Why Now’s the Perfect Time to Shift Gears

In the face of recession the natural tendency is to lay low, to duck and cover.  It’s likely that your competitors are doing that already, which is why this is the best time for you to shift gears and take advantage of the economic downslide.  Here are six things you can to move ahead during the recession:

1. Take advantage of down time

Remember all those times that you bemoaned your crowded schedule and lack of free time?  And remember all those things you had to place on the backburner because you lacked the time to attend to them?  Take advantage of downtime by doing those things you may not have had time for before: networking, de-cluttering your office, researching industry trends, reorganizing your files, following-up with prospective clients, etc.

2. Hire good talent

Now’s the perfect time to hire good talent for less.  The recession has left lots of talented individuals without jobs and without appealing positions to which they can apply.  You will be able to select from a qualified pool of applicants and bolster your staff in order to prepare your business for number three!

3. Prepare your business for an influx of new clients

Think positively and prepare your business for what might result in an influx of new clients for you.  As you market more aggressively (see six below), build your staff, and take advantage of downtime, you’ll find that your client roster will begin to grow.  So use this time to prepare yourself by ensuring that you have the resources necessary and processes in place that will enable you to manage all that business more efficiently.

4. Cut expenses

Of course it’s a good idea!  Take a look at your budget and see if there’s anything you can cut.  While an accounting practice doesn’t have much overhead, you may consider ways you can streamline your workflow, accomplishing more in less time.  Your objective should be to increase billable hours while cutting unnecessary expenses.

5. Diversify your services

The best way to take advantage of this recession is by making it more appealing to prospective clients.  Have you considered adding QuickBooks services to your menu?  Or perhaps you could learn how to prepare a small business’s tax returns as well as manage their books?  You’ll definitely gain an edge over the competition when you are able to provide full financial services for your clients who will be more than happy to take all their financial needs to just one firm.

6. Practice aggressive marketing techniques

Chances are your competitors are currently trying to maintain their rosters rather than grow them.  Big accounting firms are focusing on their A-list clients rather than their smaller ones who are no longer worth the time or energy to maintain.  Your aggressive marketing techniques will enable you to acquire many of those small business accounts that have been overlooked or forgotten.

Not only that, but when you market like there’s no tomorrow, you inspire more confidence in current clients who see your efforts as evidence that your business is thriving despite the recession.

Universal Can Help You Market More Effectively

UAC has been helping professional like you gain the skills necessary to succeed as small business accountants.  With over 25 years experience, we not only know the skills required to succeed but the strategies you need in order to market your skills more effectively.

It’s no secret that accountants are not marketing experts.  In fact, some accountants even get a little nervous when talking about promoting their services.  With UAC’s Universal Practice Builder (UPB) Program you will have everything you need to grow your business and your bottom line.

Here’s a sampling of what you will gain from enrolling in this amazing program:

• A guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months
• 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately
• A process which can produce 15 to 25 qualified leads per month
• 3 months of coaching via telephone and Internet
• Training on a computerized database tracking program
• A presentation DVD to show potential clients

While your competitors hunker down for a long recession, you need to take advantage of this time to grow your business and become the premier accounting firm in your area.  And when you enroll now you will receive QuickBooks Made Profitable (QBMP) for FREE, a program designed to help you use your QuickBooks expertise to enhance your services and attract even more clients!  You’ll be trained in the following:

• A proven system in using QuickBooks to attract larger numbers of potential clients
• Representing yourself as a QuickBooks expert
• Leveraging your time
• Meeting potential clients
• Offering clients services that will help them reduce taxes, increase profits and put money in the bank

Only ostriches hide their heads in the sand.  Don’t duck and cover simply because the economy is struggling.  You can take advantage of the recession and have a stronger business as a result.  Order this package today and begin a journey to a brighter financial future for you and your business.

5 Tips in “Thriving” an Economic Recession

Many would agree that there’s no question we’re currently experiencing an economic recession.  That has many small business owners panicking as they worry about the longevity of their businesses and livelihoods.  Entrepreneur.com’s networking guru, Ivan Misner, has written a blog series entitled “I Refuse to Participate in a Recession” where he examines how business owners, in changing their perspectives, can thrive, as opposed to survive, an economic recession.  This week we will examine five tips designed to help you change your experience with the current economy.

