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Hi,
Does anyone else here work full time. I am working 9-5 at the moment and I know that I couldn't afford to leave my job right now not until I get a few clients. Does anybody here work and have clients at the same time. If so how difficult do you find it or would you have any great tips on how to manage with the two.
Thanks.
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I was the same Joanne. When I started my business I was working full time. What I didn't realise then was when you can only commit part time hours you'll only ever have a part time business. When I was made redundant I realised that if I didn't make my business work, I wouldn't eat. Necessity is a fantastic motivator. I had a few clients when I was working full time. A year on and I'm now thinking about needing to take someone on, or outsource some work.
Good luck with the business.
Kris
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- Member PM.Dip
- Practice Licence
- 1 post
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Hi
I was in the same position as yourself, mortgage to pay, and no second income into the house to cover the time from leaving full time employment to when you could fully support all your commitments. However I had a few clients and it took so much of my time that I was working every evening and weekend and had to make the decision to just go for it. If it didnt work out I figured I would just get a job. My advice would be to save up some money to cover your bills for a few months, take out a good advert in yell.com, make phone calls to small local businesses and just go for it. Have everything that you need though before you give up your job so that you dont have to pay for new things like computers/printers/software etc afterwards. Think positive and try not to get despondent if things dont quite go to plan right from the start. My yell.com advert paid for itself within the first couple of months although I may have been lucky. I wish you every success, you will not regret it. Do a bit of market research and find out what other book keepers are charging in your area as that will always be your ceiling price for your work, dont take on anything you are not absolutely comfortable doing or you will lose sleep over it for sure and give it some time. Could you take a part time job in the interim time to tide you over maybe? Oh and make sure you get stuff like your practice licence and insurance sorted out too, maybe stating the obvious there but there seems to be quite a few people that dont even realise that they need to have them.
Good luck
Beverley
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I have picked up 2 clients just from my website. I have a page on freeindex which has bumped me up to page one on google. Also I'm on linked in, which is where I found my accountant who I now work very closely with. I spent a number of hours going through all the free directory sites, and just plugged in my details. BT directories, yell, thomson all do free listings just to get your name up there and there are plenty of other sites too.
The only advertising I pay for is a small classified ad in my local monthly magazine for £5 per month, and my annual membership the the local chamber of trade is £30. Also, I've been to all the local trade suppliers/plumbers merchants etc. and have put my glossy postcards (free from Vistaprint) on their counters. Obviously I asked first, but only one company said no.
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gigagirlsaid:
“I have picked up 2 clients just from my website. I have a page on freeindex which has bumped me up to page one on google. Also I'm on linked in, which is where I found my accountant who I now work very closely with. I spent a number of hours going through all the free directory sites, and just plugged in my details. BT directories, yell, thomson all do free listings just to get your name up there and there are plenty of other sites too.
The only advertising I pay for is a small classified ad in my local monthly magazine for £5 per month, and my annual membership the the local chamber of trade is £30. Also, I've been to all the local trade suppliers/plumbers merchants etc. and have put my glossy postcards (free from Vistaprint) on their counters. Obviously I asked first, but only one company said no.”
That's great I might try those.
Thanks for the info.
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Another thing to consider, Joanne....
Maybe approach your boss and see if there is a possibility of reducing your hours in your existing job. That way you would be able to build up slowly but not have the upheaval of finding a new pt job.
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:)
Edited at 12 Nov 2012 02:17 PM GMT
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Hi,
I’m also working full time for a company doing bookkeeping and payroll. I really enjoy the work I’m doing and the company are great to work for (and the salary is healthy), but running my own bookkeeping business has always been an ambition of mine. So, my intention is to continue working full time whilst running my business on a part time basis (once qualified, of course).
Edited at 29 Dec 2011 01:04 PM GMT
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Edited at 12 Nov 2012 02:18 PM GMT
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Dear Joanne,
A different idea for you to consider. It could well be your working for your first major client. Depending on your relationship with your MD you could work out a way to approach him with a well thought out business plan. Bookkeeping is not sales work but without clients you have no business and to get clients you have to sell yourself to potential clients. Your working for one, maybe.
Kind regards
Tim
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A very good point. A friend of mine is doing just that. She has been an employee of a company for a number of years, and she is now doing the same job on a self-employed basis. She seems very happy with the arrangement too. Good luck.
