alongsideAI Reference guides — one page each
alongsideAI Reference guide · 01
Cloud accounting QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online

a.k.a. QBO
Your books, on every device — and up to date every week, not once a year.
What it is

The cloud version of the QuickBooks you already know. Same categories, same reports — but accessible from your phone, laptop, or office computer, with transactions flowing in automatically from your bank.

Signing in

qbo.intuit.com
Username: your email
Password: saved in your browser's keychain.
Bookmarked on your phone

01 The three things you'll actually do

1

Review last week's transactions

Your bank feeds pull everything in. You just confirm categories — a rent deposit stays "Rental Income," a utility stays "Utilities." It's mostly tapping "Accept."

WHERE Left menu → Transactions → Banking
2

Check the Profit & Loss

One page that shows what came in and what went out, grouped by category. Great for a Monday-morning glance from your phone.

WHERE Left menu → Reports → Profit & Loss
3

Look up a specific payment

Type a vendor name or dollar amount into the search bar at the top. QBO finds it instantly, across every year.

SEARCH Magnifying glass icon, top right

02 If something looks off

"A transaction is categorized wrong."
Click the transaction. Change the category from the dropdown. Hit save. That's it — it will remember for next time.
"A deposit shows twice."
Usually means Bill.com recorded it and the bank feed also pulled it in. Click one, choose "Match" — QBO merges them.
"I don't see this month's rent."
Banks sometimes delay a day or two. Check again tomorrow. If still missing, send us a note and we'll look together.
"I got logged out."
Sign in again at qbo.intuit.com. Your password is saved in Safari / Chrome — tap the key icon and it fills in.
Nothing here is forever. If a step feels awkward, that's our job to fix at the 30-day check-in.
Alongside AI mark@alongsideai.ai
ALONGSIDE AI · REFERENCE GUIDE 01 OF 04 QUICKBOOKS ONLINE · v1.0 · APR 2026
alongsideAI Reference guide · 02
AI assistant Claude

Claude

claude.ai
A sharp, patient assistant who has read what you give it — and answers in plain English.
What it is

Think of a very smart research assistant. You give it a document, an email, or a question — it reads, summarizes, drafts, or answers. You talk to it the way you'd talk to a capable colleague. No special commands.

Signing in

claude.ai
Signed in with your Google account.
Also on your phone as the Claude app.
Pinned on your home screen

01 The three things you'll actually do

1

Ask a lease a question

Drag any PDF lease into the chat window. Then ask what you want to know — "when does this tenant's option to renew expire?" or "what's the CAM recovery structure?" You'll get an answer and a page reference.

TIP Be specific. "In plain English" works.
2

Draft a letter or email

Tell Claude what you want to say and who you're writing to. It'll draft something in your voice. You edit. Much faster than staring at a blank page.

TRY "Draft a firm but polite reminder to a tenant about a late rent."
3

Do a little research

Ask about comparable commercial rents in your market, recent commercial property tax changes, anything you'd normally Google and then piece together. Claude gives you the summary and links.

NOTE Always confirm dollar figures with a second source.

02 Good habits

Talk to it like a person.
"I need to write a nice letter to the Ace Hardware manager about…" works better than a keyword list. More context = better answer.
Start fresh for a new topic.
Click "New chat" (top-left) when switching subjects. Keeps things clean and prevents Claude from mixing contexts.
Confidential is confidential.
Claude won't share your docs with anyone. But use the same judgment you would with an email — don't paste what you wouldn't want on paper.
If the answer seems off, say so.
"That's not quite right — the clause I'm asking about is in section 4.2." It will correct itself. No need to start over.
The more you use it, the more useful it gets. You're not going to break it.
Alongside AI mark@alongsideai.ai
ALONGSIDE AI · REFERENCE GUIDE 02 OF 04 CLAUDE · v1.0 · APR 2026
alongsideAI Reference guide · 03
Voice to text Wispr Flow

Wispr Flow

whisper · flow
Talk instead of type — cleaned up, punctuated, in your voice, anywhere you'd normally write.
What it is

A small app that turns your voice into clean, written text in any app — email, texts, Word, search bars, anywhere. It's not basic dictation. It removes "ums," punctuates for you, and learns how you actually write.

