Now, more than ever, you need your business to stand out.  People are being more selective when looking for financial professionals who can meet their every need, conveniently and for a reasonable fee.  Many, especially small business owners, are interested in a tax preparer who can also manage their accounting needs.  Small-business accountants who can consult with owners on increasing their business’s profitability are very appealing.

To truly make your business stand out you must become the premier financial provider in your area, expanding your services to include small-business accounting and QuickBooks services.  When you do, you’ll find your business becomes more resilient and outstanding, pulling ahead of the competition in order to dominate in a recessive market.

Market Domination

The best way to secure your foothold in a recessive market is to add complementary services that are required by the majority of your clients.  And small businesses are required by law to keep financial records.  Your services become even more appealing when they’re coupled with informed reporting that will help your clients make more profitable business decisions based on the sound accounting data you provide.

Small Business Accounting

Small business accounting is a valuable niche market.  In fact, over 90% of accounting opportunities can be found in the small business arena.  Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has been training professionals like you in small business accounting for over 25 years because they recognize what many do not; most universities and trade programs are teaching students corporate accounting which isn’t preparing them for the typical, real-world accounting experiences they will encounter.

Becoming a small business accountant doesn’t require years of your valuable time.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program is not only reputable, but it’s self-paced, enabling a busy professional like you to take your time or complete the program quickly, in less than 60 hours.

And when you take this program you are trained to act as your clients’ Profit Expert.  What is a Profit Expert?  A proactive accountant who realizes that the information he/she generates provides crucial data that can make or break a business.  It’s the accountant’s job to share this data with business owners, explaining it in such a way that they both understand what the information indicates and can use it to make informed business decisions.  The PB Program will train you how to do that.

You will gain the confidence and skill necessary to start and manage nearly every client’s books, and when you have a question, our follow-up program enables you to call and ask one of our seasoned professionals.

QuickBooks Services

By why stop with accounting services?  Increase your business’s appeal by offering QuickBook services as well.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks will help you master this accounting software, and once you do, you can offer QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services, charging $45 to $75 per hour.

Becoming a QuickBooks Specialist would provide you with numerous ways to bring in more business, increase your income, and make your job easier.  You’ll find companies who want to do their accounting tasks themselves, but need help in configuring QuickBooks to meet their needs.  And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem.

Tough times require strategic measures.  By turning your tax service into a full-service financial provider, you get your game on, working year-round for clients that not only need your services, but value them enough to tell their friends and family about your business!  Take the initiative and learn more about these two programs. It won’t be long before you can dominate in a recessive market.

We know that right now you’re probably thinking about what you’re going to do for Thanksgiving.  Will you be eating with the in-laws?  Maybe you’ll be inviting friends over for a feast at your house?  Or perhaps you’ll buck tradition and order pizza?  Regardless of how you choose to spend this holiday, we’d like you to think ahead to the next one.

Things may be a little tight this Christmas.  The kids might be asking for a Wii, your parents may want a Caribbean cruise, and you may just want a little peace and quiet.  While all those things are great items for a Christmas wish list, we’d like you to consider giving yourself the gift of a more lucrative future.

Whether you prepare taxes on the side or run a tax practice year-round, you can benefit from adding complementary services to your menu.  What client wouldn’t be interested in taking their finances to a practice that could perform all their accounting and tax needs?  You can gain that accounting expertise in less than 60 hours, all spent on your own time and at your own pace, when you enroll in Universal Accounting Center’s (UAC) Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program.

Accounting Expertise

The PB course will supply all the know-how and confidence necessary for you to start and manage the books of current and prospective clients.  You will learn the day-to-day accounting functions required by small businesses, something not offered by most university degree programs.  You will gain a competitive edge that you will use with effective marketing strategies UAC will also provide.

The course consists of the following four modules:

Module 1-Accounting Made Easy. You will master the tools, procedures, and underlying principles that make up the bookkeeping processes of all businesses.  You will also understand the core building blocks of accounting and bookkeeping.

Module 2-Practical Small Business Applications. You will apply your understanding of the core accounting principles to specific industries.  You will learn to set up books from scratch, do payroll like a seasoned pro, and much more.

Module 3-Advancing your “Account-Ability.” You will learn sure ways to set up complete bookkeeping systems and manage the books for a variety of more sophisticated industries.

