Predict your cash-flow future with Pulse
If you've spent more than a month as a freelancer or entrepreneur, you know that cash flow makes and breaks the small business. For years, I wrangled with accounting software, spreadsheets and back-of-the-envelope calculations to give myself an idea of what my income would be a few months down the road. I was never truly satisfied with how I was forecasting my cash flow, and I even started writing my own web app to take care of the problem.
Then I found Pulse, a simple and awesome app that provides a flexible and easy-to-use way to track my income and expenses months into the future. Its interface is friendly and intuitive, and users of Basecamp, Harvest or any of the other similar Web 2.0 business apps will feel right at home. I use the free version, which gives me a month-by-month view of my expected income and expenses, and I'm able to make quick changes to projects and invoices and see how each affects my bottom line.
If you're still scrawling your next few project fees on scrap paper or struggling to keep your spreadsheets up to date, Pulse will be a huge upgrade. Seeing my real numbers several months in advance gives me a boost in confidence and motivates me to keep the new projects rolling in. Check out Pulse, and you'll see why it's my brand new cash-flow crystal ball.
About the Author
Rob Howard is the web developer who speaks your language. As the founder of Howard Development & Consulting, he works exclusively with designers and creative firms to deliver top-notch HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Wordpress and ExpressionEngine content management system development. He's built sites for Harvard, MIT and the Holocaust Museum, and his start-ups have been praised in BusinessWeek, Entertainment Weekly and PC Magazine.
