In December 2007, Entrepreneur.com published an article entitled “Test Run” which shared ways to perform quick feasibility testing on a business idea. Jake Rockwell, owner of Rockwell Products LLC in Medford, Oregon has his own approach in determining whether or not a business venture will be successful. He takes the following three steps:

1. Check for limited competition. You want to ensure that the market isn’t already saturated with accounting practices. Take a look in your local phone book to see how many accountants are listed. Also consider whether they offer any specialized services, like small-business accounting or financial consulting, that you hope to offer. The more unique and valuable your services, the more feasible your business.

2. Consider the likelihood of returning customers. Accounting services are great because all businesses are required by law to perform various accounting tasks, and the need for this service is long-lasting. Businesses need payroll services performed on a monthly and even semimonthly basis. Most accounting tasks as like this, which means most of your clients will be regular clients.

3. Consider how management-intense the venture will be. You must consider how much of your time will be dedicated to managing the business as opposed to performing billable hours. If the venture requires enough managerial oversight you will have to hire staff to which you must delegate various tasks. Luckily, when first starting an accounting practice, you can work from your home and manage your business without much effort. However, depending on your visions for growth, you may eventually need to expand your efforts to include a rented office space, partners and a support staff.

In addition to Rockwell’s three feasibility steps, Entrepreneur.com recommends that entrepreneurs get feedback from prospective clients. As you ask these individuals what they want from their accountants, whether or not they’re satisfied with their current accountant, and how much they’re willing to pay to get the services they need, you will have a better idea of how sustainable your business idea is and how you might tweak your services in order to achieve your profitability goals.

The Social Enterprise Reporter, in an article entitled “The Quick Feasibility Test,” shares Rolfe Larson and Andy Horsnell’s four criteria used to test for feasibility:

• Strategic alignment-Do you want to do it?
• Operational-Can you do it?
• Marketing-Will customers buy from you?
• Financial-Will you achieve your profitability goals?

They also suggest a graduated series of feasibility tests that take you from self-assessment to a more researched-based, data-driven process of determining whether your business is earmarked for success.

Whether you plan on starting a business from scratch or hope to add new services to a current business, feasibility testing can help you determine whether or not the venture is worth the effort, and if so, how to best approach it.

Financing a Small Business

If, after performing feasibility testing, you feel it’s time to start your own practice but would like to take out a small business loan first, you can order Universal’s valuable manual Financing a Small Business which will walk you through the process of preparing a loan package. This 126-page manual includes clear-cut instructions, valuable resources, and sample loans that provide valuable models which will make the process of applying for your own loan much easier. Order now! This manual will help you start your own business today while enabling you to consult countless clients on the same process in the future.

References

Hendricks, Mark. “Test Run.” Dec. 2007 Entrepreneur.com

Larson, Rolfe and Andy Horsnell. “The Quick Feasibility Test.” 13 Feb. 2005 Social Enterprise Reporter

Larson, Rolfe and Andy Horsnell. “Quick Feasibility Screen.” www.rolfelarson.com

Larson, Rolfe and Andy Horsnell. “RLA Quick Feasibility Test.” www.rolfelarson.com

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.

Whether or not you realize it, you take risks every day. Driving to the store to get groceries is a risk. Ordering something online is a risk. Deciding to supersize your drive-thru meal can be risky too.

Some are terrified of risk while others live for it. If you’re an entrepreneur you’ve already taken some fairly hefty risks and have lived to tell about it. If you have dreamt about becoming an entrepreneur but are still waiting for the right time, chances are you’re wary of risk.

Often it just takes a little time to examine the risk and determine whether or not it’s worth it.  In his blog on Entrepreneur.com, Brian Tracy discusses the five different types of risk:

1. The risk that’s not yours to take.

Whether the risk belongs to your spouse, your brother or your business partner, this risk is the easiest to deal with because it’s not yours to take. While it may impact you in some way, you are not in a position to own this risk and must let the proper party take responsibility for it.

2. The unnecessary risk.

Unfortunately many take risks they believed were necessary only to find out later they were not. This is often the result of reckless decision making where risks are taken without first being studied. The results of taking an unnecessary (and thoughtless) risk can be devastating.

3. The risk you can afford to take.

When studying a potential risk you must weigh the cost of the risk against its potential for success. And monetary cost isn’t the only thing you must consider. How much time and energy with the risk consume? The same applies to success. While you should definitely be interested in the monetary return you may see, you should also consider how the success will impact your state of mind and personal satisfaction.

4. The risk you can’t afford to take.

This type of risk should be avoided. Again we stress the importance of studying a risk before making a decision. Often it’s only in running the numbers and weighing the pros and cons that you can determine the risk is much too pricey for you in your current situation.

