Self-Employed Bookkeeper
(Female, Age 37) from Roosevelt, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 37 who works as a Self-Employed Bookkeeper in Roosevelt, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Self-Employed Bookkeeper |
|---|---|
| Salary | $80,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Roosevelt, NY |
| Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
The name of my business is Art of Accounts Inc. I am the only one that works for my company at the present time. I do bookkeeping for various clients, individuals.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I enter and pay bills, reconcile bank and credit card accounts, generate invoices for the clients of my clients, payroll, print quarterly payroll reports, print end of year financial reports for taxes, prepare 1099s, etc.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Medical & Dental insurance and 401K
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Well compensated.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. I like it alot. I enjoy the interaction with different clients.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work at home, the library, clients’ offices and homes. I like the flexibility. I love working at the library because there are very few distractions.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 6
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 7
Supervisors: 8
Job Title: 1
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 2
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Was still sleeping. |
| 8am to 9am | Woke up at 9am today, Monday 04/30/07. |
| 9am to 10am | Got ready to start my work day. Got a few end of month things together, ie payroll, deposits and tax payments. |
| 10am to 11am | Went to the bank to make deposits and tax payments. |
| 11am to 12pm | Went to get a filling lunch before heading off to work. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Arrived at the library at 12:45pm. I set up my latptop on the table and immediately got my finances in order. I generated and emailed my invoices to my clients, so that I can get paid for the work I did in the month of April. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Still at the library. Worked on the bookeeping for some of my clients. I have their statements, invoices, receipts and various paperwork with me. I use QuickBooks accounting software which is installed on my laptop. I entered credit card and debit card transactions. I entered cash receipts. |
| 2pm to 3pm | I took time to do some research on the internet. I looked around on Craigslist for possible bookkeping jobs I can find out about. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Researching Craigslist for more bookkeeping jobs for my business. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Working on the bookkeeping for my clients. |
| 5pm to 6pm | I will still be working on bookkeeping for my clients. My work day will end at 6pm |
| 6pm to 7pm | I will leave the library and head home. |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Most of the clients I have are either from referrals or having worked with them to an extent at my last full-time job. I’ve been approached by a client that found me on LinkedIn.com and I am about to work with someone that I participated in a focus group with 2 years ago. She had kept my business card and stayed in touch with me until she realized she needed a bookeeper because she was too busy to do it herself.
What was the application process?
I incorporated by business as an S-Corp. I went through the process of choosing a catchy business name and filed all the necessary papers. I also had my logo created and business cards made by a friend as a project in one of her graphic design classes.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
No interviews.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
N/A
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I did all the bookkeeping for the photographic agency prior to working on my own.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. The training happened over the course of a few years. Prior to starting my bookkeeping business, I worked as the Accounts Manager at a photographic agency.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I majored in Finance in college and took a few accounting courses.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend working hard and making sacrifices. The way I started my own business was that I keep my full-time job and began working on the side with various clients. I worked long days for quite some time, but it was well worth it. Eventually, I was able to get enough side work that I realized I would make more money having my own business than working full-time for someone else. Also, it gave me such great flexibility. I don’t have to work everyday if I don’t want to.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Bookkeeping skills, organization, detail oriented, neat.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. I think you need to have a business education and know how to do bookkeeping in order to have a business of your own.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I would tell them to focus on the learning process, work hard for a while and make sacrifices to get to where I am today.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I always wanted to have my own business. I am now working towards growing my business and having several employees do the work, while I oversee what they are doing.
What are your current career goals?
Growing my business and having employees work for me, so I can free up some of my time for myself.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love what I do. I highly recommend having your own business. It is such a great accomplishment for me. It gives me the flexibility I always wanted.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Accounts Manager | 5 Years | 80K | Accounts Manager |
| Prior Job 2 | Assistant Accounts Manager | 18 Months | 45K | Assistant to the Accounts Manager |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:B+
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3 | SUNY New Paltz | Finance, Bachelor’s Degree |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A |
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