ZAP ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
  • Home
  • Testimonials
    • Sales System Templates
    • Bookkeeping Template
  • The Challenge
  • Education
    • !! Start Here !!
    • ----------------------
    • Single Page Visuals (and more...)
    • ----------------------
    • Accounting Studio Magic >
      • ASM 101 Intro
      • ASM 101
      • ASM 102
    • ----------------------
    • Books & Pamphlets
    • Software in Spreadsheets >
      • Spreadsheets 101
      • Sales Systems 101
      • Bookkeeping 101
      • DIY Software Programming 101
    • Intro Video Sets (outline only)
    • ------------------------
    • Empowerment
    • Reimagination
    • ----------------------
    • End User Benefits
    • FAQs
  • Software
    • !! Start Here !!
    • ----------------------
    • Via the 6 Box Model
    • ------ By Box -----
    • Box 1 >
      • Invoicing 101 - Petes Electric
      • Statements 101 - Martha's Counseling
      • Legal Billing (images only)
    • Box 2 >
      • Expense and Profit Analysis
      • Time and Attendance
      • Payroll System
    • Box 3 >
      • Bank Deposit Prep WB
      • Acc'ts Receivable - Digital Bar Tab
      • Acc'ts Receivable - Double Entry
    • Box 4 >
      • Check Journal Example
      • Check Journal w/ 3 up Printing
      • Acc'ts Payable - Simple Digital List
    • Box 5 >
      • Bookkeeping
      • Transaction Generator
      • Bank Statement Generator
      • Bilbo's Bank - Faux Bank Website
      • Manual Balance Sheets
    • Box 6 >
      • Tax Prep Summary Worksheet
      • Tax Return Journals
      • Taxable Income Tracking
      • Tax Simulation & Estimating (Fed, State, PremTaxCred)
      • Real Estate Transaction Journal
      • Sales Tax Remittance Tracking
    • ------------------------
    • Other >
      • Accounting Master File
      • DIY1 uBoundGScriptProject
  • FAQs
  • More...
    • Orientation >
      • ------ INFORMAL ------
      • Models & Data Flow for folks on the GO!
      • Problems, Solutions and Bigger Backstory
      • ------- FORMAL -------
      • Step 1 - Welcome
      • Step 2 - Custom For You... >
        • Accounting Alchemists
        • Categorizing Crackerjacks
        • Simmering Sages
        • Sorcerous Students
        • Magical Millennials
        • Enchanting Educators
        • Spreadsheet Gurus, Javascript Wizards, Database Devils, & Full Stack Devs too...
      • Step 3 - Reunited!
      • Step 4 - The Accounting System 6 Box Model
      • ----------------------
    • For CPAs >
      • Welcome & Orientation
      • Resources >
        • Bookkeeping Template Data Flow Details
        • Balance Sheet Re-imagined
        • Income Statement Re-imagined
        • Bookkeeping Re-Imagined
        • Demystification Documents
        • Empowerment For CPAs
      • Notifications >
        • 11/6/2021 - Sea Change Notice
        • 1/17/2022 - The Opportunity
        • 5/14/2022 - Seeking CPE Partners
    • Contribute
    • Admin > Login/Logout
    • Archive >
      • Home_out20210331
      • Commerce Snippets
    • About
    • Contact
  • Home
  • Testimonials
    • Sales System Templates
    • Bookkeeping Template
  • The Challenge
  • Education
    • !! Start Here !!
    • ----------------------
    • Single Page Visuals (and more...)
    • ----------------------
    • Accounting Studio Magic >
      • ASM 101 Intro
      • ASM 101
      • ASM 102
    • ----------------------
    • Books & Pamphlets
    • Software in Spreadsheets >
      • Spreadsheets 101
      • Sales Systems 101
      • Bookkeeping 101
      • DIY Software Programming 101
    • Intro Video Sets (outline only)
    • ------------------------
    • Empowerment
    • Reimagination
    • ----------------------
    • End User Benefits
    • FAQs
  • Software
    • !! Start Here !!
    • ----------------------
    • Via the 6 Box Model
    • ------ By Box -----
    • Box 1 >
      • Invoicing 101 - Petes Electric
      • Statements 101 - Martha's Counseling
      • Legal Billing (images only)
    • Box 2 >
      • Expense and Profit Analysis
      • Time and Attendance
      • Payroll System
    • Box 3 >
      • Bank Deposit Prep WB
      • Acc'ts Receivable - Digital Bar Tab
      • Acc'ts Receivable - Double Entry
    • Box 4 >
      • Check Journal Example
      • Check Journal w/ 3 up Printing
      • Acc'ts Payable - Simple Digital List
    • Box 5 >
      • Bookkeeping
      • Transaction Generator
      • Bank Statement Generator
      • Bilbo's Bank - Faux Bank Website
      • Manual Balance Sheets
    • Box 6 >
      • Tax Prep Summary Worksheet
      • Tax Return Journals
      • Taxable Income Tracking
      • Tax Simulation & Estimating (Fed, State, PremTaxCred)
      • Real Estate Transaction Journal
      • Sales Tax Remittance Tracking
    • ------------------------
    • Other >
      • Accounting Master File
      • DIY1 uBoundGScriptProject
  • FAQs
  • More...
    • Orientation >
      • ------ INFORMAL ------
      • Models & Data Flow for folks on the GO!
      • Problems, Solutions and Bigger Backstory
      • ------- FORMAL -------
      • Step 1 - Welcome
      • Step 2 - Custom For You... >
        • Accounting Alchemists
        • Categorizing Crackerjacks
        • Simmering Sages
        • Sorcerous Students
        • Magical Millennials
        • Enchanting Educators
        • Spreadsheet Gurus, Javascript Wizards, Database Devils, & Full Stack Devs too...
      • Step 3 - Reunited!
      • Step 4 - The Accounting System 6 Box Model
      • ----------------------
    • For CPAs >
      • Welcome & Orientation
      • Resources >
        • Bookkeeping Template Data Flow Details
        • Balance Sheet Re-imagined
        • Income Statement Re-imagined
        • Bookkeeping Re-Imagined
        • Demystification Documents
        • Empowerment For CPAs
      • Notifications >
        • 11/6/2021 - Sea Change Notice
        • 1/17/2022 - The Opportunity
        • 5/14/2022 - Seeking CPE Partners
    • Contribute
    • Admin > Login/Logout
    • Archive >
      • Home_out20210331
      • Commerce Snippets
    • About
    • Contact
When it comes to Money Management,
most arriving to our website for the first time don't know what they don't know.