5. The risk you can’t afford not to take.

And then there are those risks that have a potential payoff that’s too significant too ignore. Not only can you afford to take this risk, but you would be crazy not to. The more experience you gain studying out and taking strategic risks, the more skilled you will become at recognizing these valuable opportunities.

For those of you who have considered starting your own accounting practice, Universal Accounting Center is happy to tell you that doing so is probably a risk you can’t afford not to take. Rated as one of the best of the best home-business opportunities by Paul and Sarah Edwards in their book The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century, a bookkeeping service is not only an inexpensive startup, but it’s a business with a huge potential client base.

When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program you learn everything you need to know in order to get started. But if that’s a risk you’re still not sure you can afford, you can learn more before making this important decision.

Purchase our video, Start Today and Have Your Own Bookkeeping Practice, for less than ten dollars and discover all you need to know about this venture. We can promise that it won’t take long for you to determine that starting your own bookkeeping practice is a risk you can’t afford not to take. Order the video now and decide for yourself. Or watch it online for free!

References

Tracy, Brian. “Taking Small Risks.” 9 July 2008 Entrepreneur.com

Dare to Begin

“All Glory Comes From Daring to Begin”
-Anonymous

President Thomas Jefferson’s had the vision. But it was up to Meriweather Lewis and William Clark to make it happen. Their challenge: explore the Missouri River and find passage to the Pacific Ocean.

This presented a pretty daunting challenge over 200 years ago. Fortunately for the budding country, Lewis & Clark didn’t fear that challenge.

To prepare for the epic journey, Lewis studied everything he could on botany, celestial observation, zoology and medicine. He spared no effort to prepare for the journey that for several years would separate him from the comforts of home.

Suffering many hardships, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark finally made it to the Pacific Ocean. On November 7, 1805 they saw their first view of the rugged coastline of what is now Northern Oregon.

“Chance Does Nothing That Has Not Been Prepared Beforehand.”
-Alexis de Tocqueville

Like Lewis & Clark, our personal and professional success is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of preparation. What prevents you from preparing for the lifestyle you and your family deserve?

Don’t Let These 4 Obstacles Keep You From Your Dreams

1. You Need Specialized Skills and Knowledge- You might be thinking, “I’m not an accountant, can I really do this?” The answer is, yes. Whether or not you’ve ever worked in the accounting field before, here’s some good news. Universal Accounting’s Professional Bookkeeper Course fully prepares you with everything you need to know to do small business bookkeeping. In fact, you’ll become a small business bookkeeping expert.With all the tools and information to help business owners keep their businesses profitable, you will be a valuable asset to any business. If you don’t have previous experience in bookkeeping or accounting, you can still do this. With basic math skills, you have the building-blocks for a successful bookkeeping and accounting business.

   At Universal Accounting, we believe that hands-on learning is hands-down the best. With DVD and textbook instruction as well as practice sets of actual bookkeeping records, you’ll experience doing actual books for several small businesses during your course work. From a frame shop to a convenience store, you’ll have the skills to help any small business. From accounts payable and receivable to payroll, you’ll have the specialized skills to succeed.
   
   

2. You Need to Make an Investment in Time as Well as Money- Unlike Lewis & Clark, it won’t take several years to finish the Professional Bookkeeper Program. If you devote a couple of hours every night, you can be finished in as little as 4 weeks.And because you can reasonably expect to earn $30 to $60 per hour with the skills you’ll learn, the $1485 cost of the program quickly pays for itself. To make it simple and easy, we offer the option of purchasing the course with a credit card or with no-hassle student financing. In fact, if you can put as little as $145 on a credit card, you’re already approved.

   Whether you choose to pay for your course with a credit card or to finance, you’ll find the Professional Bookkeeper Course a great value. In all my searching for a better bookkeeping and accounting education, I haven’t found anything that even comes close to the value of the Professional Bookkeeper Program. Even franchise opportunities that can cost up to $80,000 just to get started don’t provide the training and real-world business knowledge the Professional Bookkeeper program provides.

   However, the real value of the course has nothing to do with what it costs. The real value is in it’s ability to create the income and lifestyle that you and your family want and deserve. Once you’ve completed the course, just follow the step-by-step marketing program to earn an aggressive income. Finally, get paid what you’re worth.

   What’s more, it only takes two hours or less per week to service a client, for which they’ll pay you $300 per month! So even if you are want a supplemental income, you can start small and and gradually increase how many clients you want to take over time. For many, once they have 10 clients, they make more in their part-time bookkeeping job than they do in their full time job. Then you get to decide, “Do I fire my boss now?” Keep your full-time job or really increase your income by building your business full-time, it’s up to you. And personal choice and freedom are the among the best benefits owning your own business has to offer you.

