Great book! I liked it a lot. I think it is a wonderful book that will help someone with an accounting background either take the plunge into self-employment as a QuickBooks consultant, or give someone who already has their own bookkeeping or accounting firm the know-how to expand into another service offering. This book is not about Quickbooks per se. It is about how to become a Quickbooks consultant in a professonal capacity.The author has ties to Intuit and the Kauffman Foundation. And sometimes the book comes across as an advertisement for these two organizations. She is also a QuickBooks consultant herself, so this book comes across as a marketing piece for her private practice, too. But the book is a short quick read that certainly opened my eyes to what a person can do to prepare for and become a self-employed QuickBooks consultant.
I am a SCORE volunteer who regularly counsels wanta-be entrepreneurs and small business owners on how to prepare business plans and how to get their new businesses up and running. I'm also a CPA and attorney. I am not one to advise my SCORE clients to spend much on consultants to help them start their own businesses. And the way I usually advise my clients regarding bookkeeping and accounting is to get a PC and a copy of QuickBooks Pro. I tell them to install the software on their computer and struggle with the program for a week. Try to set up their accounting system and then save the data file to a CD. Then find a QuickBooks consultant to examine it and tweek it so it will work well for the business and the data can be easily merged into Turbo Tax at year end. Now that I have read this book I know a little more about what credentials a QuickBooks consultant should have and how my clients can easily find them.
I think some of the material could have been grouped a little differently. If it had, then I would have liked the book better. For example, it seemed like marketing topics were found in a few places. And information about Web sites was found in a few places. I would have liked to see these topics dealt with just once each and more fully.
I would have liked a chapter each on how to write the following plans: business, marketing, public relations, and networking. And I didn't see much value in appendices C, D or E. Instead, I would have liked to have seen a nice 30-page sample business plan that the reader could use as a templete for their consulting practice.
My biggest gripe with the book was Chapter 7 regarding defining one's services and billing rates. I thought the rates were low. Way low! I advise my SCORE clients not to start a business unless their effective billable hour is no lower than $125 an hour. I don't care what the business is. This is one of the reasons EVERYONE needs to write a business plan. By writing it they can figure out what services will generate the appropriate revenues. And what services won't. Don't offer any services that won't provide a reasonable amount of compensation.
Doing data entry is not a valuable service. So don't offer that. Examining a startup's attempt at setting up QuickBooks for $750 for 3 or 4 hours work is a valuable service. So do that. Also, fees should not depend on whether you work in a rural or a highly populated area. QuickBooks consulting can be done online and should be done online. Thus where you live is irrelevant. Charge what you are worth - not a fee based on where you live.
At page 13 the book includes a table or exhibit that lists the type of work typical QuickBooks consultants perform. After looking at the list I can see why they don't make much money. What I expected to see on the list was services related to coaching and helping people prepare great business plans. That is the most logical complementary service a QuickBooks consultant can provide. Of course, helping clients systematize their business' operations is another. And what about payroll consulting?
I would have liked included in the Appendix a list of books the author thought could further help someone who wants to be a successful QuickBooks consultant. This is particularly true with regard to business plans, Web sites, and marketing. None was provided. I am going to post a comment to this book review that will include the list of books I wanted to see. In any event, this is a unique and worthwhile book. I think the author has done us a favor by providing it to us. 5 stars!
Product Description
This book will help you start earning money in your OWN business with the wealth of information it provides. It includes
* Steps to start your own business (and estimated start up costs)
* How to define your services and set billing rates (includes average billing rates)
* How to improve your knowledge and experience
* How to obtain new clients and effective marketing ideas
* Details about websites, client engagements, market opportunities, growing the business, and MUCH more.
The book includes results of a national survey of QuickBooks ProAdvisors about their annual income, use of engagement letters, over 300 comments and advice on things they wish they had known sooner or done differently, their KEYS to SUCCESS and more!
Bookkeepers, accountants, tax preparers, and consultants will all find beneficial information in the book. With your own business, you can decide what hours you want to work, services to provide, and work from home if you choose! This book will help you SUCCEED!"
From the Author
* Thinking about starting your own consulting business?
* Need ideas to help grow your business?
* Not sure how to get clients or what rates to charge?
* Want advice from other top consultants?
If so, then Successful QuickBooks Consulting is for you! After owning my own traditional accounting practice for about five years, I realized I did not really enjoy the work I was performing. I went back to school and earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Now, I am the owner of M. Long Consulting, LLC. Speaking, training, consulting, and writing are now my focus, and I could not be happier!!! I have been able to be my own boss, set my own work hours, and select the clients and type of services I want to provide. Most importantly, I have been home with my children while they are growing up! It is my hope that I can help share my knowledge to help others achieve the same in their lives! I truly enjoy helping others start and grow their own business as well as helping small and growing businesses to utilize QuickBooks to manage their business with good financial information.
Alison Ball, Sr. Manager, Accountant Training Network, Intuit, Inc.
"Michelle Long has created a very comprehensive guide for anyone considering starting a QuickBooks Consulting business. Her use of real-life examples and the fact that she has used her own experiences along with those of other leading QuickBooks Consultants is very compelling."
Cheri Streeter, MBA and Small Business Development Center Director, Overland Park, KS
"Sharing best practices is what Michelle Long does best -- whether it's teaching QuickBooks in the classroom or sharing her tips in this book. The best part is: Michelle actually practices what she preaches -- in her own consulting business. Michelle's guide is full of practical how-to's and is the perfect first step for anyone contemplating starting a QuickBooks consulting business."
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