Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl Inventory

Type	Private
Industry	Computer Software
Founded	2001
Headquarters	Orem, Utah
Key people	David Williams, CEO
Products	Inventory Management Software and Solutions
Employees	78 (March 2011)
Website	www.fishbowlinventory.com

Fishbowl Inventory (aka ExpressTech Holdings) is an Orem, Utah-based software company that develops and publishes inventory management software and related solutions. Fishbowl was created in 2001 by a group of software developers. The company was originally called ExpressTech Holdings, but its name was changed to Fishbowl a few years later to reflect its focus on allowing small businesses and mid-size businesses to see how much inventory they have on hand by using electronic devices, such as desktop computers and wireless scanners.^[1]

Shortly after it was created, Fishbowl focused on integrating its inventory management software with QuickBooks. It soon became one of the first third-party software developers to receive Intuit’s Gold Developer status. It continues to hold that status through 2011. In 2003, Fishbowl became the #1 inventory management add-on to QuickBooks, based on sales to QuickBooks users.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Features 3 Products 3.1 Fishbowl Inventory 3.2 Fishbowl Mobile Warehouse 3.3 Inventory Hardware Solutions 4 Community service 5 Awards 5.1 2011 5.2 2010 5.3 2009 5.4 2008 5.5 2007 6 References 7 External links

History

Fishbowl was formed in 2001 by Chuck Hale and Beverly Hale, two business owners in Salt Lake City. The pair invested $3 million into the software company and went through several CEOs with little success.^[3] In 2004, they asked a business consultant named David Williams to evaluate the company and possibly dissolve it. Instead, Williams reorganized the company and was able to keep it in business. Within three years, it was out of debt and earning awards for its growth.^[4]

In addition to inventory management software, the company’s product line grew to include a Manufacturing Option in 2009^[5] and a mobile warehouse solution in 2010.^[6] The Mississippi State Department of Health,^[7] Santa Barbara County, CA IT Network Division,^[8] and several other government bodies use Fishbowl Inventory as an asset tracking system.

Features

The primary product, Fishbowl Inventory, is an inventory control program for QuickBooks. Fishbowl Inventory was one of the first programs to integrate with QuickBooks and currently holds Gold Developer Status, Intuit’s highest award for third-party integrators.^[9] The program is divided into modules focusing on various inventory control and management tasks, including sales, purchasing, manufacturing, shipping, pricing, and ordering. The program provides multi-location inventory tracking, LIFO/FIFO and average costing standards, bar coding, and order creation and recording.

Fishbowl Inventory’s feature set was designed to provide distributors, wholesalers, manufactures and retail businesses the additional inventory features and functionality that QuickBooks lacks. These include inventory control, purchase order and sales order generation, manufacturing, and cycle counting.) As part of the QuickBooks integration, Fishbowl Inventory records transactions, invoices, and bills directly to customers' QuickBooks file.^[10]

The software runs on a centralized server, allowing multiple clients to connect simultaneously. This structure also allows integration with barcode inventory tracking hardware devices, multiple location tracking, and other mobile communicators. The server side uses a SQL database and can run on Windows or Linux.^[11]

Products

Fishbowl Inventory

• Fishbowl Inventory Client and Server Software
• Available for multiple users
• Runs on Windows, Linux, and Macs

Fishbowl Mobile Warehouse

• Wireless PDA software
• Integrates with Fishbowl Inventory
• Allows real-time inventory tracking via bar coding

Inventory Hardware Solutions

• Mobile hardware
• Barcode printer hardware
• Point of sale kit

Community service

Fishbowl offers community service to Provo, Orem and other local communities at least once a year. In 2009, Fishbowl donated its inventory management software to CherryCreek Elementary School in Orem to track its supplies, and Fishbowl employees helped catalog the school’s equipment, books and other resources.^[12] In 2010, Fishbowl employees landscaped the playground and other areas surrounding Provo’s House of Hope, a facility where women suffering from substance abuse come to receive assistance for themselves and their children.^[13] Fishbowl has also partnered with several Utah groups and companies – which include Utah Valley University, Certiport, Think Atomic and Voonami – to create the Courage Above Mountains Center. The CAM Center provides job education and additional services to low-income mothers and other people in need.^[14] It also helps entrepreneurs find local resources to help them develop their startups.

Awards

Since 2007, Fishbowl has earned a number of business awards for its revenue growth. These awards are listed in order by year:

2011

• Inc. 5000: No. 3,283^[15]
• Utah Business 30 Women to Watch - Fishbowl President Mary Michelle Scott^[16]
• Utah Valley BusinessQ Fast 50: No. 24^[17]
• v100 - vSpring Capital Top 100 Venture Entrepreneur - Fishbowl CEO David Williams^[18]

2010

• Deloitte Technology Fast 500: No. 218^[19]
• Inc. 5000: No. 2,157^[20]
• MountainWest Capital Network Utah 100: No. 36^[21]
• Utah Business Fast 50: No. 45^[22]
• UV Fast 50: No. 16^[23]

2009

• Deloitte Fast 500: No. 142^[24]
• Inc. 5000: No. 799^[25]
• MWCN Utah 100: No. 22^[26]
• Utah Business Fast 50: No. 38^[27]

2008

• Deloitte Fast 500: No. 101^[28]
• Inc. 500: No. 356^[29]
• MWCN Utah 100: No. 6^[30]
• Utah Business Fast 50: No. 6^[31]
• UV Fast 50: No. 8^[32]

2007

• MWCN Utah 100: No. 8^[33][34]

References

• "Top Requested QuickBooks Add-on"
• "Fishbowl Inventory Teams with The Sleeter Group"
• "Intuit Gold Developer"

External links

• Fishbowl Inventory Official Site