I'm just starting out on the road to becoming a qualified book-keeper (AICB with diploma in self-assessment tax returns). Once I have finished my studies, I'm wondering how I should go about acquiring clients? Obviously I won't have much experience to speak of, although I do have a friend who needs her books done. Any advice about this and any general advice would be appreciated.
the question basically comes down to where you live.
Some areas such as mine (Staffordshire and West Midlands) seem to have more bookkeepers than businesses to service.
Other areas such as part of Scotland have seemingly far better business to bookkeeper ratio's.
The key is to get your name out there. Network, use social media(although I don't yet do that one myself), make sure that friends and friends of friends know what you are about so that they can spread the word.
Register with agencies and pick up experience by taking temp roles. Good credit control roles can be particularly rewarding (and bad one's are basically just call centres).
Contacting accountants is unlikely to reap any reward unless the accountant has already heard of you.
The more packages that you have the more interesting you become.
The big ones of course are advanced knowledge of Excel, Sage and Quickbooks. But there are far more packages out there including a multitude of cloud offerings that accountants don't have time to master so someone having those skills gives them the opportunity of a foot in the door.
The above said, it's often pretty much minimum wage type work to start with which seems a tragedy when people get more for stacking shelves in Tesco's than someone having spent hundreds, possibly thousands advancing themselves.
Good luck with moving your career forwards.
kind regards,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
