Today’s blog post is all about answering YOUR questions about Bookkeeper Launch. Make sure you check out my Bookkeeping Business tag after watching this video, I’ve got a full review of the program, my journey to 100k in bookkeeping revenue, how to get your first paying clients and more!
If you have a question that is NOT covered in this video today, make sure you drop it down below! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list and like this post if it helps you make a decision about Bookkeeper Launch!
1. Can this become a part time job for evening and weekend hours? I have a full time career that I love but I'm very interested in doing bookkeeping part time.
Yes! I would say 1000% yes if this also compliments your full time job. Maybe you already work at an accounting office, as a realtor, or insurance agent where you are already networking a lot with other business owners.
You have to make sure that there is no conflict of interest and maybe think about signing a non-compete agreement, but this can definitely coincide really well with a lot of full time jobs.
Even if you want to do bookkeeping as your full time job, not many people can or should quit their job immediately after purchasing the course! Chances are, unless you are already an accountant wanting to learn how to better market yourself through Bookkeeper Launch, most will be doing this as a side hustle at first.
One other aspect of this is that if you can only work weekends or evenings, some people see this as a limiting factor, but I truly believe that this can most definitely work in your favor!
The flip side of this is that I only work Monday-Thursday during regular business hours and this doesn’t work for certain business owners. Some may actually prefer that you can take emails and calls during non traditional hours.
2. My biggest fear is not finding clients. How does Bookkeeper launch help with this?
This was definitely my BIGGEST question/doubt when purchasing Bookkeeper Launch. Similar questions that I get all the time are how long does it take to get your first client, what happens if I have to fire a client or get fired by a client, what if I can’t find any clients at all.
To boost your confidence, check out my video here where the comments are flooded with success stories of people that took the leap and are extremely satisfied with the quality of the program and just how thorough it is.
I honestly don’t think that the question is “is bookkeeper launch worth it? Is bookkeeper launch going to work for me?” It’s a tried and true program that turns every day individuals into bookkeeping business owners.
The question REALLY is: am I committed to making this work? Am I willing to get uncomfortable and get out of my comfort zone?
Instead of telling you all the ways to find your first client because I do that in this blog post here… Let’s instead go over the obstacles that people get hung up on that holds them back from getting their first client.
Self sabotage, imposter syndrome, procrastination, comparing yourself to others… All of those I think fall under self sabotage. You have GOT to work on your mindset as a new entrepreneur. It’s absolutely crazy that our mindset can 100% derail us and keep us from reaching our goals but it’s true.
My advice is to start small, network with CPAs and maybe even work under them during tax season when their time is better spent doing taxes than doing bookkeeping and they can outsource that to you.
Work with startups in your area while you get some practice in QBO. I worked with start ups when I first started my business and I absolutely fell in love with this niche. Even today, I love working with startups and helping them navigate the cash flow issues during their first few years in business.
Another obstacle to getting your first paying client might just be limited time. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Just because someone in the group signed 30 clients in a year DOES NOT mean anything about how you are doing. You can read stories like this in the Bookkeeper launch facebook group all the time for inspiration but as soon as you start comparing your journey to someone else’s… it quickly turns into doubt and self sabotage.
There are so many variables involved like experience, time available, goals, etc. If you have limited time to work on this, be prepared that it might take a bit longer, but that doesn’t mean that you are doing things wrong.
Trust the process and stay in your lane. Comparison can kill your mindset!
3. What is the return on investment?
I answered this question about awhile ago but I wanted to give an update, I just crossed $500,000 as my lifetime revenue. For an initial $1700 investment that ROI IS INSANE!!
I know that I’ve had just a few people dm me or say in the comments "WELL when you purchased the program it was much cheaper than it is now."
While you’re not wrong, purchasing Bookkeeper Launch was quite a bit riskier back in 2017. Since then, there are so MANY bookkeeper launch grads doing multiple six figures, the program has had a couple MAJOR overhauls, and even with all of that, I think that people that look down on the increase in price are missing the point.
You are focusing on the COST vs. the VALUE of bookkeeper launch. I literally just told you that I’ve done over 500k in revenue since I bought bookkeeper launch.. Do you really think I look back and think “wow… I really wish I could have just got $500 off the cost, ya know?”
If this is your obstacle and what’s holding you back, to be frank, you’re splitting hairs and I smell self sabotage. If you commit to this, and follow through, you’re not going to look back and think… “I wish I would have waited for a black Friday sale.”
Again, it’s not “is bookkeeper launch worth it?” The success stories are undeniable and there are THOUSANDS of them.
The question is, are you really willing to commit? If the answer is yes, then it’s a good investment.
4. How do I scale this business to make $6k a month consistently
I LOVE this question. A few important key points here, revenue is NOT what you take home each month. Even though it’s an online business and there are fewer expenses than a brick and mortar storefront, you still have business expenses and that’s not a bad thing because it helps lessen your tax liability.
That being said, first I would decide how much time you are willing to devote to doing bookkeeping services each month and how much time will be spent marketing.
In the beginning, it will be way more skewed toward marketing. As you get clients that starts to balance out and you might begin to do more bookkeeping than marketing.
Once you have an idea of the time that you have available that aligns with your goals, the next decision is what size businesses you want to work with or how many businesses you want to work with.
Like I said earlier, I like working with start ups and since I’m full time, I don’t mind managing many books. This may not be you, maybe you just want to dive into a few books and have those be bigger and way more involved.