   Learn How to Make $35 to $60 Per Hour as a Part-Time Small Business Bookkeeper

3. Your Investment in Time Will Pay Big Dividends- Most of us feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. The Professional Bookkeeper Program will teach you everything you need to know to make the most of the time you spend servicing clients to generate the most income. By prioritizing your time and energies, you’ll not only be able to generate an enviable income. Most importantly, you’ll also have the time to enjoy it.Dedicate 60 hours to your future. That’s all it takes to complete the Professional Bookkeeper program. A huge advantage of distance learning is that you can learn at your own pace. By dedicating a couple of hours each night, you’ll finish in less than a month.

   According to the University of California at Berkeley, Americans spend about 3 hours every day watching Television. Learning the skills to earn $30 to $60 per hour might cut into some TV time for a few weeks, but the earning potential of this powerful business more than justifies this small sacrifice.

   Let’s talk about the potential to maximize your time and multiply your earnings for a minute. If you presently make less than $15 to $30 per hour, I’ve just introduced you to something that can double your income. What I’m really saying is you can either make twice as much as you do now or work half-time and make the same income you do now.

   Click Here to Learn How to Make More Money in Less Time

   The Professional Bookkeeper program not only teaches you the ins-and-outs of small business bookkeeping, it will teach you the most efficient ways to service your clients in the least amount of time. You’ll learn the tricks-of-the-trade experienced professional bookkeepers use to squeeze the most out of every minute. Tools like the Client Organizer help you and your clients streamline your workflow so you spend less hours working and more hours doing the things in life that are most important to you.

4. You Need to Walk the Walk if You’re Gonna’ Talk the Talk- We all know people who talk a good game, but when it comes time to actually do something, well… they don’t. Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”If I told you building a your business won’t take a commitment on your part, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. You will need to be determined to make this a success. But you should know, you really can be successful at this business. I say this because I have seen it happen. If you haven’t looked at what some of our successful graduates have to say about the Professional Bookkeeper program yet, click HERE to see what this program has done for so many others.

   The Professional Bookkeeper program, unlike most distance learning courses available, is presented in an easy to understand and accessible way. With DVD instruction and hands-on learning activities, you’ll experience a perfect learning environment. We believe that hands-on learning is hands-down the best. That’s why as a part of the Professional Bookkeeper program, you’ll do a sample set of books for several small businesses. When you learn by doing, you retain the knowledge much better. Working with clients, you will find yourself saying, “I can do this. I’ve done it several times before.” Only this kind of practice gives you that level of confidence.

   But that’s only the beginning. As part of the Professional Bookkeeper program, you’ll have a personal coach to help with your questions and keep you motivated as you learn the nuts-and-bolts of small business bookkeeping and accounting. In fact, we measure our success by how successful you become. Of course, we can’t do it for you, but short of that, we’re here to help you every step of the way. In no time, you’ll become a small business bookkeeping and accounting expert.

Don’t Forget the Universal Accounting 100% Money Back Guarantee

I have never taken a college course that offered a guarantee. But Universal Accounting Center does.

Universal Accounting’s Ironclad 100% Money Back Guarantee

Purchase and complete the course, and if you don’t feel that you’ve received your money’s worth, you can return the materials and get a complete refund. All of us here at Universal Accounting are so confident that you will find this training to be of value that we all stand behind it, 100%.

So, What’s Holding You Back?

“All Glory Comes from Daring to Begin.”

There has never been a better time to start a professional bookkeeping and accounting service than right now. The Professional Bookkeeper program gives you the tools to teach you everything you need to know to make your business a success.

You really can experience the personal and professional rewards that come from owning your own bookkeeping and accounting practice. Let me show you how achievable, profitable and easy it really is.

A Great Deal On the Most Complete Small-Business Accounting Training Available Anywhere!

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 and Planning to your Financial Services business at some point, you get a great price by purchasing both programs as a bundle.

Start Today!

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) program consists of video instruction, practice books, and manuals.

550,000 New Opportunities for Bookkeepers Every Month

550,000 new businesses… Wow! A study, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, showed that the number of small businesses in the U.S. grew by 550,000 per month from 1996 to 2004, despite swings in the economy.*

If you’ve ever thought of making a change in your life… now is a great time.

I know there are many opportunities out there, but there are lots of advantages to a owning your own professional bookkeeping business and I’d like to spend a few moments with you to discuss them. If a recession-proof business and the opportunity to make $30 to $60 an hour appeals to you, read on.

Small Businesses Are Required by Law to Do Accounting

This is a great opportunity for you. In fact, the US Department of Labor predicts that as the economy grows, the number of business will increase, requiring more accountants/bookkeepers to prepare taxes, set up books, and provide management advice. As these businesses grow, the volume and complexity of information developed by these professionals regarding costs, expenditures, and taxes will increase as well.

They go on to say that the increased need for qualified bookkeepers and accountants will rise from changes in legislation related to taxes, financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers, and other financial matters.

