Any Advice on Hiring a Bookkeeper for a Small Business?

Hi S.,

Congrats on having such a successful home business! I don't work from home currently, but I have some friends who have been in this situation. The first thing they had to figure out is if they were going to be an actual employee or an independent contractor. That was going to factor in to how much they paid. If they decided to make this person an employee they were going to pay between $10-$14 an hour based on experience, and if they were going to hire an independent contractor, they decided to pay between $13-$17 an hour based on experience because about 50% of their earnings would be going to taxes. As far as prior experience, they looked for someone who was familiar with the microsoft office suite and was familiar or willing to learn quickbooks, which is what they used for their accounting program. Once they had the software prerequisites down, they thought of the type of person they wanted to work for them, and made a bullet list of all the qualities they were looking for. Once they had a good idea of what they were looking for, they put a few ads in the paper and on craigslist. They took phone calls inquiring about the job, so they could screen potential candidates. Phone etiquette was important to them, as one of the duties was going to be screening calls. They used the inquiries as mini interviews. If they didn't think the person would do well, they would make a note, so if they faxed or emailed them their resume, they would have that initial phone call "interview" to remind them. This helped them weed out a lot of people. Eventually they were down to about 10 candidates, and called them in for interviews. They made notes about what was appealing and what they did not like, if anything. They also ranked them on their gut feeling. Using this process they were able to find someone suited for the job. If you don't want to go through all of this, try finding someone you know. My friends were relatively new to the area when they did this, so they weren't able to get someone they knew, or have someone they knew refer someone else. Hope this helps some and good luck!

S.,

My advice would be to look for someone with bookkeeping experience that you feel comfortable with and feel you can trust.

If you're still looking for someone, I would be interested in speaking with you to see if I may be of some help to you. I have many years bookkeeping experience and am currently working in a finance department at a non-profit agency.

Feel free to contact me on my cell phone ###-###-####

Sincerely, K. Dery

Hi S.,

I don't know if this answer is late or not, however, there are accountants and bookeepers who do this type of work. I work as an accountant for many small businesses in Eastern Massachusetts in addition to my full-time job. I charge $30 per hour, and most of my small business clients take less than 4 hours per month. My website is www.vfrconsult.com if you are interested.

HI!! I was thinking that you could look into a graduate of a certificate school in your area?? I attend the Salter School in Worcester, and I know there are some accounting students that would probably love the work. Or maybe discuss with the faculty hiring someone who is doing their externship?? I'm sure theres a similar school somewhere close to you if you look. Hope I was somewhat helpful!!

HI Stecy,

One of my friends is trying to get her own bookkeeping business off the ground after working as in the accounting field for many years. She is located in Manchester NH. Please let me know if you are interested in speaking with her and I will give you her contact info. Please call me on my cell at ###-###-#### if you are interested.

Thanks,
C.

Hi S.,
My husband is a bookkeeping manager and is possibly interested in doing some work on the side. My name is A. and his name is Greg. Feel free to call his cell ###-###-####.

We have a 3 month old son and live in Wellesley, MA.

A.