Opportunity Knocks! Let’s Open the Door.

Most people have good days and bad days but that doesn’t mean that it’s time to make a career change… or does it? Let’s take a look at a some signs that might tell you to take a second look at what you’re doing and some options to improve your lifestyle and quality of life.

How do you really know if it’s time to start looking for something else or time for a few days off. You might be surprised to know that the warning signs are pretty subtle, and according to Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer, here they are:

• You have a lot on your mind, just not work. You spend most of your day thinking about what you’re going to do when you go home. Work has become boring for you and you are daydreaming for much of the day. Dory Hollander, a career coach, workplace psychologist and author of The Doom-Loop System, says, ” When it’s just a job, it’s time to leave.”
• Things change, not to your advantage. Maybe the boss you’ve gotten along with so well for years leaves and there is now someone else who your new boss likes better than you. Your access to the boss diminishes and you find yourself “out-of-the-loop.”
• Your boss takes you for granted. Your boss takes your skills for granted and pigeonholes you into a certain category and doesn’t offer you any opportunities to expand your career within the company. Maybe you’re known as a good “corporate citizen” who will do whatever you’re asked, even at the expense of your own career.
• You pigeonhole yourself. Hollander knows top performers who stay at their jobs because they don’t believe they could succeed elsewhere. “The longer you’re at a place, the more you think your success depends on your environment,” she said. Or you lose confidence that you can do anything else.
• Your mood ranges from angry to angrier. Your spouse might be the person to answer this question, are you kind of cranky? There are many people who don’t really believe that their mood is effected by their workplace, but it does. Nobody wants to work with someone who’s upset and difficult… which tends to alienate you from opportunities and coworkers.
• You don’t feel well. Unhappiness can undermine your health, said Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida. Early signs of excess stress: stomachaches, headaches and insomnia.

If You’re Experiencing Any of These Symptoms, It Might Be Time to Answer the Door.

Of course, we all go through periods of time when the enjoyment of our job ebbs and flows, but if you’re experiencing 3 or more of these symptoms you might need to look for something else.

Like thousands of others just like you, many people consider owning a bookkeeping and accounting practice to be the perfect opportunity for them. You might be asking yourself whether or not you have the skills for creating a successful bookkeeping and accounting practice. You might be surprised to know that many of the skills you’ll need, you already have. Take a minute and see for yourself. Click on the link below and determine whether or not you have what it takes.

Click Here to Learn More About the Basic Skills Needed to be Successful in a Bookkeeping and Accounting Practice

Gain a Whole New Perspective on Career Satisfaction!

Thousands of our graduates are finding the satisfaction of owning their own Bookkeeping and Accounting practice to be all they needed to find fulfillment in their professional life. Here’s what just a couple of them have to say.

“When I started this class I knew nothing about accounting. Wow, what a difference 4 weeks can make! My advice, Just Do It. You never know what you can do until you do it. I know you’ve heard it before, but in 10 years do you want to be where you are now? I don’t. That’s why I’m here doing this.”
-Dennis Keener

“After 15 years experience in bookkeeping I have felt for the first time that I understand the accounting concept through this course. I always knew I had what it takes to fit into it but now I have fulfilled the confidence I lacked before this class. UAS is a very meaningful entity for me and has my respect.”
-Ana I. Estrada

“I have been very impressed by how much we have learned in such a short time. I had no experience in any accounting but I was still able to complete this course. I would recommend this class to anyone that is interested in accounting.”
-Marianne Johansen

These Are Just a Few of Literally Hundreds of Testimonials.

Testimonials just like these, from those that have advanced their careers, started their own businesses and learned the keys to success in the accounting profession, and increased their income.

Get started Today and
Be Our Next Success Story!

