Lydia E. Clark - How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Bookkeeping Business

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

• Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.
• Support local and no-kill animal shelters.
• Plant a tree to honor someone you love.
• Be a developer put up some birdhouses.
• Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.
• Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.
• Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.
• Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.
• Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.
• If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.
• Support your local farmers market.
• Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to dedicate this book to every bookkeeper and bookkeeping business owner who has the passion and dedication for the work involved in this growing profession.

I would like to thank and acknowledge everyone who made this book possible. I would like to thank Atlantic Publishing for giving me the opportunity to write this book. Special thanks are in order to Amanda Miller, who first presented the opportunity to me. I want to thank my editor, Amy Moczynski, who had the patience and insight to help me guide this book to its completion. I would also like to thank all of my case study participants who helped me with their professional inputs on bookkeeping as a profession. Finally, I would like to thank the several small businesses that helped me in this endeavor and allowed me to use their expertise and work to improve this book as a whole. I could not have done this without any of you. Thank you!

INTRODUCTION: The Realities of Starting a Business

Beginning a new business is exhilarating and overwhelming. In reality, the success of your bookkeeping business will depend on your drive, determination, and the resources you have available. According to the U.S. Small Business Association, 66 percent of all small business startups survive the first two years and less than half survive four years. The time it will take your business to succeed will vary and could be seen in a period of months or years. Based on research done by small business experts, it will take three to five years to achieve full success. The day-to-day activities you perform to help your business succeed, and the time you invest in your business venture are not to be taken lightly. A business requires serious commitment and drive. It will take months to get cash-flow systems, market research analysis, and financial revenues running properly. Guidance from professionals such as accountants, financial advisers, lawyers, and bankers will provide you with valuable resources during the startup phase.