Embarking on a Freelance Journey: Seeking Advice for a New Bookkeeping Venture

As my wife prepares to take the exciting leap into freelance Bookkeeping, she is seeking insights and advice from experienced professionals in the field. After dedicating nearly two decades to various roles in Accounting and Bookkeeping, she is ready to build her own client base and provide valuable services to businesses in need.

Over the years, she has accumulated a wealth of experience, ranging from serving as a staff accountant and supervisor responsible for payroll management for over 800 employees at a cable company, to managing the finances for a real estate developer, a construction firm, a painting company, and even an auto repair shop. Her extensive skill set makes her well-equipped to tackle diverse bookkeeping challenges.

Currently, she is deepening her expertise by completing all available QuickBooks certifications, and her professional website is nearing completion. With an engagement letter finalized and her resume updated, she is on the brink of launching her marketing efforts to attract new clients.

It is worth noting that she will not be offering tax services, as she is not a CPA or EA. Instead, she intends to focus on serving small to mid-sized businesses as an affordable and effective bookkeeping solution. Her specialties include cleaning up disorganized financial records, generating profit and loss statements, balancing sheets, and offering cost-cutting suggestions. Additionally, she places a strong emphasis on automation to enhance efficiency in her processes.

Our initial strategy involves reaching out to local CPA firms, and here is where we would greatly appreciate your input. What do you believe is the best way to establish contact with these firms? Should we prioritize emails, phone calls, or personal visits? Moreover, we would welcome any advice on how to make a memorable first impression during these interactions.

We are also considering a billing model based on hourly rates and would welcome any other suggestions or best practices for acquiring clients and navigating the freelance landscape.

Thank you for your insights and guidance as we embark on this new chapter!