Many entrepreneurs who start a new business don’t understand the ins-and-outs of the accounting process and need the skills of a qualified bookkeeping and accounting professional. Allen Bostrom, President of Universal Accounting and author of, In the Black: Nine Principles to Make You Business Profitable, suggests that you should have one accounting professional for every 10 employees.

He also suggests that if you have less than 10 employees, you should contract with a freelance bookkeeper to prepare your bookkeeping records each month. The need for skilled and qualified bookkeepers who provide valuable advice and direction for small business owners has never been greater. Mr. Bostrom calls these professionals, “Profit Experts.”

Wanted! Profit Experts!

There are several advantages to owning your own small business bookkeeping business and not the least of these is the ability to earn an incredible income! Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that you should consider this lucrative business.

• You will earn a better income. If you’re like most people, you’ve spent a good deal of your life working for someone else and putting money into their pocket. Wouldn’t it be nice to earn the same type of income your boss does? Would you like to do better than that? With a career in professional bookkeeping, you can. With the right training, you’ll be able to bill $30 to $60 per hour or more for your services.

• You will be your own boss. Working for yourself can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. You’re in a position to provide for yourself and your family the type of lifestyle you deserve.

• You will create a stable income. You might be thinking, “Owning my own business can provide a stable income?” “I thought it was just the opposite.”

Let me assure you…it sure can. If you plan and use a proven strategy for success, you will be able to create a very stable income and a very comfortable lifestyle.

In years past, you could work in a big corporation and find all the security of lifelong employment, but those days are over. Because of corporate restructuring, layoffs, downsizing, and countless other reasons, many people have found that the career choice they thought would lead them to a secure future didn’t.

But don’t despair; you can experience that security by being in business for yourself. You just need to make the right choices.

• You can enjoy increased tax benefits. When you own your own business there are a few perks that the average employee doesn’t get to enjoy. There are many things that you can either partially or completely write off as tax deductions. Your car, your home office, your computer and your office supplies to name just a few.

I Don’t Have Any Experience in Bookkeeping … Can I Really Start a Bookkeeping Business?

Absolutely. There is no question in my mind. Thousands of people just like you are finding the interesting and rewarding business of small business bookkeeping is the perfect business for them.

Many of these folks are people just like you and me, people without a background in bookkeeping, but with the right education, they are finding their professional bookkeeping business to be one of the most rewarding things they have ever done.

“That’s all fine and good, but how can I know for sure?”

The first step is to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses. If you follow the link below, I’ve included a short questionnaire that might help you determine for yourself if a professional bookkeeping business is right for you.

I’d Like to See if a Professional Bookkeeping Business is Right for Me

If you’d like to learn more about starting a professional bookkeeping service, just click on the link below and you’ll find all the information you’ll need to create a profitable and beneficial bookkeeping business.

Okay… Show Me How to Start a Professional Bookkeeping Business

*The study, conducted by Robert W. Fairlie of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who drew on Census data and Bureau of Labor Statistics for the study, indicates that entrepreneurship in the U.S. has remained relatively constant over the past 10 years.

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

Why Your Local Community Would Probably Welcome Your Accounting and Tax Practice

If you clicked on this article, we’re guessing that you’ve been thinking about starting your own accounting and tax practice. But you want to make sure the planets are aligned, that you’re sufficiently prepared, and that your community can support another accounting and tax practice.

We have an exercise for you. Follow these directions to see how one more accounting and tax practice might fair in your area:

1. Take out your local phone book.
2. Look up “Attorney.” How many pages of attorneys are there? Make a note.
3. Now look up “Accountant.” How many pages of accountants are there? Make a note.
4. Now compare the two numbers and ask yourself the following question: Which services would the small business be in need of more, legal services or accounting services?
5. Now ask yourself: If your local community can sustain that many attorneys, and we’re guessing the number of accountants is significantly less than the number of attorneys, don’t you think it could sustain one more accounting and tax practice (especially if it’s as good as yours will be)?

Your Niche Market: The Small Business

Small businesses need good accountants more than they need good attorneys. In fact, by the time they need an attorney, we’re guessing their need for your services is long past gone. And while the business owners may need a little coaxing to realize just how valuable a good accountant and tax preparer can be for their business, once you’ve won them over you’ve generally earned a client for life.

Nearly 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of start-up. Much of this failure can be attributed to poor financial management. Unfortunately for them, most of the accountants trained in a university setting have been prepared to work for big corporations. You can imagine that small business accounting is a different animal (or math problem, so to speak).

Universal Accounting Center (UAC) Knows Small Business

For more than 25 years UAC has been training individuals like yourself small business accounting. Our mission statement reads: To equip students with the education, skills and confidence needed to enjoy a successful career in full-charge accounting, bookkeeping and tax. And not only do we train our students in the practical application of these accounting skills, we also teach them how to market their unique services (because let’s face it, accountants and tax preparers are generally not skilled in marketing).

