Launching a Freelance Bookkeeping Venture: Seeking Insights from Industry Veterans

My wife is on the cusp of an exciting new journey, transitioning from the corporate world to launching her own freelance Bookkeeping business. With nearly two decades of experience in Accounting and Bookkeeping, she’s well-prepared to take this venture forward, and we’re eager for insights from those who have already navigated this path.

Throughout her career, she has held several significant positions, including staff accountant and supervisor for a major cable company’s payroll department, office manager for a real estate developer, and bookkeeping roles in the construction, painting, and auto mechanics industries. She possesses a strong grasp of various bookkeeping practices and has honed her skills across diverse sectors.

Currently, she is deep into finalizing her certifications with QuickBooks and is putting the finishing touches on her website. An engagement letter is prepared, her resume is updated, and she is nearly ready to embark on client acquisition efforts.

It’s important to note that while she won’t be providing tax services and does not hold CPA or EA designations, her goal is to support smaller, mid-sized, and new businesses by offering cost-effective bookkeeping solutions. Her expertise lies in tidying up disheveled financial records, preparing profit and loss statements, balancing sheets, and offering strategic advice on cost-cutting measures. She is particularly interested in incorporating automation into her services to enhance efficiency.

Our initial strategy involves reaching out to local CPA firms, and I’m curious to learn about the best way to make that initial contact—should we approach them via email, phone calls, or perhaps even in person? Additionally, any advice on creating a strong first impression would be immensely valuable.

We’re planning to bill clients on an hourly basis and are also open to any other recommendations for attracting clients or general advice on establishing a successful freelance bookkeeping practice.

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