Since leaving my former workplace and starting my own business, I've identified only a few things I really miss about the old office.

1) The IT person, Mary.
2) Free food at 10am or 3pm in honor of someone's birthday. Bonus if I didn't know the person.
3) 401K match.

This post relates to #1 on the list, Mary. Mary knew her way around FileMaker databases and she could do mail merges like nobody's business. If I had a question about creating a new database of contacts for media pitches, I'd consult with Mary. Whether I needed help with invitations to press events, preview DVD mailings, or tracking event RSVPs—Mary made it happen.

Mary managed data using FileMaker, and that was about all I knew about the process. So when I went out on my own, I purchased FileMaker for my laptop. I had visions of creating a massive, awesome database of media contacts and bloggers that my clients would be so happy to have access to they'd keep me on retainer just for My List. I tried, on several occasions, to actually set up my dream database. I envisioned one with custom fields and the capability to sort by name, outlet, market, type of publication, etc.

I also dreamed of using FileMaker to run project reports for my clients and generate billings every month.

It's been over three years since I launched my own small business and FileMaker remains on my hard drive, virtually untouched. So you might imagine why I became almost giddy when contacted about giving Bento, FileMaker's new, easy-to-use and stylish personal database software a test drive. Truthfully, it's almost as if someone used me as the case study when designing this software. Bento is designed specifically for Mac users (check), for personal or small business use (check), and it's affordable at $49 (double check!).

Bento looks, feels and works like other Mac applications. Organizing your information into collections in Bento is much like organizing songs in iTunes. Bento is beautiful in design and you really don't need to understand database concepts or have any experience with databases to use it. Sure, it does take some time to get familiar with all the features, and to design your forms, but as long as you don't spend all day trying out the 20 different preset color and font themes, you can start entering your data in a matter of minutes.

Bento comes with several library templates designed for home, education or work. The work category is especially great for small business owners as it includes templates for time billing (yes!), event planning, contacts, expenses and more. I actually feel like the time billing template is the answer to my prayers because you can export the data into a CSV format (i.e. Excel) and easily generate invoices. Bento's personal category templates include an exercise log, vehicle maintenance forms, to do items, and more.

I could go on, but then I'd really seem like some kind of database geek. I know databases can simplify life and work, but until now, I've never been able to design them myself. It usually took someone like Mary, a FileMaker pro, to help me out. With Bento, I'm actually getting organized in a simple and stylish way.

Sorry PC users. Just another reason to consider a Mac.