• Click here to order all of the modules online for $1485.
  (see option 2 for financing)
• Click HERE to finance all four modules online for only $145 down and $145 per month for 12 months, charged to all major credit or debit cards.
  ( Financing only available in the United States and Canada)

Click HERE to See What We Focus on in The Professional Bookkeeper Program

Start Part-Time and Build a Very Profitable Business

Most People Just Don’t Have the Means to Drop Everything and Throw the Dice

A bookkeeping practice is the perfect part-time business. Starting part-time (20 hours per week or less) is a smart way to start your bookkeeping and accounting practice and never risk your present full-time income.

Whether you’re a homemaker considering earning extra part-time income or working full-time and want to supplement your current salary, a small business bookkeeping and accounting business is a perfect choice.

Working from a home office is a great option. In fact, it’s what we recommend, even for people going full-time. Many successful bookkeepers and tax preparers work out of home offices. For them, meetings are always held at their client’s office anyway, making the need for leased office space unnecessary. This is more convenient for their clients and less expensive for them. It’s the perfect situation for a part-time or full-time bookkeeper.

Small business bookkeeping provides a consistent income for the hours you work so you can determine your workload and income based upon the number of clients your business serves. Let me show you how you can determine how many clients you’ll need to create a full-time income with a part-time commitment.

20 Hours Per Week Can Earn $2400 to $3000 Per Month

You’ll spend 8 to 10 hours per month to do the books for the average bookkeeping client. (As you become more efficient, you’ll spend less time.) As you start your practice, you can adjust how much time you spend to meet the needs of your clients. It it takes longer, you’ll charge more.

That 8 to 10 hours spent will generate a monthly income of $300 per client. That’s $30 to almost $40 per hour. As you become more efficient and more familiar with your client’s books, you can realistically expect to earn $60 per hour or more, since it will take you less time to aern your $300 per client. That’s a rare part-time income.

The graph at the right illustrates what you can expect to earn as you build your part-time bookkeeping practice. Since your average client earns you $300 per month, it won’t take many clients before you’re earning a very profitable income.

Experience has taught us that with very little marketing effort, you can expect to find one or two clients per month who will welcome your services and gladly pay for the expertise you contribute to their small businesses.

Working part-time (20 hours per week and 8 hours per client per month) you can earn $3000 per month or $36,000 per year. That’s a pretty good part-time income, don’t you think?

Many of our graduates find 10 clients a great benchmark for either making the jump to full-time or semi-retirement. The beauty of this business is your ability to make that decision for yourself. You determine what’s best for your family and your circumstances. To learn more about how you can semi-retire in less than 12 months, even with $0 in savings today, click HERE.

Going Full-Time Won’t Be a Gamble Either

Very few businesses offer you the opportunity to provide this kind of value to your clients and get paid to do it. You might be asking yourself, “Can I really go full-time? I thought CPA’s did this kind of thing for small businesses.”

Although some CPA’s offer small business bookkeeping and accounting services, they typically charge rates too high for the average small business. In fact, most CPA’s charge between $100 and $200 per hour. As a small business bookkeeping and accounting expert, you’ll charge $30 to $60 per hour and feel confident that you provide more value than a CPA. Most CPA’s don’t learn small business bookkeeping in college. (Over the years we’ve trained a lot of CPA’s to work with small businesses too.)

Unlike many business opportunities today, taking the step to a full-time bookkeeping and accounting business is usually a smooth transition. As you work with clients and become more and more familiar with different businesses and their accounting needs, you’ll find you become more efficient. This adds up to more freedom to spend time doing just exactly what matters most to you.

Take another look at the graph above. Look at the income potential with only 20 clients, (what we consider a full-time business). Working 40 hours per week or less, you will enjoy the freedom that earning $6000 per month creates. It’s up to you. Part-time or full-time, bookkeeping and accounting is a great way to reach your financial goals. To learn why a small business bookkeeping and accounting business is such a great way to reach your goals, click HERE.

What If I Have a Question or a Problem?

Unlike any other distance learning program I’m aware of, from the moment you start the Professional Bookkeeper program, you’ll have a personal coach on the other end of the phone to answer questions about bookkeeping as well as how to build your business. Not only that, you’ll enjoy the security of that support for a full 6 months after you’ve completed the course.

