Taking Care of Business: Intuit to Help Millions of Budding Entrepreneurs Get a Jump Start on Success

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Award-Winning QuickBooks Simple Start Now Available for Free

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) has a free gift to help the 72 percent of Americans who dream of starting a business - its popular QuickBooks(R) Simple Start software.

With this free accounting software, entrepreneurs can now easily establish the financial habits that will help them get their business successfully off the ground. The small business financial software, with previous versions valued at $99.95, is available for free download at www.simplestart.com.

Already trusted by more than 300,000 small business owners nationwide, QuickBooks Simple Start is full-featured accounting software. Known for its drop-dead ease of use, Simple Start focuses on the essentials of tracking "money in" and "money out," as well as keeping key business data organized for tax time.

"The way business owners choose to manage their finances early can make or break a business," said Rick Jensen, vice president of Intuit's Small Business Division, adding that approximately 6 million Americans actually start a business each year. "Scratching IOUs on Post-Its or filing receipts in shoeboxes is like building your business on sand instead of rock.

"By making Simple Start free, we're giving entrepreneurs the cornerstone for a solid financial foundation and future success. This way they can focus their energy on building their business, not worrying about their books," Jensen added.

Kristina Pitaniello, a successful one-woman business specializing in painting, sculpture, jewelry-making and industrial design in Boston, turned to QuickBooks Simple Start early on in her career.

"When I first started my business, my finances quickly started to get out of control," said Pitaniello. "I had bits of scratch paper everywhere. Simple Start helped me get control of this mess. Now I can easily go into the software and find customers' addresses, send them invoices and account for their payments. Simple Start lets me do what I went into business to do - make jewelry - and not stress out about the back-end business processes."

Super Simple, Full Featured

Popular for its innovative simplicity, QuickBooks Simple Start 2008 remains extremely easy to learn and use with no accounting knowledge needed. Getting up and running can take as little as 15 minutes - virtually less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered.

The straightforward, free accounting software uses everyday language, such as "money in" instead of "accounts receivable." In addition to tracking finances, it helps users organize crucial business data, such as tax receipts, customer data and vendor information, and run key reports such as Profit & Loss to see where the business stands.

With the 2008 version, business owners can now process payroll by subscribing to QuickBooks Payroll, instead of spending countless hours doing it manually. Additionally, it's now possible to conveniently import business data from Microsoft Excel and send and receive e-mail via Outlook.

More than financial software, Simple Start is a doorway into Intuit's network of business tools and resources. Users can link to www.JumpUp.com, Intuit's free online community and resource site that provides startup businesses with tried-and-tested advice and information from real business owners. As their business needs change, entrepreneurs can also easily find the Intuit tools needed to manage and track inventory, accept credit card payments and even market their products online.

Just Start Campaign

Further supporting entrepreneurs, Intuit also announced its nationwide "Just Start" campaign with a chance to win a $50,000 business startup grant. The campaign is designed to empower the many Americans who aspire to run their own business to take the next step and "Just Start." Along with a contest for $50,000, "Just Start" offers the encouragement and guidance aspiring entrepreneurs need to get started via nationwide events in four major cities. Go to www.IWillJustStart.com for more information.

"Whether it's someone working in their day job, a stay-at-home mom, or a recent retiree, we're looking to inspire anyone who dreams of starting their own business," said Rick Jensen, vice president, Intuit's Small Business Division. "'Just Start' is a rallying cry for people to break free - whether that's to resign from the corporate world or simply to take a hard look at whatever is stopping them from pursuing their business dream - and finally commit to take the next step in making it happen."

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    About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks(R), Quicken(R) and TurboTax(R) software, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries(R) and Lacerte(R) are Intuit's leading tax preparation software suites for professional accountants. The company's financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $2.67 billion in its fiscal year 2007. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Intuit, the Intuit logo and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Source: Intuit Inc.

Released October 15, 2007