1. Assess your internal dialogue.

How you experience the economy has more to do with what you’re telling yourself about it than it does the statistics, the news forecasts and the bailout proposals.  If you have determined that things are bad and they’re only going to get worse, for both the nation and your business, then chances are they will-not because that’s what’s destined to happen, but because that’s what you believe will happen.  Your internal dialogue determines whether or not you become a victim in the current economic crisis or a survivor-or should we say, thriver.

2. Focus on what you do want, not what you don’t want.

The Law of Attraction exerts that your life is a reflection of what you think, what you focus on, and what you expect to happen.  You must turn your attention away from worry and fear.  While it is a good idea to develop a plan for the worse-case scenario, once that plan has been laid you must move on to brighter thoughts.  Consider what you do want for your business and keep those ideas in the forefront of your mind.  Those thoughts will continue to attract more positive things into your life and business.

3. Maintain a positive attitude.

Try to remain as positive as possible.  While thinking more positively is a good first step, maintaining a positive attitude has a lot to do with your emotions as well.  Try to do those things that enable you to feel more upbeat and positive.   Exercise, read, maintain your hobbies, watch comedies.  It’s much easier to remain positive when you’re participating in those activities that make you feel good.

4. Become more competitive.

Consumers are now, more than ever, keeping a close eye on their pocketbooks.  This increases the competitive nature of the marketplace.  If you don’t increase your competitive advantage now, you’ll feel the impact on your bottom line later.  Consider adding complementary services or increasing your marketing efforts in order to counteract these effects.

5. Take action.

Entrepreneurs that passively “wait out” the recession will probably find their businesses in need of serious resuscitation when the dust clears.  Take action to improve your business regardless of what the economy is doing.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Now is as good a time as any to grow your clientele.  Regardless of the economy, small business owners are still required by law to keep accounting records.  However, the market will grow increasingly more competitive as prospective clients look for the best accountant to meet their needs.  You must better market your services in order to generate the most appeal for your particular skill set.

In all our years working with accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers we’ve come to understand how to best market your services.  Our Universal Practice Builder Program will provide you with 12 marketing strategies that will enable you to secure 15 to 25 qualified leaders per month, a guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months, three months of master coaching, and access to a proven plan that will help you retain clients.  Again, you can complete this amazing program on your time and at your own pace.

When you order this program now, you will receive a second valuable program, QuickBooks Made Profitable, for free! Designed to help you attract even more clients using your QuickBooks expertise, this course will enable you to start and maintain an even more lucrative practice.

80% of small businesses use Intuit’s Quickbooks software.  Learning Quickbooks will help you keep more efficient records, enabling you to teach your clients how to use the software so that you can get the information you need which will make your job much easier.  In addition, this program will teach you how to attract more clients using your QuickBooks setup, help, and consulting services.

Take advantage of this marvelous opportunity to stay the course and thrive the current economic recession.  Order now!

References

Misner, Ivan.  “I Refuse to Participate in a Recession (Part 2).” 1 October 2008 Entrepreneur.com Blog Network.

Wise Budgeting Tips

As an accountant you probably think you’ve got your budget under control.  You know numbers and watch your spending to ensure that you are managing your money well.  But unless you’re applying crucial budgeting strategies, you’re not using this valuable tool to its full advantage.  Here are 5 tips that will help:

1. Ensure your budget aligns with your business strategy.

This may seem obvious, but in the day-to-day tasks required in business management, strategy may be forgotten.  There are fires to put out, emergency expenses to pay, and last-minute purchases to make.  So unless you’re vigilantly monitoring your outflow, your strategy may be nickel and dimed into extinction.

If you don’t yet have a strategy, now is the time to develop one.  Does your business require more aggressive marketing techniques?  Are you attempting to grow your firm by hiring a support staff?  Or do you want to focus on retaining current clients?  Whatever your strategy, you should devise a budget that supports and sustains it.

2. Assess your Chart of Accounts.

As an accountant you are very familiar with the Chart of Accounts.  The Chart of Accounts enables you to set up categories that align with your management strategies.  It also enables you to establish a healthy balance between control and responsibility regarding business spending.

3. Establish accountability.

Anyone responsible for spending within your business needs to be accountable for his/her choices.  You may currently be the only person responsible.  However, it’s important that you acknowledge and assess your spending and then make any necessary changes.  You may determine that your budgetary items are best distributed among control areas like marketing, skills development, client retention, management, etc.  This may provide you with more control over outflow.

