3 Things to Know about Starting a Virtual Accounting Business

3 Things to Know about Starting a Virtual Accounting Business

14 May 2018
 Categories: , Blog


As an accountant and bookkeeper, you may consider going virtual with your business. The problem for many accountants, is trying to figure out what they need to know about starting a virtual accounting business and what steps to take. Here are three things to know about starting a virtual accounting business and what you need to know about each aspect.

Multiple Clients

One of the first things to know about being a virtual accountant is your ability to take on multiple clients. When you work for an accounting firm or business you may be given a set number of accounts to handle. When you work as a freelancer, you can take on multiple clients with a variety of needs. For example, you can take on a client that just needs minor bookkeeping each week to balance their books. You can also take on clients that need detailed accounting assistance throughout the year. This helps increase your income and keep a steady supply of clients for your business.

Cloud Accounting Certification

You may notice that many clients looking for freelance accountants want you to have certain accounting certification. This is mostly with cloud accounting programs that allow you to handle bookkeeping online. For example, you may find a client that wants you to be certified in Quickbooks while another client wants Xero or Sage 50. Make sure that if you do have a certification you let the clients know. This may set you apart from other freelancers that have experience, but no certification. You may also want to consider getting certification in more than one program to help increase potential business.

Using Freelance Bidding Sites

One step to consider when starting your own virtual accounting business is the use of freelance bidding sites. These bidding sites allow clients to connect with and choose from a wide pool of freelancers. These sites offer variety for the freelancer as well, allowing you to bid on and reach out to multiple clients that you would normally not have available. Be careful with bidding sites guidelines if you choose to use this route to build your business. Some sites may have rules regarding how many contracts you can have going at once or may require you to login to their software to track hours.

These are only three things to know about starting a virtual accounting business. If you are ready to move forward, consider doing a search on popular freelance sites to gauge the type of accounting and bookkeeping people need. This step will also let you see what the going rates for this type of work are and how to move forward with your rates and gaining more clients.