The Real Scoop on Being Awarded Money to Start or Expand Your Business

You’ve probably heard the commercials promising big bucks for entrepreneurial-minded individuals looking to start their own businesses. Grants are a great source of income because you are not required to pay them back; it is money awarded to you, free of charge. But how easy is it, really, to secure a small business grant? Unfortunately, not as easy as those commercials suggest. But it is possible.

While the federal government doesn’t award grants there are state agencies that do. Check out our resources below to discover the local opportunities that exist for your business.

What might you do to make your application more appealing? The following four tips should help:

Recognize the process may be long and exhausting

It’s important that you be prepared to spend a significant amount of time and energy researching potential grants and their requirements. It may help to assign someone on your staff the responsibility of laying the ground work. You can visit the links below to get started.

Create a thorough Business Plan to evidence your preparedness

This may help you stand out from the competition. A thorough Business Plan demonstrates your attention to detail and the fact that you have thought about your business enough to devise a plan from startup to exit strategies.

Submit a complete and thoughtful application

The grant approval process is long enough as it is; you don’t want to delay the process further by submitting an unacceptable application. This also projects a poor image of your business and implies that your products and services just might be as sloppy as your grant application.

Maintain contact with the organization awarding the grant

Just as you would maintain contact with a potential employer that had interviewed you, so should you maintain contact with the organization awarding the grant. While you should avoid being intrusive and annoying, you can check on the review status and determine how long it might be until you are notified. It’s also a good time to see if they need anything else in order to decide whether or not you are the right candidate for their grant.

While it is possible to receive grant money to fund your business startup, it’s not always an easy process. You must pay close attention to the requirements and ensure that your business is eligible. You must also be willing to spend considerable time and energy preparing the necessary application. However, it’s not impossible and if you believe your business is suitable for a grant; it could be well worth it to go through the process.

A Business with Little Startup Costs

While every owner of a fledgling business would like some free cash to get going, starting an accounting practice requires little in startup costs. With no expensive equipment to purchase, the ability to work from home with as little a computer and internet connection, and the flexibility to work from the spare bedroom in your basement, an accounting and bookkeeping practice might just be the best home business yet. In fact, authors of The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century, Paul and Sarah Edwards, rate a bookkeeping service as the “Best of the Best” home-based businesses. With a little training and professional certification, you could be on your way to a low-cost start-up with big returns.

Currently there are countless students trying to earn their accounting degrees by spending hours at a university, learning accounting theory, but not much practice. Once they graduate and try to get a job they will discover that they have been prepared for less than 20% of accounting opportunities. They have been groomed to act as corporate accountants. Unfortunately for them, more than 85% of opportunities are with small businesses which continue to grow and grow every year. These small businesses have unique needs that are not easily met with corporate accounting practices. They need a specialist-a small business accountant.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

Since Alf Bostrom opened its doors in 1979, Universal Accounting Center has been training individuals in the practical application of small-business accounting. With more than 25 years experience, we know what the small business needs, and we also know how to effectively train you to master small business accounting. In less than 60 hours you could complete the Professional Bookkeeper Program and start a small business’s books from scratch. You could also become that business’s Profit Expert. With such valuable skills you could manage not one, but multiple small business accounts, becoming the most popular contract accountant in your area.

The Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks

But why stop with just small business accounting? Why not add another valuable complementary service to your practice? Our Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks will help you master QuickBooks, by far the most popular accounting software used by small businesses. Upon doing so you will not only be able to add QuickBooks services to your menu, but you will begin attracting a new demographic that will bring more business your way. And if you order both the Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program and the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks now, you will receive our newly released 2008 version of the PBG. This version beats out other QuickBooks training programs. Its features include the following:

• Training targeted for all user types
• The ability to work more efficiently
• 6 months of follow-up support
• The opportunity to earn a QuickBooks Specialist (QS) designation
• 16 CDs with 15 hours of training
• 4 books with over 800 pages of instruction
• The ability to quickly pay your bills so you never incur late penalties.
• The ability to write checks with one single click!
• Be reminded when bills are due.
• Quickly and effortlessly create invoices so you get paid sooner. It even takes care of sales tax.
• Get organized. QuickBooks streamlines the process of tracking customers and vendors so you can easily look them up in one place.
• Keep on top of incoming and outgoing payments. It’s like having your own accounts receivable and payable clerk you don’t have to pay.
• Access easy-to-read financial reports NOW!

Start your own accounting practice by getting trained in small business accounting and QuickBooks. With minimal to no startup costs and services that will appeal to a wide market, you can be up and running in no time at all. This is as close as you can get to a guaranteed startup. So take a deep breath and imagine yourself working as a thriving contract accountant. Enroll today! Click HERE to pay in full or HERE to finance the programs.

Resources for Finding Grants

• Federal Funds Express
• The Grantsmanship Center’s Local Funding Sources
• The University of Michigan’s list of grant information

Gain the right skills and you will earn a better income. Bookkeepers can anticipate a 6.8% rise in base compensation in 2006. That’s great news provided you have the right skills.

