Simply Invoices

Simply Invoices is now close to a week old and has gotten somegreatattention.

Along with the links, have been some great emails from both new users and potential users. The two most common requests are to allow non-Basecamp users the ability to create invoices with Simply Invoices and for the ability to use multiple Basecamp accounts from one Simply Invoices account.

These are very different request with the same solution. In the first update to Simply Invoices (due around August 3rd), you will be able to do both of these things. The Basecamp account information will move from the registration page to the invoice template page. When creating or editing a template you’ll be able to:

a) link that template to an existing Basecamp account (used in another template)
b) associate a new Basecamp account
c) choose “Manual Entry”

“Manual Entry” will allow you to add your time entries manually when you create a new invoice using that invoice template.

Thanks to everyone that’s sending in feedback, please keep it up.

I just couldn’t wait for tomorrow. The doors are open. Sign up now!

The last piece of the Simply Invoices puzzle was a screencast. It weighs in at a very consumable 2.5 minutes and can be seen http://simplyinvoices.com/tour/intro.

About a month or two ago I emailed Ryan Bates of railscasts.com if he’d be interested in doing a screencast for me (for $$ of course). He agreed and the result is above. I’m really happy with how it came out. I’ve been a fan of railscasts since I first learned of it and was happy to support Ryan a little by commissioning this screencast.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or issues you can:

Log into the Simply Invoices campfire and chat with me
Email me
or file a support request

Simply Invoices is still set to launch next Tuesday. One of the things I just completed is the ‘tour’ page. This page shows off all the essential screens in Simply Invoices. I’ve placed a smaller version of the tour in this post. Enjoy!

1) Create a template

Invoice templates describe essentials to get started. This includes the client’s name and address, invoice number format and your hourly rate. Templates also describe what Basecamp project and person to get time entries from.

2) Create an invoice

Once your template is set, creating an invoice is a simple matter of telling Simply Invoices the start and end dates.

3) Preview and edit your invoice

Make any last minute changes to the data imported from basecamp. Everything is editable except the total hours and total price. Those fields are calculated from the data in the invoice.

4) Download the PDF

Simply Invoices can generate PDF invoices for you to send to your clients.

5) Quickly see recent invoices

View your most recent invoices in the dashboard. Easily download, edit or delete your invoices from the dashboard. Marking invoices as paid allows you to easily see what’s outstanding.

Today I started the Simply Invoices semi-private beta. If you’d like access, shoot me an email @ brian@simplyinvoices.com.

To celebrate, here’s a screenshot of the Simply Invoices dashboard. What you see in this shot are two “invoice templates” and one invoice listing. Next I’ll show what the invoice editor looks like along with an example of a generated PDF or two.

Simply Invoices is set to launch on July 24th. What is it? Simply Invoices is the easiest way to turn the time you log in Basecamp into an invoice. You create invoice templates that are associated with your Basecamp project and a person within that project. From then you just tell Simply Invoices to create a new invoice for time logged between two dates and you’re done. Download the PDF or copy a unique link to give to your client to view the invoice.

Simply Invoices saves all your invoices and makes it easy to track unpaid invoices.

Use the form on the right to be notified by email when Simply Invoices is open for business.

You’ll also want to subscribe to the RSS feed to catch some pre-release screenshots and other information regarding Simply Invoices before and after the launch.