Help with questions and encouragement to keep you on track are part of the program. You’ll have the confidence of knowing that 25 years of accounting and tax education stand behind you 100%. From small business accounting professionals to answer your bookkeeping questions to some of the best marketing talent in the accounting industry to help you find and keep clients, you’ll have the support team that other business owners only dream of, or pay a fortune for. Your bookkeeping practice will be well on the way to creating the income and lifestyle that allows you to spend more time doing the things that are the most important to you and your family.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program is Not Only the Most Complete Education Available Anywhere, It’s Guaranteed!

Universal Accounting’s Ironclad 100% Money Back Guarantee

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

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 (Save $$$ by ordering them together.)

The Right Work From Home Opportunity Perfectly Fits Your Lifestyle

Earn the Income that Allows You to Spend Your Time Doing What Matters Most

Juggling career and family can be a real challenge. Most people never get to spend their time doing the things that matter most to them. In fact, Henry David Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Is it any wonder they call it the “rat race”?

It doesn’t need to be that way for you and your family. You can spend time with your family and earn a wonderful income. This may sound hard to believe, but it can be a reality for you and your loved ones. Don’t waste your time doing something that won’t let you create the freedom and lifestyle that you are looking for. Let me show you how.

This is Not a Get-Rich-Quick-Scheme

You might be thinking, “I’ve heard this before. The newspaper and the Internet are full of get-rich-quick schemes that promise the world… but never deliver.”

What I’m about to share with you is different. Unlike the other “opportunities” available today, let’s talk about a legitimate and lucrative business that professionals have successfully ran out of their homes for years. In fact, for over 500 years, these professionals have helped small business owners all over the world create profitable, healthy businesses.

Why Does a Bookkeeping Business Make Such a Great Home-Based Business?

That’s a good question. Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century, consider it to be the “Best of the Best.” That’s high praise from someone outside the accounting industry, looking purely at the business opportunity. I agree.

To learn what makes a small business bookkeeping and accounting business the “Best of the Best” home-based businesses, click HERE.

550,000 Opportunities Every Month

A few days ago we talked about the 550,000+ new businesses created every month in the United States alone. What a tremendous opportunity for someone willing to acquire the right education to provide the services they’ll require.

Because accounting is mandated by law, every business must keep accounting records every month. Unfortunately, most small business owners don’t have the background or expertise in accounting they need to effectively make decisions and manage their businesses. They need the services of a skilled and qualified small business bookkeeping and accounting expert.

The Perfect Home-Based Business is Also the Perfect Family Business

I started in the warehouse and drove the delivery truck. I learned to work at the feet of my father. He didn’t make it easy, but he taught me to value customers and take pride in my work… and myself.

As my father and I swept the warehouse floor together, I learned the importance of doing a job right, even if it was just sweeping the floor. By washing the delivery truck every week, I learned to take pride in my appearance and how I presented myself. My father made sure I learned these important lessons when I was young enough to still listen.

Owning a profitable and rewarding home-based bookkeeping practice provides a wonderful opportunity to share your values with your children and teach them skills they’ll never learn in school, like the value of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. You’ll better prepare them for life.

Whether or not they make accounting their career, they’ll learn skills that will prove critically important in real life, regardless of the profession they choose. I don’t work with my father anymore, but the lessons he taught me are still a big part of who I am and what I do. (And I haven’t worked for him for almost 25 years.)

Read more about why this is such a great family business by clicking HERE.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program is Not Only the Most Complete Education Available Anywhere, It’s Guaranteed!

Universal Accounting’s Ironclad 100% Money Back Guarantee

Purchase and complete the course, and if you don’t feel that you’ve received more than your money’s worth, we insist you 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 worth every minute you invest in it, that we all stand behind it, 100%

Working From Home Never Felt So Good

When my children were growing up, my wife and I were unaware of anything like this. The ability to work from home, create a fantastic income and spend that precious time with our family would have been an easy choice. Don’t let these fleeting moments with your family pass you by. You really can make it happen.