Module 4-Building a Successful Accounting Service. You will learn the steps to finding paying clients.  Upon completion of this module you will be able to start and grow an accounting practice following a proven program tested and perfected since 1979.

Upon successful completion of the course you can earn valuable professional certification, demonstrating your expertise.

In addition to all this, the PB program comes with the following iron-glad guarantee:

“If, after completing the course, you feel the course didn’t live up to your expectation, simply return the materials to Universal, for a 100% refund of any monies paid.”

QuickBooks Services

Adding accounting services to your menu would definitely expand your current offering and enhance your overall appeal.  When you add QuickBooks services to your menu, you become a full-service financial provider that also offers QB setup, help, and consultation services.

Consider this, Intuit charges $75 an incident and $349-$600 per year for QuickBooks support.  That’s too pricey for most small business owners, 85% of which currently use QuickBooks software; you could offer QuickBooks support for a more reasonable fee and draw in more clients in need of a little QuickBooks help. Becoming a Quickbooks Specialist will enable you to bring in more business, increase your income, and make your job easier.

This program comes complete with eight sessions that will train you in the following:

Sessions 1-3. The fundamentals of daily bookkeeping tasks, enabling you to gain a better understanding of the tasks that a bookkeeper performs. You will learn the key indicators of a company’s financial health, how to calculate them, and what they mean to your company. You will learn to interpret financial data in order to turn it into actionable business wisdom.

Sessions 4-6.  The must-know principles of marking down assets and how to depreciate them for the largest tax advantage in as little time as the law allows. You will learn methods of depreciating fixed assets and how to calculate allowance for bad debts. You’ll learn the benefits of each business structure and which form will legally allow you to pay the least taxes possible.

Session 7. The technique that will enable you to navigate the debit/credit maze and learn to use the accountant’s troubleshooting tool. You’ll be introduced to preparing financial statements and will be taught how to interpret them into practical steps you can take to increase profitability.

Session 8. Gross profit-what is it and what does it mean to the financial condition of your company? You will learn how the income accounts connect into the balance sheet.

These two programs will enable you to expand your business in 2009!  By enrolling in these courses today, you invest in the financial future of yourself and your family.  While most Christmas presents can wear out or break altogether, this gift of valuable career training will be a holiday investment you will never regret.

Enroll today and get your Christmas present early this year!

While it may sound counterintuitive to increase your service offerings during economic turmoil, in the long run, it can be the one thing that will ensure survival for your tax practice.

The longer the recession runs, the more competitive the market will become.  A prospective client will have less money to spend, and he’ll be looking for a financial provider that can give him more bang for his buck.

Consider the accountant who has access to much of the same information you do.  If that accountant offered tax preparation services in addition to accounting services, might you lose a client to a financial provider who is not only more convenient, but perhaps more cost efficient?

You gain a competitive advantage by becoming a one-stop financial shop for prospective clients.

Accounting Services

Thumb through your local phone book to see how many small businesses exist in your area.  Consider that all these businesses are required, by law, to keep an accounting record.  Most small business owners don’t have the expertise necessary to effectively manage their own books.  If you could perform those accounting services while increasing their profitability and decreasing their spending, your fee would be worth its weight in gold.  And you would have a competitive advantage.

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed to teach you how to start a business’s books from scratch.  Whether you’re an experienced accountant or a beginner, this course will enhance your knowledge and confidence in order to add accounting services to your menu.  You can earn valuable certification demonstrating that you have the expertise required to manage a business’s financials.  Add to that the training you will receive on marketing your new skill set and you have a program that’s practically risk-free!

Here are what just a handful of graduates have said about the Professional Bookkeeper Program:

This is the best investment for the money and for my future.- B. Davies

We would like to thank you for the opportunities you uncovered for us through your excellent accounting course. – S. & C. Scharp & S. Young

Having been a CPA in ‘Big 8 Firms’ and a top level executive in bluechip companies I especially appreciate your ability to simplify the subject. You definitely are providing a greatly needed service to people who are interested in being independent. – D. Bird, CPA

Watch video testimonials here!

QuickBooks Services

By why stop with accounting services?  Increase your business’s appeal by offering QuickBook services as well.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks will help you master this accounting software, and once you do, you can offer QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services, charging $45 to $75 per hour.

