How To Start A Bookkeeping Business

To build a successful bookkeeping business as a sole trader, you are looking for between 16 – 20 regular clients.

When sourcing new bookkeeping clients we do not focus on “pro-forma” marketing letters or brochures because in our experience they are not that effective. If they were, everyone that did it would have huge businesses. In most cases direct marketing letters are treated like junk mail.

We’ve found that a properly constructed and worded website is far more effective than direct marketing. It’s easier to service someone who is looking rather than persuade someone who is not looking for your services.

If you want help with your bookkeeping website, then contact us NOW

You have a particular personality, and particular skills that sets you apart from other bookkeepers in your area – and its those qualities that you should focus on.

Bookkeepers build their businesses on word of mouth and business relationships.

Everywhere you go you are meeting potential clients – it’s how you handle those encounters that will determine the success of your business.

Understanding a what bookkeeping business is, and how clients respond, is an important part of the marketing of your business. It’s about “What’s in it for me (the client)” not what’s in it for you the bookkeeper.

The book “Secrets To Finding Bookkeeping Clients” is full of ideas and
strategies that bookkeepers can take on board. For bookkeepers that still need further help, we developed our marketing program.

This is tailored to suit the needs of individual bookkeepers to suit their circumstances – bookkeepers that have come on board have built their businesses upto +$50,000 pa in less than a year.

Julie emailed us asking advice about what business name she should use for her new bookkeeping business.

My business name is currently JXX Bookkeeping – family initials – so means something to me, but somewhat forgettable to anyone else.

Something professional of course is what is needed, and also easy to remember – but…… any ideas?

Your initials or family name may seem an obvious choice for a business name.

After all, what’s the big deal?

Remember the old days when you’d see “John Doe and Sons” whether it was a family butchers, green grocers, or the like. In small country towns where generations of famlies had grown up together and family dynasties build up a reputation?

Nowadays there’s multinational companies that only employ faceless people with first names and no family, based at post office boxes, with freecall numbers. The company executives hide away in ivory towers demanding obscene saleries sending those companies broke knowing that regardless of the result they’ll get their $20million golden handshake.

Whereas small business owners are more interested in the quality of the individual bookkeeper than some fancy name or whether they are a member of any association or franchise.

So how does this help you in your decision of what business name to choose when starting your bookkeeping business?

It doesn’t really help!

Since it’s you that’s starting your bookkeeping business, only you can determine what you plan to do with it. Begin with the end in mind.

There’s other factors that many bookkeepers do not even begin to consider when selecting a business name for their book-keeping business.

When bookkeepers get on board our Bookkeepers Marketing program, this is just one aspect that we cover in helping them move forward.

Your business name may seem a simple decision. Just remember, there’s many factors to consider when deciding what business name to nominate for your bookkeeping business

So you’re starting a bookkeeping business and you needs clients. And like many bookkeepers, you’ve arrived at this website in search of the “Bookkeepers Holy Grail”

The elixir to solve all your problems with starting a bookkeeping business. That magical potent that you can swallow and suddenly your telephone will start ringing, and bookkeeping clients will be queuing outside your front door.

You’ve found something that you can get for free on this website – lots of tips to help you find bookkeeping clients. There’s even a free chapter of our EBook “Secrets To Finding Bookkeeping Clients”

Yet, somehow, that’s still not enough. Because you still haven’t secured any bookkeeping clients. And without any book keeping clients you are hardly in business as a freelance bookeeper.

We get enquiries every day from potential bookkeeping clients, wanting to engage a bookkeeping service. Indeed, we have more client enquiries than we can handle – so why don’t we just hand them over to you? After all, you’ve come to our website www.StartBookkeeping.Com.Au in search of ways to find yourself bookkeeping clients – and we have book keeping clients that we could refer to you.

Sounds like a simple win – win arrangement, don’t you think?

Well, for our bookeepers who join our Bookkeepers Marketing program, it is indeed a win-win situation. They not only receive some priceless tips and pointers to help them get their bookkeeping business started, but they have the added bonus of scoring new bookeeping clients

If you don’t want to start your bookkeeping business at home, does it mean that you need to hire office space?

Take maximum advantage of your rented office space – see our
Bookkeepers Marketing program

For most bookkeepers starting out on their own, hiring offices is an unnecssary expense – particularly if you don’t even have clients.

The beauty about a bookkeeping business is that in some respects it’s much like a plumbing business or an electricians business – most of your work can be performed at your client’s premises.

A bookkeeper recently asked us if most bookkeepers start out by working from home. Yes, most set up a spare room or their garage as an office space reducing the start-up costs of their bookkeeping business.

Also most bookkeepers start their bookkeeping business “moonlighting” i.e working evenings / weekends on clients that they pick up before leaving fulltime employment, so they at least have some cash coming in before taking the plunge.

If you are brave enough to take the plunge and start your bookkeeping business by hiring office space then you should take maximum advantage of your position.

You may find some “proactive” business owners who may do some cross promotions with you.

Remember – word of mouth is the best advertising, so if you can make yourself known as a “go-getter” type person, other businesses will refer you to their clients

In our Bookkeepers Marketing program we discuss other strategies to take advantage of your shop front or town centre office location