QuickBooks Connect Discount About to Expire

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We are just days away from the 'day of truth', September 19th the last day to get the 30% Discount off the standard Pricing for this year's QuickBooks Connect. This is my last ditch effort to make certain you don't miss that deadline because I don't want you to miss the opportunity of grabbing your conference tickets at a discount and encountering some great speakers, especially small group presenters.

So, just like last time I will take this opportunity to tell you about a 'few more' of some of the people I could go on-n-on about, that you absolutely do not want to miss. (Yes I will fill you in about even more QBC speakers in a future feature.)

Kelly Gonsalves - she is not only an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor who built a New York City business designed at empowering small business owners to understand their finances but she is this year's Insightful Accountant 'Up-n-comer ProAdvisor of the Year', so why wouldn't I list her first in this article! Kelly is truly a go getter, she has worked with many small business owners and developed a niche around cloud-based accounting with an App Stack that fits both her clients and her practice. In developing that App Stack she took the time to not only learn the Apps in detail but learn the Developers such that she actually works with, and now represents many of them in their marketing and training efforts. So, if you are new to the ProAdvisor community and you are looking for a role model, you should definitely be checking out Kelly because she is 'going places.'

Michelle Long - there were three people I met when I first became a ProAdvisor, Laura Madeira, Joe Woodard and Michelle Long all at the same 'free' Intuit training event, and believe me that's longer ago than any of us want to admit. What can one say about Michelle, really her company name says it all, 'Long for Success'... if you have a longing for success, then this is one of the 'First Ladies of QuickBooks' that you want to emulate.  I could tell you that she has written 5 books, has earned numerous awards including various 'Top 10 ProAdvisor Awards' from Insightful Accountant, is an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor and much more... but perhaps one of the measures that is least talked about, but most impressive is just how many people rely on her LinkedIn group, more than 163,000, can you say WOW !  So just remember, if you are longing for success, just step into a class that Michelle Long is teaching and you will be one step closer to achieving your goal.

Mario Nowogrodzki - Albert Einstein has disguised himself with short red hair in the form of Mario Nowogrodzki... no, I actually think Mario is 'smarter than Albert Einstein', and he's a lot harder working too. If you have a technical question about 'anything' this is the man to ask, of course be prepared to stand in a long line because there are going to be that many people who are already in the line ahead of you to ask their own questions.  Mario has it all, he understands the theoretical, conceptual and the practical and best yet, he can put it all together in almost any framework/system that will work for a client.  He can take somebody else's preexisting problem(s), diagnose them in moments, identify the culprit, determine the cure, and prepare a treatment plan for resolution right before your eyes.  So whether you need help, or you need something new that's never ever been done before on the face of the planet (or perhaps even beyond) Mario is the guy to call. By the way, Mario is also a past recipient of Insightful Accountant's QuickBooks ProAdvisor Integrations Specialist Award.

Caren Schwartz - nobody has more 'sense' then my good friend Caren Schwartz who owns 'Time & Cents Consulting', a firm with a niche for professional firms that want to track time and perform invoicing 'just so so'. Caren has not only a fundamental understand but an in-depth knowledge of essentially every timekeeping software on the planet and how it integrates with every general ledger to which it attaches and she can tell you which one works for what and which ones don't right off the top of her head. Furthermore she has no qualms about letting you know what she really thinks about which ones are good and which ones are 'crap' (or worse), and that's exactly why "I just love her to death"... she is honest, totally, but that's not to say that she can't be discrete when she needs to be, if not she wouldn't have been able to work with hundreds of law and other professional firms not to mention consult with many of these software vendors as well to let them know where they are on or off track.  So be prepared to get an 'ear full' in Caren's class, but it will all be top notch knowledge you need to know and the answers you have been wanting. Oh' ya, she is also a past recipient of Insightful Accountant's QuickBooks ProAdvisor Niche Practice Award!

By way of introduction of my next speaker I have a little story to tell. About four months prior to his tragic death Buddy Holly recorded a wedding gift to his wife in the form of the song "True Love Ways"1. The song was only released as part of a posthumous album in March 1960 along with several other recordings that had gone unheard. Those of you who know me, and have read 'my stuff' long enough know what a fan I was of Buddy Holly even as a youth, and the impact February 3, 1959, The Day the Music Died, had in my life. If you have never heard the original recording of this song I encourage you to do so at this bing video.

Joe Woodard - there is absolutely nobody who has more love, respect, admiration, honor and sense of loyalty for this community than Joe. He has given, and continues to give, his all, and so it was with that in mind that when Insightful Accountant was started that I titled the re-writes of many of Joe's previous articles: "True Joe Ways." 

Whether it's a conference, a training session, an article, a podcast, a webinar, an interview or just a sit-down with ProAdvisors, it's always a labor of love for my friend Joe Woodard when it comes to this community, and there is nothing more fitting I can say than that!

So, for all of us who know Joe, Buddy sang it best, it's the way we all feel about you... "Just you know why, why you and I, will bye and bye, know true love ways, sometimes we'll sigh, sometimes we'll cry, and we'll know why, just you and I, know true love (Joe) ways..."1,2

QuickBooks Connect is being held at the San Jose (Ca) McEnery Convention Center  on November 6, 7 and 8. If you haven't already registered to attend, you need to do so NOW while you can still take advantage of the 30% discount before the September 19th deadline.

November 6 is this year's 'Accountant's Day' which is designed for accounting professionals and features industry-specific breakout sessions including those taught by many of the speakers I mentioned above. November 7 & 8 provides an opportunity business owners, experts, vendors and other mentors to interact with you, the accounting professionals and ProAdvisors who know QuickBooks.

All three days offer an Exhibit Hall with sponsor-partners offering the latest innovations, tools and trends designed to work with QuickBooks and impact your business and streamline workflows. You will have the opportunity to meet with product experts at their product booths where you can explore hands-on activities including product demos, ask questions and receive personalized help and advice via one-on-one sessions, and more.

So, get all the details about sessions, keynote speakers, hotels, travel deals, and registration at the official Intuit QuickBooks Connect website.

And I promise you that in my next QuickBooks Connect feature we will take a look at the keynote speakers along with some more of my favorite presenters.... I wonder if I can find any 'hit tunes' for them?

1- "True Love Ways", Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, Coral Records, Recorded: October 21, 1958, Released: June 29, 1960; 2- "True Love Ways": Lyrics, [adapted from same.]