To be honest, looking at numbers - especially financial numbers - makes my eyes glaze over. But alas, since we aren't big enough to have our own bookkeeper, we have to do our own invoicing and tracking (fech!).

That's why I am really glad we use Freshbooks. The small software company in Toronto delivers a great, simple to use service which helps us make the invoice process a lot easier. It is not a full featured accounting system like Quickbooks, but it is a perfect fit for consultants and freelancers who don't need to keep track of things like depreciating assets, inventory and the like.

The features that we like best include:

• Time Tracking. Anytime one of us is working on a project, we just start the timer applet. When work is stopped, I just press a button to log the hours and select which project it was for. The system automatically calculates the rate and adds it to the project for easy invoicing.
  
• Sub-contracting. You can add an additional person to the account for their part of the project. One really cool feature is that when ou combine this with the time tracking, you can have them bill you for their time and it will automatically bill the client at a different rate for the work
  
• Integration with Google Checkout. You don't have to open a merchant account to accept credit cards. When your invoice gets sent through e-mail, there is an option for the client to pay by card using Google Checkout. This way they have the convenience and you get paid faster.
  

There is a lot more under the hood and they provide great support. They are a company really geared towards helping businesses grow and they blog towards that end.

Everything is on the web so you can access your invoices from anywhere. We send all of our invoices by email but you can buy "stamps" from them and have them send printed invoices by post if you prefer. The pricing is tiered but you can get a great plan for under $20per month.

Check them out and see why Freshbooks is a must have for entrepreneurs.