J. A. G. Associates

I generally charge by the hour but sometimes depending on the work it could be a monthly fee, a one-time fee, or a per project basis fee. I don't usually offer discounts but if a client refers me to another client, I will offer them some kind of incentive.

When someone wants to hire me, I always ask for an initial meeting to determine if I am the right person for them. At this meeting I try to find out as much as I can about their business, their needs, and their experience. If I see that I would be a good fit and we have agreed on a charge, I have a service contract drawn up that we both sign.

I have a bachelors degree in accounting and an associates degree in business administration. I have extensive training in government accounting, accounting software such as Quickbooks and Enhanced Business Systems, I have forensic accounting training, income tax preparation training, and extensive internal auditing training. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam but that designation is currently inactive. I have training in Microsoft Office suite.

How does anybody get started? A lot usually have worked somewhere and after a while decided they wanted to be their own boss. That's me. I first started out part-time. So, when the timing was right, I left a good paying job and began trying to do this full-time.

I work with mostly small businesses, governments, and non-profits. The small businesses are generally one or two person operations but some have up to 10 people. Most of them were like me in that they worked somewhere else and then wanted to strike out on their own.

I don't generally do projects per se.

Make sure they have the knowledge to do what you want them to do.