Interview with Allan Branch, Co-Founder – LessAccounting

In this interview, we are going to learn a little more about the company I posted a quick hit blog post on called LessAccounting. Allan Branch, Co-Founder, was kind enough to take time out of his busy day, and running 3 companies, as noted below in the interview, is a busy thing to be doing. I’m more then happy to let him have the floor.

Q1: Today Allan Branch a Co-Founder of Less Accounting has taken the time to do the 5 quick questions. First thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to answer these. Let’s proceed with the first question now. Less Accounting. That is a great name, and since you have already told me in a separate e-mail that you came up with the concept/idea – What gave you the idea to put together this web site and company?

I own a web development business and two other businesses. I have needed an easy accounting and organizational software for some time. I looked around and realized I could buy several large, expensive software packages, and only use the bits that I need, or I could write my own. When I discussed this with my partners, Steven Bristol and Chris Chandler, they told me they had been thinking the exact same thing. Less Accounting was born.

Q2: What are the ultimate goals of the company? Is it to be the small business savior as far as accounting and bookkeeping goes, or would you like to even go as far as bigger companies?

We are interested in helping any business that has the need for software to be an aid and not a hindrance. LessAccounting is not about keeping track of your check register, it is about giving you the tools to make more money and do less accounting. Our software wants to get out of your way.

Q3: Now there are other sites out there that do almost the same thing as Less Accounting. How would you describe the advantage you have over them, as well as, what features have you seen or not seen that drove you to create Less Accounting?

There is some conjecture on the blogoshpere about what LessAccounting will do, everyone will have to wait a little longer to see for sure. We know that not every piece of software fits everyone, if someone has a tool that works for them and makes them more productive, then they should use that tool. We believe there are a lot of people who have not found the tool that is right for them yet. We hope LessAccounting will be that tool.

Q4: Question number 4 is starting to become almost canned these days. With that being said, this is the question where you get to release data about your company. ie.. the size, current employees, if you are looking for VC funding or already have it, management structure, if you are hiring more employees, etc.. what ever you feel you can release to the public at this time about Less Accounting.

LessAccounting is a small privately funded company that is more focused on our users than ourselves. We see great potential in the small business market and have no need for VC funds. What we are looking for is building a community of tools the help small businesses grow by streamlining process.

Q5: Yes, Question 5 is pretty much the same, but – it does seem to offer nice closure for the companies. First, I would like to thank Allan Branch a Co-Founder of Less Accounting for spending his time answering this for the readers, and now is the chance to tell the readers why they should stop by Less Accounting to check your service out.

All of the founders parent’s have owned their own businesses. We have all been raised with the entrepreneurial spirit and we have seen the struggle of the small businessman. We know the right tools have not been built. We know that if we (our small businesses) need it, other people need it.

Here are the top reasons your accounting software sucks (one hundred people surveyed, top tweleve answers on the board):

12. A shoe box is not accounting software.

11. You need help to set the program up.

10. You purchase books to learn the program.

9. Annual updates to purchase.

8. You hire a Quickbooks consultant.

7. You switch to a mac, you have to buy the program again.

6. Since when does good software get sold at Walmart?

5. You didn’t pay for tech support…sorry.

4. You always procrastinate when you have to use it.
3. Your accounting software doesn’t make you more productive.
2. Your accounting softwares doesn’t make your life easier.
1. Your accounting software doesn’t make your accountant’s life easier.

NewTeeVee

NewTeeVee, is just another expansion of Om Malik’s empire of blogs. Congratulations Om! Or should we really call you “Tony“, of the blogging world? This blog should be very interesting and timely as the online video world is exploding and growing daily. Just look at what the cat dragged in!

Baidu to enter Japan

Chinese Internet search leader Baidu.com said on Monday it would enter Japan’s search market in 2007, prompting a 2 percent rise in its shares, but analysts questioned whether the expansion would succeed.

Yoono

Yoono is a social search engine without the tagging. Search is big. Tagging is a pain in the you know what. This seems to pick out whatever site you are on and then the relevent sites with links to your site. The news here is that on December 11th at the Paris LeWeb3, they will be introducing a blog search feature drawing on RSS.

MoJungle – buy them on eBay!

MoJungle, which sounds like a concept that would really sell, or at least generate interest to be bought by a bigger company - is now for sale on eBay. They are trying to be like a MySpace for mobile, and the sale reasons are fully explained on their eBay listing. The starting bid is $60,000.

More on d7tv

d7tv.com - Yes, I probably shouldn’t give this place anymore time, but they are in beta mode at this time. They are trying to become the all original content video place. The people behind D7TV, which is in beta, aim to create an online network of original content you can swallow in on-the-go capsules. The shows are a tad more polished than most video blogs, yet rough enough to pocket as an audiovisual snack. Playback formats include MOV, Torrent, 3GP, M4V, and WMV (which wasn’t working in our tests).

 

Technically Speaking, my only advice is check your sources next time BEFORE you air your next party crashing video that has “information” about someone!

VodPod

VodPod, is a video site built around social networking. It seems that everything is built on social networking these days. VodPod is going into beta mode at this time. If you have your own videos as well as YouTube and other video site videos, you can form your own social circle, er, social network of others that are into the same.

Bram Cohen on BitTorrent

The future. The rumors we all read last week were just that. As we all learned earlier today and yesterday, rumors are just that. Talk to the source if you want the truth!

Yahoo exec David Katz no longer with Yahoo…

Resigns? Fired? That is what it sounds like, but David Katz who headed up the sports and studio units is no longer with the company.

*More Information – Kim Family Rescue – KGW Channel 8 local news*

Oregon State Police said a helicopter crew spotted 30-year-old Kati Kim on Monday about 1:45 p.m. near the Rogue River in the area of Bear Camp Viewpoint off Bear Camp Road.

They also said they found daughters four-year-old Penelope and seven-month-old Sabine alive. They were airlifted to a hospital in Grants Pass. There was no word on their condition, but OSP Lieutenant Gregg Hastings said reports were encouraging. The family stayed warm by running the car until they ran out of gas, then they burned tires, deputies said.

Rescuers continued to look for 35-year-old father, James Kim. There were indications he left on snowshoes two days ago police said. Kay Fristad with the Oregon National Guard said a helicopter equipped with an infrared camera will be used in that search.