Frequently asked questions

Listed below are the questions we are most frequently asked about the Bookcert Business Kit, together with

our answers. If you have a question which is not covered in this section or elsewhere on our website,

please email us at info@bookcert.co.uk.

Common Questions 

What is a bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper is a person who plays an administrative role for owners of small businesses. A bookkeeper ensures that all the transactions of a business are recorded appropriately. This typically comes in the form of a cashbook, supplier’s ledger, customer ledger or general ledger (called ‘the books’). A bookkeeper brings the books to the trial balance stage ready for an accountant, and the work you will perform is clearly explained in the Kit. Please remember you will be a bookkeeper, not an accountant, and therefore you will be providing more of an administrative function, rather than a professional advice service.

Do I need any qualifications or experience?

You do not need any professional qualifications to perform bookkeeping services. The fact is that a qualification only proves you can pass an exam, but will not of itself make you any better at the job in hand. No experience is necessary, but you do need specialised training, which is comprehensively covered in the Bookcert Business Kit.

In practice clients prefer to use a bookkeeper who provides an accurate service and gives them value for money - the Bookcert Business Kit shows you how to do this.

Does it take long to get started? 

The advantage of the Bookcert Business Kit is that you can start to work while keeping your current employment. This means you can study the manual in your spare time, and perform bookkeeping work in the evenings and weekends. This eliminates many of the risks in becoming self-employed.

You say bookkeeping is easy to learn, but I struggled with maths at school. Is bookkeeping still suitable for me?

Bookkeeping is not maths! The maths you learnt at school and maths in the real world are two very different things. If you can add and subtract using a calculator, have a genuine interest in business and in helping small businesses meet their bookkeeping obligations - you can become a bookkeeper.

If bookkeeping is so easy to learn, why don’t small business owners buy the Bookcert Business Kit and do their own bookkeeping?

Small business owners could purchase the Bookcert Business kit and do their own bookkeeping. But that’s missing the point. Bookkeeping is a necessary task in running a business. Every business needs to keep books, but most small business owners have neither the time nor the inclination. Bookkeeping is not hard, but it is time-consuming. Providing a bookkeeping service allows small business owners to focus their time and energy on their core business activity. This helps to ensure their business success, which is why there is such a high demand for good bookkeepers.

There doesn’t appear to be many bookkeepers advertising their services in my local area. How do I know people will want to use my bookkeeping service?

If you look through the classifieds section in a local newspaper you will probably only see one or two bookkeeper’s advertising their services. This doesn’t mean there is no demand for your services. The simple reason most bookkeepers don’t advertise is because they don’t need to.

Most bookkeepers are sole traders who run their bookkeeping business from home. Since they don’t have employees there are only so many clients they can realistically handle. If you speak to a bookkeeper, most are inundated with work. They don’t advertise because they don’t have the time to do the extra work. The demand for bookkeepers easily outweighs the supply, which is why most obtain work by word of mouth, typically being recommended by their clients to other businesses. This can present a problem to small business owners if they are looking for a bookkeeper, and don’t have any recommendations. Their only option is to look for a bookkeeper in newspapers, in the phone directory and on the Internet.

With virtually no competition and using effective marketing methods, great potential exists to gain enough clients to put your bookkeeping business on a strong footing.

How much will I earn?

This will vary from person to person. The benefit of running a bookkeeping business is a regular income from a set number of clients. Small businesses tend to use the same bookkeeper for many years, which means you only have to establish a set number of clients to secure your business for the long term. Your annual income will be determined by the number of clients you have and how much you charge them. Most bookkeepers charge their clients per hour, and rates currently vary from £10 to £25 per hour. How much you earn will vary depending on factors such as the number of hours you work each week, the price you charge per hour and the quality of your work.

Why should I buy the Bookcert Business Kit instead of a bookkeeping franchise?

A franchise is a ready-made business that can be up and running in months. Unfortunately the cost of a bookkeeping franchise can be prohibitive, anything from around £15,000 to £30,000. With a franchise there are ongoing commitments and royalties, and trading is limited to an artificial geographical region. Like a franchise The Bookcert Business Kit is a ready made business with full start-up and technical support. Unlike a franchise, the Kit has no ongoing commitments, and no further fees are payable. You will be running your own independent bookkeeping business, and will be free to trade wherever you wish. Further, the cost of the Bookcert Business Kit is about 100 times less than that of a franchise.

What’s the difference between a conventional home bookkeeping course and the Bookcert Business Kit?

With the Bookcert Business Kit you will learn the fundamentals of bookkeeping, structured towards opening and running your own home bookkeeping business. The Bookcert Business Kit prepares you for the real world as an experienced Chartered Certified Accountant has written it specifically for the bookkeeping industry. You will also have access to the Bookcert mentoring team who have many years experience in the bookkeeping profession.

Will I find the Bookcert Business Kit easy to follow and understand?

The Bookcert Business Kit has been designed for complete novices. It teaches slowly, with each section building on the previous. The Kit was tested on several bookkeeping first timers, and fine-tuned to be as user friendly as possible. The manual will tell you all you need to know to open your own bookkeeping business, and give you the skills and confidence necessary to ensure your business succeeds. Remember you are not alone in this process. If at any stage within the first 12 months you need any help or guidance, the Bookcert mentoring team are on hand to support you.

By nature I’m not a very confident person. Will I really be able to run my own home bookkeeping business?

Absolutely! The Bookcert Business Kit has been designed to instil confidence into a complete novice. When you have finished the Bookcert manual your knowledge will be more than most bookkeepers in the market, and by using the Bookcert Action Plan, you will know exactly how to start your own home bookkeeping business. The Bookcert Practice Module gives you the chance to practice bookkeeping work before you start trading. This will show you that you can do actual bookkeeping work, and give you the confidence to do it for paying clients.

I’m already an experienced bookkeeper. Can the Bookcert Business Kit help me?

If you're currently employed in a finance role and would like to work for yourself as a bookkeeper, or you've already taken a traditional bookkeeping course and are still not sure how to set up a bookkeeping business and find your own clients, the Bookcert Business Kit is ideal for you. Obviously the Kit has been designed for beginners, and may include bookkeeping principles that you already know. That’s fine, because the manual is split into two sections, training and operations. In the operations section of the manual, you will learn the mechanics of how to operate your own business. You will also benefit from the support of the Bookcert mentoring team, who will be available via email to offer advice and technical guidance as and when you need it.

How much does the Bookcert Business Kit Cost?

The cost of the Bookcert Business Kit is only £297 including FREE Postage & Packaging (UK residents only). The cost of the Bookcert Business Kit for purchases made outside of the UK is £367 including postage and packaging.

Remember - your investment in the Bookcert Business Kit should be quickly recovered by the fees you'll earn from your first bookkeeping client!

For details on how to order the Bookcert Business Kit please click here.