing levels of expertise, and interact with other people in the “construction accounting community” established will be entirely up to you…

Ten months of unique seminars are currently scheduled.  At some point in the future, we will likely repeat certain topics.  If you have not previously watched or attended that topic, you’ll want to join in.  If you have previously participated, you may still get valuable insights the second time around.  Why?  Because we present lots of information and many ideas in each seminar.  When re-visiting this kind of information it’s not unusual to pick up a variety of new material that was either missed the first time around, or was not initially applicable, but now makes sense to implement.

Can more than one person in my company take the online classes?

Various members of your team can benefit from online accounting classesYes, this program is designed so that it can be shared by various individuals within one company.  For instance, if a company has chosen the Gold Level Membership, the experienced bookkeeper may choose to attend all of the silver level classes and some of the bronze-level classes, but ask a new payables clerk to attend just some of the bronze level classes.  The company owner, and project managers would then likely participate in the gold level offerings.  But anyone in the company, depending upon their interest and/or needs, can attend any of the courses shown as being available through their membership level.

(Please note that memberships are NOT to be used or shared by more than one company, nor are memberships licensed to be used for group presentation or broadcast.)

Will there be handouts, or do we just take notes during the class?

Handouts and other class materials will be provided in “.pdf” format either shortly before the class, or will be made available for download shortly after the class from the membership site.  Other reference materials (e.g., files, checklists, e-books, procedures, contact information, web links, Q&A’s typed in from the class, etc.) will also be made available to you on the membership site.  Of course you’re encouraged to take notes as well, because the process of note-taking helps to reinforce what you’re learning.

Can we earn Continuing Education credits for taking these classes?

Qualifies for NARI Continuing Education UnitsNARI (the National Association of the Remodeling Industry) has approved our presentation-content classes for their Continuing Education Units.  Credits are granted as .1 unit per 50-minutes of presentation time.

Note: Presentation sessions include all financial management, accounting, and marketing seminars; it does not include coaching, showcase, or networking sessions.

We will work towards obtaining Continuing Education credits for other certification programs as we move forward.

Will we be able to earn certifications for taking the classes?

At this time, no certification programs (other than the Continuing Education Credits discussed above) have been established for this program.

Diane Gilson

Diane Gilson

Who will be leading or moderating the classes?

Initially, Diane Gilson will be the central instructor and/or discussion leader but (as in the Sharper Pencil series), we intend to involve a wide variety of consultants, accountants, successful business owners, trainers, and vendors to bring a good mix of viewpoints and topics into our meetings.

What if technical (e.g., Internet or software) problems occur, or the scheduled instructor is ill, or encounters an emergency?

We do everything in our power to plan for contingencies so that we can meet every scheduled session, but it’s always good to have a plan if events beyond our control should occur.

If an unforeseen technical difficulty or “act of God” occurs, we will let you know the nature of the problem, apologize, and re-schedule.

If an instructor is not available:  We will first attempt to locate a substitute seminar leader so that “the show can go on”.  If that’s not possible, we may be able to provide a recorded seminar of comparable quality with the questions you submit answered by another instructor and/or on the member site.  In a worst-case scenario, we will notify you as soon as we can via e-mail, and make arrangements to re-schedule the webinar as soon as feasible.

Do I need to sign up for a full year?

No…  Actually, we don’t currently have an option for you to make an annual commitment.  We’ve designed this to be an affordable monthly subscription-style membership that can be discontinued (or the participation level modified) at any time.  (When you begin your “subscription” you’ll provide a credit card, and it will be charged on a monthly basis until you choose to modify or cancel access to the membership site.)

We don’t have employees who work on jobs – will I need to attend detailed payroll training?

No.  We will include a short overview of the job-costing capabilities included in the payroll module of QuickBooks, as we believe that it’s to your benefit to have a basic understanding of what can be done with the timekeeping and payroll modules.  But since a number of companies work only with subcontractors, we’re going to offer payroll training as a standalone set of seminars (separate fee).  Our intention is to offer that separate series in November.

What if there are other classes that deal with topics that don’t relate to my particular circumstances?

As with any “subscription” or membership, you’re likely to prefer, or be able to use, some topics more readily than others.  We still suggest that you attend all of the sessions to which you are entitled, as it’s not unusual that other tips, techniques, or work-arounds will be discussed that will assist you in other areas of the accounting or financial management functions.  Also, something that may appear to not apply today, may be useful to learn about, consider and/or implement in the future.

If I want to cancel, what is the process?

You can cancel your subscription through your membership site.  Upon cancellation, your credit card will no longer be charged the next month’s fee and access to the membership site will no longer be available.

If I find that I don’t like the membership and related benefits, is there a guarantee?

Absolutely!  We offer a 2-month “no questions asked” money-back guarantee.  (Well, if you decide to discontinue, we would appreciate your feedback, but it’s certainly not required [smile]).  We want to provide you with an exceptional experience, and if we’re just not the “right fit” for you, then we totally understand.

But you won’t know until you try it out – so that’s why we’re offering this “TWO-MONTH, RISK-FREE, MONEY-BACK, GUARANTEE” !  (That kind of rhymes, doesn’t it?)

2-Month, Risk-Free, Money-Back Guarantee on Construction Accounting & Management Program

2-Month, Risk-Free, Money-Back Guarantee

What if I have other Questions not addressed on this page?

Please call us (toll free) at 866-244-2228 (9-5 Mon-Fri EST).
Or go to the Contact Page and write us an e-mail.
We’ll answer you personally, and if it’s a great question, we’ll add it to this page!

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