The 2006 Salary Guide is based on an analysis of thousands of job placements managed by Robert Half International Inc., and predicts that heightened competition for accounting and finance professionals will lead to increases in base compensation next year.

Companies are Recruiting Accounting Staff

Max Messmer, Chairman and CEO of Robert Half International says, “Organizations are actively recruiting accounting and finance staff to support business expansion initiatives and corporate governance efforts.”

“To attract and retain skilled financial professionals, firms are reassessing their hiring practices and enhancing compensation packages for current staff.”

Bookkeepers are Doing Better than Average!

Robert Half International forcasts an increase in starting wage for bookkeepers and accountants of 3.1%. An increase of 3.1% is OK, but according to the Salary Guide, bookkeepers can anticipate a 6.8% rise in base compensation in the year ahead. Over twice the average. What a great time to consider a bookkeeping and accounting education.

The opportunities for you have never been better in accounting. Click on the link below and discover the potential for you to earn a great income and enjoy a stable, recession free career.

Show Me a Stable Career With a Great Income

The Accounting Department Has Always Offered Great Opportunities

For hundreds of years accountants have contributed to the profitability of businesses all over the world. And they have been well paid to do it. With the right skills you will not only find the right job or enhance your present career, you’ll also enjoy the benefits of increased competition in the marketplace and can expect a bigger paycheck.

Where Can I Find the Right Skills… I Don’t Have a College Degree?

You don’t need a college degree. You do need a specialized education. And you can find it at Universal Accounting.

For the last 25 years, Universal Accounting has taught thousands of people the profitable and exciting skills of small business bookkeeping and accounting. We’re the small business experts and we can teach you to be too.

You don’t have to take my word for it, let’s look at what some of our graduates have said:

“I was amazed how practical this course was, and surprised how much I learned. Having an accounting degree and over 17 years experience in accounting, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. This is well worth the time and money, and you will be benefited from this class for years to come.”
-Philip Lufkin

“This was an excellent course. I have a B. S. in accounting, and this class taught me stuff I never learned in college.”
-Catherine Ferguson

“Universal’s accounting course is a very thorough approach to learning small business accounting. The materials and work sets are presented in a professional learning atmosphere. …I felt this class really helped my confidence and mastery of the accounting principles.”
-Bradley Jensen

You don’t need to be a math wiz to enhance your career. Calculus and algebra aren’t necessary. Basic math skills are the building-blocks to a successful career in bookkeeping and accounting. With your basic math skills and a willingness to learn, you’ll be on your way to an incredibly rewarding and satisfying career.

Businesses Have to Do Accounting… It’s Required By Law

It doesn’t matter what type of business, it has to keep financial records and has to have bookkeepers and accountants. Follow the link below and find out for yourself how an education in bookkeeping and accounting will enhance your present career, increase your paycheck and provide personal and professional satisfaction.

Show Me Why Becoming a Bookkeeper or Accountant is Right For Me

What’s The Cost of NOT Starting Your Own Accounting Business?

We have been in the Accounting and Bookkeeping business since 1979 and have seen, and been a part of many successful businesses that provide write-up and daily bookkeeping services for small businesses. We have seen and put into practice the highly effective strategies, tactics and methods of Accounting and business and experienced many times over the exhilaration of dreams realized and company goals met by following what is taught in our courses.

One constant that has run over the course of the last 25+ years in the role of the accounting employee, and the inability to be paid equal to who they work for. The constraints that naturally come with such a position do not allow, in our day and age of business, to remain an accounting underling, and pay for the best in life.

Perhaps you’ve experienced these limitations yourself. The following are just some of the things we have observed about that type of a position.

• Strapped down by what someone else thinks you need to be paid – Entry level pay aside, for those who have been conducting accounting duties for years have found that their pay is determined by what someone else (usually their boss) thinks they need to be paid. Sometimes the driving factor is what the company can afford, regardless, someone else is making the decision what your time is worth.
• Kept to the 3% cost-of-living pay increase – Pay increases are limited to usually the 3% cost-of living increase that companies dole out each year. This is designed only to keep the employee on pace with inflation. Not a way to increase their bottom line and take home pay. It’s been said that when you’re just treading water you’re only one arm stroke from drowning.
• Control of your position out of your hands – How much you are paid is completely dependant on the fancy, whim or circumstance of the:
  • Economy – Businesses are smart to expand and shrink as the market demands, but most times this tactic leaves their employees high and dry. Accounting and Bookkeeping services are as recession-proof as you can get.
  • Bosses – We’ve all experienced that type of boss that doesn’t have our best interest in mind. Whether conflicts of personality, or purpose or even professional knowledge come into play, who usually wins… The boss.
  • Corporate Culture – Corporate culture with some companies can be cutthroat and demeaning. Even if it makes no difference either way it isn’t set up with your welfare in mind, but the welfare of the company. Many employees can get lost in the welfare of the Corporation.
• No matter how well you do, usually pay remains the same until your yearly review – All of us like to be rewarded in a position in what we do and when we do exceptionally well we would like that reflected in our take home pay. Most of the time this is not possible to do until HR schedules out your yearly reviews. By the time that can roll around, the momentum of that wonderful result would have lost its luster and the realized impact on the company would have waned.