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

The Professional Bookkeeper Program was designed specifically to address the needs of small businesses, and Universal Accounting offers the most complete small business accounting course anywhere. Not only that, but UAC teaching you effective marketing techniques; you’ll leave the program with small business knowledge and skills and the ability to promote those things to potential clients! You’ll have the ability to earn the Professional Bookkeeper Designation which assures clients that you have been properly trained in small business accounting and will help you know what those clients need most from you.

The Professional Tax Preparer Certification

We trust you could start a successful accounting practice without adding tax services, but the truth is you can charge 100+ per hour preparing individual and business taxes. That’s an incredible income boost during tax season and throughout the year for those clients who need any tax consulting or tax planning services. Why not increase your income by becoming a full-financial service provider? You will quickly become a one-stop shop for those clients who need you do more than just their bookkeeping.

The Professional Tax Preparer Certification is a nationally recognized designation. Countless individuals are scammed each year by people who claim to know what they’re doing. And more and more are becoming leery of tax preparers without any credentials. This exam will enable you to earn the Professional Tax Preparer Designation which will put many of those individuals at ease, assuring them that you have been properly trained in tax preparation.

The Professional Bookkeepers Guide to QuickBooks

Intuit has captured the market in accounting software used by small businesses. Nearly 80% of small business owners use their Quickbooks software. UAC’s Professional Bookkeepers Guide to Quickbooks Pro will teach you teach you how to do the basic transactions, how to reconcile accounts, what the program does with its data, and a basic understanding of fundamental accounting principles. We have also included about 18 hours of bookkeeping instruction and a complete detailed presentation of QuickBooks fundamentals. You may well call it a lifesaver. With these QuickBooks skills you can offer setup and consultation services to your menu, increasing your value to potential clients.

So what are you waiting for? In the time it would take you to finish a more traditional training program (and one geared towards the big business), your business could be up and thriving! Besides, if you wait too long, that list of accountants in your local phone book will just get longer.

If you enroll in these three programs this week you will get a special discount: an exclusive offer for our newsletter subscribers.

Order Now!

Get Yourself Positioned for the Right Accounting Career Move

Having a successful business hangs on two things: 1, offering a service that’s in demand, and 2, finding clients willing to pay for that service. If you’re finding that your service isn’t in demand, and if you lack marketing strategies to promote your business, you need to revamp your business now!

Accounting: A Sure Profession
Does this sound familiar? You have been working for your employer for some time and have continued to wonder what it would be like to be your own boss. You enjoy working the numbers for businesses and you know you could be doing the books for more small businesses in your community. But do you have the proper training? Do you know how to get that account or accounts that you would need to have? Is there any way you could make sure you have all your bases covered?

The accounting profession is booming, no doubt about it. In an article entitled “A New Outlook on a Timeless Profession,” Robert Half International states the following: “Hiring skilled accounting and finance professionals will be increasingly challenging in the coming years. Existing business demand, combined with the expected retirement of millions of baby boomers, will shrink the pool of available talent.” If you are a bookkeeper or accountant, you are part of that talent pool from which countless businesses will look to fill gaps in their organizations. And recent corporate scandals have caused many businesses to look for bookkeepers and accountants they can trust, and typically that implies certification. When they can’t hire a full-time bookkeeper they feel comfortable with, they will look to freelance bookkeepers with trusted credentials. So there’s no question that accounting services are in demand. But do you have trusted credentials that potential clients are looking for? Universal Accounting has you covered!

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Designation
Universal’s PB Program will not only teach you small business accounting with a practical, hands-on approach, but it will enable you to earn a designation that evidences your skill and expertise, putting potential clients at ease. The certification process involves training in four units which each take less than 15 hours to complete, all on your own time and at your own pace. The units include:

• Accounting Made Easy

• Practical Small Business Application

• Advancing Your “Account-Ability”

• Building a Successful Accounting Service

In less than 60 hours you could complete all four modules and be on your way to a successful accounting practice with a certificate to hang on your office wall. Training that you can finish in in less than a semester at the local university, which is designed for what you need to meet all the accounting needs of a small business. That’s much more appealing than 4 years on a university campus. You can be applying what you learn in real time, for as many clients as you wish to!

Marketing: Building a Successful Accounting Service
Every business, regardless of what it sells, is in the business of marketing. If you’re not selling your business, your business isn’t selling. Most accountants find themselves flustered when it comes to promoting their business; they feel more comfortable with numbers than they do with marketing strategies. That is why we have designed the Building of Your Successful Accounting Service strategies and tactics to work with that personality type. The more outgoing you are the quicker you can see your success. You need clients, and Universal Accounting Center can help.