More than 85% of small businesses use QuickBooks to manage their accounting.  That’s a large percentage of your target market!  And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem.  And it won’t be long before they realize that it will save them more time and money to let you manage all their accounting and tax needs.

Take advantage of this package deal and enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program and its complementary course the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks.  Not only will diversifying your services enable you to wait out the recession, but it will enable you to grow your business and gain a competitive advantage.  Order now!

The United Health Care recently published a document entitled “Encourage a Healthy Work Force” in order to help entrepreneurs reduce stress and encourage a healthier work environment for their employees.  They offer the following five tips in helping professionals relieve stress:

1. Get a good night’s sleep.

You’ll find yourself more frazzled if you’re running on little sleep.  The amount of sleep needed varies by individual.  Some can function well on 5 to 6 hours of sleep while others need 10 to 11.  Get to know what your body needs and then ensure you get a good night’s rest before each work day.

2. Eat a balanced diet.

Food fuels your body and your mind.  If you’re not putting good stuff in the tank you’ll find yourself lacking energy and drive to adequately perform your job.  When you eat foods rich in vitamins and nutrients you will find that you are able get more accomplished in less time.

3. Indulge in exercise.

Not only does exercise increase your energy levels, but it helps your body release stress and ensures a more restful sleep every night.  It also has incredible health benefits and makes you feel better.

4. Don’t procrastinate.

Procrastination causes of a lot of stress.  When you’re able to complete tasks and assignments in a timely manner, you save yourself a lot of grief and anxiety later.

5. Stay organized and prioritize.

Working in a chaotic, unorganized environment will cause stress.  Not only that, but it also forces you to spend more time looking for files or other records than it would take in a clean and organized office.  Purge your office of unnecessary paperwork and create a system for filing away everything else.  This will enable you to better prioritize your work day, filling it with more profitable tasks.

Once you’re able to establish a healthier work environment for yourself, you can take measures to promote a healthier work environment for your staff.  The United Health Care recommends the following.

1. Lead by example. Once you incorporate the above five tips, you are well on your way to setting a good example for your employees.
2. Use assessments. Your employee can better track their own health when they have assessments against which they can measure their progress. BMI, weight, blood chemistry and bloods pressure are all assessments you can use.
3. Provide training and development. When you make health a priority in the workplace your employees generally respond well.  Take the time to provide training and development opportunities for your staff.
4. Foster a healthy work environment. The UHC recommends providing health care, flex time, no-smoking policies, and maternity/paternity leave in efforts to foster a healthier work environment.
5. Create physical activity/community incentives.  Some companies include an onsite gym for their employees.  While that’s probably not realistic for most small businesses, you can promote a health program that rewards participants.  Encourage involvement in community races, group exercise programs, or weight loss groups.

When you ensure a healthier work environment, you will enjoy a healthier staff and, consequently, a more productive team.

A Software Program that Relieves Stress

In addition to the above suggestions, UAC encourages small business owners to use a software program that will enable you to do more work in less time.  Not only will QuickBooks expertise eliminate some of your stress, but it will also help you to work more efficiently and become even more valuable to your clientele.

Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the PBG teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. You will be impressed by the simple flow and completeness of this program.

Take action now to relief some of your tax season stress later.  Order UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks today!

References

United Health Care.  “Encourage a Healthy Work Force.”  Entrepreneur.com   30 September 2008

Step One: Ensuring Client Satisfaction

Customer service is awareness of needs, problems, fears and aspirations. – Anonymous

Customers are an investment. Maximize your return. – PeopleSoft Ad

Here is a simple but powerful rule: always give people more than what they expect to get. – Nelson Boswell

It’s difficult to request referrals from clients who are not currently happy with your services. Before you can use this valuable resource to increase your client base you must first ensure current client satisfaction. Only after you do can you begin approaching clients for referrals.

The following seven tips will help you better serve your clients so that they happily refer their family and friends your way:

1. Establish clear expectations.

Many of your clients may not have worked with a tax specialist before and are unsure what to expect. The rest have and may be running on old expectations. It’s important to have a preliminary meeting where you define the relationship and your expectations, taking special note of what your clients expect from you. You may need to negotiate some of these expectations so that both you and your client are satisfied. In establishing clear expectations from the beginning, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary frustration later.

