加拿大华人论坛 温哥华 VancouverAre You Really A Consultant?

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In my previous article, “Are You Really A Consultant?” I proposed that a consultant is someone who gets paid for providing advice. I assume that if one is getting paid, one is a professional; in other words, seeking to make a livelihood from one’s activities.Many consultants start out working from home. They do so either for lifestyle choice, or to reduce their overhead. Their reasoning is simple; no need to pay rent for an office, no need to spend time commuting, no need for additional computers or phone systems, just buy a desk for the spare room and hang out a shingle; “Consultant”.Now the first reality bite hits; “Who am I going to consult to? I need some clients.” So you join get some cards printed, join a networking group, maybe do a little website and some adverts and suddenly you have an enquiry. Someone wants to buy your expertise!The next reality bite comes when they ask about your fee structure. How much to charge? The answer to this question will have a profound impact on the future of your business and this is where most new in business make their biggest mistake; they charge too little.Instead of charging a commercial fee, they charge a domestic fee. Let me explain…If you do a simple profit and loss statement for your business as part of your business plan, you would start by calculating how much profit you want from your business after all costs, wages and taxes. Next, as you’re the principal (and probably the only) consultant, you need a wage. That wage is probably the single biggest cost your business has to cover.Consider now that your wage has to compensate you for all three roles you perform for your business, the roles of Finding, Minding and Grinding. Finding is the time you spend actively looking for clients, Minding is the time you spend looking after them and Grinding is the time you spend actually doing the work and the associated billing and collection activities.You won’t be spending 100% of you time doing the work! In reality, you will be lucky to spend 50% doing the work, so your hourly fee must be sufficient to cover the rest of your time.Some basic maths… Let’s assume you want to pay yourself $52,000 per year, $1,000 per week before tax. You’re charging 25 hours of your time to clients and you have $1,000 per week in overheads; car, phones, insurance, marketing etc., so you need to bill $3,000 per week in order to pay yourself $1,000.But you’re only doing 25 hours of chargeable work so your fee needs to be $120 per hour ($3,000 / 25) simply to break even. You can’t afford to take a vacation and you won’t be making a profit and you won’t have much of a lifestyle because $1,000 before tax doesn’t buy much (at least not where I live!)Far too many consultants charge less than this early in their careers. Then, as they get busier, they realise they can’t sustain the business, they can’t hire others to help and they haven’t the confidence to increase their fees either.You must start out by charging a sustainable fee, one that shows you are confident and capable and that indicates you are serious about your business. Using the example above, at $160 to $200 per hour, you can afford to take a vacation, pay a bookkeeper, a virtual pa and still make a profit. Better still, you’ll have more time to do the work and you’ll probably be dealing with a higher calibre of client too!

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Good article!May I know how much you charge for consulting fee per hour? and how much for a full accounting work (including bookkeeping) for a small business? Thanks.

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门神大师 说:Good article!May I know how much you charge for consulting fee per hour? and how much for a full accounting work (including bookkeeping) for a small business? Thanks.点击展开...If not convenient, you may message me. Thanks.

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门神大师 说:If not convenient, you may message me. Thanks.点击展开...It really depends on the business. So far my consulting charge is $100 per hour, but bookkeeping training is $60 per hour. I believe it is still too low. It is just the price for a bookkeeper or non-designated accountant.What do you mean full accounting？ Bookkeeping and year-end closing? It can be somewhere $300-$2500. T2 and NTR will be quoted separately. Also, it depends on the frequency. The minimum charge for monthly bookkeeping is $150/m.

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呵呵。

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本人登陆加国一年半，已经回流中国两年半。 超赞 赏 waren春有百花秋有月，夏有凉风冬有雪。 0$(VIP 0) 14,3772016-05-02#6 I have a question.After graduating from business school,generally,how much pay can get as an accountant without related work experience.Thx.

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绿阴幽草胜花时I have a question.After graduating from business school,generally,how much pay can get as an accountant without related work experience.Thx.点击展开...$15-20/hour

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用户名。 说:$15-20/hour点击展开...Thank you.

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绿阴幽草胜花时我有个房屋经纪的朋友，他告诉我卖房的窍门，好房子叫低价让买家抢， 烂房子出高价，让买家去划价。点击展开...professional 跟这个很不同，因为不只卖最后一个客人，我们唯一的资源是时间。所有realtor, financial advisor基本可以互通，但是professional最主要的是提供服务的时间都得get paid 够才行。我们没有最后的彩票可以中。

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waren 说:I have a question.After graduating from business school,generally,how much pay can get as an accountant without related work experience.Thx.点击展开...说实话我不知道市场，有付最低工资的雇主，也有一开始就有二十几刀的，最主要的是好的公司要进得去，起薪不会低。

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小雷音 说:It really depends on the business. So far my consulting charge is $100 per hour, but bookkeeping training is $60 per hour. I believe it is still too low. It is just the price for a bookkeeper or non-designated accountant.What do you mean full accounting？ Bookkeeping and year-end closing? It can be somewhere $300-$2500. T2 and NTR will be quoted separately. Also, it depends on the frequency. The minimum charge for monthly bookkeeping is $150/m.点击展开...谢谢

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