UAC’s Start Today Video
As we mentioned, UAC has developed this training program for the maximum effectiveness to what you want to accomplish in the accounting field. Click Here now to get started on the path of success and watch the video online! You could work for years on a marketing plan, hitting and missing, only to find your business growing at a snail’s pace. Imagine learning which marketing strategies work in just hours!

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?

The Modern Bookkeeper-The Small Business Profit Expert

What is Today’s Bookkeeper Really Like?

“Our Song is the Star Spangled Banner.” That’s what my good friend said. His wife couldn’t believe that was his answer to what romantic song left him “weak-in-the-knees”. Now, every time I’m at a baseball or basketball game and they play the Star Spangled Banner, I lean over to my wife and say, “That a boy, [name omitted].”

Of course,he and his sweet and understanding spouse must remain anonymous. I don’t think she would ever forgive me if I revealed his identity, but yes, he is a member of the accounting profession.

Despite his apparent lack of romance, he is not the dull, bean-counter caricature that has followed bookkeepers and accountants around for years. In fact, he has a really great sense of humor, is a very savvy business man and a great friend.

In my opinion, he is the perfect example of what today’s bookkeeper or accountant is really like. I’d like to share with you some of the traits that I think are critical to the modern bookkeeper and how these traits will help you grow your bookkeeping and accounting practice.

The Green Visor is Gone…

• He is a Likeable Fellow- The first real “accountant” I ever knew was my dad’s accountant. He was a grumpy old guy who never smiled. I don’t think anyone enjoyed being around him, but he was very good at what he did, so we all put up with it.Today, being good at accounting is not enough. The modern bookkeeper is a likeable person who communicates and works well with both clients and co-workers. If you like people and enjoy working with others to solve problems, you have the perfect personality to be the modern bookkeeper.
• He Knows About Other Stuff Too- I’ve noticed that my friend is informed about the world around him. Although his taste in romantic music is somewhat lacking, he is pretty well-rounded. In fact, we hardly ever talk about accounting when we’re together. (Despite the fact that we both work in the accounting field.)If you have interests outside of accounting, that’s a good indication that you will be able to communicate and relate to your clients on a more personal level. After all, that personal connection is what will keep your clients working with you instead of finding someone else who is more personable. Your personality is a unique advantage over your competition.
• He is a Very Savvy Marketer- I don’t think he started out that way, but he knows marketing. He has spent the time to educate himself on the best ways to find and keep clients. He stays up-to-date on what marketing methods work and how to apply them to his business.If you are willing to learn the secrets that will help you find clients and make your business grow, you are well on your way to a successful bookkeeping and accounting practice. It’s not difficult and will pay big dividends as you grow your practice.
• He is Obsessive About the Details- It’s often the little things that make the most difference. When it comes to his career, he is relentless with the details. Of course, he’s human, but he pays attention to the little things that will make the difference in profitability for his clients and himself. He’s more than just a bookkeeper, he’s a profit expert.He is very successful in business because he is not casual about anything that goes on inside his business. Paying attention to the details will make your business grow and prosper. In fact, your clients are hiring you to pay attention to the details.
• He is a True Professional- I don’t think I have ever seen him in the work environment when he didn’t look like a complete professional from head to toe. He dresses professionally. He carries himself professionally. And exudes confidence and capability in his very demeanor. You know he will get the job done for you.In the business world, perception is reality. If you don’t look like a professional when you meet your clients, they won’t have the confidence to trust their business financial records to you. You may be the best bookkeeper in the city, but you have to look like it, or you won’t have the clients you need to grow your business.
  
• He is Technically Proficient- He keeps up to date on the latest computer software and hardware. He’s not afraid of the technology that makes accounting and bookkeeping more and more efficient and accurate all the time. If you’re not afraid to embrace technology as it changes and evolves, you excel as a modern bookkeeper.
• He is a Person of Personal Integrity- His clients and coworkers trust him. He does nothing that would cause anyone who knows him to doubt his intentions or motivations. You can trust what he says because he does what he says he will do.Although this is at the end of the list, I think it’s one of the most important qualities. You will know the most intimate details concerning the companies you work with. As the bookkeeper, you will know the complete financial picture of every business you work with. These business owners will put their complete and utter trust in you.

How Many of These Qualities Do You Posses?

These 7 skills are critical to your personal and professional success. If you exhibit many of these traits, with some specialized training, you’ll do a great job as a small buisness bookkeeper.

Universal Accounting has taught the ins-and-outs of small business accounting for over 25 years. Since 1979, the Professional Bookkeeper Program has taught people just like you and me everything you need to know to do the bookkeeping and accounting for small businesses. From the flower shop down the road to the dry cleaner around the corner, you will have the skills to offer a valuable and needed service.

