Is there a need for this?

I wouldn't do a membership site for this sort of thing but there are times where I would love to consult with someone who knows the internet.

Maybe you should try an "ask the expert" type of site where they could pay on a per question basis? Offer consultations at an hourly rate when the question isn't easily answered.

Tina

Thanks Tina! Yeah, the monetization method is a little tricky. If not a membership site, I guess the best way to charge would be the same way I charge with offline clients, by the hour and bill in quarter-hour increments. I normally bill my clients but I'm not sure if this would work for online clients.

Chris I hate to tell you this, but you look a little young to be an accountant. You must be really smart, like a little Einstein. LoL ;-P

Chris, I think there's a skype plugin that allows people to contact you but they have to pay-to-talk. I don't know what it's called though.

There is a HUGE need for this as well as a market. If this is something you want to pursue big time it could be a huge thing for you and your business.

Yes, yes I know but I am a child prodigy! I know I look 9 years old but I am actually 11.

Karl,

That would be great. I'll see if I can google it. Thanks!

For years I've been searching for a reason to not like you. I think I found it! I mean, who loves bookkeeping and taxes?



All kidding aside...

Maybe you could have a membership site with a "personal consulting" upgrade.

The basic membership would just be content. Helpful tips, reports, etc. No personal consults. That would be a time suck. However, throughout the site you could offer your services for $x per quarter hour.

You get money on the front end and plenty of opportunities on the backend to sell your services. Your customers only pay for the level of help they need. Win win for all, I think.

Cheers,
Becky

I suggest that you have a few 5 to 10 page, no-fluff but easy to follow beginner's reports.

The Enterpreneur's Guide to Tax Records
The Small Business Guide to Choosing a Bank Account
S. Corp vs. LLC
How to make your own custom reports in QuickBooks

Or whatever are the most common areas that people need to know about.

Give away the user's choice of report as a freebie to get them onto your mailing list.
Use aWeber for double opt-in confirmation and one-click unsubscribing.
Write a weekly newsletter about small business accounting. Have a personable story about some business situation and the accounting principle you applied to the situation. Once or twice a month, introduce some accounting vocabulary word into your story as the natural next step for your client (accrual, ebitda, journal, trial balance etc.).

Put the articles on a blog, the first half goes in the email with a "click here to read the rest..." link.

All of these sell consulting packages. One-time fees for special events like starting a business or incorporating. Monthly or quarterly subscriptions to ongoing reviews, filings, "second look" service, etc. Ideally these would be flat rates. With your experience, you know what you can include in an hour or two's work.

I think it would be great to have someone who loves accounting as the semi-official accounting wizard of IM. Might as well be you!

Chris

Becky,

I knew that if I stuck with you long enough you would come up with something brilliant... AND YOU DID! That is a great idea that I will have to investigate further. You are now on my list of 200,000 people that I really like. congratulations!

Hey Enthusi,

You are now on the same list as Becky! That was really well laid out and I like it.

In fact, I am going to add homebizoutlook, Kevin, Karl, Tina and Trevor to my list. All of you have something to celebrate now!

Thanks for all that great info. I am getting a lot of good ideas!

Thanks for counting me among the 200,000 of your closest friends. I'm going to write about this momentous occasion in my diary just as soon as I finish this post.

One more thing...

When I mentioned membership site, I was thinking of a lifetime membership (or maybe yearly membership -- but I suspect lifetime membership would be best, because people would forget they joined and be shocked by a renewal billing a year later).

Anyway...

As you know, people tend to only think about this stuff a few times a year. So trying to maintain a monthly membership wouldn't work all that well.

Better to promote heavily when everyone is thinking about it, and then deliver content and keep in touch all through the year to keep your name in front of folks. You can send out reminders about estimated tax deadlines, tips for bookkeeping, etc. Then during the busy season, you can work hard to upgrade folks and add to your membership rolls.

Cheers,
Becky

It won't make as much money as other things but I'm sure you can find a potential market. Just look for those quality keywords.

Agreed with Becky that folks tend to only think about this at best a few times per year.

Depends on how big you want to scale this thing, but you of all people know there are things that can and *should* be done throughout the year. Perhaps you could take an offline approach to it where you're pinging people to send you their quickbooks files, etc. and you're reviewing them to make sure their estimated payments are accurate etc.

That type of thing may help even out your income stream vs. earning little all year then killing it (and yourself) April 14th - 15th.

Best of luck! I think it's a great idea.

Actually, they do. There are estimated income taxes and there is quarterly payroll taxes, etc. As I said, I am a Quickbooks consultant so that would be year-round work.

This is great info and it gives me something to chew on!

Thanks everyone!

I know that when I started my business my bookkeeper was the biggest help. She taught me what I needed to keep track of. Helped me decide how to set up my business. She helped me get and stay organized. So there is much more you can add that would help.