01
Month 1
Learn & Set Up
✓ QuickBooks certified
✓ Business formed
02
Month 2
Practice & Position
✓ First mock close
✓ Services priced
03
Month 3
Launch & Earn
✓ First paying client
✓ Systems in place
Week 1 — Days 1–7
Accounting Fundamentals
✓
Learn debits, credits & accounting equation✓
Study the 5 account types✓
Enroll in a bookkeeping course✓
Record 10 journal entries by hand
Week 2 — Days 8–14
Financial Statements
✓
Study P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow✓
Build a simple P&L in Google Sheets✓
Read a real company's annual report✓
Understand bank reconciliation basics
Week 3 — Days 15–21
QuickBooks Online
✓
Start Intuit Academy certification✓
Set up QBO trial company✓
Enter 20+ transactions in QBO✓
Run P&L and Balance Sheet reports
Week 4 — Days 22–30
Business Formation
✓
Pass QBO certification exam ✅✓
Get EIN from IRS.gov (free)✓
Open business bank account✓
Set up Google Drive file system
🎓
Milestone
QBO Certified
⏱️
Time Commitment
8–10 hrs/week
💰
Expected Income
$0 (learning phase)
Week 5 — Days 31–37
Simulate Real Books
✓
Create a fictional client business✓
Record a full month of 30+ transactions✓
Perform month-end reconciliation✓
Generate all 3 financial statements
Week 6 — Days 38–44
Payroll & Tax Basics
✓
Learn payroll journal entries✓
Understand W-2 vs 1099 workers✓
Study quarterly estimated taxes✓
Explore Gusto free demo
Week 7 — Days 45–51
Niche & Positioning
✓
Research 3 potential niches✓
Choose your starting niche✓
Write your 1-sentence positioning statement✓
Draft your services list
Week 8 — Days 52–60
Pricing & Materials
✓
Research local market rates✓
Create 3-tier pricing structure✓
Draft client contract template✓
Create client intake checklist
📋
Milestone
Niche + Pricing Ready
⏱️
Time Commitment
8–12 hrs/week
💰
Expected Income
$0–$250 (possible)
Week 9 — Days 61–67
Business & Online Presence
✓
Register LLC or sole proprietorship✓
Update LinkedIn to show bookkeeper✓
Create Canva portfolio one-pager✓
Set up Calendly for discovery calls
Week 10 — Days 68–74
Marketing & Outreach
✓
Tell your network you're open for business✓
Post on LinkedIn (your story + services)✓
Join 2 small business Facebook groups✓
Cold outreach to 5 local businesses
Week 11 — Days 75–81
Discovery Calls & Proposals
✓
Conduct first discovery call✓
Send a formal proposal or quote✓
Follow up with warm leads✓
Refine pitch based on feedback
Week 12 — Days 82–90
First Client & Systems
✓
Sign first paying client 🎉✓
Complete onboarding process✓
Deliver first month of bookkeeping✓
Plan next 90 days for growth
🤝
Milestone
First Paying Client
⏱️
Time Commitment
10–15 hrs/week
💰
Expected Income
$200–$500/mo
"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."
— Zig Ziglar · Remember this on the hard days.
📝 My 90-Day Personal Tracker