I don’t think that there’s a right or wrong answer. It really comes down to what you WANT and that’s the best part right?
Once you decide those two things, it’s really a math problem. In order to generate 6k in revenue a month you need 6 larger clients at $1000/month or 12 medium sized clients at $500/month. Or 6 clients at $500/month and sign a clean up client for $3,000 each month.
All of these are very reasonable numbers of what can be expected.
5. How many hours did you work when you made around 4k a month?
I was full time so about 40/week, I’ll admit though that I was definitely working harder and not necessarily smarter when I first started.
I work less now and make way more, I try to work only Monday - Thursday except for the occasional coaching session or catch up time on Fridays. My last 5 months or so have been right around 10k in revenue
If I had a graph, it would be working spikes when I add a service or update a coaching program or do things like start youtube but overall working hours has been trending downward while income has been trending upward since I started.
6. When you market yourself, do you get questioned if you are a certified bookkeeper? Like having a professional certification from American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers or National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers?
This is a popular question. The answer is NO. I think generally speaking, we as bookkeepers or aspiring bookkeepers overestimate the organization of small businesses.
Overwhelmingly my experience with small businesses when I send them a proposal is that they need their books overhauled because they have very few effective systems and processes in place financially.
They know how to SELL, and they just don’t want to be doing the books so they don’t. This is also my ideal client. I want to work with the visionary, the solopreneur or the small business owner that really is the poster child for small business roots, very down to earth.
You may want to work with more established business owners who have systems and processes and just need to outsource or upgrade their bookkeeping.
I think about when I hired a VA or when I outsource my video editing or my taxes to an accountant. I didn’t really ask about their qualifications or care what certifications they had.
I based my decision on if they understood and could solve my pain points, and testimonials from their clients.
I would focus more on those two things when talking to prospective clients and certifications/associations more formal things are really non issues.
However, if it makes YOU feel better, there is a certification that you can get on Quickbooks online that I recommend by Intuit.
There is also a certification at the end of bookkeeper launch now that you get when you pass the final exams. In summary, I’ve never had anyone question if I’m certified, instead focus on their problems/solutions, and getting strong client testimonials.
7. I have some basic QuickBooks online knowledge / training. Does having that experience make this program easier to grasp, etc.? Thanks!
I’ve seen this question a lot as well and the answer is overwhelmingly YES. I’ve met so MANY professionals in the group that are accountants first by trade or graduate from school with a degree in accounting and want to start their own practice so they purchase bookkeeper launch.
8. With no programming, any bookkeeping skills, or not much software skills, could one pickup quickly??? (I'm not under a rock) just saying.
I personally had NEVER touched anything small business related when I purchased Bookkeeper Launch. I was desperate to get out of my full time job, saw bookkeeper launch on an article written by the penny hoarder and took the leap.
It’s specifically designed for people with zero experience. ”Quickly” of course is relative, but my answer would be yes.
9. I am still completely terrified that I don't know what I'm doing and have no idea how to start my business. I am currently working an office job not in accounting, bored out of my mind and getting paid almost nothing to do it. Should I take the course or is there another route I can go since I already have my certificate?
As I mentioned earlier, unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it, certificates don’t really mean anything. They don’t qualify you to take on clients and they definitely don’t give you any leg up when starting your business.
To get the experience you need, take Bookkeeper Launch. The videos and walk throughs are so valuable. There is training to make sure that everything is understood, and then also practical training to make sure that you understand how things play out in the software as well.
10. I have a friend who shared Bookkeeper Launch to me and thought we should try it out. She’s a little hesitant because she views herself as an introvert and doesn’t think she is capable of providing confidence to clients as someone with no finance background, but loves the aspect of bookkeeping. Would this be the right fit for someone like her?
I would definitely identify with the attributes of an introvert. I think the question should be "Is she open to growing in this area?"
I've met a lot of quiet and shy entrepreneurs that thrive because they are willing to grow and step up in their business when they need to. A reserved person who thinks "I'll never be able to be a speaker or command a room, meet new people, or put myself out there on social media" probably won't do very well.
Here's the good news: a lot of business owners who need bookkeepers are already free spirits, outgoing, pulled in 100 different directions, and don't want to sit at a computer to look at numbers! They want someone who is Type A, who will be a rock for them, and someone who communicates in a timely and efficient manner.
If you're introverted or more on the quiet side, you won't have to become someone you're not. BUT you WILL have to have a growth mindset if you want to thrive as an entrepreneur and bookkeeper.
11. What other costs are associated with BL: Would I need to buy QuickBooks as well for the training? I assume I would need QB in order to start my own business right?
Check out this video here for more info on start up costs for your bookkeeping business but the short answer is, Quickbooks online is free for accountants!
I recommend buying a used laptop or computer if you don’t already have one and then you can always upgrade down the road when you have paying clients.
I started my business with a used desk, old office chair I had when I was a kid, a Squarespace website that was $97/year, free Mailchimp account, free Calendly account, and my college laptop that I got in 2010.
Oh, and my LLC was $50 I think.
I love programs that are one stop shops for what you need and bookkeeper launch really is that! There aren't a bunch of other hidden costs and things that you will need to buy in order to make it work.
Like I said in the beginning if you have a question that I did not hit on in this post, drop it down in the comment section below.
