How to Start a Bookkeeping Business

how to get clients as a bookkeeper

If you want to multiply your potential reach without wasting your budget, consider online advertising for your bookkeeping business. Online ads, like with Google or Yelp, help you obtain premium placement above relevant search results. They also allow you to reach thousands of people outside of your existing network.

Encourage Satisfied Clients to Provide Testimonials

Indeed offers free registration and an easy-to-implement resume uploading service. Become the leader in a community, company, or anywhere else so you become the ‘go-to’ bookkeeper who provides a professional presence. Bookkeepers have a unique challenge when trying to find bookkeeping clients. With technology and automation, many companies and consumers turn to AI to handle their bookkeeping business online. To succeed as a bookkeeping business, it’s imperative to know how to get new clients as a bookkeeper to show the true value of working with an actual bookkeeping service versus a computer program.

how to get clients as a bookkeeper

Consider Voluntary Certification

how to get clients as a bookkeeper

But if you’re working with businesses that need ongoing bookkeeping and quarterly tax filings, you could create a recurring subscription and charge on a more frequent basis, like monthly or quarterly. A cloud-based solution that makes it easy for accounting firms to manage client work, collaborate with staff, and hit their deadlines. how to get clients as a bookkeeper Ensure you create a strong professional profile highlighting your skills, experience, and expertise in bookkeeping. Remember to announce free consultations on your website, social media pages, and email newsletters to get more potential clients. Also, potential clients experience how you can help them with their bookkeeping burdens.

How To Start a Bookkeeping Business in 8 Steps + Checklist

  • The goal here is to make your client feel at home in their workspace and provide them with a tailored experience that meets their specific needs.
  • With the industry currently growing, now is the perfect time to begin your freelance journey.
  • LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to expand your professional network, generate leads, and ultimately attract clients for your accounting firm.
  • You don’t need to get a publisher’s attention or have anyone’s permission to become a thought leader.
  • You can also get bookkeeping clients by relying on referrals from other businesses in your area.
  • You’ll also want to make sure that you set up a business bank account to keep your business finances separate from your personal finances.
  • Do this by creating a website that showcases your services, expertise, and qualifications.

Whether you want to do this online through a webinar, or in-person to foster more intimate networking opportunities is up to you. But when you can give away helpful information for free, you’re more likely to earn the trust of others and have them come to you when they need your bookkeeping service. Showing up in person is a tried and true way to connect with local businesses and other professionals, do some initial networking, and find bookkeeping clients. If you are a ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online, Intuit has a database or directory that you can join that people all across the country, or even across the world, can look up bookkeepers. Your listing in the directory will have your name and some information about you and your bookkeeping business, and potential clients can contact you and possibly hire you as a bookkeeper.

how to get clients as a bookkeeper

  • Now, let’s get into another exciting area — pricing your bookkeeping services.
  • Before joining NerdWallet in 2020, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content and specializing in business financing.
  • Your client will feel valued and supported, knowing that you’ve made the effort to tailor their workspace to their unique needs.
  • Premium fees mean more profit in your pocket and they also mean you need fewer clients to reach your goals, making your marketing task easier.
  • When you get to know accountants, often those accountants or firms have too much work, and they may refer some of the work to you.

If you get a list of businesses that you would consider working for, then you can approach them, let them know you’re a bookkeeper, and share what value you can bring to their business. The worst they can say is no, but eventually no’s will lead to yesses if you’re persistent. If they don’t need a bookkeeper at the moment, you can ask them to keep your resume on file in case anything changes in the future. 48 Days to the Work You Love is a great book that outlines the process of job searching.

Though most business owners search for in-house employees this way, someone may like the idea of hiring an independent specialist or a specialized company. The more details you find about your leads, the more engaging an offer you’ll be able to craft. For instance, if you see a recent post about hiring an accountant, you’ll need to offer your services right away. Or if an IT outsourcing company has announced that ten people have joined their team, another pair of bookkeeping hands can be right in time. Some common objections potential clients may have include cost, time commitment, trust, and control. If they are concerned about cost and time commitment, you can emphasize the value of your services and how efficient bookkeeping can save them time.

  • You should consult your own legal, tax or accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
  • Once you have all of the necessary information, you can start working on their books.
  • This way, you can get their contact details and nurture them by sharing valuable content or offering a free consultation.
  • Come off as disorganized and create unnecessary frustrations for your client in the beginning, and there’s a good chance they won’t return to you next year during tax season.
  • You can also search in community newspapers for startup businesses, as a bookkeeper will be needed for any new business.

Make a LinkedIn post or an article highlighting how your work helps customers and ask them to share it. Asking your client to recommend you to their customers and partners can sound straightforward. But it requires the https://www.bookstime.com/ cultivation of relationships and sometimes involves certain investments. When you’re a Pro, you’re able to pick up tax filing, consultation, and bookkeeping jobs on our platform while maintaining your flexibility.

Network with Accountants or Other Bookkeepers

Effective ways to get bookkeeping clients for your freelance business