Simply wanting to be a bookkeeper is great but what you need to aim for is to be the best bookkeeper possible. The truth of the matter, though? It takes more than just motivation- there are four things in particular that I have found essential when mastering the world of having a thriving bookkeeping business of your own.
I’ve compiled this quick little list of the top 4 things any aspiring bookkeeping business owner needs in order to make their new business a success! Understanding what these tips are though is not enough though unless you put them into action. It is very easy to get frustrated and sidetracked when working from home.
Know that this is completely normal and that it is what you do in those tough times that will push you through it and get you back on track. This goes for any business that you look to startup whether it’s bookkeeping or making bars of soap. So what can you do to put the odds in your favor?
4 Tips To Be the Best Bookkeeper Possible
What Is Your “Why”?
In my humble opinion, this is the most important question that you need to ask yourself. Why do you want to start your own bookkeeping business?
Is it to quit your job that you hate? Is it to spend more quality time with your family? Is it a passion to help other business owners have peace of mind when it comes to their books? Is it to not have to worry about job security?
If you have not done so yet, stop everything else and ask yourself why you want to do this. This simple question alone should be the fuel for your fire. Your “why” is what is going to push you through those times when you want to stick your head in the sand and quit.
If you are already a business owner then you know that this WILL happen.
Once you figure out what your “why” is… write it down! Make sure you put it wherever you will see it every day. I prefer to keep mine in my office on my dry erase board that way it’s the first thing I see when I begin my morning.
Owning your own business can be a lonely place. It is up to you and you alone to decide on what you are going to do to move your business forward.
Pick A Niche
If you are a regular reader of this site then you know already how important it is to pick a niche that you will focus on in your bookkeeping business. If you don’t know what a niche is, it simply means that you need to focus on a specific type of business to market your services to.
By doing this you are letting your clients’ know that you specialize in this type of bookkeeping and that you are not some general bookkeeper.
Remember, there are tens of thousands of bookkeepers that will do anyone’s and everyone’s books, but how many bookkeepers focus on landscaping businesses, for example?
Look at this from the clients’ perspective. Let’s say you are having chest pains and you have the option to go see a regular doctor or a cardiologist, which one are you going to choose?
I hope that you would say a cardiologist, right? The same principle applies to being a bookkeeper. By letting business owners know that you focus on their specific type of business you are telling them that you are their guy.
Also, because you specialize in a specific niche, you are able to demand more money for your specialized services!
Show Your Personality
Let’s face it, bookkeeping isn’t the most exciting thing in the world to your clients’. What you need to do is show a real interest in not only the business you are doing the books for but get to know who your clients are.
By showing that you care not only that their numbers are spot on but also caring about them as people will set you apart from a mass majority of bookkeepers in the world.
I’m not suggesting becoming best buddies with your clients’ but simply asking how their family is doing can go a long way in building a rapport and trust with your clients.
If they have a son that plays football simply ask, “How did Nate do in his football game last night?” By taking a vested interest in not only their business but also in other areas of their lives, you show them that you honestly care and have their best interests at heart.
Don’t be a commodity, this allows you to only compete in price. You need to provide a personalized service that provides value to your clients. Do this by being the real you and I can assure you that referrals will begin pouring in.
Be Selective, Show Superiority, And Use Systems!
This last tip on becoming a top-notch bookkeeper comes in three parts but is the most important of them all. Without this, the above tips don’t even matter.
- Be Selective
Remember, when all is said and done, you choose your clients’ they don’t choose you. Sure they may run into your site and get in touch with you but it is ultimately your choice whether to take them on as a client.
The last thing you want as a bookkeeper is to have a client that is an absolute pain. This is YOUR business!
Dreading having to get in touch with a client because they constantly complain or they think that you are doing things wrong does not do you any favors.
Make sure that they value you as a bookkeeper just like you value them as a business owner. You need to enjoy working with whoever it is that comes along.
- Show Superiority
I’m not saying to be cocky or anything like that. What I’m saying here is that you need to do the things that other bookkeepers won’t!
You do this by having the right tools and technology in place which will set you apart from everyone else. You accomplish this through budgeting and benchmarking.
Budgeting is simply a layout of income and expenses over the next 12 months. While this is simple for a bookkeeper to do, most business owners don’t do this nor do they have the slightest idea how to do it at all.
Benchmarking is basically setting up a game plan out of the financial performance. This simply compares how well your clients are doing compared to others in their field of expertise.
When you show your clients how to use these two things, you improve their bottom line and show your superiority and they will love you for it!
- Use Those Systems
To be able to help your clients the most, you must have proven and effective systems in place. These must cover marketing, sales, and your bookkeeping operations.
As far as your operations are concerned, you will be dealing with multiple clients at the same time. Without systems in place this would turn into complete chaos and as you can imagine we do not want that.
When it comes to marketing, we are simply saying that you are able to turn leads into clients on a consistent, predictable, and profitable manner. Keep in mind that your systems do not have to be complicated.
In fact, just the opposite is true. Keep them as simple as possible that way they can be easily followed and duplicated.
How Can I Learn These Bookkeeping Skills Online?
I hope that you have found this article useful and maybe at this point, you are ready to look further into this whole bookkeeping business thing. If so, I think you have made a wise choice and I promise you will love it!
So what you should do next is check out my review of the #1 bookkeeping course online. Within this review, I break down everything inside the course to give you a full and comprehensive look inside the program to help give you the ability to make an educated decision on whether you think this may be for you.
If it’s not then I wish you the best of luck in whatever you find, but if you enjoy working with numbers and have the drive to run your own business then your work from home search has just ended by checking out this bookkeeping program.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to drop a comment below and I will be sure to get back to you ASAP!