4. Regularly review your budget.

Establishing a budget and then ensuring that it aligns with your business strategy is only part of this valuable process.  The true benefit of budgeting comes when you regularly review your budget with key players in your business.  In your review you can compare budgeted expenses with actual expenses and discuss discrepancies.  You can also talk with those responsible for various expenses and see how they might revise some of their spending choices.  This is also a good time to implement necessary changes and assess any changes implemented since your last budgetary review.

5. Revise as necessary.

A budget is not set in stone.  As mentioned in the previous tip, as you assess and review your progress it’s important that you make necessary changes.  In fact, that’s the beauty of budgeting.  As you monitor your income and outflow, you can make changes that will influence the future profitability of your business.

As an accountant you may assume that you’ve been using this tool to its full advantage.  But if you haven’t been applying the above tips, you may be missing out on some of the best benefits of budgeting.

QuickBooks Made Profitable

Budgeting isn’t the only tool you can use to increase your business’s profitability.  Our program, QuickBooks Made Profitable, will teach you just how to use QuickBooks accounting software to attract and retain more clients.

Nearly 80% of small businesses use Intuit’s QuickBooks software.  While other programs may be useful, QuickBooks has definitely captured the small business market.  Mastering QuickBooks will not only enable you to better manage your budget and keep more efficient records, but it will also help you teach your clients how to use the software so that you can get the information you need which makes your job much easier.  This program will teach you how to leverage your time while saving clients money in taxes and helping them increase their profits.  What client wouldn’t be interested in that?  We’ll teach you how to use this valuable software package to generate more income!

Don’t wait to grow your business and experience the success your budget will certainly help you achieve.  There are countless potential clients out there in need of these specific services.  You can be the one to provide them.  Order QuickBooks Made Profitable today!

What It Takes to Start Your Own Accounting Practice

Hutzpah, also spelled “chutzpah,” is a Yiddish word defined by the wiktionary as “nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery or impudence.”  While that may sound like a negative term, it is a characteristic that many entrepreneurs share.  In fact, many people utter the term with reference and upmost respect.  Wow, he sure has hutzpah.  Or, I wish I had enough hutzpah to do that.

Starting Your Own Business Takes Hutzpah

You’ve got to believe that you will achieve success when you first start your own business.  Without that “arrogant courage,” you will always be second-guessing your decision.  And doubt in an incredible energy drain; it will preoccupy you and, if left unchecked, will turn into self-fulfilling prophesy.

So if you don’t have hutzpah, you need to get some.

Universal Accounting Center (UAC) Makes It Easy

While UAC doesn’t necessarily hand out hutzpah along with professional certification, our graduates leave our programs with the confidence necessary to start their own businesses.  Read what they’re saying about our Professional Bookkeeper Program:

This course has literally changed my life. When I started I hardly knew the difference between a debit and a credit. Now I have the confidence to tackle almost any type of business and do their books.-A. Moody

Great practical course providing you with the skills and self-confidence to go out and build your own bookkeeping/accounting service.-B. Pace

The subject matter covered in your course has been invaluable. I have worked in the accounting field for the past six years; your course gave me the training and confidence I needed to advance in this area.-G. Morton

This course is definitely NOT just an introductory course, although it is wonderful even for beginners. It is a comprehensive accounting and bookkeeping course that truly taught me everything I would need to know to start my own accounting business, and gain clients with confidence.-J. Young

What makes this program so special?  Taught by seasoned professionals who understand the unique demand for small-business accountants, this self-paced program will train you using a hands-on instructional approach designed to give you the experience necessary to start a business’s books from scratch.  Whether you’ve been working in the accounting profession for years or have little experience at all, this course will help you gain the knowledge and hutzpah necessary to start your own accounting practice.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

This course is comprised of four modules contained on DVD so you can view them again and again.

• • Module 1-Accounting Made Easy
  • Module 2-Practical Small Business Applications
  • Module 3-Advancing your “Account-Ability”
  • Module 4-Building a Successful Accounting Service

Each one comes with its own manual where you are expected to practice the concepts and skills you learn.  Upon completion, you will take an exam through which you can earn professional certification, demonstrating your expertise to prospective clients.

In addition to all that you will also receive two additional months of follow-up support, your own customize business website, and two additional practice sets.

