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Do you think freelancing in SEO, SEM, Facebook Ads or Bookkeeping would be a better option?

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Phillip Anderson

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I'm going to follow Lex DeVille's thread to make it a reality but I don't know what option to choose. The advertising options seem less boring but bookkeeping does look kind of interesting. Marketing I think would be better to learn for entrepreneurship purposes. I'd learn through Udemy.
 
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DennisD

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The only way an SEO expert can promise results is if they are a content creator as well.

As a result the SEO world is filled with snake-oil salesmen . It makes client relations an uphill battle.

The advertising options seem less boring but bookkeeping does look kind of interesting.

Paid Ads or Bookkeeping are certainly the way to go.
Bookkeeping I'd put at #1... because there's a 60% chance that whoever you learn Facebook Advertising from doesn't ACTUALLY know what they're doing.
 

Lex DeVille

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I'm going to follow Lex DeVille's thread to make it a reality but I don't know what option to choose. The advertising options seem less boring but bookkeeping does look kind of interesting. Marketing I think would be better to learn for entrepreneurship purposes. I'd learn through Udemy.

Bookkeeping will be lower pay per client but more steady and consistent over time and easier to find work. Marketing is always a great skill but that's so broad you'll need to narrow it down or it will be tough to get hired. Ads are usually in demand but clients won't stick around if they aren't getting results. Bookkeeping clients can be low maintenance if you choose wisely since they basically just want someone to keep things in order from month to month.
 

CareCPA

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Bookkeeping will be lower pay per client but more steady and consistent over time and easier to find work.
True.
Make sure you work towards a specialty. Generic bookkeepers are (literally) a dime a dozen.
 
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Lex DeVille

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True.
Make sure you work towards a specialty. Generic bookkeepers are (literally) a dime a dozen.

Do you have an example of what a specialty would be in this field? I'm not that familiar with bookkeeping. I hired my accountant because she was a CPA and had Quickbooks experience.

Is the area of specialization usually in regards to the software used, or is it focused around the industry you serve or something else? Just curious.
 

Twiizlar

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The only way an SEO expert can promise results is if they are a content creator as well.

As a result the SEO world is filled with snake-oil salesmen . It makes client relations an uphill battle.



Paid Ads or Bookkeeping are certainly the way to go.
Bookkeeping I'd put at #1... because there's a 60% chance that whoever you learn Facebook Advertising from doesn't ACTUALLY know what they're doing.
That first sentence is just false. What are you even trying to say?

Yes, the SEO industry has many snake-oil salesman, I agree with that. There are also many of us legitimate SEO marketers that can produce results for our clients.

Imo, client relations are hard in SEO because it takes time to see results. Clients want immediate results (which is fair since they are paying thousands of dollars) but that's simply not how SEO works.
 

Andy Black

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SEM is search engine marketing, and includes SEO, paid search, and all the other listings on Google (and Bing I suppose).

I find paid search so interesting and useful that I recommend folks considering it to just have a go and see if they’re hooked.
 
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CareCPA

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Do you have an example of what a specialty would be in this field? I'm not that familiar with bookkeeping. I hired my accountant because she was a CPA and had Quickbooks experience.

Is the area of specialization usually in regards to the software used, or is it focused around the industry you serve or something else? Just curious.
Could be both.

For example, we focus in Xero, but can also do QBO.

However, what I meant was an industry. Take us for example: we specialize in e-commerce. So we've built processes where we break down all the Amazon fees (and can even do it by product). Most bookkeepers would record the amount that hits the bank account as Revenue, and not record gross revenue and fees. Then the client gets confused when their revenue doesn't match their 1099k at the end of the year.

We can also speak to our clients about things that look off. So if one client is spending 40% of revenue on advertising, but we see the average based on other clients is 25%, we know we should point that out so they can have a pro review their advertising.

Anyone can record transactions, but you need to bring additional value to your clients, just like any other industry.
 

Twiizlar

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As an SEO specialist, how do you ACTUALLY guarantee X number of views / customers?
I don't. Guaranteeing results in SEO is a big no no. If someone if guaranteeing you results in terms of SEO then you can automatically assume they don't know what they're doing.

I am very upfront with my clients about this. We are playing Google's game. If tomorrow, they decide to change their algorithm to hurt my sites, I can't do shit about it.

However, as SEOs we will give your website the best potential to rank with current best practices. It's a constant battle of figuring out what Google likes and what it will rank. While some things have been the same (such as meta tags, website speed) other things are changing every day. It is our job to stay on top of it and adapt to it.
 
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Johnny boy

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Advertise as an accounting firm and get clients to pay you each month for bookkeeping and tax services and just set them up with QuickBooks and let it do everything for you automatically.

