5 Tips to Full-Time with your Accounting & Bookkeeping Startup

Watch the video or read the article:

Virtual Bookkeepers Launch Plan for Current Accountants.

Ready to start your own virtual bookkeeping or accounting business but stuck working somewhere else?

Are you a CPA, Staff Accountant or Bookkeeper that wants to start their own firm? 

Watch the Video & Read this article to get started.

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Before I jump into how to get started, I want you to consider learning about our websites & ads for Accountants, Bookkeepers and Tax Professionals. We will set you up with the best system possible to generate business clients that are ready to pay higher monthly retainers.  

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Problems starting when you still work full time:

• Non Compete agreements prevent you from launching your own firm
• You don't know how to do taxes yet, or are unsure about how to process things properly
• You're ill-equipped to get sales AND execute on the processes
• You're just risk averse
• You don't have savings to fall back on
• You don't know how to launch

Let's talk about what you can do to prepare to launch, even if you're in a non-compete.

In a way, it's like you're operating on a boat that operates to solve problems.

You and your fellow employees are team members on this profit-making boat, and you notice there's a need for more boats.

But if you jump off the one you're on, you're going to be screwed financially, especially because you're a highly valued person on this boat.

How do you create your own machine or boat?

I value action way over planning.

Getting stuff done and taking action is what starts entrepreneurship. It's the difference between me and you, right?

But how I took my first action in entrepreneurship, was I got fired. I got fired from the church that I was working at. I worked at Best Buy for a long time and then I was asked to come and be on staff at Eaglebrook Church up in Minneapolis. Eaglebrook was going pretty well until I butted heads with a new supervisor and was let go.

Getting fired caused me to re-assess where I was at, and to GO GET IT DONE.

I wasn't just fired immediately, they gave me a little severance to keep me afloat while i figured things out, but I HAD to go make something happen.

I had to learn fast, but if you're employed, you'll have a the problem that you will procrastinate, and days will turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years.

When you're employed & trying to launch your own business, you'll be tempted to overcompensate in 2 ways.

• You'll either try to plan too much and stay stuck
• You'll be hasty and leave your job too soon.

I'm going to help you balance this out and take some good steps to start but not be foolish.  

Now, on to the practical advice and steps you can take:

The Most Important Consideration: Your Current Employer Should Be Viewed as a Large Client and Prospect.

The first tip I have is that you should consider that employer as a large client, but it's probably like a toxic whale client that gobbles up all of your time and attention, so you need to set some better boundaries.

In fact, your current employer MIGHT HIRE YOU AS A CONTRACTOR.

The same reasons why small businesses want to hire remote accounting firms, is true for an array of companies "stuck with" staff accountants.

Many firms demand and require on-staff accountants, but some are more flexible than you might imagine.

BOTTOM LINE:

Make sure you consider your current employer as a big client, potential client, etc.

How Does Considering Your Employer as a Client Work:

• Time off, and working fewer hours can be spent on other clients
• You can and SHOULD approach them with an offer to be a client
• Measure the resources they are taking vs. the entire package
• Count the overall compensation such as insurance, benefits & consistency
• Delaying termination keeps your options, be HONEST but creative
• Obey the law - don't break any agreements or be dishonest

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Prepare: Entrepreneurship and Business Ownership is Uncertain.

Seriously, don't let the allure of riches & being your own boss cause you to launch into something you're incapable of starting and maintaining, and please be real about your ability to get sales.

The Biggest Difference Between Owning and Working in a Firm is SALES.

You're going to need sales to actually have the opportunity to do anything, so please consider the full cost of what you're about to attempt before you act hasitly.

I'm bullish on most accountants' ability to create a successful firm, but I'm always conservative when it comes to leaving your job to start something.

Steps to Launching Your Accounting Firm While You're Fully Employed

Step 1 - Build a Business Plan & Vision Culture

The first thing you should do is start writing down what your company will be, what services you'll provide, and what you're going to set out to do that's special.

• Create a Business Name
• Find a Short Domain Name & buy it on Google Domains
• Identify your core customer & create a profile of them
• Develop your value proposition statements
• Start writing and dreaming
• Create Your Vision Culture - Mission, Purpose, Value & Beliefs
• Establish Scope of Work & Pricing Framework

When you sit down and start developing this stuff, launching into the next phase will be much easier.

Can an ignorant person develop this stuff?

One problem is that many people don't have a clue about this stuff, because they haven't been on the sales and value side of an accounting business.

You can start writing this stuff, but I'd also recommend that you covertly start having coffee appointments and mentoring relationships with accountants that you'd hope to mimic someday.

Seriously, you can do what's called a "mentorship from afar", and it doesn't need to be really formal.

If you identify an owner of an accounting firm ANYWHERE in the world, that you think you could learn from, you should approach them and propose that you would buy them coffee or provide a 5-star review, if they'd spend 60 minutes answering some questions and providing insight into what it's like launching your own accounting firm.

Planning & mentorship meetings are excellent first steps when launching a business

Step 2 - Establish the Starter Digital Presence

Some of you need to be careful about overtly placing your name on this, but here are the first steps for digital marketing for your accounting business

• Get a logo created (99 Designs contest get's you excellent work at a cheap price
• Build a website with Feedbackwrench
• Open a Google My Business here
• Facebook Business Page here
• Bing Places established here
• Yelp Page here

Step 3 - Get Reviews on Google My Business (even if you haven't had a client)

Here's where you REALLY need to get to work.

Local SEO & the Google My Business is critical as you begin, and there's ways to build momentum even as a startup.

You must get people that trust you to leave a professional reference review on Google.

How to get Google Reviews when you've just started:

1. Ask professional and personal references
2. Frame it up as a reference, and ask them to say that's what it is
3. Go to your Google My Business and get the link
4. Call or text asking for the review - INVEST TIME IN THIS
5. Keep it short and just be frank that you're calling for a selfish reason
6. Text and email them the link
7. Follow up that night via text to remind them
8. Circle back if they forgot - wait a day or 2
9. THANK THEM

Here's a quick tip video on how to get more Google Reviews, even when you're starting out.

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Step 4 - Prospect & Network

Sales is a relational thing.

It's a lot like dating someone, so the best thing to do is to start connecting with people.

I recommend checking out BNI Groups in your area, because they have a culture of networking and passing referalls.

How to Maximize BNI for Leads:

• Visit each group twice,
• Visit all the groups in the area
• COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS and call for meetings
• DO 1 on 1's with each person
• Cultivate a relationship with them over time,

You can search for BNI groups in your area, but the main thing to do is to shop around to the various groups.  Remember, that you're looking for professional referral partners just as much as customer - and you better be valuable if you're going to connect with them.

Step 5 - Digital Marketing

Digital marketing comes last.

Digital marketing is when you bring things to the public, and you you'll quickly show your current employer that you're doign something else.

You should hire us to build you a website for your accounting business, but I'll share enough here that it's helpful if you're not a customer.

Digital Marketing For Accounting and Bookkeeping Firms
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• Local SEO
• Paid Google My Business Ads
• Paid Search Ads
• Facebook Lead Magnet & Sales Funnel Automation
• Guest writing on other blogs to attract backlinks
• Creating authoritative content for your own website
• Video content for your niche to know you

These are the things that will lead to digital success - but it all starts with planning and action.