2. Be respectful.

Regardless of your clients’ behavior, you must treat everyone with respect. Be courteous, thoughtful, and listen with intent. This applies to your face-to-face, email and phone correspondence.

3. Respond promptly and maintain contact.

Establish a policy on returning emails and phone calls. We suggest you respond within 24 hours; this shows clients that you are attentive and considerate of their needs. Also, when working on their accounts you should provide clients with periodic reports; otherwise they may assume that you’re not working at all.

4. Quickly resolve complaints.

Anytime your clients have concerns or complaints, you must respond quickly. The longer you wait to resolve a problem, the longer your client has to stew over it. On the other hand, the more quickly you resolve the client’s concern, the more satisfied your client is with your service.

5. Request feedback.

The best way to learn what your clients think of your services is to ask them. Consider giving all your clients a survey on which they can provide you with priceless feedback. Take this feedback into consideration as you modify your services and client relationships.

6. Save them money.

Consider recent ads where people are complaining of catastrophic situations to which another responds, “I have good news. I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance.” Nothing wins client loyalty like having a financial provider save them money. As you serve clients, consider this a priority; when you share your cost-saving tactics with clients, you will find them very appreciative of the effort.

7. Offer complementary services.

Clients appreciate convenience. Anything you can do to streamline their financial services is valued. Consider their needs and add complementary services that would make your business more convenient and, in turn, more appealing.

Only after you ensure customer satisfaction can you request referrals from your clients. Once you take the necessary action to meet your clients’ needs, you can approach them for referrals, at which point they are more likely to provide them.

Consider Adding QuickBooks Services to Your Menu

Intuit has cornered the market on accounting software with QuickBooks. More than 80% of small businesses use it to manage their accounting. Unfortunately for many small business owners, they are unaware how to optimize this software so they can retrieve the information they need to better run their businesses. Fortunately for you, this mean there are a number of small business owners in need of QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services.

Not only would adding QuickBooks services to your menu increase your bottom line, but it will also enable you to better work with clients to get the information you need to best prepare their taxes. As you demonstrate how to properly setup and use QuickBooks to manage their accounting, you can ensure you will receive the information you need in the format you need it in.

The Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks will enable you to master this valuable software program and earn professional certification as a QuickBooks Specialist. You can better serve your current clients and attract new clients in need of QuickBooks expertise. For a minimal investment, you can enjoy large returns. Increase your customer service efforts today by enrolling in the PBG Program!

Now Is the Time to Decide

When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.-John M. Richardson

May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.-Anonymous

For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.-African Proverb

There are four more months left in 2008; how will you use them?

Your aspirations will continue to reside in your future unless you do something about them, today! You can take action to start your own bookkeeping service by enrolling in the Professional Bookkeeper Program. You could be finished in less than 60 days and earn certification that will show prospective clients that you have the expertise necessary to handle all their accounting needs.

One Simple Course

This course is designed to make you a Profit Expert. What’s a Profit Expert? A financial professional who does more than balance books, but also informs clients how to increase their business’s profitability. They are proactive accountants who help their clients make informed business decisions aimed at improving a company’s fiscal health.

In addition to becoming a Profit Expert, the Professional Bookkeeper Program will teach you all you need to know to start and manage a business’s books. Specifically you will learn how to perform small-business accounting tasks. This is remarkable because most accounting programs prepare their graduates to perform corporate accounting; however, more than 80% of accounting opportunities are not with large corporations but small businesses.

There are more than enough local businesses with which to build your client base. They could use someone specialized in those skills that satisfy their unique needs.

In addition to the reasons noted above, there are many more that detail why a bookkeeping service makes so much sense. Here’s a list of some of those reasons:

• Every business is required by law to keep books
• You can earn a good living (the average client will bring in about $300 per month)
• It’s an inexpensive business to start (you probably have most of what is required right now)
• No expensive equipment is required
• You can make money doing what you enjoy
• You can work anytime, any place
• Rented office space is not required
• Inventory is not required

A bookkeeping service is one of the easiest to begin. And to wrap up your training, we will also teach you how to market your new and unique skills. You’ll not only know how to start and manage a company’s books from scratch but also how to acquire those qualified clients that will appreciate your service offerings.

In less than four months you could be ready to start your own accounting practice. Why not celebrate the New Year early by enrolling in a program that will change the course of your future, today?