This applies to 
Bookkeeping and Accounting Novices and Pros as well as
​Seasoned Technologists, Competitive Software Vendors, 
Educational Publishers, Professors, Coaches, Consultants and Venture Capitalists too.  

​We aren't offering a different kind of Kool Aid.
We've created a new Category of Beverage.

No one should ever know more about your own Money than you. 
Until now, that's been hard for many to do. 
We've Changed that. 

Our offerings are for those seeking Money Management Skills
second to none along with the Privacy and Empowerment they Bring. 


The Software and Education we offer enables Individuals, Business Owners and Business Stakeholders to achieve proficiency and mastery of Money Management with a tiny portion of the time, effort and cost that has been required since ​the dawn of the Digital Age. 

Our Offerings really are that much different... 

Software.  Education.  Impact.

Software
  • We Pioneered a new, "third" type of software. Our solutions are database systems built out in a spreadsheet environment. They are offered in a free, anonymous, open source fashion to shakeup the Global Software As A Service (SaaS) and Downloadable Software Marketplaces. What they lack in "sexy" they make up for in "functionality", "transparency", "customization options", "privacy", and "universal affordability". Our offerings ensure Global Distribution into perpetuity with no financial barriers to access and PRIVACY second to none. 
     
  • We have published the World's first automated Double Entry Bookkeeping Solution in a Spreadsheet environment. Our world would be dramatically different today if such a solution had been developed and published decades ago. What sounds like hyperbole proves itself with even a little time in the saddle. In a world of 8 Billion, that's quite an accomplishment. 