Offer Complementary Services and Increase Your Bottom Line

If you order now, we will increase the value of this package by adding our newly-released 2008 version of the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks.  More than 80% of small businesses use this accounting software to manage their finances.  By mastering this software, you can begin offering QuickBooks setup, consultation, and help services.  And when these same clients need a little accounting help, who will they turn to?  YOU, of course!

This newly updated program, written by QuickBooks Pro Advisor Brent Peterson, includes step-by-step instructions that will lead you through the accounting process.  Also included:

• • 16 interactive CDs
  • 4 full-color instructional manuals
  • Training designed for all user-types
  • Over 300 thoroughly-covered topics
  • Hands-on training that will enable you to practice all necessary QuickBooks functions
  • The ability to earn the QuickBooks Specialist designation

This training program beats others on the market, hands down.  And when you purchase this in addition to the Professional Bookkeeper Program you are able to offer a handful of valuable services that will attract even more clients and increase your bottom line.

Get the training necessary to develop a little hutzpah-your new accounting practice depends upon it.  Order today!

Just answer a few questions for us:

• Would you like to make more money?
• Are you interested in being your own boss?
• Would you like to enjoy a flexible work schedule?
• Have you considered spending more time with your family?
• Do you want to improve your standard-of-living?

Not many people would answer “no” to any of those questions. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not know how to accomplish them. Luckily for you, Universal Accounting Center is in the business of helping their students see that all of the above do indeed happen.

What Are You Waiting for?

A more prosperous economy? Your ship to sail in? The perfect time?

When you take a passive approach to life, waiting for something good to happen, you’ll find those good things are forever beyond your reach. Truly successful people don’t wait for anything; instead they choose to make good things happen for themselves.

A little work, a small investment, and some elbow grease are all that’s required to start and build your own accounting practice. That and two power programs.

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

In order for your accounting practice to be more appealing than the competition, you must offer specialized services. Small business accounting is a specialized service. Consider that your prospective clients will need someone trained to do one or more of the following:

• Master accounting for retail and wholesale businesses
• Establish the accounting method that best fits the business
• Set up an efficient system for a “Ma & Pa” manufacturing company
• Track job costs simply and efficiently for a construction company
• Effectively handle flooring for an inventory financed business
• Consult on key business issues with confidence
• Enter data quickly and accurately
• Prepare payroll like a seasoned pro
• Avoid costly IRS penalties
• Spot and avoid dangerous trends before they become tragedies
• Save a company thousands of dollars in auditing costs
• Prepare a loan application package
• Make positive change happen!

The PB Program will teach you how to do all that and more. In less than 60 hours you can receive professional certification that demonstrates your expertise to potential clients. You will be able to do for them what few other accountants could do. The only thing left for you learn would be maketing.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Marketing strategies, promotional campaigns, advertising techniques. Those are generally things accountants are unfamiliar and even uncomfortable with. Knowing how to appeal to your particular demographic will enable you to create a marketing approach that is successful, lucrative, and productive.

The Universal Practice Builder Program will help you do that by equipping you with 12-proven marketing strategies that will enable you to secure 15 to 25 qualified leads per month. You’ll also learn how to prepare instructional seminars that will enable you to demonstrate the value of your services to prospective clients. In addition, for three months you’ll have access to a personal coach who will help you apply the things you learn while setting and achieving your business goals. Not to mention, all this comes with a guarantee that you will earn $30,000 more in annualized billings in just 12 months!

Again, what are you waiting for?

It’s time you took action! Pursue your dreams, start that practice and take a bigger piece of the pie. Go on! You deserve it. Enroll now.

They All Start with YOU

Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people. - Nido Qubein

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.-Edmund Hillary

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. - Michelangelo

The power of the mind is truly mind-boggling. Have you ever pondered the difference between two talented and capable individuals-one successful and one not? Often it’s the attitude each possesses that marks the difference in their achievements. What attitude do you live your life by? And with what mindset do you approach your career?

If you believe that you are on a path to great accomplishment and success, you are. It’s that simple. If you believe that your journey will be rife with struggle and failure, then you’re right as well. We are what we think.

The truth is you CAN start your own accounting practice. And if you already have one, you can make it even more profitable. Others have proven that it’s not only a profitable venture, but it’s easy and attainable. All you need are the skills, know-how, and the ability to market yourself to prospective clients. Sounds easy, right?

