Accountant and Bookkeeper Articles

Contract employee, freelance accountant, self-employed bookkeeper. They’re all basically the same thing. When you do contract work, you are in business for yourself, working for clients who can choose to employ your services long-term or temporarily. There are many perks to consider when weighing the pros and cons of contract work. But before making any rash decisions you must determine whether or not you’re ready to run your own business.

I’m a freelance writer so I’m familiar with contract work. There are perks. You can spend the entire day in your bunny slippers. You can work early in the morning and spend the afternoons with your children. You can labor hard and long one week only to take it easy the next, controlling the ebb and flow of your workload. But there are also some serious differences between contract work and full-time employment. And I wouldn’t call them cons, but they do have a significant impact on your life should you choose the path of self-employment. Ask yourself these 5 questions to determine whether or not you’re ready to become a contract employee:

1. Are you self-motivated?
The biggest difference between contract work and full-time employment is the paycheck. When you have a full-time job you can expect a paycheck every week, two weeks or once a month, depending on the pay schedule. When you are a contract employee you only get paid for billable hours, meaning you won’t get a paycheck until you submit invoices. This means you are responsible for managing your time, prioritizing your work and finishing projects. As a contract employee you’ll have no boss (other than yourself) to crack the whip and see that you get it done.

2. Are you a go-getter?
I can promise you that work won’t fall from the sky into your lap (or onto your laptop); you must be willing to find work when necessary. This means changing your perspective so that you recognize an opportunity (or potential client) when you see it, and more importantly, go after it.

3. Are you organized?
You must be able to prioritize projects and allocate your time well. And don’t forget that some of your time must be spent building good relationships with your clients. It also helps to have all your files in order so you can minimize wasted time by finding what you need quickly and efficiently.

4. Are you flexible?
The 9 to 5 schedule is out. You must be willing to rethink your work schedule to accommodate some clients and projects (and of course, your family). Learning how to juggle all those interests will require flexibility (and a hearty dose of creativity).

5. Can you manage uncertainty?
As mentioned in number one, there’s a certain amount of uncertainty or risk involved in becoming a freelance accountant. But any investment requires a certain amount of risk, so don’t let that scare you away. The best way to deal with uncertainty is to have a contingency plan that anticipates problems before you encounter them.

Universal Accounting Center’s Special Business Package

Another way to manage the uncertainty is to ensure you have all the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed. Universal Accounting Center (UAC) can help you appeal to a lucrative niche market: small business. Not only that, but we’ll train you how to market those skills and build a significant client base that will ensure your success.

The Professional Bookkeeper PB Program

While universities and other accounting training programs prepare students to work for large companies, over 85% of accounting opportunities are with small businesses that need accountants who understand their unique needs. For over 25 years UAC has been training individuals like you who are looking to become freelance accountants. And it doesn’t matter how extensive your experience; our program is designed to help beginner, intermediate, and expert accountants.

The Universal Practice Builder (UPB) Program

Once you have the skills, you’ll need to market them to that niche market. For years we’ve been offering the Universal Practice Builder Workshop, designed to train you how to market your practice in order to experience significant growth and profitability. You had to attend this two-day workshop in order to glean all the amazing information offered. Now, to accommodate students and make this information more convenient we have turned this workshop into a DVD program. Imagine all that you could learn from our experience training thousands of individuals like you!

This new program offers the following:

• $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months
• Tactical goal planning and setting
• The generation of 15 to 25 qualified leads per month
• Phone marketing instruction and training
• Training in the benefits of newsletters and websites
• 12 proven marketing strategie.
• Financing options

Receive a Free Gift

But wait, there’s more! We want you to take advantage of this offer so you can realize your potential. And what better way to help you accomplish that than by combining these two powerful programs with another profit-building program, QuickBooks Made Profitable, for FREE!

And if you don’t recognize what a valuable offer this is, let us tell you! Over 80% of the small businesses that use accounting software have chosen QuickBooks. But knowing that is not enough to build a bigger client base. UAC has created this program to teach you how to use QuickBooks to generate more clients. You’ll be trained in a proven system of how you can use QuickBooks to attract larger numbers of potential clients offering expert QuickBooks services. Learn how to leverage your time, meet potential clients and offer them services that will help them reduce taxes, increase profits and put money in the bank in such a way that you will be asked the question that we are all longing to hear: “How much do you charge for your services?”

With this one investment you’ll not only achieve your potential but you’ll surpass it! Your practice will grow and become more profitable than you could have imagined. Take advantage of this special package quickly, before we run out of inventory. We expect them to go fast, so order now!