Our New Years Gift to You

When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program, we will give you a special gift enabling you to start a more profitable practice: QuickBooks Made Profitable.

Here’s how it works. Nearly 80% of small businesses use Intuit’s Quickbooks software. While other programs may be useful, Quickbooks has definitely captured the small business market. Learning Quickbooks will not only help you keep more efficient records, but it enables you to teach your clients how to use the software so that you can get the information you need, making your job much easier. Add to that the ability to represent yourself as a QuickBooks expert and you’ll be able to attract larger numbers of potential clients. This program will teach you how to leverage your time while saving clients money in taxes and helping them increase their profits. What client wouldn’t be interested in that? We’ll teach you how to use this valuable software package to generate even more clients!

What an offer! After ordering and completing these two programs you will be ready to start the New Year off right.

Don’t delay your dreams any longer. 2009 will be another banner year for the small business. Take advantage of it today! Enroll now!

Get Your Checklist Taken Care Of: Training and QuickBooks Pro

This week its coming down to crunch time. There is only two more months until the Tax Season ‘07 officially kicks off. Are you ready? I’m sure all of us have one or two things they still need to do, but for us who are wondering do we have the training that will allow us to get through the season with flying colors.. it’s getting down to the wire.

For what you may ask? The Universal Professional Tax Preparer’s Program is the most comprehensive tax preparation program available on the market. In the program, as you may know, you will be able to get the rundown on the standard deductions and exemptions as well as the complicated employee business expense and miscellaneous itemized deductions among many, many other skills taught. And the time is quickly passing to get the program and to master all the material before the season starts!

It is estimated that if you only spend one hour a day on the course materials, (which is a comfortable pace for most) that you will be done with the course and ready for the certification process in 60 days. If you carry that out, it takes you into the last week of December. Don’t procrastinate getting enrolled into the program. You will be able to have the confidence and the know-how to properly give the best Tax Prep Service to those that come to you and those you are doing business with. Give yourself that added edge in your tax preparation career!

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What else will give you that edge for the ‘ Tax Season? Have you dreamed of having your own accounting clerk who manages your accounts payable and receivable? A personal tax practice requires you to manage lots of fiscal information, and that probably requires more of your time than you might like to spend, especially when that time could go towards more billable hours. Most business owners’ dream system would include the ability to do the following:

• Track clients and vendors so that you can easily find their information from one location

• Quickly create invoices so that you can receive payment sooner.

• Write checks with one click.

• Remind you when bills are due.

• Process easy-to-read financial reports.

• Manage accounts payable and receivable.

Thankfully there is a system that can do all those things for you, making the business end of your tax practice more manageable and less time-consuming. QuickBooks Pro is that system, servicing more than 80% of small businesses like you. And as a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to use the same system many of your clients are using.

Get the Information You Need from Your Clients
As a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to get the information you need from your clients, and in the right format. In fact, the biggest complaint many tax preparers, accountants and bookkeepers have is that the information they receive from their clients is difficult to sort out and sometimes unusable. This is true whether the client is doing the books by hand or through QuickBooks. Potentially, many of them are already using QuickBooks, so you can simply teach them how to use it so that you can get the information you need, making your job much easier.

Make Extra Money
Once you master Quickbooks, you can offer help services to other Quickbooks users, and that’s not just limited to your current client base; you can attract new clients by offering Quickbooks set-up and consultation services for $65-$95 per hour. You’ll find companies who want to do their accounting tasks themselves, but need help in configuring Quickbooks to meet their needs. And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem. Because even if businesses are doing the books themselves, they will need help in certain areas or have problems that only you can solve. Taxes and depreciation come to mind immediately, along with installation support, accruals, job costing, estate planning, and a myriad of additional services that only you can offer. And once your Quickbooks clients recognize the value and competence of your expertise, they’ll come to you for their tax needs.

Learn QuickBooks Now!
Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has a training program that will teach you QuickBooks quickly, and painlessly. UAC’s Guide to Quickbooks Pro is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the program teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. You will be impressed by the simple flow and completeness of this program. So why wait? In just a number of hours you could be ready to better manage your own finances, and add new services to your own practice, increasing your bottom line.