Listen to what Victoria Richardson has to say about the positive impact that owning her own professional bookkeeping practice had on her family. You can live the life most people only dream of without sacrificing those valuable moments with your loved ones. Don’t you owe it to yourself to learn more? Listen to Victoria’s story by clicking HERE.

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 (Save $$$ by ordering them together.)

Earn $30 to $60 Per Hour Without a College Degree

I Can Make Over $30 per Hour in as Little as Four Weeks?

I hope you’ve enjoyed the DVD we sent you. It’s packed full of information that holds the power to help you earn a better income and spend time doing what matters most to you and your family.

The income most people only dream about doesn’t require a college education. If you have the determination and courage, we’ll show you how to get the skills in as little as four weeks. All you need are the right skills and a little determination. In fact, what I’m about to tell you you’d never learn in college.

For over 500 years the accounting profession has provided an excellent income for millions of people. Everywhere in the world, businesses require skilled and qualified bookkeepers and accountants. It’s even mandated by law. Every business must do accounting every month.

Let Me Tell You a Secret…

In the United States, for example, every single month over 550,000 new businesses get started. Most of those entrepreneurs don’t have the background in accounting they need to ensure their fledgling business will be a success. And what’s more, colleges and university accounting programs don’t prepare their graduates to provide the specific services these small business owners need most.

University programs prepare their graduates to work inside large Fortune 500 companies, not to deal with the complex and rewarding challenges of small businesses. Despite knowing that small businesses provide over 85% of the opportunities for their graduates, college and university accounting programs train their graduates to serve less than 5% of the companies out there. Quite a disparity, don’t you think?

To learn how to make your small business bookkeeping business a part of this explosion of new small businesses each month and generate a profitable income for yourself click HERE.

How do You Learn to Be a Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting Expert?

Universal Accounting has taught small business bookkeeping and accounting for over 25 years. Since 1979, thousands of people just like you and me have learned to become the small business bookkeeping experts that business owners depend on to provide the information and advice they need to navigate their business.

It doesn’t require a college education… only a specialized set of skills that will help you offer any small business owner the information and advice that helps them make informed decisions in their businesses. The Professional Bookkeeper program will teach you everything you need to know to become a small business profit expert.

To learn how skilled and qualified bookkeepers provide valuable information to any small business owner and earn $30 to $60 an hour in the process, click HERE.

Hands-On Learning is Hands-Down the Best

Experience has taught us that the best way to learn is by doing. Hands-on learning has long been considered the most effective way to master new concepts. In all my searching, I have not found another bookkeeping or accounting program anywhere using the hands-on teaching methods found in the Professional Bookkeeper program. You’ll not only learn the concepts necessary to offer small business bookkeeping services, you’ll master them.

Coursework includes doing the books for a number of different small businesses from a frame shop to a convenience store. You’ll work with Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger and even Payroll. You’ll posess the skills to offer complete bookkeeping services. You’ll learn to market your skills in such a way that you’ll earn $30 to $60 per hour. Other training prepares you to work as someone’s data entry clerk for $8 per hour. You deserve better than that.

To find out what many consider the “perfect” small business bookkeeping curriculum, click HERE.

An Education With a Guarantee?

Universal Accounting’s Ironclad 100% Money Back Guarantee

Purchase and complete the course, and if you don’t feel that you’ve received more than your money’s worth, we insist you 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%

Order Today and Get 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 their 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 (Order Today and Save $$$)

The Small Business Forecast

A Great Time to Start a Small Business

Brian Tracy, Chairman and CEO of Brain Tracy International, a personal coach and motivational speaker, has called 2006 another extraordinary year. He goes on to say:

The US economy has grown 30% in the last three years, since the tax cuts, and has leaped from $10 trillion dollars to a $13 trillion dollar economy, the biggest in the history of the world.

The OECD in Paris has rated the US as the “Most entrepreneurial country in the world.” Fully 42% of people working in America are working in businesses that were started in the last three years. The small and medium business sector is creating more than 90% of the new jobs in America , and in other countries throughout the world.

