If you are an aspiring accountant, the concepts that we will cover in this section will be familiar to you. However, if you are brand new to bookkeeping, make sure you grab a notepad to take notes, and a cup of coffee to stay alert. In this section, we will discuss the following: money coming into your business; money going out of your business; inventory and fixed asset purchases; the money you owe (liabilities); how to properly track everything using the chart of accounts; the two accounting methods; and double-entry bookkeeping.

One of the benefits of using QuickBooks to manage your books is that you don't need an accounting degree to learn how to use the software. However, you should have a basic understanding of how bookkeeping works and of what's happening behind the scenes in QuickBooks when you record transactions. As we walk through how to record transactions in QuickBooks, we will also explain what is happening behind the scenes, to further deepen your understanding of bookkeeping.

The main areas of your business include the following:

• Money in (sales)
• Money out (expenses)
• Inventory and fixed asset purchases
• Liabilities
• Chart of accounts
• Accounting methods
• Double-entry bookkeeping

Let's discuss each of these areas in more detail.