So How Can All This Benefit Me?

You may be thinking, “I’m looking for work, not to go out on my own, why am I still reading this?” Frankly, for some people to be their own bosses is not in their make-up. It’s just not something that they have the discipline to do. However for those types of people like you and me, it’s time to consider and weigh the immediate pain and work for the overall results and rewards. First let me ask you this question, can you afford NOT to go out on your own with the help of the Professional Bookkeeping Course? Let’s run some numbers.

Let’s take the entry level pay for an average accountant and boost it a bit. Let’s say you are making around $20 an hour currently and you are a healthy 30-35 year old person working the normal 40 hours a week, 50 weeks out of the year. (2 weeks off for vacation of course, don’t want to work you into the ground do we?) Before taxes that’s $3200 a month or $38,400 a year, not too shabby. Not taking into consideration the taxes, health benefits and 401K situations most companies have, over the course of the next fifteen years ( and taking into the equation of the 3% yearly living expense increase each year) your earning potential only reaches $59,826 a year for a 15-year gross total of $774,025.

You’re probably thinking, “Ok, what’s wrong with making $59K by the time I’m 45 years old, three-fourth of a million dollars is a lot of money”… Yeah, look where you can be if instead of $20 an hour you were making $45 an hour on your own (taking the same formula above).

• Your starting gross yearly pay would be $86,400 (a $48,000 difference to START).
• Adjusting the 3% increase of living each year by the end of that 15 years your yearly gross income would come to a mere $134,608.
• A whopping difference of $74,782 a year between the two!
• Over the course of those 15 years you loose out on potential earning of nearly $970,000 dollars.

And this is not considering if you grow your Accounting practice to require employees and dozens of clients. This is only taking into account what you can do! So I ask again, can you afford NOT to get this program?

Nut and Bolts of the Universal Offer

All that aside and based on the program’s merits this is the best decision, and the easiest decision you can make. While developing the most comprehensive training course found in the market - chock full of 25-years worth of experience and up-to-date proven strategies, methodologies, and tactics. Crafted to the student, and taught in such a way to have everything for the beginners to the most advanced in the profession - we have given to those who have come before you this Iron-Clad Guarantee.

Getting the program is as Risk-Free and “Benefit-Full” as we could make it. A better offer is hard to find.

And we extend this Universal Iron-Clad Guarantee to you! Purchase your copy of the course today and you will have not only the Knowledge-packed course, the Iron-Clad Money-Back Guarantee but we’ll give you an additional two practice sets ($198 value). Business types that you can practice doing books on, so you can completely familiar with all the methods of the accounting process.

Practice Makes Perfect.

The three modules already contain practice sets for nine different types of businesses. Purchase the Professional Bookkeeper today and you’ll receive two more practice sets, giving you eleven in all. This will give you even more confidence and experience in various industries and the opportunity to work with additional types of clients.

In addition to the practice sets we recognize that you will need the support from Universal to help you through your coursework and answer questions that arise from all that is involved in the program. We won’t just leave you high and dry! We’ll add into this offer 6 months of Universal Coaching Support, a $585 value for FREE. You’ll have access to our Academic Coaches to be able to get your questions about the course work, but you’ll also have 6 months access to our CPA Coach to be able to answer the questions that arise when you are applying what you learn to your position. By phone or email both of these coaches are here to answer what questions may come along. This also includes the cost of $485 for the final exam for the Professional Bookkeeper’s designation. Certification to your employers that you have gone through the best possible training and have mastered everything there is to know in the program.

What’s Next For Me?

There you have it. If in the end you feel this course wasn’t worth its cost, you can get your money back! Very few opportunities like this come with a risk-free guarantee. Just add in the rest of what Universal can get to you, for FREE and this sounds like a sweet deal.

But WAIT! Hold On A Moment

We want you to be sure, we want you to be absolutely positive that this is something that you want to do. We don’t want you to have that moment in the middle of training where you could get off-track and second guess yourself. Your peace of mind, as well as our training and the effort put into the program by our instructors is too valuable to waste, even on the slightest doubt.

So, instead of giving you what enrolling into the course will run you, Universal Accounting encourages you to simply order your FREE copy of the “Introduction to The Professional Bookkeeper Program ” DVD. All we ask you to do is pay for shipping it to you, a mere $4.95. Take this opportunity by clicking here to order your copy today. You’ll be able to see after the mailing information is given for the FREE DVD, the details of what’s in each Module and the low pricing of the program.

Read it, digest it, bookmark the page and then wait for your copy of the DVD. Take a good long look at Universal and all that you can expect from such a comprehensive training course, you can’t go wrong.

Click Here to Order your FREE Copy of the “Introduction to The Professional Bookkeeper Program”

Ask Yourself: Do You Enjoy What You Do?

For way too many of us, the answer is no. Work can be hectic and stressful. Often, our careers just are not going anywhere. We need something to get them going again. The Professional Bookkeeper program gives you hands-on training in the full range of Accounting and Bookkeeping skills needed to succeed.

