Q: I’ve decided that my Palm Pilot’s become too limiting for planning and revising my schedule, so I’m looking to buy a laptop and some better business software. Which leads to my question: What do you use for scheduling and billing, and most importantly, what don’t you like about what you’re using? I’d like to know the high points of the software as well, but am really interested in the “holes” and limitations that I may run into.

—Matthew Kiwala

A: I use the “Forge Ahead” farrier business program by Backroads Data. It works well for me and my business purposes. I’ve found no holes in my application as of yet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Check out their Web site at: www.backroadsdata.com or give Julie Schwalm a call at (785) 594-6807 and Backroads Data will send you a “dummy” version of the program to test out.

—Donnie Walker

A: I also use the “Forge Ahead” software on my laptop and I agree that it’s a huge help in managing my business. I also use the Palm-Pilot version of the program on my Palm. It’s most useful on those days when my clients don’t need a printed invoice. On these days I can give my laptop and portable printer a rest. The Palm Pilot is also much easier to carry around.

— Robert Poole  

A: I had been looking at purchasing the “Forge Ahead” program for a while and finally decided to give it a try. They have…