There's satisfaction and frustration in being a small business owner or manager these days. Commerce has always been a challenging profession, but today's tough economic times are making the job a hundred times harder. That's why having excellent small business inventory management software can make the difference between success and failure.

Using small business inventory management software makes excellent sense. These types of accounting programs save time (something an owner or manager always needs) by organizing company data. The software keeps track of individual units in inventory at the same time it provides a complete picture of the business' status. With this information, an owner or manager can make much better business decisions.

Ask some important questions when evaluating which software is best for your company:

* Can this inventory management software be upgraded as business increases?

* Is the program simple to learn and easy to use?

* Am I paying for inventory management features that I don't need in this software? Does it lack the features I really do need?

* Is the software compatible with all of our company's computers?

* What online and phone support does the maker/vendor offer?

* Finally, there's always the cost question: is the software price appropriately for what's needed? The last thing a company wants to do in these tough times is to invest in expensive software that ultimately does meet its inventory accounting needs.

The trick to choosing among the many small business inventory management software version on the market is to know precisely what functions you need it to perform. A simple system that's mean for a sole proprietor or independent contractor isn't likely to work as well for a bigger business with lots of inventory to track.

Some popular software manufacturers offer accounting systems created specially for certain industries, including those with larger inventories such as retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers/distributors and contractors. One software maker offers three accounting versions for Mac-based businesses and two for those using Windows operating systems. The more sophisticated versions feature comprehensive accounting software with tools such as inventory management, contact management, appointment scheduling, employee file management and even logo design, along with payroll, job costing and many other functions.

Good inventory management is essential to making a profit. Choosing the right small business inventory management software can be the make-or-break tool for success.