Learn How the Professional Bookkeeper Program Can Get Your Career Back On Track

According to the Medical Expenditure Survey Panel, only 34.1% of small businesses with less than 10 employees offer health insurance. This is largely due to the high premiums associated with employer-based insurance which went up more than 9% for the fifth consecutive year in 2005. In fact, recently Aflac conducted a survey which questioned 501 small business owners to see how they perceived health benefits to influence employee retention. 37% of those surveyed said they believe their inability to retain good employees is influenced by their health benefits (or lack thereof). 49% said they believe they can’t attract good employees without competitive health insurance.

If you’re a small business owner, this isn’t news to you. Regardless of whether or not you have employees of your own, health care is a weighty issue for the self-employed. Here are some things you might want to consider if this is something you worry about.

Small-Business Health Care Bill

While a bill recently failed to approve legislation allowing small business owners to pool together to reduce risk and lower health care costs, a revised bill may be reintroduced. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions ranking member Senator Michael Enzi sponsored the bill last year and has promised to reintroduce the health care bill to Congress again this year.

Some concerns exist that the new bill would lessen coverage to participants. And because these plans would not be restricted by state requirements, opponents argue that coverage would not be as comprehensive. Some fear it would drive up costs for services not covered by these plans.

Others are more optimistic. Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said, “Purchasing pools would bring together large numbers of small purchasers, both individuals and small businesses, and allow them to take advantage of group rates for coverage.”

Consumer-Driven Health Care Promoted by the President

In his State of the Union address, President Bush proposed changes to tax law that would promote consumer-driven health care. Currently tax benefits are extended to employers; changes in the tax code would enable employees enjoy the tax benefits associated with their health insurance. Employees would also be more involved in developing a plan that best suits their needs rather than picking from a menu of prepackaged plans. The changes would also increase tax benefits for the self-employed, lowering insurance premiums and increasing health care options.

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

HSA’s are an example of consumer-driven health care. This health care plan is attractive to small business owners and their employees because it couples health insurance with a tax-deductible account with which to pay health care costs. Benefits of this plan include:

• highly-deductible health care
• a Health Savings Account which enables participants to contribute amounts equal to their deductibles
• money placed in HAS is tax deductible
• ability to roll-over HSA contributions
• penalties are not charged for participants who are over 65 and withdraw money from HSA for non-medical reasons

While health insurance may have been a sore spot for small business owners in the past, it looks as if forces are converging to make changes that would benefit the self-employed and any of their employees. Stay informed and you too can take advantage of some of these changes.

How to Go Solo and Still Keep Your Job

Full-time or part-time? Many graduates of our course have started incredibly successful businesses. But for many of our graduates, a bookkeeping and accounting business makes the perfect part-time job. How much extra income do you want to make? You can do it with a part-time bookkeeping and accounting practice.

If you want to leave your present career, but don’t feel quite ready yet, you can do that too. Ellen McGirt, Janet Pasking and Donna Rosato on CNN.money.com offer 7 steps to going solo and still keeping your current job. Let’s look at their list.

1. Scour Your Finances: As you consider going out on your own; while you still have your present job, pay down your credit cards. Set-up a line of credit that you can use before you are completely self-employed. Your first year or two in business it’s often harder to establish credit.
2. Make the Most Out of Your Current Employer: Take advantage of every opportunity to attend workshops, training, networking forums and receive tuition reimbursement. Not only will these opportunities help you prepare for your own business, but you may find yourself advancing enough in your present job that you will not need to go out on your own.
3. Hitch Your Wagon to Another Star: For many, finding a mentor helps as you prepare to start your own business. You may find that a great mentor won’t just appear and offer his/her services to you, most of the time you’ll need to ask.You may also find more than one mentor. I haven’t found a rule saying that you can only have one mentor. Surrounding yourself with a number of people who are motivated to help you advance your career is a good thing. You can often find a mentor by participating in the local chamber of commerce, other community groups or professional organizations. You can also visit web sites like score.org. (Service Corps of Retired Executives.)
4. Go Out With Style: Stay committed to your present job until you leave. Don’t short-change the employer that pays your bills now. As long as you stay, be true to the company you work for.You may also find that some of your first customers will come from within the contacts that you already have and burning bridges isn’t a very good idea. We’ve had more than one graduate who has ended up doing contract work for their former employers. Treat your soon-to-be former employer the same way you would like to be treated if you were them.
5. Line Up a Support Team: Starting your own business is often a one-man-show. This often proves a little overwhelming for the owner of a start-up. By lining up the people to offer help and advice before you’re on your own, you’ll find the stresses of starting your new business easier to take.
6. Give Yourself Away: Offering freebies, discounts and barter to pad your portfolio is often a great way to start, just remember that you can’t do it for long or you run the risk of going out of business before you start. Although it might appear tempting to try to undercut your competition, don’t. (See #7)
7. Get Paid What Your Worth: Learn to value your place in the market. If you don’t charge what you’re worth, you will eventually find yourself looking for another job. The cheapest competitor in the market is not always the best place to be. I know of many industries who automatically label the lowest bid as the unqualified bid. Get paid what your worth.