How to use it

On your laptop: hold the Fn key and talk.
On your iPhone: tap the Wispr icon on the keyboard and talk.
Release the key to insert

01 The three things you'll actually do

1

Reply to emails by voice

Tap the reply box. Hold Fn. Say what you want to say — complete with "comma," "new line," whatever comes out naturally. Wispr cleans it up.

EXAMPLE Hi Maria, thanks for the note — I'll confirm tomorrow after I check with my CPA.
2

Capture a thought in the car

Open Notes on your phone. Tap Wispr. Talk. You end up with a usable paragraph instead of an audio file you never listen to.

GOOD FOR Walk-through observations, to-dos, follow-up ideas
3

Write a letter out loud

Open Word or Google Docs. Hold Fn. Say the whole letter in one go, like you're dictating to an assistant. Edit the result — usually takes half the time of typing.

TIP Start with "Dear so-and-so" — gives Wispr the tone.

02 If it isn't working

"Nothing happens when I hold Fn."
Look for the small Wispr icon in the top menu bar (Mac) or taskbar (PC). If it's not there, launch Wispr Flow from Applications. It needs to be running in the background.
"It's typing in the wrong spot."
Click exactly where you want the text to go before you hold Fn. Wispr inserts at your cursor.
"The text came out garbled."
Usually background noise or holding the phone too far away. Speak at a normal volume, 6–12 inches from the mic. Try again.
"It added 'uh' into my sentence."
Let Wispr learn your voice. After two or three weeks of regular use, the filler-word cleanup gets noticeably better.
Most clients double their email speed in about a week. Then they never go back.
Alongside AI mark@alongsideai.ai
ALONGSIDE AI · REFERENCE GUIDE 03 OF 04 WISPR FLOW · v1.0 · APR 2026
alongsideAI Reference guide · 04
Automated bill pay Bill.com

Bill.com

bill · dot · com
Bills come in, you approve, they get paid — and your books update by themselves.
What it is

A service that receives your bills — utilities, property tax, vendors — holds them in a queue, and pays them when you say so. Every payment syncs into QuickBooks automatically, so your books stay clean without extra effort.

Signing in

bill.com
Username: your email
Two-factor code comes to your phone.
Also on your phone as the Bill app

01 The three things you'll actually do

1

Review & approve new bills

Once or twice a week, open Bill.com. Any new bills are sitting in the "Inbox." Click each one — check the amount, check the due date, hit "Approve." That's the whole job.

WHERE Top nav → Bills → Inbox
2

Schedule the payment

After approving, click "Pay." Choose the date you want it to leave your account. Bill.com handles the check or ACH. You don't lick a stamp, you don't write a check.

TIP Schedule it a day or two before the due date for safety.
3

Forward a paper bill that came in the mail

Take a photo with your phone and email it to your personal Bill.com inbox address. It shows up in your queue within a few minutes, ready to approve.

YOUR INBOX [saved in your contacts as "Bill.com inbox"]

02 If something looks off

"The amount looks wrong."
Don't approve it. Click "Void" or just leave it in the inbox and email the vendor directly. Nothing moves until you approve.
"A vendor says they didn't get paid."
Click the bill → Payment history. You'll see the date it cleared. If it was a check, there's a tracking number to give the vendor.
"I need to cancel a scheduled payment."
Go to Bills → Scheduled. Click the payment. Hit "Cancel payment." Safe to do anytime before the process date.
"It didn't sync to QuickBooks."
Rare. Usually a momentary hiccup. Give it 15 minutes, refresh QBO. If still missing, send us a note.
The goal isn't to never see a bill. It's to never make a trip to pay one.
Alongside AI mark@alongsideai.ai
ALONGSIDE AI · REFERENCE GUIDE 04 OF 04 BILL.COM · v1.0 · APR 2026