  • For our Universal Bookkeeping Solution, we use positive and negative values instead of Debits and Credits. They can be viewed on the back-end and learned about as an afterthought.  In our system they can be turned on and off to see what they do and don't offer in a digital age. This is the glimpse of how different it should have been starting a few decades ago.  
    ​
  • As of 2022, we offer over a dozen different software templates, and everything is FREE for life ANONYMOUSLY.  We offer solutions and customization suggestions for Individual, Small Business and Large Business applications. We have dozens more prototyped. No user accounts required for software access or download and zero tracking on your downloaded files or your data. No automatic software template upgrades as a result of the privacy configuration, but that's truly a great thing when put in proper context.       
Education
  • Our educational material revolves around our software, and it's immersive.  What  "Rosetta Stone" did for language learning we've done for Bookkeeping, Accounting, Data Modeling and an entirely new class of functional open source software called "Do It Yourself Software" (DIY Software).

  • We've pioneered the Gemstone Educational Model (GEM) as a new model for Learning, Teaching and Curriculum Creation for these Topics and many others.  With this new, visually stimulating system, everyone can participate in all these processes with greater ease and equality. 

  • Our Bookkeeping Curriculum is the first to reveal the full digital data flow for double entry accounting in a new Educational Paradigm. The manual systems for managing money were sound with double entry accounting,  but they required significant hands on experience to truly embrace them. The software that came in after that was a black box that made it difficult if not impossible for all but the developers of each solution to follow and check. That is all past history now.  
    ​
  • As with our Software, all of our Education is FREE for life ANONYMOUSLY. Others offering Free Software and/or Free Education are typically making money selling your data or the psychology related to your use of their tools. We do none of that either.  We are not a software company, a school, nor an aggregator of your data. We are a publisher of software and education with an eye for the future and no relevant overhead. That's what makes us the most special of all.​​
Impact
  • Our Software and Educational Offerings Change EVERYTHING.  
    • ​Accounting should no longer be a "College Major". For Middle School and High School students, Bookkeeping and Accounting should be a required semester or one year course, much like algebra, chemistry, physics or biology. The first systems taught should be related to "Small Business Simulation" for numerous beneficial reasons provided later. Individuals seeking to focus more in depth on Bookkeeping, Accounting and Finance in high school or college should study Information Systems or Computer Science with a concentration in Money. 
       
    • Expensive Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Foundational Technology Training Courses are no longer relevant. Our material is fully free, anonymous, and available in any language via google translate. Any certifications done now could be sought much like the Belts in a Martial Art from those in a real or virtual Dojo of your own creation. As the younger generations rise with bookkeeping, accounting, data modeling and foundational programming as part of their "core commercial curriculum", all of this will become a distant memory.  

    • Bookkeeping should no longer be an outsourced by anyone to anyone. Bookkeeping can contain EXTREMELY PERSONAL INFORMATION that should seldom be shared with others. Those you outsource to today may not be trusted in your future. Outsourced Bookkeeping rose exponentially as the shift from manual books went digital. The software that gained main stream prominence for profitability, not functionality,  was too complex and unstable for ALL to handle both accurately and efficiently, including the pros who claim to offer those services now. What you were forced to do from the 1990's to the early 2020's you are no longer required to do given our offerings, so shift back to prioritizing your own personal privacy in this area now.    

    • Avoid storing highly mine-able personal and business data in "their Structured Data Silos" again. The aggregation of bookkeeping and accounting data in "structured data silos" where millions of similar businesses can be viewed singularly in the "blink-of-an-eye" by "peeping toms" has negatively affected all societies and all ecosystems for the past few decades. Those who were secretly and discreetly viewing and buying the aggregated data for truly selfish reasons have been the only ones benefiting from it, to our communal detriment. That all falls apart as soon as you remove your structured data from their systems in droves and minimize your participation in "structured data silos" moving forward. 

    • Web-based software requiring Monthly and Annual fees into perpetuity should be avoided whenever possible. In addition to grossly violating communal user privacy, many of these "Software as a Service" (Saas) companies have grossly exploited the fees they "could charge" consumers, corporations and government agencies as Monopoly positions solidified. Intuit's Quickbooks offering is just one example of how bad it could get. They did NOT have to get greedy. They did it by choice. Leave the predatory SaaS platforms for Bookkeeping, Accounting and any other systems you can create for yourself at your first opportunity. 
      ​
    • The Data Backup Industry will be dramatically affected too as a shift back to decentralized software and data storage with a cloud twist transpires.  All associated stress, overhead, and backdoor privacy problems will be shifting around dramatically as well. The loss of Crash Plan's free, downloadable, fully functional, private, local backup software was not looked upon with an admiring eye either.  We'll get back to that eventually too. 
​This WILL change the World. 
As an End User, Advocate, Promoter, or Coach, join the Team that Wins. 

