How to Use Sage: Step-By-Step Guidelines in 2025

Are you feeling stuck trying to keep your business organized?

It can be a real headache when things are all over the place, right? 

That’s where Sage comes in!

It’s like a special computer program made for businesses just like yours.

In this guide, we’ll show you step-by-step how to use Sage to make running your business easier.

Getting Started with Sage

Think of Sage as a toolbox for your business.

It has different tools for different jobs.

To get started, you need to pick the right tool for what you want to do.

Choosing the Right Sage for Your Needs

Just like there are different kinds of hammers, there are various kinds of Sage programs.

• • Sage Accounting: This is a good place to start if you want to keep track of your money coming in and going out. It helps you see where your business stands financially.
  • Sage Intacct: If your business is growing and your money management is getting more complicated, this one can handle more.
  • Sage X3: This is a powerful option for bigger businesses that need to manage many different things, like making and selling products.
  • Sage HR: If you have people working for you, this helps keep track of their information and pay them.
  • Other Sage helpers: There are even more tools for things like keeping track of what you have in stock or talking to your customers.
  • What do you need? Think about what parts of your business you want to make easier. Do you need help with money? Keeping track of customers? Managing your team? Answering these questions will help you pick the right Sage tool.

Setting Up Your Sage Account

Getting Your Own Space: Once you pick your Sage tool, you need to set up your account. It’s like getting your special workspace online.

• • You’ll sign up and give them some basic information about your business.
  • Then, you’ll set up who else in your business can use Sage and what they can see and do. This keeps things organized and safe.
  • You might also connect your bank accounts so Sage can help you keep track of your money automatically.

Looking Around Your Sage Space

When you first log in, you’ll see the main screen.

Which is similar to a website’s front page. This is called your “dashboard.”

• • You can usually change what you see on your dashboard so that the most important things for your business are right there.
  • Sage has different sections, like folders in a computer, for other tasks. You’ll have a section for money, maybe one for customers, and so on.
  • Don’t be afraid to click around and see what’s where. There’s usually a search bar to help you find things quickly. You can also change how things look and work to fit how you like to do things.

Moving Your Old Information into Sage

If you already have lists of customers or products on a computer,. 

You probably don’t want to type them all in again.

Sage usually has a way to transfer that information.

• • You might need to get your old information ready in a certain way, like in a list.
  • Then, you can use Sage’s tools to “import” that list into your new account.
  • Sometimes, this can be a little tricky, so you might need to double-check that everything came over correctly.

Mastering Sage Accounting

Think of Sage Accounting as your digital notebook for all the money stuff in your business.

It helps you keep track of what comes in and what goes out.

So you always know where you stand.

Setting Up Your Chart of Accounts

Imagine you have different folders for different kinds of papers.

Your “chart of accounts” in Sage is like setting up those folders for your money.

• • You’ll have folders for things you own (like your computer or money in the bank), stuff you owe (like loans), and the money that’s actually yours in the business.
  • You’ll also set up folders for money coming in (like from sales) and money going out (like for supplies or rent).
  • You can name these folders whatever makes sense for your business. For example, instead of just “Supplies,” you might have “Office Supplies” and “Cleaning Supplies.” This helps you see exactly where your money is going.

Recording Income and Expenses

Every time your business makes money or spends money, you need to write it down in Sage.

• • Income: When you sell something or get paid for a service, you’ll create an “invoice” in Sage. This is like a bill you send to your customer. Sage helps you keep track of who owes you money and when they paid.
  • Expenses: When you pay a bill for something your business needs, like electricity or internet, you’ll enter that into Sage. This helps you see where your money is being spent.
  • Bank Stuff: Sage can even connect to your business bank account. This means it can automatically pull in all the money coming in and going out, so you don’t have to type everything yourself. You’ll still need to make sure it puts everything in the right “folder” (account).

Managing Your Cash Flow

“Cash flow” is just a fancy way of saying how much money is coming into your business and how much is going out over a certain period.

It’s super important to monitor this.

• • Sage can create reports that show your cash flow. This helps you determine whether you’ll have enough money to pay your bills in the future.
  • It also helps you track who owes you money (accounts receivable) and who you owe money to (accounts payable).
  • If you see that more money is going out than coming in, that’s a warning sign, and Sage can help you spot those problems early.