UAC Makes It Easy

While we’re not in the business of handing out confidence to our graduates, it seems to come naturally through the course of taking our programs. Here’s what some have said:

You’ll be glad to know that in the time since I completed the course, I have gone from 1 client, a friend of mine, to 27 clients in a matter of just 8 months. I’m finally realizing the potential that I always knew I had.- V. A. VonTonder

This course has literally changed my life. When I started I hardly knew the difference between a debit and a credit. Now I have the confidence to tackle almost any type of business and do their books.- A. Moody

The best part was that it gave me the courage and confidence to start my own business, which has been a dream of mine for years.-C. Christensen

In attaining confidence, these individuals have achieved the mindset necessary to successfully start their own bookkeeping service with grace and ease. Would you like to join them?

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

Designed to train individuals in small-business accounting, this program enables students to gain the expertise necessary to target a very lucrative niche market.

Just for fun, thumb through your local yellow pages. How many of the businesses you see are small, local businesses? Probably quite a few. All of those small businesses are required by law to perform various accounting functions. They need small business accountants.

Fortunately, for you, most accountants have been trained in corporate accounting rather than small business accounting, leaving these small business owners in need of a properly-trained professional who can attend to their specific needs. And if you know how to market your services, you’ve got an even greater advantage over your competition.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Don’t feel bad. Most accountants are uncomfortable marketing their services. But once you know a handful of proven marketing strategies, methods for building an effective professional network, and can apply it all with a mentor by your side, the rest comes easily.

For over 25 years UAC has been teaching individuals like you small-business accounting. In the process we have learned quite a bit about how to effectively market those same services to the best prospective clients. When you enroll in this course you will get the following:

• A guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months
• The skills to become a Profit Expert for each of your clients
• 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately
• A process which can produce 15 to 25 qualified leads per month
• 3 months of coaching via telephone and Internet
• Training on a computerized database tracking program
• A presentation DVD to show potential clients
• Seminar training for three different instructional courses
• Access to a plan proven to help retain clients

When you couple the Professional Bookkeeper Program with the Universal Practice Builder Program, you have just about everything you need to start and/or grow your own accounting practice. Just bring a positive attitude and we’ll supply the rest. Don’t wait another day to realize your potential and change the course of your future. Enroll now!

Universal Press Release

For Immediate Release (800)343-4827

Universal Accounting Initiates New Interactive Testing Center

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (March 1, 2007) – Universal Accounting Center (UAC), an Inc. 500 company, has launched an upgraded testing center for students completing the Professional Bookkeeper program, Professional Tax Preparer program and Professional Bookkeepers guide to QuickBooks Pro. The testing center provides a reliable solution for students participating in UAC’s distance programs.

The upgraded Web testing center includes the following features:

• An advanced database accelerating student movement to each question.
• Students can navigate to any question regardless of where they are in the test.
• A virtual “time attendant” following students throughout the test monitoring remaining test time.

Universal Accounting Center is the worlds only accounting specific trade school offering accounting, bookkeeping and marketing training to students throughout the world. Skills are taught through classroom trainings or through a patented home-study course, allowing students to learn at their own pace. In August, 2006, Universal Accounting debuted on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. More information about Universal Accounting Center can be found by calling 1-800-343-4827 or visiting www.universalaccountingcenter.com.

Here’s a short quiz I don�t think you�ll have difficulty completing:

1. All things being equal, would you rather earn $45/hour or $55/hour doing accounting for a business?
2. All things being equal, would you rather have a $250/month clients or a $400/month client?

These questions may appear to take the record for the all-time dumbest questions ever asked. But, when you are working for yourself, sometimes these are questions that beg asking � It’s a question of economics.

You might recall from your high school economics class that supply and demand drive the pricing structure of the free world. The most obvious contemporary example is the computer industry where competition has been driving the prices of computer hardware down every year. As more computer manufacturers have entered the playing field the supply has increased beyond demand, and prices have fallen, and fallen, and fallen even further.

This principle can work for or against any business — even accountants. When we specialize in providing accounting for industries where there’s high demand, but limited competition, we can find clients more readily and charge a higher fee for our services. This is putting the law of supply and demand in our favor.

Why will some businesses pay more for bookkeeping than others?

The business world is “information hungry.” Managers/Owners want the latest information on the economy, their industry, and most particularly their business — and they want it now.