With over 500,000 new business start-ups each and every month, the opportunites in small business bookkeeping and accounting have never been better. Find out more. Click on the link below and find out for yourself how achievable, profitable and easy it is to start your own bookkeeping and accounting practice.

Click Here to Find Out Why The Professional Bookkeeper Program is the Best Way to Learn Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting

Freelance Bookkeepers and Accountants enjoy an incredibly strong place in today’s market. As other industries find freelancing a very viable option, Bookkeepers and Accountants have been successful at it for years.

In fact, Daniel Pink, in his book, Free Agent Nation says, “Nearly a decade ago freelancers were heralded as exemplars of a new way of working. These highly skilled workers had been liberated from traditional employment, partly by information technology, and enjoyed unprecedented autonomy, setting their pay rates, their work hours and even the location of their jobs. Journalists and economists saw the future in freelancing (and freelancers) and it was bright.”

As you think about what owning a freelance Bookkeeping and Accounting business can do for you, let’s talk about six habits that will make your Bookkeeping and Accounting practice more profitable. As we discuss these habits, don’t let their simple nature fool you… these are powerful tools that will make a difference in your bussiness.

Habit #1: Be Prepared

This might actually sound familiar to some of you. But don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to put on your Boy Scout uniform and help elderly women (or men) across the street. But Habit #1 really is be prepared.

In any meeting, conversation, phone call or e-mail, be prepared. Know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it before you begin. If you don’t know where you want to take the conversation, you aren’t going to get there.

If a visual aid will help make your case, be prepared with it. If you’re going to talk about statistics, make sure you have them at your fingertips. Being prepared is often the difference between a successful interaction with your clients and an unsuccessful one.

Be prepared.

Habit #2: Don’t Wait for Your Clients to Find You

Everyone gets lucky once in a while; you might find a client without too much effort, but that’s not always how it happens. Now, don’t misunderstand, there are a number of very effective and simple ways to build your client list. Some of which we’ve talked about already. Click on this link to see how to build your client list through networking, for example.

As you decide what kind of marketing you’re going to do to bring in new clients, consider those that just “happen by” to be the icing on the cake. Don’t wait for your clients to find you… they want you to find them!

Habit #3: Don’t Let Your Sales Cycle Get You Down

Every business experiences seasons of plenty, when everything seems to be flying on auto-pilot, and dry spells, when closing a sale is extremely difficult.

Dry spells are a normal course of business and shouldn’t be cause to be discouraged. The beauty of marketing is that it’s a numbers game… and we’re numbers people, right? Don’t give up, follow your marketing plan and keep going.

Many of our graduates tell us that often the difference between finding the new client and going home empty handed is simply hangin’ in there. Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.”

Make that your mantra every morning and you’ll keep your practice busy and profitable.

Habit #4: Use Evidence to Influence

It’s always a good habit to back-up what you say with evidence. Habit #4 goes hand-in-hand with Habit #1. In order to get the most out of using Evidence to Influence you need to be prepared. Use testimonials, statistics or demonstrations to help reinforce your talking points with your clients.

When I was in school I found that the more senses I could employ in the learning process, the easier it was to remember. Reading out of the text wasn’t enough. If I could write it down, or otherwise use additional sensory information it was easier to remember. You will find that your clients are the same. The more involved you can get them, the more invested they’ll be in the information you’re trying to give them.

Habit #5: Look Successful

I have a friend who is a commercial artist. He works out of a studio in the basement of his home. I have come to admire him as one of the most disciplined people I know. Despite the fact that he is working out of his home, he gets up in the morning and gets ready for work, just like he was going into the office and heads downstairs. If you stop by and see him during the day, you’d find him dressed for work and in his studio.

I don’t think it matters if you are seeing clients or not, start the day as if you were. I think you’ll find that you are better prepared to start the day and get more accomplished than if you started work in your PJ’s.

The freelancers who find the most success working out of a home office, have created a “work-place” inside their home. When they’re at work,they’re at work. A little bit of discipline will make all the difference.

Work at maintaining your health as well as your appearance. If you maintain the appropriate level of health and fitness you’ll find yourself better able to cope with the stresses of the work day and your clients want to work with someone who looks and acts successful. Habit #5, Look Successful.

Habit #6: Invest in Youself

Are you a student of accounting? When was the last time you attended a seminar, or read a marketing book? Look for and attend conferences and seminars that will add to your knowledge of marketing, and of accounting. Proactively invest in your career and your future.

The quest for knowlege doesn’t even have to be limited to accounting or marketing issues either. Read and study about anything that is of special interest to you. The better your understanding of the world around you, the better you’ll be able to help your clients. Keep your mind fresh and young by keeping it engaged with learning new things. This simple investment in yourself will pay off in a better quality of life, an engaged outlook on the world around you and the monetary rewards associated with being at your best.

