u/OperationFriendly628

I got handed the job of keeping an eye on our CRM budget, and now I'm starting to question every line on the bill.

We use our CRM for a nonprofit, mostly to keep our contact database organized, send newsletters and campaign emails, and keep track of donations.

Nothing about our setup feels wildly complicated from the user's side.

Then I saw what we're paying for it each year.

It's around $32K.

The funny thing is, I really like the platform. The support has been great, the system works, and we have a lot of history stored in it. So switching isn't something I'd take lightly.

But now I'm wondering whether we're paying for a lot of functionality that we simply don't use.

If you have ever managed a large contact database and regular email campaigns, what does your CRM cost each year?

At what point does the price start feeling unreasonable?

I'm trying to figure out whether this is just the going rate for a system at this scale or whether we should be looking at alternatives before renewing again.

I was recently referred to a new LLC that is basically starting from zero. They've made less than $100 so far, but they're serious about growing and want to get their taxes and finances set up correctly from the beginning.

The business will have a few different income streams, so their tax situation could become more involved as they grow. They're also considering starting another LLC later that I may end up handling as well.

I'm trying to figure out how to price something like this. I don't want to charge an early stage business more than makes sense, but I also don't want to offer a cheap rate and end up spending hours answering questions and providing support throughout the year.

How do other CPAs price brand new LLC clients with little or no revenue? Do you have a minimum fee, offer a starter rate for the first year, or charge based on the actual work involved?

What pricing approach has worked best for you without undervaluing your time?

I'm at that slightly awkward stage of freelancing where I'm finally getting real projects, but I'm also trying not to spend money on five different subscriptions before the clients actually start paying me.

One of the things I need right now is a simple way to send professional invoices from my Mac. I was using a free trial of an invoicing program, and it did exactly what I needed. Then the trial ended, and paying another monthly subscription when I'm still waiting on client payments doesn't make much sense right now.

I don't need a huge accounting system with a hundred features I'll never touch. I just want something that lets me create a clean invoice, add my services and payment details, export or send it to the client, and keep track of what's been paid.

Once the freelance income becomes more consistent, I don't mind paying for good software. Right now, though, simple and free would genuinely help.

What free invoicing software for Mac are you actually using?