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Hey everybody, it’s Bill with Booming Bookkeeping here, and today we’re talking to another one of my successful students. This is Jason. Jason, thanks for being here.
Absolutely, nice to see you. Cool, so tell us a little bit about where you were before you started your bookkeeping business. Let’s see, so I was part of another business that I was a partner of for several years, and I stumbled across your program right when COVID hit.
So I had a little bit of time because I was furloughed, and that’s kind of when I started this path. Can you speak a little bit about what that was like, getting furloughed, and what your thought processes were in terms of what you were going to do next? Yeah, I mean for me personally, since I was part owner of a company, it was in the business’s best interest as well too. So it wasn’t anything that was like, you know, bad vibes or anything like that.
It was really just, you know, trying to figure out. I was in a position where I was kind of capped for my salary, and it was clear I wasn’t, you know, being a startup and everything, I wasn’t going to get exactly what I thought I was worth. So that made me go off and get it myself.
Like what drew you to bookkeeping in particular? Well, with my past work experience, being part of a startup, I had my hands in just about every aspect of the business, and one of those was obviously on the financial side. So I was very comfortable with using QuickBooks in our business, and also just in general on the finance side. I had a good grasp of all that kind of stuff, so I think I might have stumbled across a Facebook ad or something that you had going for the program, and your video resonated with me, and I thought it was something that I really had a good shot of doing.
People have fears about going out on their own and starting a new business. What were some of those fears that you had, and then what ended up being the reality after you got started? For me, luckily, there wasn’t really too much fear, just because, you know, I’ve been part of businesses before, you know, startups, you know, myself and with partners. So that fear wasn’t really there, and then also it wasn’t like something that I was literally starting from scratch with no other source of income.
I was able to do both simultaneously, so there was no pressure for me. It was really just like, you know, learning something new in my spare time and making some more money for me and my family at the same time. So there really wasn’t any fears.
I was very fortunate enough with my situation to kind of avoid that altogether. But was there a concern about whether or not you might get clients, because that’s kind of like a huge concern for people. Yeah, I mean, for me, honestly, as soon as I got out of college, you know, I went right into sales.
So I’ve always been sales, so, you know, I’m not afraid of going out there and getting clients, getting no’s, because that’s just another reason to move forward on to the next, you know. So really, there was just, there was no fear. I was very fortunate, you know, I was not fearful of anything.
I kind of just jumped in and went for it. Walk us through kind of, I mean, obviously, you started your business with zero revenue. What does revenue look like for you now? Up until last week, I have been part-time doing this and I’ve worked my way up to over $5,000 a month in monthly billings alone.
So that’s great as is, plus projects that we add, you know, I’m expecting a big year. My goal is to hit six figures this year and I have plans to do that. I have no reason to think that I won’t do that.
How has that changed, life for you and your family? Like you talked about your family a little bit, if you could talk about that a little bit and give us some context. You know, we had a two-year-old and we had one on the way looking for a house, you know, so it was time to, you know, make some moves for the sake of my family. So, you know, this opportunity, you know, coupled with, you know, what I was doing at the time was really just the key that I needed to kind of just expand things and, you know, fast forwarding to today, you know, I was way more comfortable with letting that other job go primarily because I saw all the opportunity in front of me with my bookkeeping business.
You know, I couldn’t ignore that for longer, any longer, so it made the decision a lot easier because I didn’t fall flat on my face, you know, I still essentially have my salary with my business and from here it’s just growing it, you know. What would you say to somebody who’s like, okay, I’m starting out, can I get paid for what I’m worth if I’m just starting? Yeah, absolutely. If you put in the time, I mean, just like anything else, you know, you just got to become better and better at what you’re trying to do, you know, soak up all the knowledge that you possibly can.
Sure, it helps if you have a background that could help, you know, excel kind of what you’re trying to do, but, you know, I know many people who have had career changes in their lives and have been very successful at it. In a way, it’s invigorating, right, because you’re learning something brand new. You’re stimulating your senses and you’re, it’s, you know, not the same thing over and over again.
For me, it was super exciting, right, because it was something that I knew some about, but seeing the results and seeing people pleased with my work is what makes it all worth it for sure. You know, in the beginning, you know, sure, we’re all allowed and expected to make mistakes and you might underprice some things here and there, but like I said, you can always kind of revisit that down the road. And as you get more experience, you can add on value as you go.
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You talked about your goals, six figures this year. Any goals outside of financial goals you have for your business, your life in general? No, definitely at some point. I’m not sure what level yet, but, you know, definitely hiring somebody.
I have some cousins that are very, you know, they’re in high school and they’re interested in, you know, the finance side of the world and business and stuff. So, you know, being able to maybe bring them in to kind of help out, maybe develop some sort of like an internship program where I could help, you know, younger people, you know, something like that. I’m looking forward to that.
Just kind of growing it in general, you know, you only can take it so far yourself, right? So, you know, from there it would be, you know, expanding and, you know, adding an employee or two and just seeing how far I can take it to where I’m in a comfortable spot. You know, I’m not, I don’t see it growing and growing and growing and growing forever until it’s multi-million dollar business, but I see it as a means to get to a point where I’m comfortable with my time spent, what I’m getting out of it and just general life. Like looking back, I mean, on this journey, I’m assuming you’re pretty thankful for, you know, finding the opportunity, putting in the work.
You’ve done that. I mean, what are your thoughts on like looking back on your journey? How does it make you feel? Amazing. I mean, to make what I did of my current situation and kind of adding this into the fold and something that was kind of like a hobby with no pressure, I think worked wonders for me.
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You know, it was something for me to free up some of my free time or to use up some of my free time in a good way that could really benefit my family and myself personally, because I knew there was always, you know, something after what I was doing at that time, right? And this helped me be at a saying goodbye to the full time job and just moving forward because I have the confidence, I have the business already. I know how to scale. You know, I know what I need to do.
It was just a matter of finding the time. And now that I found the time, I’m super excited about what’s to come. So that’s awesome.
That’s awesome. And I appreciate you taking the time to come share your story today because it’s, you know, frankly, very inspiring to others what you’ve done. Yeah, absolutely.
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Are you feeling capped in your current job and looking for a way to build something of your own? After being furloughed, Jason started his bookkeeping business on the side with no pressure. He grew it to over $5,000 a month in his spare time, which gave him the confidence to leave his other job and go all-in on his new venture. If you’re ready to build a business that can grow from a side hustle to a six-figure career, visit our website to learn how to start your Booming Bookkeeping Business today.