Much of this isn’t new. Some of this advice my mother gave me as a kid. Starting your own business doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. With a little planning and consideration for your present employer, you can make a smooth transition from employee to business owner.

Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation Supply an Easy Transition to Self Employment

There may be others, but I consider a bookkeeping and accounting practice the perfect opportunity to transition from employment to business ownership. The nature of this business allows thousands of people to operate a part-time business out of their home while maintaining their full-time job. You can do it too.

To learn more about how you can start a rewarding and profitable bookkeeping and accounting practice simply click on the link below. Full-time or part-time, a bookkeeping and accounting practice is the perfect transition to business ownership.

Click Here to Learn More About the Perfect Business

Squeeze the most out of every moment to find time for what’s really important!

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933

I must admit, I am very lucky. I really like what I do. I get to sit down at my little computer, think good thoughts, and talk to you. Fortunately, it doesn’t stop at thinking good thoughts. I actually have to put words on the page that help you, or we don’t get to talk to each other today.

Every morning starts with a plan.

One of the first things I do when I sit down at my desk in the morning, is look at the day, what I need to accomplish, and map out a plan for what I’d like to get done that day. I know this sounds pretty basic. Not much to it. And, I have to admit, there isn’t much to it. It’s pretty simple, but the time I save more than makes up for the time I spend organizing my day. It gives me the mandate to focus on what’s really important.

If I don’t go through this ritual every day, I find that before the day is over, I lose steam. Have you ever noticed that most people start the morning all fired up and ready to take on the day, however, as the day wears on and they start to get tired; sometimes, their get-up-and-go, does just exactly that. Stephen Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”

In other words, we can’t afford to wait for opportunity to come to us, we need to create our own opportunities. Today, more than ever, it’s important to look ahead with an easy-to-follow plan; follow the plan and discover how truly simple it really is to find the success we’re looking for.

I’m glad I don’t have to wear the Speedo anymore.

When I was in High School I was on the swim team. Swim work-outs started every morning at 5:30am. I used to dream about my first length in the pool swinging an ice pick and chopping up the ice that was in my way so I could swim my workout. It was tough, but when I look back, I kind of miss those workouts.

I know this will kind of date me, but in 1976, Olympic backstroker, John Naber was one of my heroes. In the Montreal Olympics he set two world records, won two gold medals and was the first man in history to swim the 200 meter backstroke in under two minutes.

Like most hero worshipers, I was really excited to hear him speak in person the following year. He talked about how he knew how fast he would have to go to beat the East Germans. He put down a definitive, concise, and quantifiable, time in seconds and tenths of seconds, as his goal.

With only two years to get ready, John knew how much faster he had to be every year. He also knew how that would effect every month, every week, and every day. He went so far as to determine how much faster he had to be on every set within every workout. I think it was something like 1/100 th of a second and he said, “I can do that.”

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. -Lao Tzu

Let’s take a minute and look at the big picture. What do you want to accomplish with your life? Believe it or not, working 30 hours per week at $30.00 per hour, you’ll be earning over $40,000.00 per year! (By the way, $30 per hour is a very reasonable goal. Many of our graduates us the billing techniques taught in the Professional Bookkeeper Program to bill as much as double that!)

Ask yourself, what can I do this month, this week, today, even this morning, to make my dream a reality?

Focus on your “big picture” goals. Put them into smaller, easier-to-accomplish pieces, just like John and you’ll be able to say, “I can do that.” Best of all, you’ll be able to end the day the same way you started it. Excited about what you do. Excited about where you’re going. And excited about your future.

At Universal Accounting, we’re excited about your future. Today, more than ever, owning your own Accounting and Tax Preparation business may be just the ticket to help you accomplish your financial goals. With the finest course material anywhere and a terrific value, the Professional Bookkeeper and Accounting Program will be the perfect, “first step” to your journey of a thousand miles.

Make this moment count… order your Bookkeeping and Accounting program now!

Get Started By Learning the Accounting and Bookkeeping Portion of a Financial Services Business

Having a solid understanding of the Accounting and Bookkeeping methods and procedures is a great first step in learning the concepts behind Financial Business Analysis. You will learn to do books for small to mid-sized companies and how to analyze the books to prepare reports. You will learn to interpret reports so that you can advise your clients how to reduce costs and to better understand their financial standing and profitability. Your clients will look to you as an invaluable source of information about the financial health of their organization.

If you are considering adding Tax Preparation/ Planning services to your Financial Services business at some point, you get a great price by purchasing both programs as a bundle.

Get the Financing You Need to Launch Your Business Right

Get the Professional Bookkeeper training course at the normal price and we will throw in our Financing a Small Business manual at no additional charge!

This pricing is only available by clicking on one of the links below.

Click HERE to order the Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Financing a Small Business manual at no additional charge (see option 2 for financing).
Click HERE to finance the Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Financing a Small Business manual, charged to all major credit or debit cards. Financing is only available in the United States and Canada.

If you have already purchased our Professional Bookkeeper program in the past, you can purchase just the Financing a Small Business manual at a discounted price by clicking HERE.