Fifty years ago a business owner might have been the only ‘game’ in town. They might have been the only hospital, car dealer, or dentist. Not anymore. With competition being what it is, business management needs to keep on top of their business more so now than ever before. If they’re not watching their business, they may not have a business to watch.

That’s certainly where the accountant comes in. Through a well-designed information system, uniquely fit to their business, the accountant can give management the information they want and need when they want it.

THE KEY IS TO FIT THE SYSTEM TO THE BUSINESS. To meet their needs we must understand their business and fit the accounting system accordingly. A contractor, for instance, driving a pickup truck with papers stashed and stuck everywhere imaginable, needs to have a different system in place, than does the local hairdresser. An automobile dealership needs to have a system that will track each car separately for both control and flooring (inventory finance) purposes.

Now, I know what you�re thinking: “Don’t all businesses use debits and credits alike?” The answer is “yes” and “no.” It’s true that debits are on the left, and credits on the right. But each business has different types of transactions and different accounts to follow. For instance, the automotive business has three accounts that are somewhat unique to that industry. Namely, Flooring Payable, Contracts in Transit, and Bank Reserve accounts.

The construction industry, particularly builders and developers, work with Jobs in Progress and Progress Billings. Manufacturing businesses must have a system in place that will track progress of raw materials and labor through to the finished product so that the owners can establish their cost per unit.

Since the universities and colleges don�t teach these small business concepts, the opportunities are great for the accountant knowledgeable about these areas . To confirm this, next time you talk with an accounting graduate ask them how ‘Flooring Payable,’ ‘Contracts in Transit,’ and ‘Bank Reserve Account’ are used. Chances are very good that they won’t have a clue.

Now, before you get critical of their training or capability remember that the colleges are grooming them for the Fortune 500 companies, not the used car dealer. All these concepts I’ve mentioned in this article are small business issues for businesses typically employing less than 100 employees.

We recognized the value of these concepts years ago, so our course, covers all types of businesses including those that I’ve mentioned above. And the course is suitable for the beginning accountant and for the college graduate. You will even have an opportunity to do the books for these businesses and practice them for yourself before working on the real thing. You’ll find more information on our complete accounting course under Accounting Made Easy.

Well, should you specialize in a higher demand industry?

That depends on your answer to these two questions. Do you want to make more money? Do you have the knowledge to work with these businesses? If your answer to both these last two questions is “yes” then you might want to consider answering “yes” to the first question, as well.

Smaller is better. At least two surveys over the past two years show that the Big Four accounting firms are losing clients. Some of them are dropping clients by choice, but many of their clients are leaving the big firms in search of a more personalized service and lower prices.

This is great news for you. Although the Big Four accounting firms aren’t servicing the small businesses that you and I talk about, smaller and mid-sized CPA firms service both corporate and small business clients. As large corporations do more and more business with smaller CPA firms, this provides an excellent opportunity for Small Business Bookkeepers and Accountants to service the businesses that the CPA firms are leaving in favor of doing larger corporate accounting.

Small Business Accounting is Where it’s At

85% of the opportunities that exist in bookkeeping and accounting exist in small businesses. A few weeks ago, we talked about the 550,000 new small businesses that open each month in the United States.

Not only is the opportunity great, but small business accounting is the most exciting.

As a small business bookkeeper/accountant you’ll be a big part of the profitability of the small businesses that you work with. From payables to receivables, even payroll, the small business bookkeeper/accountant is a business owner’s profit expert.

Small Business Accounting Expertise - It’s Achievable, Profitable and Easy

Universal Accounting Center has been teaching small business accounting since 1979. That’s over 25 years.

Universal does what others can’t. College and university accounting graduates are more interested in finance, analysis and corporate accounting… and most university programs don’t spend any time teaching the intricacies of small business accounting.

It takes a small business expert to teach small business accounting. As a small business accountant, you’ll need to know about many different kinds of businesses. From flower shops to bicycle shops. Bakeries to Construction companies. Universal Accounting understands the needs of small businesses.

Businesses Need What You Have to Offer

Most accounting software packages are sold as if the business owner doesn’t need to know anything about accounting to do the books. While this may be true of data input, it’s not true for understanding what the accounting system is telling him or her via the numbers. It takes a skilled bookkeeper/accountant to do that.

The accounting process is critical to the success of any small business. The small business bookkeeper/accountant provides the important interpretation of the numbers that allows the business owner to make informed decisions concerning the financial health of his or her business.