​On this website you will find Free, World Class Education which delves into the Bookkeeping and Accounting Systems you need to be successful in Business and the Business of Life

On this website you will find Free, "First-of-a-Kind", "Do It Yourself"
Software Templates you can use for your Commercial Endeavors forever

On this website you will NOT find
 any place to create a user name and password, 
because it's Free to all, anonymously

​Free Bookkeeping and Accounting Education

Free Bookkeeping and Accounting Software
Privacy, Anonymity, and Novelty Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
A Home which Opens Doors that are never Closed

Welcome to a New Commercial Age
The Rest of this Home Page includes the following sections:
 In a World of 8 Billion...
​
 The World is still Our Oyster!
 A Singular Seed for Individual, Small Business and Large Business Skills
​ The Best Methods for Learning and Teaching
 Small Business Basics - A Simulation Second to None
​ Suggestions for Takeoff!
 A Tiny Tin Man Sipping Soda by the Sea in a Sombrero says Hello
All Great Leaders were once Great Followers.
Follow others until you know how to navigate by Heart.
​Lead the same Way.

In a world of 8 Billion, it's rare a Publisher of Education and Software can claim to be truly "unique". 
That makes us the exception. 

We are a publisher of Educational Material and Software.  We are not a "traditional software company".  We offer no Tech Support, and we are not trying to start our own "training programs" or "corporate controlled communities".​  We are supporting the creation of the world's largest decentralized commercial education program and software satsang on the planet. 

​Our software templates represent a totally "new type of paperclip". They are unlike anything you've seen published commercially before. Many websites offer free education. Some repackaged old dogma with a technology whistle while others created "short cut" systems which can lead one astray.  None created their own software to Practice First and Learn Second.
​If you ever explore the Pracitce of Hatha Yoga, you will find there is very little spoken introduction in the classes.  After a brief welcome, the leading Yogi or Yogini just starts moving and practioners of all levels just start "practicing" together.  Sometimes names of poses are whispered. Those familiar move first while the rest follow along until the vocabualry has meaning. That's the best way to approach this if you are not fluent in accounting vocabulary already.
​
Our suggestion is to find an Accounting Yogi or Yogini in your area or online that you resonate with, and allow them to lead you through the initial paces. If you want to learn from our website directly, you will need to do more reading than you would otherwise.  The "accounting studio" with a seasoned Yogi or Yogini to step into practice with right away is always best, if you can find one.  

One way or another, learn how to do what you need to do. Practice First. Theory Second.  If you read or hear words that are new to you, pass on the urge to stop-the-presses.  Focus on the rhythm of the work, and the vocabulary will soon follow.
  

The World is still Our Oyster !

As Engineers, Data Scientists and aspiring Solutionaries, we approached software development and education as if commercially engaged 8 year olds in a third world country with a Raspberry Pi and a wireless connection just needed to understand "the practice of bookkeeping and accounting" in order to impress the micro-bankers seeking to support them. 

To keep upfront and ongoing costs at zero for our most cherished global audience, we created open source, database driven solutions on a spreadsheet platform as fully independent software templates. This ensures as much digital privacy as we could muster and it ensures our solutions will be within reach of all into perpetuity.

But make no mistake about it. Our solutions are as useful for CPA's, Auditors and other esteemed Accounting Professionals around the Globe as they are for Seasoned Entrepreneurs and the budding micro-prenuers we sought to please the most. 
To see them beaming brilliantly in front of her samosa stand and his flower cart is our greatest gift. 

The Children are Always Our Future

A Singular Seed for Individual, Small Business and Large Business Skills

Bookkeeping and Accounting Education and Software purveyors prior to us have focused on market segments. Personal and household management got one set of solutions, Small Business people got a different set, and Corporate types got a third version. 

