How to make extra money as a bookkeeper

I recently had the chance to interview Ben, founder of Bookkeeper Business Academywho explains how becoming a bookkeeper may be a mkney for you. And guess what? You don’t have to be an accountant or have any previous experience! If you are looking for a new job or even just a side hustle, this may be something that you want to look. I am a CPA — bean counter — by trade. For 14 years, I owned my own accounting firm.

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New here? Be sure to attend our FREE workshop for new proofreaders. Register now! She is one of over graduates of the BBA program, and her success is a true testament to the quality of the training. Way to go, Ben! Before becoming a bookkeeper, I was a virtual assistant , so I already had my foot in the virtual world. But as a VA, my income was severely capped as the norm is still pay-per-hour-style billing. I had trouble finding good, quality clients, so I only had so many consistent paid hours per month. I was always searching for a new client. And yes, I did it because I was desperate! In my VA business, I realized the struggle was real for business owners to blindly try to figure this out on their own. I actually tried to teach myself with a book I bought but was so confused I just quit. Knowing how difficult it was to figure this out, I realized that it could be an amazing opportunity to serve clients in a way that would bring me more joy and offer something of true value.

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Well, like I said, I tried to learn it on my own and failed miserably. I should mention here that I am usually the type of person that can teach myself anything… guitar, violin, bass, piano, crochet, knitting, oil painting, languages, etc. I knew if I was going to do this it definitely needed to be a program of some sort being taught to me vs. I had tried to do my own bookkeeping as a VA, but it was just a mess because I had no idea what I was doing. On the business side of things, I knew the basics of having a business, but not a successful one. I had no clue how to find clients or market at all.

Love that concept! When you decided to start learning to become a bookkeeper, what was going through your mind?

This page may include affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. Posted by Marc Aug 5, Making Money. Not only does it offer excellent income potential, but working as a bookkeeper may also give you the opportunity to work from home, as a growing number of bookkeeping jobs are being done remotely. This article will cover all of the details related to what a bookkeeper does, qualifications for the job, and how to become a bookkeeper. There is no education or certification officially required to work as a bookkeeper. Many entry-level bookkeeping jobs require only a high school diploma, although the specific requirements can vary depending upon the company and the position. Some bookkeeping jobs may require an associates degree or some comparable work experience, which can also include other types of administrative work.

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Are you looking for a home-based job that will let you earn real money? Consider working from home as a bookkeeper. While an accountant and a bookkeeper have some overlapping tasks, these professions are not exactly the same. Some business owners are willing to train bookkeepers and there are courses available online. There are even free bookkeeping courses listed on the Internet. That means a virtual bookkeeper needs to have some crucial skills. Other skills, like problem-solving and the ability to handle stress, are needed in any career. As a home-based bookkeeper, you should be willing to learn new processes and technology. Since you are working remotely, you should be able to communicate well via email. You can work at night or early in the morning when the kids are asleep. Potential income The amount of money you make is completely up to you. You can take on extra clients or raise your rates when you need the extra money. In fact, all businesses need a person to handle their bookkeeping tasks. Do you need money for startup costs?

This is one of the most common questions I get asked. It can also be helpful to know your way around the accounting software that small businesses use — the most popular is Quickbooks , though Wave and Xero are also popular. Note: While not required, having some kind of degree or certification in the language you want to teach will definitely help boost your earnings. Treehouse — Treehouse is a website dedicated to teaching you how to code, and they have a large library of web development courses. Make pottery? Every other method here requires you to essentially trade hours for dollars; investing allows you to sit back as the money you have invested grows due to compound interest. Tutoring is a prime example of this. This is especially true if your parents or grandparents will let you comb through their old stuff and sell it as well. Walk around local neighborhoods and see if you can spot piles of brush, trash, or other items that people might need help getting rid of. Can you give me more details as to how to avail of your online class, fees etc. If you find your scanning needs increasing as your business grows, THEN you buy a nice one. Hi there, I just recently quit my job and is now looking for alternative income source. No question ever goes unanswered and you are never alone in your journey.