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Hi All
I do have a few clients as well as a full time job. I work every Saturday and every other Sunday in order to fit them all in.
If needs be i do also use holiday days from my main job to attend meetings etc for my clients.
Kind regards
Stuart
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- Member PM.Dip
- Practice Licence
- 97 posts
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I am in the same position as Joanne, the only thing is I started working for my current employer in January after my previous employer of 11 years was forced to close down.
I had sent away for the practice license forms when I was made redundant but got offered my current position a couple of days later so I did not bother to send them away.
I had been forced to take a fairly substantial pay cut and also increased travel costs but thought I would eventually get some of it back once I finished my trial period. However I really do not like the company I am working for and have not got any pay rise.
I am the sole breadwinner in my household as my husband is disabled and I have a young son.
I have sent away for my practice license form again and would dearly love to find a way to set up my own practice part time and try to put by some savings so I can go full time.
The couple of things that worry me are:
1. I have advertised for clients previously and not received one single enquiry, also went round various ayrshire accountants to try to pick up some freelance sub contract work and got no joy.
2. When I get the local ayrshire papers there always seems to be a lot of bookkeeping/ acocuntancy practices advertising so I don't know if the market is already saturated.
The only bright side I can see is that I am a full member of the ICB, hope to have MAAT by the end of the year and have over 18 years experience in PAYE, VAT and CIS (formerly 714s) as well as management accounts and I already have a fax, broadband and sage set up at home from when I used to work from home part time for my old employer when my son was a baby.
Does anyone up here in Scotland have any ideas if Ayrshire/South Lanarkshire is saturated by bookkeepers or even have any outsourcing work they can offer once I receive my Practice License?
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- Member PM.Dip
- Practice Licence
- 97 posts
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kjmccullochsaid:
“I was the same Joanne. When I started my business I was working full time. What I didn't realise then was when you can only commit part time hours you'll only ever have a part time business. When I was made redundant I realised that if I didn't make my business work, I wouldn't eat. Necessity is a fantastic motivator. I had a few clients when I was working full time. A year on and I'm now thinking about needing to take someone on, or outsource some work.
Good luck with the business.
Kris ”
I am awaiting my practice licence, if you do decided to outsource some work and I have received my lid.cence I would be intereste
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Hi,
I'll certainly keep you in mind. Where in Ayrshire are you. The market is definetly not saturated up here. I had a similar response from accountants when I wrote to them a while back. I also got the same response from adverts. There was a time I felt I had made a terrible mistake going self employed, but if you keep plugging away it'll happen.
Get your licence, take the help offered by James and you'll get there, it may take a while, but it'll happen. If you want to have a coffee and a chat about the best way I'm happy to.
Kris
Edited at 31 Oct 2011 07:49 PM GMT
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- Member PM.Dip
- Practice Licence
- 97 posts
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kjmccullochsaid:
“Hi,
I'll certainly keep you in mind. Where in Ayrshire are you. The market is definetly not saturated up here. I had a similar response from accountants when I wrote to them a while back. I also got the same response from adverts. There was a time I felt I had made a terrible mistake going self employed, but if you keep plugging away it'll happen.
Get your licence, take the help offered by James and you'll get there, it may take a while, but it'll happen. If you want to have a coffee and a chat about the best way I'm happy to.
Kris
Edited at 31 Oct 2011 07:49 PM GMT”
I am in Darvel, I emailed you my C.V. a week or so ago looking for some work. I would certainly be interested in meeting up once I get my licence.
Pamela
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Sorry, of course you did. I thought you were looking for full time work then. I think the Valley should be a small untapped goldmine.
Kris
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- Member PM.Dip
- Practice Licence
- 97 posts
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kjmccullochsaid:
“Sorry, of course you did. I thought you were looking for full time work then. I think the Valley should be a small untapped goldmine.
Kris ”
I am looking for either, in an ideal world freelance. Irvine Valley can't be that much of a gold mine 2 seperate practices have set up and closed down in the last few years plus 1 bookeeeper who possibly moved out.
I have put out feelers over the last few years however everyone seems to already be fixed up - too many wives or husbands who are already bookkeepers or accountants I think.
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