​Our Education and Software Solutions are surprisingly Universal. 
  1. Personal Bookkeeping and Accounting  - Our solutions are ideal for individuals and householders seeking to track and manage their money, learn about budgets and budgeting, and individuals interested in financial simulation.   We stop short of leading you into the world of investing for financial gains.  We may add that to another site some day. 
  2.  Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting - We are your one stop shop for learning about ALL the basic and advanced topics you need to know to enter into and be successful in Small Business from a Bookkeeping and Accounting perspective. It is NOT as hard as any of you have been led to believe. It takes a few hours to gain a baseline proficiency. It takes a dozen or two to become proficient. If you'd like to master it, that could easily be done with 20 to 50 to 100 hours of practice and study depending on the Black Belt you are seeking to obtain.
  3. Large Business Bookkeeping and Accounting - Our Software has legs. We don't know how far it can go at this time, but we know it's well beyond Small Business.  It may only have niche uses in large business for audits, accounting recovery systems, isolated data integrity checks or for bridge use during new software installations, but it has legs far longer than most can imagine at this time. 

The Best Methods for Learning and Teaching 

We have discovered that starting everyone out as if they are a "small business owner" in their own Commercial Play is in fact the best way to introduce Bookkeeping and Accounting to everyone, including those individuals seeking only to do it for personal purposes. Personal Bookkeeping and Accounting is nearly identical to Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting. There are, however, more options in Personal Bookkeeping and Accounting that make it more individualized, and those should only be discussed AFTER seeing everything in motion in the more limited context of your own, imaginary Small Business. 

There are 3 different ways to educate yourself and others.  
​
  1. ​Presentations First - Our introductory presentation set is found on the Education Menu and it is referred to as "Accounting Studio Magic 101".  Spend an hour or two learning vocabulary, history and theory with some pictorial introductions to our templates. Learn about "why" these solutions may be a system for life for many of you. Then jump into a Sales System Template and the Bookkeeping template to get going with Guided Exercises. 

  2. Software Glimpse First - Open copies of a Sales System Template and the Bookkeeping Template in view only and just take a glimpse at what they do.  Look long enough to recognize them for what they are, and then dive into our  presentations for vocabulary, theory and education.

  3. Hands on First  - Download copies of a Sales System Template and the Bookkeeping Templates and do some Guided Exercises . After an amount of hands on time right for you, circle back for more structured presentations and curriculum that present vocabulary and theory.

Suggestions
  1. Unless vehemently opposed, take in our Educational Presentations and Accounting Studio Magic first. That small time up front to get a cognitive framework built will dramatically accelerate your hands on learning process. We include screen shots of a relevant Sales System and the Bookkeeping System in there with introductory commentary that is beneficial.  
  2. While we have provided videos for a self-guided attempt at the "Hands on First" approach, we feel that experience is much better when done in the physical presence of a coach or guide. Much of the initial hands on learning is about subtle keystrokes. When learning something new, it's best to develop good habits right away, and that's easier with someone looking over your shoulder. 

Small Business Basics - A Simulation Second to None

By learning about Bookkeeping, Accounting and our Software with an imaginary experience as a Small Business Person first, you get to see an entire accounting system in action with the least possible variables.  Once that common, universal framework is established, it's far easier to then have conversations about relative differences related to your own wants and needs. 