Generating Financial Reports

Sage can take all the financial information you’ve entered and turn it into easy-to-understand reports.

These reports give you a big picture of your business’s performance.

• • Balance Sheet: This report shows what your business owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and how much money is actually yours in the industry (equity) at a specific point in time.
  • Income Statement: This report shows how much money your business made (revenue) and how much it spent (expenses) over a certain period, like a month or a year. It tells you if you made a profit or had a loss.
  • Cash Flow Statement: We talked about this earlier. It shows the movement of cash in and out of your business.
  • You can usually change these reports to show you exactly the information you need. For example, you might want to see how much you spent on marketing last month.

Leveraging Sage HR

Okay, let’s make those points about Sage HR even simpler:

Think of Sage HR as a simple way to handle everything about the people who work for you.

• A. Keeping Information Together: It’s like having a simple file with each worker’s name and contact information.
• B. Paying People Right: It helps you pay everyone the correct amount on time and keeps track of taxes.
• C. Knowing When People Work: It helps you see when people are working and when they take time off.
• D. Managing Time Off and Extras: It makes it easy for people to ask for vacation or sick days and helps with things like health plans.
• E. Helping People Do Their Best: Some versions help you set goals for your team and monitor their performance.

Basically, Sage HR helps you keep all the “people stuff” for your business organized and easy to manage.

It’s not like you burn sage, the herb.

To smudge and cleanse with smoke from dried sage or sage leaves in a ritual.

But it does help cleanse the mess out of managing your team.

It makes things clear and simple.

Utilizing Sage CRM

Think of Sage CRM as a special notebook for all your customers.

It helps you remember who they are, what they like.

And how to keep them happy so they want to buy from you again.

• A. Keeping Track of Contacts and Leads: It’s like having a simple address book for all the people who might buy from you or who already have. You can write down their names, how to contact them, and what they might be interested in.
• B. Following Sales Chances: If someone might buy something, Sage CRM helps you keep track of that chance. It’s like knowing who is just looking around and who is really ready to buy. You can see what step you’re at with each potential sale.
• C. Talking to Customers: Sage CRM helps you keep track of all the times you talk to a customer, whether it’s through email, a phone call, or a meeting. This way, you remember what you talked about last time and can keep the conversation going.
• D. Understanding Your Customers: Sage CRM can help you see patterns in your customers. For example, you might see that lots of people from a certain area buy a specific product. This enables you to understand who your customers are and what they like.

By using Sage CRM, you’re not using a native or ancient ingredient to heal or bring light with a bundle you burn.

Instead, you’re using a tool to understand your customers better.

This helps you treat them well, and when customers are happy, your business does better.

It’s all about building good relationships.

Exploring Other Sage Solutions

In addition to the main tools for money and people.

Sage has other helpful programs that can make running your business even easier.

• A. Sage for Stuff You Sell (Inventory): If your business sells things, this tool helps you keep track of what you have in stock. It’s like knowing how many toys are on the shelf so you don’t run out. It can also help you order more when you need to.
• B. Sage for Big Projects: If your business works on projects for customers, this tool helps you keep track of how much money you’re spending and earning on each project. It’s like knowing if you’re making money building a treehouse for someone.
• C. Sage That Talks to Other Tools: Sometimes, you use other computer programs for your business, like a website where people buy your stuff. Sage can often connect with these different tools so they can share information. This makes things work together more smoothly.

These other Sage tools are like extra helpers for different parts of your business.

While they aren’t about using a medicinal or fragrant herb used by Native American culture with a specific intention,.

They do help you manage important parts of your business clearly. 

They help you keep track of your products and your projects.

And they can even help your different business tools talk to each other.

Wrapping Up

So, we’ve talked about a few different ways Sage can help you run your business better. 

It has tools to help you with your money.

Your team, and even keeping track of your customers and what you sell.

Think of Sage as a helpful friend who keeps things organized.

It won’t give your office a nice aroma like some other types of sage. 

It can help you see what’s going on, make better choices.

And maybe even help you blow away some of the stress of running a business.

Give it a try, and you might find that it makes things a whole lot easier to manage!

Frequently Asked Questions