Are you planning to start a home accounting business from home? Do you want to start a freelance accounting firm without prior experience? Here’s a complete in-depth guide on how you can start a home accounting firm from home without any work experience.
With the help of the internet and basic accounting knowledge, you can do a full-fledged accounting business from home with almost no money.
Every business requires some sort of accounting. While big businesses hire a full-time accountant, small and medium-sized businesses look for freelance home accounting services.
What is an Accounting Business?
An accounting business is a professional service that offers various financial and accounting services to individuals, businesses, and organizations. These services typically include bookkeeping, tax preparation, auditing, financial consulting, payroll management, budgeting, and financial analysis.
Accounting businesses may be operated by certified public accountants (CPAs), enrolled agents, bookkeepers, or financial consultants who have expertise in managing financial records, interpreting financial data, and providing strategic financial advice. The primary goal of an accounting business is to help clients manage their finances effectively, ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations, and make informed financial decisions to achieve their financial goals.
10 Steps to Start a Home-Based Accounting Business
Step 1. Starting With The Basics
Determine your expertise in accounting and financial management. If you’re a CPA, you can offer a wide range of services including tax preparation, auditing, and financial consulting. If you’re a bookkeeper, you can focus on maintaining financial records and providing basic accounting services. In case you don’t have a degree, either you can do a course or gain experience with a reputed accounting firm. Accounting and bookkeeping go hand in hand, and you don’t even need a degree to start offering bookkeeping services from home.
Also, make sure to work at some accounting firm before starting your home accounting firm.
Step 2. Create a Business Plan
You need a setup to start a home accounting business. Coming to finance, you need to have a budget for business registration, a website, and some soft marketing (both offline and online). One client may sound easy to manage, but as you grow or have a number of clients, it’s important to manage.
Different businesses will report to you on a daily and weekly basis, so you need to have a proper business plan. Some of the basic topics your business plan must address are the following:
- Initial and recurring costs
- Target customers
- Pricing plan
- How do plan to offer your accounting services?
Step 3. Register Your Home-Based Accounting Firm
You need to register your company to start offering services legally. As a home business, it’s better to have registered under a sole proprietorship. Depending on your location and the services you offer, you may need to obtain specific certifications or licenses to practice as an accountant or bookkeeper. Research the requirements in your area and ensure compliance with regulations.
Step 4. Set Up Your Home Office
Designate a quiet and organized space in your home to serve as your office. Invest in essential equipment such as a computer, printer, scanner, accounting software, and office supplies. Create a professional workspace that reflects your professionalism.
Step 5. Select Services
You need to select a few services you want to offer. You can work with one or two niche segments. It’s better to start with the prior professional experience you have. Selected services will help you to cater to a segmented client base.
Don’t go overboard with what you offer. You need to target only a handful of clients and make sure you serve them well.
Step 6. Creating An Interactive Website
Now you need to create a website. A good website will help you to gain more clients. The website should be interactive and inspire confidence in clients that their data is being handled with utmost security and confidentiality. As you will be working from home, therein you play an important role.
You may also offer a free 7-day trial with an integrated payment option where they can cancel anytime within the period if they don’t like it.
Step 7. Creating A Fee Structure
You need to analyze your competitors here. See what others are charging, how much local accountants charge, what’s the standard market rate, and more. As you are new, it’s better to charge below the competition. You should first focus on building a client base rather than emphasizing profits.
Research your virtual competitors to decide on a final fee.
Step 8. Manage Your Finances
Practice good financial management for your own business. Keep track of your expenses, maintain accurate records, and set aside funds for taxes and business expenses. Consider hiring an accountant or financial advisor to help you with financial planning and budgeting.
Step 9. Buy an Accounting Software
You will have to learn to work on basic accounting software. This can either be Quickbooks or any accounting software that follows accounting standards. Either you can learn it online, or via YouTube. There are several tutorials available online for free. Even Udemy and Coursera also have different online classes courses available on accounting software guides.
It is advised by most accounting experts to buy cloud-based accounting software for accounting jobs if they are working with clients. This type of software not only makes accounting processes easier but also helps in proper monitoring.
Step 10. Marketing Your Remote Accounting Services
You will have to market and promote your services to bring in clients initially. The website will help you to score from searches, but you need to use social media to bring in traffic. Also, you can use professional social media platforms like LinkedIn to target businesses directly.
Print a few brochures and send them to local businesses and firms. Direct marketing is going to help you spread the word.
Social media marketing targets specific demographics, so you can use Facebook and Instagram to target small business owners and targeted customers.
Step 10. Staying Updated & Expansion
Embrace the learning curve. The methods may not change, but with time you need to update yourself with the changing technology. You will have to upgrade and expand in the coming years. As an accounting firm, you have the scope to sell different financial products.
You may also plan to add business tax filing, financial planning, and loan options for businesses. It’s up to you now how you wish to grow your home-based accounting business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a home-based accounting business?
A home-based accounting business is a venture run from the owner’s residence that provides accounting and financial services to clients. This setup allows accountants to work remotely and offer their services without the need for a physical office space.
What Qualifications Do You Need To Start an Accounting Business from Home?
While bookkeepers don’t require any qualification, an accountant has to be officially qualified to handle a company’s accounts. You need a basic accounting degree to be a remote accountant.
Some added work experience in an accounting firm will serve as a cherry on top.
How To Run A Home Accounting Business?
As a freelance home accountant, you can easily offer services over email and calls, without visiting your client. You need to be clear about how you want to communicate. You can either sign up on a daily or record intimation.
Also, make ask your client when you can contact them for any query.
How Profitable Is Home Accounting Business?
Quite profitable if you can maintain a steady base of clients. If you are dealing with a bunch of clients at a time, freelance remote accounting can be a highly profitable business. Maintaining a good relationship with different firms is important. You also need to market yourself to small businesses and firms that offer efficient remote accounting services.
What equipment and software do I need to start a home-based accounting business?
Basic equipment includes a computer or laptop, accounting software, printer, scanner, and reliable internet connection. Popular accounting software options include QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks.
How do I find clients for my home-based accounting business?
Networking within your professional circle, leveraging social media platforms, creating a professional website, attending networking events, and offering promotional discounts are some ways to attract clients. Providing excellent service and asking for referrals from satisfied clients can also help grow your client base.
What are the advantages of running an accounting business from home?
Some advantages include lower overhead costs, flexible working hours, the ability to work remotely, and greater control over your schedule and workload.
Are there any challenges associated with running a home-based accounting business?
Challenges may include maintaining a work-life balance, staying motivated and disciplined while working from home, and establishing credibility without a physical office presence.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