Become the Small Business Profit Expert and Be Well Paid

Most freelance small business bookkeepers earn an average of $300 per month per client. When you first start working with a new business, it might take you 8-10 hours per client week to do the books each month. But over time that hourly commitment will drop. Even at 8-10 hours a week for each client, at the end of the month you’ve just grossed $6000. That’s a minimum of $30 per hour.

Of course some clients will bill more… some less. Part of what you’ll learn with Universal Accounting is an easy and practical way to know what to bill for your services. You’ll learn how to set-up your business. You’ll learn how to find and keep clients. You’ll become a profit expert.

Now is the Time

I know you’ve heard this before. There are many out there telling you the same thing. Let me show you why the Professional Bookkeeper Program is different. As the regulations that face small businesses continue to become more and more complicated and the number of new businesses each month continues to grow, the need for qualified small business accounting experts has never been greater. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

If you want to earn what you’re worth and create the lifestyle that you and your family deserve, owning a small business bookkeeping and accounting practice is the perfect solution. Discovering for yourself how profitable and attainable this will be for you is only a couple more mouse clicks away. Click on the link below and find out why so many people just like you and me are starting their own small business bookkeeping and accounting practice.

Click Here and Discover How Achievable, Profitable and Easy Starting a Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting Practice Will Be

5 Self Management Tips:

How the Self-Employed Stay that Way

Remember when you worked in a traditional environment where disgruntled employees would grumble about the boss around the water cooler? Not that complaining about management practices ever did any good, but it sure made you feel better! Unfortunately, now that you’re the boss, you need to be more proactive in changing poor management practices. That often means taking a long, hard look at yourself to see what must be changed in order to improve your business, and that can be difficult. How do you get started? Here are 5 self-management tips that will help you avoid common pitfalls and become truly successful.

1. Hire help when you’re outgrown your capabilities.

It sounds crazy, but a small business can spiral out of control when the owner gets more clients than he/she can handle. Some insist on managing all the work by themselves, even if it exceeds their capabilities. They work long hours and burn themselves out. Don’t run yourself ragged because you’re afraid that hiring help will cut too much from your profits. Remember, you’ve got to spend money to make money, and often that money is best spent on payroll. When you hire good help, you sacrifice a small percentage of profits in order to add more clients to your roster, growing your business and increasing your income.

2. Take the time to sit back and reflex on lessons your business has taught you.

You will learn a lot from your successes and even more from your failures. Small business owners often become so busy they forget that everyday their business is teaching them how to become more successful. As the manager of your business you need to schedule weekly time to reflect on what is and isn’t working. Examine both the high and the low points, and make necessary changes to your management approach. Most importantly, look at your failures and ask what they’re trying to teach you. Continual reflection on your business practices and how you could better them is what will separate your business from those that fail. In fact, this one tip alone could prevent countless businesses from collapse.

3. Find a mentor and learn without making mistakes.

While learning from your own mistakes is a good thing, it’s even better when you can learn without them. Look for a mentor, someone who has managed their own business successfully and enjoys the type of lifestyle you desire. Then ask if they would mind being an adviser. Generally people are happy to help if they believe they have some expertise to offer. Ask your mentor for advice, listen to their experiences, and share your own successes and failures in order to get feedback and guidance.

4. Allow employees and customers to teach you what is and isn’t working.

It can be uncomfortable to ask those you work with how you might improve your business. But an objective point of view is invaluable when it comes to developing strong management skills. And you’d be amazed at what employees and clients might say; they have insight to your business that you just don’t have and they may offer suggestions that would help your business become more profitable.

5. Be willing to change.

Improvement requires change. Most small businesses succeed because they are flexible and recognize the need to constantly revise their management approach. Don’t batter yourself over the flaws in your business; be grateful that you’ve discovered them in time to make the necessary changes. Don’t cringe when a client suggests you add new services or better your customer service; be grateful for the information that will enable you to improve your business. In the beginning of your business, change will be constant, but after a few years you’ll settle comfortably into rhythm that may still require change, but not as much of it.

Good management starts with you. The best managers are able to step back, take a good look at their management style, and ask how it can be improved. When you’re willing to change, change usually comes easily and with fewer struggles. Remember that it’s impossible for any startup to arise perfect from the dust. The best and most successful businesses, however, go through a continuous cycle of reflection and change. Mistakes and flaws are not devastating; they are great instructors. Listen to what they have to say and move forward.