Universal’s course is a terrific place to start investing in your business. The Professional Bookkeeper Program is a great way to complement your knowledge of Accounting and Bookkeeping. Click here and find out how the Professional Bookkeepers Course can help you find the quality of life that you’re looking for.

I’d also like to share with you some day-to-day things that can help you create an effective and profitable freelance Bookkeeping and Accounting business. Click here to learn about additional ways to create a productive working environment.

Believe It or Not, It’s Mandated by the Government

Every business has to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a flower shop or a department store, every business must keep accounting records. This is great news for you. Let’s talk about why.

The bookkeeping and accounting process is an intergral part of any business. Even if it wasn’t mandated by law, it’s one of the most important things a buisness owner can do to make sure he or she is actually making a profit. But because every business has to do it, it’s good news for you.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that they anticipate job growth in the bookkeeping and accounting fields to continue to grow for the foreseable future. In fact they say, “An increase in the number of businesses, changing financial laws and regulations, and increased scrutiny of company finances will drive growth. In addition to openings resulting from growth, the need to replace accountants and auditors who retire or transfer to other occupations will produce numerous job openings in this large occupation.”

Strike While the Iron’s Hot

As the blacksmith shapes iron into whatever part or tool he is making, he heats the metal to make it shapeable. It required constant attention to keep the metal at the right temperature. If the iron cools down, he can’t beat it into shape. Hence the phrase, “Strike while the iron’s hot.”

There has never been a better time than right now to start your professional bookkeeping and tax business. With the number of new business growing every year, the need for qualified professionals who know the ins-and-outs of the accounting process is critical. Many businesses fail every year because their owners lack the expertise that a skilled bookkeeper provides for them.

Right now… the iron is hot.

Accountants Have Been Well Paid to Keep Businesses Profitable for Hundreds of Years

In fact, since the discovery of accounting practices by Luca Pacioli, considered the father of accounting, accountants have been credited with making businesses profitable from the Itallian Renaisance to this day.

500 years ago, Fra Pacioli said there were three things a successful buisness needs:

1. Adequate Cash
2. An Adequate mathematician to work with the numbers
3. A system which can show at a glance the financial position of the business - in other words, an accounting system

The wisdom of what he said remains true today.

What is a Profit Expert?

According to Allen Bostrom, President of Universal Accounting, “Every business needs a Profit Expert. That expert may or may not be in the Accounting Department, but the information he or she uses to analyze profit issues will definitely come from the accounting system. In many respects, your Business Accountant should be your best friend.”

The Profit Expert is the “go-to” person for an insightful understanding of what’s going on financially within a business. He or she holds the key to the vital information required to make correct decisions and navigate the complicated course that small businesses find themselves in today.

You Can Be the Profit Expert

The good news is, although it requires a specialized training, it doesn’t take years to acquire it. In as little as 4 or 5 weeks, you can complete the Professional Bookkeeper Program and become a Professional Bookkeeper. Of course, you’ll have to devote a couple hours each night to get finished that quickly, but you can do it. Many people who are currently employed devote 3 or 4 hours a night and finish the course in about 4 weeks, but remember, you can work at your own pace.

The perfect combination of DVD video and written learning material takes you step-by-step through the accounting process. You’ll have hands on experience doing books for a number of different small businesses that will give you the confidence to begin your accounting practice.

And, because it’s DVD based, you’ll be able to rewind and review concepts and explainations. Not to mention the telephone support with coaches who are there to answer all your questions and make sure you understand every concept. (This is unique to Universal Accounting’s program. Most offer you a textbook and send you on your way.)

You’ll Learn How to Find and Keep Clients

Once you master the skills of the Profit Expert, you’ll need to find clients. We’ll be there with you all the way. You’ll learn the proven and successful methods that have helped thousands of people not only find, but keep clients as they grow their practice.

Not only is this part of the course material, but your coach will also help you with marketing suggestions and advice. Here at Universal Accounting we have some of the most savvy marketing experts in the business ready to help you implement a successful marketing program for your business.

You’ll have the same type of advice and resouces that large corporations spend thousands of dollars for every month right at your fingertips. And it won’t cost you anything for your six months. (This is another benefit that’s unique to Universal. In fact, I haven’t been able to find another program that offers this kind of support and training.)

So… Stike Now and Start Your Exciting New Business

There’s never been a better time than now to build the kind of income and lifestyle that you and your family are looking for. But more than that, there’s never been a profession with as long a track-record as the accounting field. How many professions do you know that haven’t fundamentally changed for over 500 years?

Take the next step towards an incredibly rewarding and profitable life. Click Here and Learn More About the Exciting and Rewarding Business of Professional Bookkeeping and Accounting… You Owe It to Yourself to find out more!