Advice starting bookkeeping/small business services company

[yanaga]

I have just started a new business in the hopes of being able to stay at home with my 11 month old daughter. I have an BS in Global Business from Arizona State University and I have almost completed my MBA in E-commerce. I have over 15 years experience in corporate accounting and have setup many companies with Quickbooks. I plan on offering the following services to my clients - I would appreciate any advice anybody can offer on marketing and on how much to charge for such services.

Accounting Services
QuickBooks Setup
QuickBooks Training
Accounts Payable - vendor invoice tracking & bill payment
Accounts Receivable - customer invoicing & monthly statements
Financial Statement Preparation
Payroll
Bank Reconciliation
1099 Preparation
Monthly Accounting Procedures
Maintain Vendor and Customer Files

Computer Services
Networking Home/Office
Informational Web Sites
Secure Domain Names and Web Hosting
Maintain Website
Submit to Search Engines
Setup Personalized Email Account
System Optimization

Desktop Publishing
Newsletters
Business Cards
Flyers
Brochures
Gift Certificates
Marketing Materials/Mailings

[Mel]

You have picked a good field because everyone has some sort of financial obligations.

As far as what to charge, my suggestion is to research that field and see what others are charging. Some may charge a flat rate per hour and others may have different rates for each type of project so you'll need to find out what your "competition" is charging.

You'll also need to decide what you think you're worth and what you need to earn. Is this going to be a hobby? If so you could probably charge less but if you are the sole provider for your family then you would need to earn enough to pay your taxes (including self employment tax), set some back for a rainy day and still live off of.

For marketing, you could do a number of things...

Flyers
Business cards
Ask for a meeting with business owners
Attend business association meetings, city council meetings, etc to get to know potential clients.
Write articles and press releases to help spread the word

These are just a few things off the top of my head.

Good luck!