Question by paul m: Starting a bookkeeping business with quickbooks and what to expect?
Will most clients just want you to train them so they can use quickbooks to do the bookkeeping or will they want you to do the books for you and have their accountant test you before taking you on how does it usually work> thank you.
Best answer:
Answer by capwest5a
OK, I have been in this exact same business for 20+ years, doing bookkeeping for small businesses using Quickbooks. My business has grown purely by word-of-mouth referrals – I have never spent a dime on advertising of any kind. Generally, clients come to me and just hand me their bank statements and invoices or whatever and I am good to go from there. Occasionally, I get a client who does indeed want me to train them how to use QB. That has NEVER worked out – in every case that I have tried to do that, I find that I am trying to train someone who knows absolutely NOTHING about accounting. That’s simply too much trying to train someone both in accounting AND a software program. I don’t even accept such offers anymore – it’s either “Let ME do the books” or “YOU need to take some accounting classes including a class on Quickbooks”. I’ve never had a client ask me to get ‘approved’ by their accountant before they would use my services (I have a solid reputation – there’s never been a problem with the books I produce for my clients).
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The only other thing I would like to mention is regarding ethical matters. Occasionally, you will get clients who will want you to falsify or misreport items in their financial records. I will admit that when I was just starting out, I DID give in and make some unethical entries in the clients’ books (because I wanted/needed the money). Nowadays I refuse to make such entries. If I get pressured long enough to do so, I tell the client to find someone else to do their books. I won’t do it. I’ve actually lost a few good clients and friends because of my ethical stance, and that’s too bad. But I sleep better now knowing that I am not making false entries.
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Tags: bookkeeping, business, expect, Quickbooks, Starting