More people are making more money today than has ever occurred in human history. Economists are calling the 21st century the “Golden Age of Mankind.”

And the forecast looks great for the upcoming year! What better time to start your own small business and see it succeed. Now’s the time, when so many other small businesses are getting off the ground to provide a service and product each and every one of them need? If you’ve been waiting for a good time to move forward on your own dream of becoming an entrepreneur, today’s the time!

Bookkeeping and Accounting Services
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2008 accounting jobs will increase by 20%! In addition they state, “Demand for full-charge bookkeepers is expected to increase as they are called upon to do much of the work of accountants. Those with several years of accounting or bookkeeper certification will have the best job prospects.”

Perhaps you currently offer tax services to a handful of clients in your spare time, during tax season. Perhaps you run a tax service full-time, year-round. Whatever the scenario, you can grow your business by offering accounting services, thus becoming a full-service financial provider. If you’ve found it difficult to keep busy year-round, adding accounting services to the menu will immediately change that. Some of your current clients will want you to perform accounting tasks as well. And when your new clients realize you also file personal and business returns, they’ll also enlist your tax services. If you were looking to grow your business in the upcoming year, now’s the time and accounting’s the way!

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program
Not only would you ride your own small business wave by opening your own accounting and tax service, but you could also ride the waves of other small businesses in your community. How? By offering small business accounting!

Over 85% of the opportunities in the accounting field are within small businesses. Universities prepare their students for corporate accounting which doesn’t address small business needs. More than 50% of small businesses fail, and much of that failure can be attributed to lack of accounting expertise. That’s where you step in. With expertise in small business accounting, you can help small businesses succeed.

At Universal Accounting, we understand the needs of the small business like nobody else. We’ve helped people like you advance their career in small business accounting for over 25 years. The Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed specifically to address the needs of small businesses, and Universal Accounting Center ’s small business accounting course is the most complete of anything else offered today. And depending on your schedule and situation, it will only take you 60 hours to complete. Imagine earning a professional designation in less than one month!

UAC Can Also Help You Get Clients
One of the greatest challenges for many small business owners comes in the marketing. You may love working with numbers but groan at the thought of promoting your services and expertise. Universal Accounting Center understands this struggle and can help you eliminate it.

UAC has developed a turn-key marketing solution which will enable you to grow your business with our proven system. 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 48 hours!

The Universal Practice Builder is a 2-day workshop designed to teach you the art and science of getting clients. Top your Professional Bookkeeper Designation off with this guaranteed program where you’ll walk away with over 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately.

It Is The Year of the Small Business
Don’t wait another day to realize your dream. If you’ve always wanted to run your own business, today’s the day to start. But don’t go blind! If you want to be fully prepared, then enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Universal Practice Builder Workshop! There’s no better investment to make than in yourself! This next year promises to be a banner year for the small business owner. Will you be one of those basking in the success?

We are only able to offer this special pricing for the Professional Bookkeeper and the Universal Practice Builder Programs for a short time. The clock runs out January 27th at the stroke of midnight. Don’t delay making the decision that will change your career and jumpstart your practice!

A paperclip could be your blueprint for financial success!

Last time we talked about becoming a success-practices investigator. We discussed the need to create: 1) a notebook for keeping track of the marketing techniques that appealed to us, 2) clipping and saving the ads that impressed us, 3) keeping the direct mail that comes to our home and reading it for ideas, and 4) watching and listening to headlines.

The first part of the secret of never-ending success was to not limit ourselves. Now it’s time to talk about the next part of the secret.

I remember the first time I saw a Vespa Scooter. I knew they were Italian. But I didn’t know much more about them than that. They were first imported into the United States back in 1953, but other than a brief appearance in American Graffiti, I didn’t really notice them until about 2 or 3 years ago. (I guess I was too busy noticing other things.)

I have to admit though, once I did, I started seeing them everywhere. Have you ever noticed that when you purchase a new car, for example; after you drive it home, you start seeing that same make and model of car everywhere? The same is true of our secret.