Imagine what you would pay for that accounts payable and receivable clerk we talked about earlier. Let’s say that clerk charged $25 an hour and you used her services 10 hours a month. That would cost you $250 dollars a month. Not bad, you think, especially if you can make that amount in less than 3 hours time preparing taxes. But in one year, that would cost you $3000. The retail cost of UAC training coupled with the QuickBooks Pro software is $485, but for a limited time you can get that for just $385; less than what you would pay that clerk in two month’s time. And if you already have the software, or are just interested in a trail version, it’ll just cost you $285. And in addition to having a system that can help you better manage your own business, you’ll also have the training to offer Quickbooks help services to current and potential clients. This could be just one way to expand your practice beyond tax season. Don’t wait; order today!

If It’s Accounting, It’s Universal:

Get to Know More About the Company That Will Change Your Career!

Universal Accounting is a company that is making a difference in the lives of their students! For those who are pursuing or looking into the possibilities of pursuing a career path into the Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation services, you need to get to know more about what all Universal offers in their comprehensive training programs.

If you prefer onsite classroom study or looking for the benefits received on independent study, we have developed the programs that you will be able to get the one-on-one experience in your own home. The skills we have used over the course of the last 28 years, with the trial and error, the fine-tuning of accounting methods and strategies, and what we and thousands more have experienced running their own practices – we have provided to you the advantage to stay on top of your profession. Our coursework is designed to be exactly what you will be doing when you are servicing the biggest customer base available, the small business owner.

If you are looking for the knowledge, the skills, and the know-how to start or build your accounting or tax practice, or just looking to gain the essential skills to further your career in your place of business, Universal’s Programs are what you are going to need.

Click here to take the Video Tour of Universal and all that we offer to you, the accounting and tax professional to be the best in your field and to have the success in business and in your professional life that you are seeking.Our exclusive short term courses do just that!

Imagine staying on top of the latest in the industry and having access to the experts who can assist you through training? Imagine what you are learning can be applied the very next day at work? Imagine being able to keep the materials, and the reading for continued referencing as you take that path in Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation? You don’t have to imagine too hard, because that is one of the many things you receive when you enroll in these specialized programs! Click here to get to know Universal Accounting.

Are You Ready For The Next Step?
Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself getting paid what you’re worth! Are you tired of thinking, “Why not me?” You have gotten this far in your search to do what you want to in your chosen career, take the next step. The time is now to be able to get the training and the change you desire in your professional life. Click here to find out if Professional Tax Preparation Certification is a fit for you.

Be the Profit Expert Professional for Small Business! Don’t hesitate another day in getting the Accounting and Marketing Training that makes the difference. Click here to get more information on what you need to know about becoming the Profit Center Expert for small business accounting and tax!

7 Tips that to Help You Meet the Challenge of Starting Your Own Accounting and Tax Practice

Often what will successfully see you through startup is not a small business loan but a little self-coaching. Many small business owners spend more time worrying about their efforts than they do running their businesses. When you’re able to focus on what’s important, you’re better equipped to survive the highs and lows of launching your practice. Last week we discussed the first three of 7 tips designed to help you meet the challenge of starting your own accounting and tax practice:

1. Self Assess
2. Self Affirm
3. Question Yourself

This week we’ll discuss the final four tips:

4. Grow Your Passion

Most people start their own practices because they’re passionate about what they do: accounting and tax preparation. If you’re passionate about your trade it’s important that you hone your expertise to become the premier financial provider in your area. This may require you to invest in additional training, earn professional certification, or build your professional network. Whatever it is, it should ignite that passion and feed your desire to better serve your clientele.

5. Place Yourself in Positive, Rewarding Environments

Have you ever noticed how being with positive, upbeat people leaves you feeling positive and upbeat? On the down side, placing yourself in negative and draining environments will leave you feeling negative and drained. As you build your startup it’s important to place yourself in the most affirming environments possible, enabling you to approach your practice with joy and enthusiasm.

6. Reduce Energy Drains

Related to number five is this tip: reduce energy drains. The truth is starting your own practice is a big enough drain on its own. If you find there are too many demands on your energy, watch for those which are unnecessary or unnecessarily taxing. Do you have a client that’s more trouble than they’re worth? A colleague whose competitive and flashy nature distracts you? Or perhaps a vendor that’s nagging you for too much attention? Once you pinpoint those energy drains it’s time to plug them up! Eliminate the source and you’ll find it’s not long before you’re feeling empowered and rejuvenated.

