T.I. Performance began in 2007 as a passion project for '90s Ford Falcon tuning products. What started in a home office quickly accelerated into a complex retail and manufacturing operation shipping globally. However, the business was hitting a rev limiter–it was running entirely on a manual Excel spreadsheet.
Every sale on the website required Jason to manually double-key data to update inventory levels. As the product range grew, this manual process became a massive bottleneck. "The business grew to the point where that spreadsheet was too hard to manage," Jason recalls. The lack of a central system meant limited visibility into true stock levels and wasted hours on mundane data entry. To transition from a side hustle to a global distributor, T.I. Performance needed to ditch the paper-heavy mindset and find a system that could handle the complexity of thousands of automotive parts.
T.I. Performance needed:
Jason chose QuickBooks Online for its cost-effectiveness and clear growth path. A major differentiator was the ability to scale functionality natively. The business started on QuickBooks Plus, growing to QuickBooks Online Advanced as they required more sophisticated reporting with custom fields and Payroll.
"We've just been able to turn those things on and not have this big system migration," Jason explains. Unlike other software that require third-party add-ons, QuickBooks Online Advanced provides the necessary modules Jason’s business needs in one place.
Furthermore, their remote bookkeeper can also collaborate in real-time. "There was no complex process or training; it was just literally create an account," Jason says. With access to comprehensive support documentation and videos, the team was impressed they didn't have to pay for external expertise to get started and train the team.
As the business outgrew the home office and moved into a dedicated warehouse, T.I. Performance added QuickBooks Payroll to manage their growing team of ten. This allowed Jason’s wife and Chief Finance Enthusiast, Kathleen, to manage complex pay rates, superannuation, and leave accruals without external help.
This operational shift was supported by real-time financial clarity. Compliance is now straightforward, with QuickBooks handling BAS and GST adjustments for prior periods automatically. The cloud-based nature of the platform allows their accountant to update the books instantly. "He can just log in and do what he needs to do... he can course-correct before waiting until tax time," says Jason.
By moving away from "the spreadsheet days," the business implemented a system where inventory is updated automatically. This removed the friction of manual entry and ensured the business had daily synchronisation of inventory. For a retailer managing over 7,000 SKUs, this level of precision is the difference between a satisfied customer and a missed sale.
The platform’s bank feed integrations and major payment platforms further accelerated their workflows. "It was liberating to just know that it was working... it was time to see you later, spreadsheet," recalls Jason.
With manual processes in the rearview mirror, the team uses QuickBooks Online Advanced to customise reports, grouping and filtering transactions to gain deep business insights, with the added ability to sync spreadsheets for further analysis.
"I know some of the other accounting platforms... you pay entire teams of people hundreds of thousands of dollars to build those reports," Jason notes. "QuickBooks is incredibly valuable for a medium business to be able to jump in, run a report and customise it the way you want it, sync it to Excel, and create charts."
The shift to QuickBooks Online Advanced has transformed T.I. Performance from a manual operation into a streamlined, data-driven enterprise. The most significant result is the gift of time. By reducing manual data entry by an estimated 75%, Jason and Kathleen have reclaimed the hours needed to scale their operations globally.
The QuickBooks platform has proven it can grow alongside the business, providing stability for over a decade. "We couldn't live without QuickBooks," Jason admits. Looking ahead, T.I. Performance continues to leverage QuickBooks as their bedrock for expansion, moving into new car makes and marks with confidence.
Ready to shift your business into high gear? Explore QuickBooks Online Advanced today.
TAKE A NO-COMMITMENT TEST DRIVE
Our customers save an average of 9 hours per week with QuickBooks invoicing*
By entering your email, you are agree to our Terms and acknowledge our Privacy Statement.
Get started today and automate your path to growth with confidence.
Intuit helps put more money in consumers’ and small businesses’ pockets, saving them time by eliminating work, and ensuring they have confidence in every financial decision they make.
Award Winning Accounting Software