Universal Accounting’s Financing a Small Business Course

This 126-page manual is packed with clear-cut instructions and terrific resource materials that will make creating a loan application package easy. It even includes a sample loan package that you can model.

In addition, you will learn the inside scoop on how the financing industry evaluates loan applications, including tips that will put your application on top.

The book comes with a CD containing helpful forms in developing a loan application package. Just load the file into any word processing program and you are ready to go.

This book is a must-read for business owners interested in financing options or accountants in a position to give financial advice.

We also include instructions on how you can even promote your service and earn $50 to $75 per hour on a part-time basis.

The Table of Contents includes the following chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Common Considerations to Business Success
3. Borrowing Money
4. Good Credit: a Necessity (and how to turn poor credit around)
5. Choosing the Right Type of Financing
6. Your Business Plan and Organizational Structure
7. Information Regarding Federal and State Taxes
8. SBA Financing
9. Preparing for the Loan
10. Sample Statements for Information Gathering

Appendix

A Sample Completed Loan Application
B Becoming a Financing Entrepreneur
C Creating a Corporation

Earn $30 to $60 per hour with your own accounting and bookkeeping service

Are you tired of working for what seems like an eternity, without ever getting ahead? Do you dream of becoming your own boss, making more money and being able to enjoy it? Do you wish you had more free time to spend with your family, or pursue your favorite hobby?

There is a huge demand for accountants who understand the specific needs of small businesses, because the most common problem plaguing small business owners is their inability to understand their finances.

Here’s something every small business owner should know, but generally doesn’t:

Every business has three areas of concern: Production; Marketing; and Accounting. Individuals may start a business because they have talents and skills that will help others. This is the “production” end of the business. As time passes, business owners learn to “market” their skills in order to secure more business. But many have little understanding of how to do the accounting and bookkeeping required to operate and manage a successful small business.

Just like a three-legged stool needs all three legs to be functional, lack of adequate accounting and financial knowledge will eventually sink a business.

At Universal Accounting Center, we have worked with many people in accounting, from new graduates entering the workplace to those with various types of experience. While working with these graduates, we have discovered a very important fact:

It only takes 60 classroom hours to master the complete accounting process!

When college students study Accounting, their ultimate goal is to work for one of the major accounting firms or a Fortune 500 business, not the corner gas station. The universities know this, and they gear their curriculum toward those goals.

Universities and Colleges DO NOT teach Small Business Accounting and Bookkeeping

That’s what makes a home-based accounting service specializing in small business such a great opportunity. Only 2% of businesses have more than 100 employees. In fact, 85% of all businesses have fewer than 20 employees which means that universities are training students to work in 2% of the accounting market, while 85% of all businesses still need our help.

Click HERE to order the Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Financing a Small Business manual at no additional charge (see option 2 for financing).
Click HERE to finance the Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Financing a Small Business manual, charged to all major credit or debit cards. Financing is only available in the United States and Canada.

Universal makes starting a bookkeeping business easy!

In 1979, Universal Accounting Center was created to provide training in real world situations. We devised a method of teaching small business accounting unlike anything else available. We have taught thousands of students how to work with small business management, how to create systems of accounting for different types of businesses, and how to develop and market their own accounting service. We have also added a few basic concepts that can instruct anyone, with little or NO experience, in the complete methods of accounting and bookkeeping.

Universal Accounting Center is here to help you start TODAY and build your business successfully, in weeks rather than months. To do this, we have a program specifically designed to help you in three ways:

1. Start your business quickly and easily.
2. Quickly find clients quickly with our proven marketing strategies.
3. Better service your clients.

After many years of teaching this course in classrooms across the country, we have also created a home study course, in VHS or DVD formats, complete with the necessary lectures and classroom study that enables our students to work at their own learning pace.

Now you too can learn the secrets of successfully starting and operating your own bookkeeping service!

Universal Accounting Center will show you everything that you need to know to get started and quickly become succesful.

You will also learn techniques and ideas that will bring you one new client each week, plus you will learn how to calculate your fees, and what equipment works best.

You will be amazed at what you master in just 60 hours. You will learn to open your own accounting service with the skills and confidence necessary to succeed.

Universal Accounting can teach you!

The home-study Professional Bookkeeper course is divided into four learning modules. Each is available in your choice of DVD or VHS:

Module I
Accounting Made Easy

Module II
Practical Small Business Application

Module III
Advancing Your “Account-Ability”

Module IV
Building a Successful Accounting Service

Six Features that make our Professional Bookkeeper program so outstanding:

Our courses are written especially for small businesses. Approximately one-third of our students have an accounting degree but still use the program to master the accounting issues and processes associated with small businesses. Here’s what one accounting graduate says about our course:

“I can honestly say that the hands-on training from Universal Accounting Center was far more helpful than that of my degree program.” — Scott Ivins (25 clients.)

Since universities focus on teaching accounting and tax “theory,” as well as general education classes, very little time is spent teaching practical applications and real world techniques. Universal Accounting walks you through several existing companies from beginning to end, and you gain practical knowledge and experience as you learn.

