Career Ideas, Make Money

How to Become a Bookkeeper Without a Degree

by Maria @ Call It Adventure

Learn about a bookkeeper career path and start a home-based online bookkeeping business. Find out how to become a bookkeeper with no experience.

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The majority of companies and business owners hate dealing with financial transactions, keeping track of expenses, and storing paper receipts. As a result, they have messy bookkeeping records, even if they have any bookkeeping at all.

Such companies can’t be blamed, because you can’t do all of the things yourself. Sometimes you need a helping hand. Therefore there is a demand for bookkeeping services.

Bookkeepers are responsible for recording financial transactions and maintaining financial reports. They keep track of a company’s expenses, prepare and interpret financial reports. Some bookkeepers do payroll as well.

A lot of small businesses need bookkeeping services. But they can’t afford or simply don’t want to hire a full-time bookkeeper. For that reason, business owners seek help from independent freelances and remote bookkeepers. This is how the demand and opportunities for bookkeeping businesses are created.

If you are ready to pursue a bookkeeper career path, you’re in luck. I’ll share information that I hope will answer all of your questions on how to become a bookkeeper.

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How much bookkeepers make?

According to the Glassdoor, an average bookkeeper’s salary is $33k.

But keep in mind that you don’t need a college degree to become a successful bookkeeper. Of course, it is nice to get basic bookkeeping training. But this kind of income is still pretty high for those who don’t have a college degree.

Moreover, with proper training, you can make as much as $60 and more per hour.

Check these FREE classes from Ben Robinson about bookkeeping business. Ben from Bookkeepers.com shares what it takes to become a successful bookkeeper, how to set up a profitable remote business, and teaches how to become a bookkeeper who charges a minimum of $60 per hour.

How long does it take to become a bookkeeper?

It is possible to become a bookkeeper in 4 months if you can spare 3-4 hours per day to dedicate learning bookkeeping.

There are a lot of options to learn bookkeeping and start making money from home with bookkeeping business.

You may already have a degree in accounting, or real experience working as a bookkeeper for a big company. Or maybe you’ve taken online bookkeeping courses and read a lot of books on bookkeeping.

It is a good start if you have any of these experiences.

But if you don’t have any previous experience or are afraid to start as an independent bookkeeper, consider joining Bookkeepers Launch program. Within just three months at the Bookkeepers Launch you’ll get all the knowledge, experience, and confidence to be a great bookkeeper and start a successful bookkeeping business.

Join Bookkeepers Launch today!

Instruments

One of the perks of starting a bookkeeping business is that the initial cost is as low as possible, especially when we talk about online bookkeeping business.

Here is what you may need to start a bookkeeping business:

Computer or a laptop

The majority of people already have a PC. So this is easy. Make sure that the computer is working fast and doesn’t create any problems. The last thing you want is a slow PC that is not reliable.

Good internet connection

A good internet connection is required to communicate with clients.

Bookkeeping software

I use both Xero and Quickbooks Online because I do bookkeeping part-time. You can choose any bookkeeping software you like. But these two are the most popular and reliable.

Google Drive

As long as clients and bookkeepers share a lot of sensitive information, it is nice to have an online platform to securely store documents and papers. I use Google Drive, and it showed itself as a very reliable platform to store and share documents, including spreadsheets, scans, and agreements.

Microsoft Office

A big part of a bookkeeper’s work is done in Excel spreadsheets. Therefore you’re gonna need a Microsoft Office to perform daily tasks for future clients.

Stationery

Notepads, pens, sticky notes. Think of everything that will help you keep the work organized.

Skills

Do don’t need to have a college degree to become a great bookkeeper. But having some skills is crucial.

Self-motivation

Number one skill for all of those who dream of having a remote business and work from home. You need to be very motivated to start from scratch and pursue the bookkeeper’s career path.

Passion for organization

One of the main responsibilities of a bookkeeper is to keep a company’s finances neat and organized. If you are passionate about cleaning up and putting everything to where it belongs, you will have one more skill to succeed as a bookkeeper.

Be in good terms with numbers

No doubt that a person should be in very good terms with numbers to run financial reports and oversee the cashflow. But again, all you need to have is a basic math understanding to not be afraid to use it.

Be a people’s person

As a matter of fact, it is good for any kind of business to be a nice person. The same is for a bookkeeping business. It is nice to talk about such subtle matters with a person who is open, eager to help, and friendly.

Have basic computer skills

It is practically impossible to imagine any job that doesn’t require computer skills. Luckily we all use computers in our daily and professional life. Therefore, make sure you’re up to date with your computer skills. Nothing extraordinary. Just basic ability to use email, Microsoft Office, scan documents, and keep folders organized.

Multitasking

A bookkeeper’s responsibilities vary from gathering receipts to creating financial reports and answering emails. Plus, as an online bookkeeper you most probably will have several clients. Therefore you’ll have to switch from one task to another, from one client to the other, is a matter of hours if not less. Being a profound multitasker can ease the job.

How to become a bookkeeper in three steps

Having an online bookkeeping business means:

  • Have a flexible schedule
  • Work as much or as little as you wish
  • Be your own boss
  • Ability to work from anywhere and therefore travel more
  • Take control of your life and career

Are you ready to have all of these and more by pursuing the bookkeeper career?

Learn how to do it right

I’ve mentioned that you don’t need a degree to become a bookkeeper. But still, you will need to have some skills and know how to perform basic responsibilities. There are a lot of books about bookkeeping and online courses.

I just love online courses. The reason is that you can learn new skills from the comfort of your home. Additionally, online courses are less pricey comparing to getting a college degree. Also, online courses usually very comprehensive because in the majority of cases, they are created by professionals who mastered their skills and ready to share the best tips and the easiest road map to success.

For example, Ben Robinson, a certified CPA, created Bookkeepers Launch, an incredible resource for bookkeepers to be.

Bookkeepers Launch is an online program that helps people, even those without experience in finances, to start a career in bookkeeping. You will learn the skills, systems, and what it takes to be a 21st-century bookkeeper so that you’ll stand out among other bookkeepers.

Check these FREE classes from Bookkeepers.com to figure out if it is something you’d like to pursue.

Set up the business

If you are looking for a short path to change a corporate career, you can totally skip this step.

But if your ultimate goal is to start an online business, then setting up a legal entity is an imperative step for you.

Usually, it takes less than a day to register a business and get it running. First of all, you need to choose the name that will show your serious intentions and professionalism. Then you will need to choose the form of the entity (LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, etc.). Lastly, you will need to register the business and get a business license.

Actually, another thing that I like about Bookkeepers Launch is that during this course you’ll learn all the steps to register your bookkeeping business.

Find your first client

Once you’ve learned bookkeeping and set up a business, it is time to find the first client. Serving the first client is actually when the business is starting. Therefore consider finding and helping your very first client as an ultimate goal.

Where to find bookkeeping gigs

So you have the courses behind your back. The business is registered. Here goes the step where a lot of people get nervous. Don’t be.

First of all, if you take the Bookkeepers Launch program, there is a whole segment that tells where and how to find clients.

Secondly, the world is full of opportunities, especially nowadays when the remote work is at its rise. There are tons of online job sites for freelancers.

For example here are some job marketplaces where you can find remote gigs:

In conclusion

Bookkeeping is not a get rich fast track. But with the right training, determination, and a lot of hours put into mastering the skills, it is possible to have a successful online bookkeeping career.

If you are serious about a bookkeeper business, I highly recommend checking FREE classes from Bookkeepers.com, it will help you understand if a bookkeeper’s career right for you.

Start FREE classes today!