What do a paperclip and a Vespa Scooter have to do with never-ending success?

The second part of our secret is, see your hidden assets.

In his book, Getting Everything You Can Out of What You’ve Got, Jay Abraham, a world renowned marketer, speaker and writer, tells a story about a friend of his that might help shed some light on this.

His friend was a catalogue manager for a large computer mail-order company. Over the years he’d risen to the highest level within the company that he possibly could. He had also trained a number of younger people who, over the years, had quit and gone to more prestigious, high-profile jobs.

As time went on his one-and-a-half hour commute and all the bureaucratic corporate nonsense became too much. He was burned out. He hated going to work. He saw nothing fulfilling in his job. And, to make matters worse, whenever he came up with a truly innovative idea, management rejected it. He wanted out.

One day, without any other job prospects, he quit. He decided that he never wanted to work for anyone else ever again. He would be master of his own destiny.

Unfortunately, he had no plan. He’d just walked away from an almost 6-figure income and had to support the Northern California lifestyle that went along with it. He struggled for a couple of months with no success.

Here are three questions that have the power to change your life.

After talking with him, Mr. Abraham asked three questions. I’d like to ask you the same three questions.

1. Have you identified and valued your true expertise and inventoried your negotiable personal assets? (Do you know what your personal assets are and do you know how valuable they might be?)
2. What performance skills have you demonstrated in the past that not only have abstract, but intrinsic, value and importance to a business—or specific type of business? (What are your special skills that have real value?)
3. What have you accomplished that people would not only respect, but also desire to learn and utilize to gain the same benefits for their companies?

At first, he drew a blank. So Jay had him analyze and reconstruct all the monumental things he’d experienced, contributed to, and been a part of since he started working. Not only at his current job, but in every previous position he’d ever had over the course of his entire career.

To his surprise, he’d realized that under his direction, the greatest mail-order catalog success in the entire industry had occurred. The owners of the company had become multi-millionaires. He was on the cutting-edge of dozens of product-introduction breakthroughs that became massive successes. Further, the heads of critical departments at five of the industry’s top catalog companies had been trained personally by him.

He began to finally realize and appreciate the second part of our secret. His previous successes and skills created a wonderful opportunity for creating greater success for his clients. As well as financial independence for himself.

Now, instead of being in a dead-end, lower-rung, middle-management position in a large corporation, he deals with owners and presidents of fast-growing and exciting entrepreneurial enterprises. But what’s more, he’s successful and extraordinarily happy.

You still haven’t told me how a paperclip and a Vespa Scooter are part of a secret to never-ending success!

Once you sit down and answer those three questions, and you quantify and value your hidden assets, life will never be the same for you again. Mr. Abraham says, “What you know, do, or have successfully done is probably worth considerable money and value to other non-competitors in your business or line of endeavor—or outside it.”

Now for the paperclip. A simple office tool. Used by millions. Was invented in 1899 and underappreciated since then. I never give my paperclips a second thought, until they’re not there. Would your employer only miss your contribution to their company after you’re gone? Your hidden talents, just like the paperclip are probably underappreciated… not only by others… but by you, too.

And the Vespa… Once you start looking for your hidden skills and assets, and start recognizing them for how valuable they are, you’re going to see them all over the place.

A secret to never-ending success.

1. Don’t limit yourself.
2. Recognize your hidden assets.

How can this secret create success in an Accounting and Tax Preparation career?

That’s easy. And you don’t have to take my word for it. There are thousands of people all over the country that have made the decision to begin a wonderful career in Accounting and Tax Preparation. Click here to hear a few of them tell how Universal Accounting training changed their lives for the better.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program has everything you’ll need to know to help your hidden assets provide the income and lifestyle that you might be looking for. But that’s not all, with access to some of the most innovative and effective marketing methods found anywhere, methods that have been proven successful time after time, you will be one of the extraordinarily happy. Simply follow the link below for more information on the Professional Bookkeeper Program.