“I feel like I have learned more in 4 weeks [about the practical side of running an accounting business] than I learned in 2 years of business education. While much of my MBA curriculum was theoretical, it did not teach the very important details of doing accounting on a day-to-day basis.” –Nathan Lee

The course’s workbooks will become an invaluable addition to your resource library. These reference books include tables and charts not available from any other source. You can refer to them often, saving you hours of research looking for the right information. The workbooks alone are a wise and valuable investment.

“Very well put together.” –Barbara Milano

The course is based on real-world experience. In the second module, you will complete the accounting books for four companies that cover 10 different industries. The other three modules also include book applications, and once you finish all four modules, you will have completed nine full sets of accounting books. Each work set included in the modules was based upon existing businesses, giving you the experience as though you were really doing their accounting operations. You will gain the confidence you need to successfully perform in the real world.

“I learned so much more than the accounting classes I took in college. This gives you a lot of practical experience.”–Vikki Chmelka

This program focuses on practical and efficient methods of doing the job. It’s full of tips and shortcuts that enable you to do more for your clients in less time.

“My current clients have recognized the changes and appreciate them greatly.” –Scott Christensen

The course will instruct you in everything you need to know to open, market and build your own accounting service. You will learn to set up accounting books from scratch, maintain records, and consult with your clients.

Finally, upon successful competition of the course with a final grade greater than 90%, you will receive certification as a Professional Bookkeeper with an emphasis in small business accounting, allowing you to then use the PB designation following your name ( i.e.: John Smith, P.B.)

Regardless of your background,IT WORKS!

“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.” –Adam Moody

How much can I make?

We will teach you how to calculate a fair, but lucrative fee. You can choose to operate your business on a part or full-time basis. Your average client will earn you $300 per month, for only six to eight hours of work. As you can see, 3 clients can mean almost $1000 of supplemental income for you, working only 20 hours each month. Of course, there are many small businesses that need your type of expertise, making full-time bookkeeping a profitable venture. If you acquire just one new client per month, your second-year earnings will be more than $40,000 per year. Is it possible? You bet!

One Universal Accounting graduate found all the clients she could handle in a mere 60 days!

What’s the cost for the course? A course of this magnitude can run hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, with the costs passed down to the students. And we all know how expensive the universities are. But we offer this education to you at a very affordable price, saving you thousands in the process.

Slumps and Slowdowns in Local Economies Bode Well for Accountants

You’ve started to hear signs of it on the news. Markets around the world are moving up and down with every wave of concern and rumor, and there you are, the local accountant left to wondering how this is going to affect how you do business? It is true, that we have experienced in America unprecedented growth for an amazing amount of time of our national and local economies. Even with the last dot bust around 2000 hit, we didn’t see much of a hinderance in the way we are doing business every day. Is what’s on the horizon going to change that for our practices?

Accounting: A Sure Profession
There are only a handful of things that can withstand the tests of roller coaster economies. Besides becoming a mortician or an IRS agent, accounting is right up there in the top five. Why is that? Why is the accounting profession so secure? Where there is business being transacted, and a government to levy taxes, there will always be a need for the accountant. It is the duty of the Professional Accountant and Bookkeeper to adjust how they do business to accomodate what is happening in their own area and to their own clientele, but there will always be a need to keep the books for a business.

When the Going Gets Rough
There are always going to be those times when everyone is prospering and those other times when there are struggles in most companies. It’s our job as our client company’s resource for financial “healthcare” to keep those valleys not so low and the duration (and pain) experienced not so long. We are in the right place to be able to affect for the benefit of each business we come in contact with by the training, knowledge and practical know-how received at Universal Accounting.

What is Recession-proof? A Successful Accounting Service
Every business, regardless of what it sells, is in the business to make money. As a Professional Bookkeeper your opportunity is to help them keep their money as safe and as much of it as possible. Who would not want your accounting expertise around, especially in those times of economic downturns? Get your business into their business! Learn how you can market your business to those that are searching for your services.

UAC’s Art & Science of Getting Clients Video
As we mentioned, UAC has developed this training program for the maximum effectiveness in marketing your practice to those you want to do business with. Click Here now to get started on the path of marketing success and order your copy of the video!

You tired of waiting for that day when you are going to make that difference happen in your career? Click here to get better acquainted with the Professional Bookkeeper’s Program at Universal! Isn’t today a great day to find out more?

Make $30 to $60 per hour… and you don’t need a college degree.

Become a Professional and Get Paid What Your Worth!

You can bill $30 to $60 per hour or more as a professional freelance bookkeeper. I say this because there are thousands of people, just like you and me, who are doing it right now. Highly respected professionals, without a college or university education, are providing a specialized and technical service to their clients. And you can do it too.

Over 500,000 new businesses start every year. Each and every one of them is required by law to do accounting. This presents a tremendous opportunity for anyone willing to learn the skills to be a professional small business bookkeeper. You don’t need a college education to provide this valuable service to small businesses. You do need a specialized education and skill set.