7. Build a Solid Support Network

It helps to start your journey by building a support network filled with like-minded professionals. Included in your support network should be seasoned accountants and tax preparers, veteran small business owners, and other professionals who could coach and advise you on your journey to startup success.

Partner with UAC to Launch a Successful Accounting and Tax Practice

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program, a self-paced training course in small business accounting, is the perfect way to build your confidence and provide you with informed self-coaching techniques designed to help you succeed as a contract accountant or bookkeeper. Your time is valuable, and you don’t have an unlimited amount of time in which to see your business succeed. That is why this course is self-paced, enabling you to complete it on your own time and in as little as 60 hours, if you so choose. Not to mention, this course comes complete with proven marketing strategies that will enable you to attract the clients that will sustain your practice and make you the premier accountant and tax preparer in the area.

QuickBooks Made Profitable Will Make Your Business Even More Profitable

If you order the Professional Bookkeeper Program now, we’ll throw in another valuable program: QuickBooks Made Profitable. Most financial professionals know that QuickBooks is the most popular accounting software used by small business owners. You can use your QuickBooks skills to attract even more clients. Want to know how? When you order the PB Program, you’ll get QuickBooks Made Profitable for free! With these two programs you’ll learn how to not only enhance your service offerings, but market them effectively to the right individuals! You’ve waited for the perfect opportunity. Here it is.

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Serving You with Our Free Newsletters

We enjoy sending you information that we hope improves your work as a tax preparer. Our three newsletters, AB Tips, Tax Tips, and Career Tips, are intended to help professionals like you advance in whatever their current position in the financial field. The AB Tips Newsletter is designed to share accounting and bookkeeping tips with subscribers. Intended for individuals with their own accounting practice or for those who would like to start their own practice, we specifically include tips on how to market your services, how to streamline tasks, how to organize your office space, etc. Our Tax Tips Newsletter is for tax preparers or those interested in tax preparation. We provide tax news, information on starting your own business, tips on building your clientele, etc. And finally, we have our Career Tips newsletter, for those who work or would like to work in the accounting field. In this newsletter we include information on getting the right job, advancing in your field, moving into management positions, etc.

As we learn more about your needs, we alter our approach in order to better serve you. We’re adding a few things to the newsletter that we hope you enjoy. Here’s a breakdown of what’s included and how we hope it helps you.

Two articles

Since we began running our free ezines over two years ago, we have included two articles every issue that offer accounting and tax information, tips on running and marketing a small business, career guidelines and promotional pieces. The newsletters provide us with the opportunity to share our products and services with those we believe they best serve. Universal’s programs are top of the line and life-changing; we promote them because we know they help people like you achieve career goals and realize your business dreams.

We also use the newsletter as an opportunity to expose you to our many free resources, including personalized information from our President and CEO, Allen Bostrom in Allen’s Blog, UAC’s accounting and tax forums, the newsletters, and the Universal video tour.

Recently we’ve responded to requests for purely informational pieces as well. Last summer we asked newsletter subscribers to tell us what you wanted to read about. For the past six months we’ve tried to include articles on all suggested topics. Each newsletter contains one, if not two, informational pieces. We continue to welcome your feedback as we write articles intended to help you improve your financial services. Please visit our forums for a chance to give us feedback on past articles and suggestions for future articles.

Press Releases and New Products

We want you to be in the know about everything Universal, so we include all press releases, enrollment offers, and information about new products in our newsletters. From our new interactive testing center to our customized Professional Bookkeeper Program for Canadian residents, we want you to be the first to know what’s happening at Universal Accounting Center.

Quotable Quote

Everyone could use a little inspiration now and then, so we like to include a quotable quote in each issue of our newsletters. Funny quotes, somber quotes, quotes that make you want to get up and accomplish something, we try to include a variety that inspire and uplift.

“The Bottom Line”

And last but certainly not least is an upcoming addition to our newsletters: a video clip we call “The Bottom Line.” In the serious world of financial statements, taxes, and projected profits, the bottom line is that we like what we do and can enjoy a good laugh about our profession. The humorous clip is intended to help lighten your load and improve your day. We hope you look forward to this new feature and share it frequently with coworkers, family, and friends.

We want our newsletter to help you move forward in your goals as a financial professional. So stay tuned as we continue to improve our newsletters so that they can better serve your needs. We appreciate your support.