How Do You Get a Bookkeeping Certification?

But looking back, I realize I could have hit that number a lot sooner if I had known what I know. No questionable methods, no b. Just ways that, with a little hard work, will pay off quickly.

Before I get to the methods, you need to understand the right mindset to have when looking for ways to earn extra money. I include this section because, as a college student, I made the mistake of spending way too much money on courses that claimed they would help me make extra money. Certainly, there are courses out there that can help you boost your income. Ready to stop dreaming and start earning? None of these require expensive equipment, high startup costs, or even a degree.

What they do require is hard work, creativity, and the willingness to try new things or learn new skills. There are a ton of companies out there that need written content, including blog posts, video scripts, website copy, and.

To get started freelance writing, you have a couple of options. The first is to check out freelance job boards like UpworkFiverrand ProBlogger.

Alternatively, you can reach out directly to blogs who accept guest contributions. Check out our guide to building an online portfolio to get started on. If you want further guidance, including tips on how to pitch articles and get your first clients, check out this freelance writing course my friends Kristin and Alex created. The steps for getting started with freelance graphic design are fairly similar to freelance writing.

You can search on UpworkFiverror even 99designs for gigs. Alternatively, you can ask around campus to see if anyone needs design help. Making business cards and logos for people can be an especially fruitful place to start.

Here are a few courses to start with:. This is a great opportunity for anyone with web development skills to make some serious money. Just read our guideand now you have no excuses. And those development skills eventually led him to a full-time career working for College Info Geek.

So whether you want to make some extra money on the side or enter an in-demand, well-paying field, web development is worth learning. When transcribing audio, all you do is listen to a recording and turn it into a word document. Plus, you can do this job from the comfort of your home, making it great for fitting around your busy schedule.

Using a computer may seem second-nature to you, you darn millennial-Gen-XYZ whippersnapper. Instead of making fun of your grandpa for not knowing how to use his iPad, why not see if you can turn your knowledge into some extra cash?

The possibilities here are only limited by your creativity and what people will pay. Just a few ideas:. Still, you should seriously consider investing as early as you possibly. Every other method here requires you to essentially trade hours for dollars; investing allows you to sit back as the money you have invested grows due to compound.

And the sooner you get started, the more that compound interest will benefit you. You can use this Bankrate calculator to play with the numbers. While you can learn and optimize later, these three rules are really all you need to get started. Instead of letting them sit there collecting dust and getting in your way, why not sell them for some extra cash?

This is especially true if your parents or grandparents will let you comb through their old stuff and sell it as. Now, be warned — if you do this wrong, you can lose a bunch of money and waste a lot of time. You have to be smart about what you buy, which generally means using a tool like the Amazon Seller app Android iOS to calculate your potential profit.

But if you do it right, this can be an effective way to make money in your free time. People have kids, and they need a responsible adult to watch. You can either go through a site such as Care. People tend to associate yardwork with warm-weather activities such as lawn mowing, but it can also include things like shoveling snow and picking up dog poop. With these activities, you can stay busy earning money all year round. Differentiating yourself is key!

As long as you charge enough, you can hit your extra income goals with only a few hours of work per week. This is where you come in — with just some simple cleaning supplies and a few hours per week, you can earn great money. To maximize your earnings, we recommend doing this gig solo. In a similar vein to cleaning houses, things around the house tend to break.

While some people know how to fix them, plenty of others will go running to a handyman or woman whenever they need to patch a small hole or fix a leaky faucet. If you have some basic tools and a little bit of practice, you can earn good money helping friends, family, and anyone else with simple household repairs. Leave any major work to licensed professional contractors. But for small fixes, go for it! Many parents will do anything to help their kids succeed, even if it means spending lots of money.