Over the next five weeks I’d like to give you an overview of the exciting and rewarding business of professional bookkeeping and accounting. If you are in search of a recession-proof business that will help you create the lifestyle that you and your family deserve and make it possible to get paid what your worth. It won’t take very long before I think you’ll agree, this is the business and now is the time.

Okay… what can I expect over the next five weeks?

• Week #1. The Proper Small Business Bookkeeping Education. We’ll discuss what you should be looking for in a bookkeeping and accounting education. We’ll outline some of the different types of education that is available and the pros & cons of each.With an overview of what’s available and the kind of education that you’ll need to succeed in your bookkeeping business, you’ll be prepared to make the next move and arm yourself with the education that best suits your goals.
• Week #2 How to Market Your Bookkeeping Business. (Part 1) Allen Bostrom, President of Universal Accounting and author says, “Nothing happens until you make a sale.” We’ll talk about what it takes to make everything happen!If you’re like most of us, the idea of being a salesman might not be your favorite thing. Don’t be concerned, there are a number of easy-to-implement methods that will make the entire sales and marketing process something easy and systematic. Anyone can do this!

  In Week #2 we’ll talk about creating what I call the “Automatic Referral System”. In other words, referrals without begging.

• Week #3 How to Market Your Bookkeeping Business. (Part 2) We’ll continue our discussion of easy and “doable” marketing methods that extend beyond referrals. We’ll talk about Tag-Team marketing and networking just to mention a couple.
• Week #4 Universal Accounting: The Perfect Small Business Bookkeeping Education. We’ll discuss why Universal Accounting Center is the perfect place to obtain the most complete and comprehensive small business bookkeeping education found anywhere.
• Week #5 A Bookkeeping Practice and a Professional Tax Preparation Business are the Perfect Match for Maximum Profits. The advantages of combining a Tax Preparation Business with a Bookkeeping service are many. Our final discussion in this series will demonstrate how they might be the perfect combination for you and your future professional bookkeeping and accounting practice.

What can I expect from here?

Welcome aboard. I’m looking forward to showing you why I think a professional bookkeeping and accounting business is such a wonderful opportunity and for the chance to give you the information that you’ll need to determine if it’s a “right fit” for you.

Information on starting your own professional bookkeeping business is only a click or two away. Follow the link below and find out for yourself what an incredible business opportunity this really is.

I Want to Know More About Starting a Professional Bookkeeping Business

How to See Failure as Opportunity and Turn Hardship into Success

Every failure, obstacle or hardship is an opportunity in disguise. Success in many cases is failure turned inside out. The greatest pollution problem we face today is negativity. Eliminate the negative attitude and believe you can do anything. Replace ‘if I can, I hope, maybe’ with ‘I can, I will, I must.’ —Mary Kay Ash

To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment. -James Allen

It is lemonade season-the time of year when thousands of kids take lemons, turn them into lemonade, and sell them on street corners for profit. We could learn a thing or two from these budding entrepreneurs.

So what do you do when life hands you a basket of lemons? When failure makes an appearance in your business? You turn it into lemonade, or see it as a stepping stone to success. Here are 5 steps that will show you how.

1. Redefine it

You’ve got to redefine failure. It shouldn’t be seen as a bad omen, but an opportunity to learn and grow. And do you really think you can become insanely successful without learning more than you know right this instant? The best learning experiences often come in the form of failures and mistakes. Don’t fear them; embrace them. While some view failure as an obstacle, it is often the stepping stone that will take you higher and farther, enabling you to achieve true success.

2. Analyze it

You can’t learn from a mistake or failure without taking the time to dissect it and determine what, exactly, went wrong. Some would rather walk away from the failure and never look back, but that would be the worst mistake you could make. In looking closely at what happened you will learn how to improve, repair, change, and excel. But don’t overanalyze. Once you’ve learned what you need to learn, move to the next step! Otherwise you become subject to that age-old deterrent: paralysis by analysis.

3. Apply lessons learned

Once you’ve discovered what caused, prompted, or encouraged the failure, apply the lessons you’ve learned so it won’t happen again. Often we engage in destructive actions again and again because it’s all we know. Unfortunately, that will not help you achieve success. Success requires you to continually evaluate your actions and determine how they can be improved. This is what you must do with failure. Once you realize why something didn’t work, you can change your behavior, and in turn, change the outcome.

4. Move on

” . . . our doubts are traitors; And make us lose the good we oft might win; By fearing to attempt.” —William Shakespeare

You’ve learned, you’ve applied, now move on. Do not let fear of failure paralyze you. Katherine Mansfield once wrote, “Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself.” Do not be afraid to move into the unknown in order to move forward. You wouldn’t tell your child to put her two-wheeler away simply because she fell and skinned her knee. You would encourage her to get back on that bike as soon as possible and continue to ride. Take your own advice: continue to ride!

5. Expect greatness

Just because you experienced failure doesn’t mean you should expect it to continually litter your journey. Be positive and expect great things to happen. When you do, not only will great things happen but you’ll be in the right mindset to take future failure and see it for what it really is: opportunity in work clothes.

References
“Turn a Failure into a Success,” by Rhonda Abrams