Everyone in Small Business starts out with similar basic needs. 
  • ​A simple "Customer Database" (be that "customer", "client", "patient", etc.)  The customer database should be found in or tied to Sales Systems not the Bookkeeping System. More on this below... 
  • A simple "Quoting" or "Price Presentation" System  Quoting systems may be tied to a master customer database  or they may have a separate lead database system built in.  Price presentation may be as simple as posted pricing on your website or a menu in a restaurant. 
  • A simple "Sales System" is made up of one or more of the following:
    • A "Before the Fact" Sales System  -  A way for a client / customer / patient to reserve time, space, products or membership  in advance of receipt of the product or service.   These are commonly referred to as Booking Systems, Reservation Systems,  Shopping Cart, and Subscription systems.  Point of Sale systems and Invoicing systems that are modified or repurposed for Advanced Payments may also crossover these days.
    • An "In the Moment" Sales System  - These are used in real time as the exchange of products or services are happening.  These are referred to as "Point of Sale" Systems or "Cash Registers" in the industry.  Carbon copy receipt books are the old school "in the moment" systems everyone is familiar with. Modern Invoicing Systems and even shopping carts may also cross over for this use these days.   
    • An "After-the-Fact" Sales System - A way to declare amounts owed, payment terms and payment options after an exchange of goods or services has transpired.  Invoicing systems for a single transaction and systems providing for Monthly Statements for multiple transactions are the most common. 
  • ​​A simple "Bookkeeping System" 
    • Formal "Bookkeeping" work with a capital "B" is done in a standard, pre-defined manner for all no matter their business or trade.
    • A "Bookkeeping System" handles the recordation, categorization and reporting of income related deposits, outbound expenses, and equity related transactions.
    • The first reporting goal of a proper Bookkeeping System is an Income Statement  For newbies, that report is easier to cognitively grasp if you think of it as a "Net Income Statement" or a "Profit/Loss Statement" instead.  That report lists all money in flows and all money outflows for any time period you'd like to review, and it provides a singular value for an excess of money or a deficiency of money for the given time period.  
    • A proper Bookkeeping System also should have the ability to produce a Balance Sheet if desired. This report is a critical transaction categorization cross check system for a "selected time period" too, although that is not well understood by most at this time.
    • A proper Bookkeeping system should NOT be directly tied to the Customer Database or Sales Systems, believe it or not.  
    • A Bookkeeping System is where those pesky Debits and Credits were used so much. You use positive and negative values in our software. It creates them on the back if you want to see what they do and don't add in a modern system. 
A simple "Website"
  • The small business person must have a website they can edit and control by themselves with or without professional support for price presentation, operational support and business personification, in addition to any marketing benefits one may or may not provide. 
  • While outside of the scope of this website, it must be mentioned with this group of criteria, as it always plays a key, indirect role in the overall Accounting and Financial Process.
If Accounting is the Language of Business, which it is, 
Then Bookkeeping is the Key to the Alphabet

Suggestions for Take Off

Testimonials - Read them. They convey a world available to you which is only a dream for most.
 
Education - Go through Accounting Studio Magic 101.  It's short.  It exposes bits of the full spectrum you need for everything else.  

​The Software Shortcut - For those who just want to "short cut it all" and get to the Software, with little to no clue what you are in for, you are only 3 minutes away from having copies of various software templates within your control for life. Without proper instruction you'll mess them up, but have fun with them. Mess them up. When they get too bad, just download a fresh copy and start anew. Do that until you decide our suggestions for Education first might be fun too. You will benefit from a circle back of fun to get the frameworks right, but take a peak first and play with them. That is fun too, and here's how that shortcut goes...
​
  • Go to  "Software > 'Software' Intro " page
    • Read it.  It sets expectations for our Software that are not as clearly defined anywhere else. Do NOT skip the "Software > Intro" page !! ​Read It!!
  • Go to  "Software  >  Via the 6 Box Model" page. 
    • Review the 6 Box Model at the top of the page
    • Scroll below the model and select a link for a template (they are organized by Box). For most you will want to start with either Box 1 for the Sales Systems or Box 5 for our "first of a kind" Bookkeeping Template. 
    • On the Software Template's Landing Page, click on the link at the top of the page to see it open up immediately in "view only" mode in your web browser.
    • If you want your own copy, Select "File > Make a Copy" if you want it in a google Sheets format on google Drive OR  "File > Download As" for the same in one of the other spreadsheet formats offered. 
    • Start futzing and then futz some more...
    • Return to the "Education > Accounting Studio Magic 101" material when the time is right. ​
You're almost ready to go now and Futz.
Do it with Passion until your Heart's Content.
If ever you find yourself wishing for more, ​
return again until you Know it all by Heart.
We offer the experience you are seeking.
It's totally unlike that found in College Curriculum or with Quicken, Quickbooks, FreshBooks or anything else in the Software or Educational Marketplace today.

We created a third type of software solution that is second to none for the problems we sought to solve. 

Our first Goal is to provide you with Sales Systems as an accompaniment to our Bookkeeping Template to instill a feeling of "self-empowerment" and "audit readiness" not found anywhere else. 
Picture
​Free Software and Free Education for Life, but no Tech Support.
Find a community or create your own. 
Donate from Time to Time. We're worth every Dime. 
We are the Publishers of Last Resort, and Our Time has Come.
​Go now and Futz!!

What's a HELOC in 1st?  Link coming soon...
ZAP Accounting Software - a 
220Club Initiative - copywrite 2017 and beyond...
Proudly powered by Weebly