Then manage your clients from a beach somewhere and get paid 10k a month easily. Business owners value someone to keep their books straight way more than some schmuck to “manage their social media” or “help their SEO”.

I’ll help you get started if you want.
 

CareCPA

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Advertise as an accounting firm and get clients to pay you each month for bookkeeping and tax services and just set them up with QuickBooks and let it do everything for you automatically.

Then manage your clients from a beach somewhere and get paid 10k a month easily. Business owners value someone to keep their books straight way more than some schmuck to “manage their social media” or “help their SEO”.

I’ll help you get started if you want.
I'd like the secret.
You seem to have a knack for service businesses, and I do way more work for way less money.
 

Johnny boy

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I'd like the secret.
You seem to have a knack for service businesses, and I do way more work for way less money.
The secret is to charge 30 business owners $350 a month for their bookkeeping and tax help, and make them all do things the same way so it’s easy for you to manage it.

I’d make craigslist ads, sign up customers for bookkeeping and tax services on a contract, record frequently asked questions and create an online resource for my clients to be referred to when they’ve got questions so I’m not on the phone telling 30 people what website to go to and what form to use to pay their employment security taxes for their workers.

How does your business work now?
 
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CareCPA

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The secret is to charge 30 business owners $350 a month for their bookkeeping and tax help, and make them all do things the same way so it’s easy for you to manage it.

I’d make craigslist ads, sign up customers for bookkeeping and tax services on a contract, record frequently asked questions and create an online resource for my clients to be referred to when they’ve got questions so I’m not on the phone telling 30 people what website to go to and what form to use to pay their employment security taxes for their workers.

How does your business work now?
Cool, so we're headed in the right direction.
Working on SOPs and consistency now. Resource hub is on the list for later this year. It's tough to get these really rolling during tax season.

Our biggest time-suck is the pure volume of communication with clients. So having the resource hub and explaining our processes better should really free us up.

Our biggest challenge is getting in front of our niche, since e-com guys enjoy being anonymous. Can't advertise locally yet due to some legal restrictions.
 

Johnny boy

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Cool, so we're headed in the right direction.
Working on SOPs and consistency now. Resource hub is on the list for later this year. It's tough to get these really rolling during tax season.

Our biggest time-suck is the pure volume of communication with clients. So having the resource hub and explaining our processes better should really free us up.

Our biggest challenge is getting in front of our niche, since e-com guys enjoy being anonymous. Can't advertise locally yet due to some legal restrictions.

Getting in front of your niche? Can’t advertise locally? Could you explain a bit?

I’d post on craigslist and say “we do bookkeeping and taxes. Make your business run smooth as butter” ...just thought of that. I’d name the business “Butter smooth bookkeeping”. I’d post it in throughout my state.

I’d only take on types of business that didn’t have confusing tax situations. Maybe you only did service businesses. You’d talk to them over the phone, get them on QuickBooks and have them run the business through that, make up some contracts that protect you, put them on recurring payments and charge their cards at the beginning of each month. Spend your time creating articles that describe how to do all the stuff they’ll be asking about and have them set up on auto emails “did you file your payroll taxes? Here’s the link to the site you’ll need to do that. You’ll need your ___ form to do that. Find it on this area of your QuickBooks”. And then just send it out automatically to a list of people at a certain time each year.

Communication is your responsibility to limit. If I did this business, I’d have AI chatbots to direct all inquiries to an article that solves their problem on my website. I got a C- in my basic accounting class at the local community college and I’d still make more than my CPA mom doing this and spend less time on it.

It’s not about work, it’s about giving the customer what they want, good books and knowing they didn’t screw their taxes up. I know the customers don’t care about how hard I work. They just want green and cut lawns. I deliver that and sell it well. Manage your time. The customer isn’t in charge. Give em their good books, put their mind at ease that their taxes are all squared away, pat them on the back and send them a payment receipt after their card is charged each month. You can do this in Bali.
 
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CareCPA

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Getting in front of your niche? Can’t advertise locally? Could you explain a bit?
Yes. Going to take this to PM if you don't mind. I feel like I'm hijacking this thread.
We can bring it back here if it becomes relevant and helpful, I just don't want to clutter it up with my stuff.
 
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DennisD

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Me and @Twiizlar must have some lines crossed.

That first sentence is just false.

In response to:
The only way an SEO expert can promise results is if they are a content creator as well.

Later:
Guaranteeing results in SEO is a big no no. If someone is guaranteeing you results in terms of SEO then you can automatically assume they don't know what they're doing

We're saying the same thing. No SEO expert can ensure customers walk through the door. The O stands for Optimization. The best an SEO expert can to is optimize.

Client education in the SEO arena is an uphill battle a newbie doesn't need. Bookkeepers don't have the same issues.
 

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