Click here to learn how to take the first step towards a successful career in Bookkeeping and Accounting.

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.

To Incorporate or Not to Incorporate:

The Pros and Cons of Different Business Entities (Part I of II)

Have you ever wondered if being a sole proprietor is your best business option? Maybe you should create an LLC (limited liability company), an LP (limited partnership), or an S-Corporation. There’s no one right or wrong answer when matching your business to just the right business entity. And the business entity you choose depends largely on your personal situation and circumstances. But we don’t want you to imply that your decision isn’t a weighty one; the type of business entity you choose will affect your liability, your creditors’ access to your assets, and your tax obligations. So it is a decision that requires pertinent information and considerable thought. Sometimes just a little knowledge can ensure that you make the best choice for you.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is a business owned and operated by one person. This is the most popular business type for new, small business owners, especially if they work from home. Perhaps you already decided that a sole proprietorship is the perfect match for your business right now. While there are many benefits in having a sole proprietorship, the one drawback is that you have unlimited liability for any debts or obligations incurred by the business. The business is not an entity separate from its owner, and if the business is sued, all of the business owner’s personal assets are at risk. If the business becomes insolvent, the sole proprietor must declare personal bankruptcy to avoid business debts

However, that may not be a problem you expect to encounter. If you work from your home office, you’re probably not incurring much business debt. But if you’ve grown your business enough that it requires a rental property with staff that you manage, then you might want to look at other options.

Limited Liability Company

The business entity you choose can greatly affect your personal liability. When shareholders or owners of a business are not personally liable for any business debts or obligations, they enjoy “limited liability.” The last thing you want to do is create a bsuiness where the negligence of a partner, or even an employee, puts your personal assets at risk. This week we’ll discuss the limited liability of C-Corporations and S-Corporations.

Keep in mind that every state handles each type of a company differently in set up and even taxation on the state level. What we are going over is what these business types do and generally cover for the business owner or founder. Make sure that you know exactly what and how your resident state handles each kind of corporation. This is usually found with the state’s Department of Commerce.

Corporations - Owners of a corporation are issued shares of stock and are thus called shareholders. A corporation exists independent of its shareholders, and is viewed as a separate entity, which can generate income, incur debt, and be sued. Corporations are commonly classified according to their taxation status as either C-corporations or S-coroporations. Unless the corporation elects otherwise, its income will be taxed at the corporate level at corporate rates. The following are some of the pros and cons of C-corporations:

• Pros -
  • Limited liability.
  • Shareholders are not required to manage the corporation.
  • Continues to exist after a shareholder’s death, retirement, or bankruptcy.
• Cons -
  • Filing a corporation can be expensive.
  • Corporate formalities are required (shareholder and director meetings, corporate minutes book, employer identification number or EIN, etc.)
  • Because the corporation’s income is taxed, and the shareholder’s income is taxed, corporation experience “double taxation.”

S-Corporation. If a corporation meets certain requirements, it can elect to be taxed as an S-corporation, with the profits and losses passing through to the shareholders to be taxed at the shareholders’ rates. Unlike a C-corporation, the S-corporation itself is not taxed, although an informational return (IRS Form 1120S) must be filed with the IRS. And S-corporations are limited to one class of stock and cannot have more than 75 shareholders. An S-corporation enjoys the same limited liability as a C-corporation and has some of the following pros and cons:

• Pros -
  • Limited liability.
  • Shareholders are not required to manage the corporation.
  • Continues to exist after a shareholder’s death.
  • Only shareholder’s income is taxed.
• Cons -
  • Filing a corporation can be expensive.
  • Corporation formalities are required (shareholders and directors meetings, corporate minutes book, employer identification number or EIN, etc.)

Many believe that businesses require a large number of shareholders in order to incorporate. But in most states you only need one shareholder and one director to from a corporation, and that shareholder and director can be the same person. And while that may be something you aspire to in the future, you may not feel either of these entities are the best match for your current business. That’s quite alright. Next week we will be covering more about other types of limited liability entities and how they may work for you. Keep an eye out for next week’s article about Limited Partnerships, Family Limited Partnerships, and the most common, Limited Liabilitiy Companies.