Tutoring is a prime example of. Okay, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but lots of parents freak out when their kid is struggling even a little bit in school. As long as you know more about a subject than a kid and are good at explaining things, you can be a tutor though some parents may want you to have certain test scores or grades in certain courses.

To maximize your earnings, we recommend being a freelance tutor, but you can also earn decent money working for a tutoring company. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? But assuming you are, then you can earn good money helping other people learn a language. This is especially true if you can teach a high-demand language such as English, Mandarin, or Spanish. To get started, we recommend iTalkiwhich is our favorite place to find online language teachers.

Note: While not required, having some kind of degree or certification in the language you want to teach will definitely help boost your earnings. Think you need to be a CPA to do bookkeeping?

All you need is an understanding of basic bookkeeping and accounting principles. It can also be helpful to know your way around the accounting software that small businesses use — the most popular is Quickbooksthough Wave and Xero are also popular.

If you know Quickbooks, though, you can quickly adapt to. Know how to knit? Make pottery? Craft jewelry? If you can make it with your hands, then you can probably sell it on Etsy. You set your own prices, and Etsy takes a small commission each time you make a sale.

You need to take good photoswrite compelling descriptions, and get the word out about your store. There are lots of busy professionals who have way more money than time. There are lots of people who need help with cooking. Some people are too busy to cook for themselves, while others are unable to cook due to age or disability. Whatever the case, if you know how to cook, then you can turn that skill into extra money. For this reason, most people who can afford it will hire movers.

What you do is entirely up to you. Busking playing music for donations is a time-honored approach, but you could also tell fortunes, make art, or just dress up in a weird costume and charge for photos. Check your local laws before you begin. Most people would like to be in better shape than they are. As long as you can find enough clients, this is an easy gig to get started.

Not only will it help you market yourself to potential clients, but it will also make sure that you and your clients stay safe. Can you play music off your computer? To learn how to DJ, check out this course from a professional DJ and audio engineer. This might well be the holy grail of earning extra income. As a consultant, you help businesses or sometimes individuals overcome a particular problem. Generally, the goal is to help a business make more money.

If that sounds insanely broad and generic, it is. People have all kinds of crap in their yards and houses that they need help getting rid of. If you have a strong back and a vehicle that can haul junk, then you can start your own junk removal business.

To get started with this, your best bet is to hit the streets. Walk around local neighborhoods and see if you can spot piles of brush, trash, or other items that people might need help getting rid of. Then, just knock on doors and see if anyone is interested.

This is a very broad category, but we wanted to include it because sometimes making extra money is as simple as getting a good ole fashioned part-time job. Want to learn about some of our favorite hourly jobs for students? Check out this list. You just need to pick something from the above list that matches your skills, interests, and available time.

make money from home bookkeeping

Did you know Entrepreneur named bookkeeping as one of the most profitable online small businesses? Even if you have absolutely zero professional bookkeeping experience, you can get started with this in-demand, high-paying, remote-friendly career path. Many people confuse a bookkeeper with an accountant. In reality, they are two very completely different careers. For starters, accountants often require a degree or even certification.

Wow, $1/hour?! Yikes! So why did you decide to become a bookkeeper?

You may use an accountant to do your taxes each year, and for good reason: Accountants figure out taxes owed and prepare tax returns. But they also help individuals and businesses:. They may be responsible for paying bills or collecting payments on invoices. Other responsibilities of bookkeepers include:. A bookkeeper may also receive receipts, reimburse company employees for work-related expenses, and take charge of accounts receivable. Generally, a bookkeeper is responsible for keeping track of all debits and credits — money going in and money going out on a daly basis. Keep in mind, this is for bookkeepers who work in the accounting department of a company or corporation. Bookkeepers who strike out on their own can often earn three times that rate or. Mostly because freelancers, like virtual bookkeepers, can set their own rates. And, because these bookkeepers often work for multiple clients, their combined hourly rate is much greater than the set pay of an employee position. You sure can! Instead, candidates rely on a combination of existing skills and on-the-job training to be successful in the workplace.