If you are considering taking the next step in the process of your bookkeeping or accounting business you have found the source that you need to have to not only gain the training crucial to accounting success, but also the training that will help you find how to grow your business. Don’t leave anything to chance by going anywhere else than Universal.

For over 25 years, Universal Accounting Center has helped people like you start their own accounting and tax practices. We recognize that 85% of the accounting opportunities are with small business so our curriculum is designed to help you learn small business accounting. Think back to our recommendation to increase your income by performing new services for new clients. When you learn small business accoutning you suddenly make yourself available to new clients whil increasing the number of services you can perform.

Become a Professional Bookkeeper today.

7 Tips in Finding the Right Applicant(s) for Your Needs

Last week we gave you a quiz to help you determine whether or not now is a good time for you to hire an employee or add another one to your support staff. If you’re reading this article today, we’re guessing that you’ve decided that now is the time to expand your business by hiring help. Finding and hiring the right employee can be one of the most important decisions you make for your business. Unearthing the perfect applicant can improve the profitability of your business and make your professional life a lot easier. But how do you do that? Small business owners especially have little room for error when hiring individuals to work for them. Poor judgment can cost you money, and sometimes even a client or two. The following 7 tips can help you avoid pitfalls in finding just the right applicant for your needs:

1. Create a job description
Before you start looking for applicants you need to know the skill set you want to find. Write down all the tasks this employee will perform. Focus on the verbs. Do these skills require experience? If not, what characteristics would the employee need in order to acquire those skills? Be specific. The only way you will be able to hire the right person is if you know exactly what your business requires.

2. Get the word out
Inform professionals in your network about your opening; they may know of skilled individuals looking for a good position. Also consider job placement services, especially if you’re looking for applicants with a valuable skill set. The want ads and job boards are also a good way to publicize your opening.

3. Develop informative interview questions
Good interview questions will enable you to find the right person to fill your position. Consider questions that will help you learn of past performance, determine problem-solving ability, determine their work preferences and future career goals. All these things can inform your decision. And in order to fairly weigh one candidate against the next you must ask all applicants the same questions.

Note: Be careful! It is illegal to ask candidates anything discriminatory. Avoid all questions that address the following: race, color, gender, sexual preferences, religion, national origin, birthplace, age, disability, marital/family status.

4. Perform two interviews
Most employers perform two job interviews; the first enables them to filter all applicants who are ill-suited for their position. The second interview is designed to help them narrow their pool a bit so they can focus on the most important questions. For example, if costumer service is important to you, craft questions that will help you recognize whether or not candidates will work well with your clients. If punctuality and a good work ethic are important to you, again you must craft questions that help you see how your candidates measure up to these requirements. As long as you take the time to thoughtfully compose your interview questions and ask each candidate the same set, you’ll be sure to find the perfect fit for your position.

5. Check references and perform background checks
Why ask for references if you don’t check them? I’ve heard countless stories of references who shared crucial information about a candidate’s true nature in a job environment that either foiled his/her chances or sealed the deal. Either way references can provide you with more information on which to base your final decision. And background checks can also be informative, telling you which candidates may threaten the livelihood of your business.

6. Listen to your gut
Often a gut instinct will tell you which applicants are a good match and which would be bad for business. Don’t rule those feelings out, but consider them, as well as the applicants’ skills and experience as you make your final decision.

7. Extend the offer of employment or try again
Once you’ve determined who you will be hiring, extend the offer. Be sure you inform the other applicants that you will not be hiring them; good etiquette requires you do it by phone. It’s important, however, that you don’t rush to hire someone simply because you’re anxious about expanding your business. If you didn’t find the right person this round, you should consider waiting a month or two before trying again. You don’t want to be in need of an article on how to fire your employee later. When you choose employees wisely upfront you have a better chance of building a more dynamic and successful business later.

Come back next week when we discuss how to retain good employees.