Freelance Bookkeeper
Ed Lower is a freelance bookkeeper and until recently was also studying for a music foundation qualification. Here he tells GAAPweb about his path to freelance, where he wants his finance experience to take him, and his love of Harvest Moon.
Day-to-day
What’s life like for you then?
My job entails different aspects of running a business. As well as being a bookkeeper I do my own marketing and have to manage my own time. I work with a large range of small clients from plumbers, to surveyors, to salespeople, graphic designers. That was how it started out. I did that for about 6 months, then moved from Berkshire to London and did some work for a cigarette company, they sold all the smoking paraphernalia so I was never short of a lighter, which was handy. Then I worked for a small café and from there made a jump into media, dealing with various sports personalities and celebrities and stuff like that. From there I went into the music industry, which is where I am now.
So being a freelance bookkeeper gives you a lot of freedom?
Yeah my job does definitely, there’s always work around. And if you’re freelance you are, as the name suggests, as free as you like. You can work when you like, sleep when you like, do other things when you like. It’s brilliant.
Academics and study
How important were academic qualifications in taking your first professional steps?
I got the basic knowledge from my A levels, but learned most of what I know along the way. I’d say experience always wins over academic qualifications – unless you want to become a brain surgeon or some kind of scientist. But especially in business, whether you’re a bookkeeper or a salesperson, you can’t learn everything you need from a textbook, you have to learn it in the real world.
Academic qualifications are what you make of them, they might get your foot in the door somewhere, but you have to work your own magic. Use your initiative and common sense. You have to wow people to get the best jobs, and experience in bookkeeping is more valuable in terms of impressing people.
What qualifications do you have?
None! I’ve got an A level in accounts, which I got an E for, but I’ve never used it. No-one’s ever taken the blindest bit of notice of my qualifications, they’ve always been far more interested in my experience. I’m not saying ‘flunk your A levels’, I’m just saying I didn’t really use them. I learned the basics, but employers or clients have always concentrated more on my experience than anything else.
As we speak
What work are you currently doing and what’s the best thing about it?
I currently have a 3 days per week part-time job with a music company and continue with my freelance work when I’m not there. The job I’m doing is really flexible, it’s well paid, and there are always new opportunities popping up. I’m getting involved with label management and am planning on starting up my own label, where I’ll be involved in everything: PR, finance, artist management. It’ll help me to branch out from finance and move more into PR, which is where I want to be heading.
You were studying for a while but you still kept up the freelance accounting work. Was it difficult to find time to study?
I was doing 3 evenings a week at college and working the other four days. It was challenging but I just thought ‘no pain, no gain’. It made things a bit more hectic but it was doable. I got what I wanted out of college; although it wasn’t related to my work (Ed did a music foundation course). I mean, most people on my course were working part-time to get by anyway. I was just working freelance.
When was the last time you felt daunted by something you had to do at work?
There’s always daunting things popping up, once every couple of weeks or so. It’s the size of a job really that makes it daunting more than anything else. Like recently I’ve been cleaning up after people who’ve done a bad job before me, and whilst doing that I still have to keep the day-to-day stuff moving. But it’s just managing it right. Once you’ve learned how to manage it right then stuff like that’s not so much daunting, it’s more of a learning experience.
Have you ever had any embarrassing experiences at work?
Embarrassing? Well I’ve never pooed my pants or anything!
You know like have you made mistakes…
Yeah, well everyone makes mistakes and if you make them in front of someone and you have to answer for them then things like that can be embarrassing, because it reflects badly on you. But there are always ways to resolve mistakes before it’s too late.
How do you wind down when work’s over?
Erm, play Harvest Moon (a farm simulation/role playing game) on the Gamecube! You know, the usual things: have a beer, watch some telly, play some video games, play some music. The usual stuff that everyone does really. I’m really into making music too.
Tips from the top
Finally, what would you say to someone thinking about a career in bookkeeping?
When you’re a bookkeeper you can either be a boring bookkeeper and work for a boring company doing boring things with numbers all day, or work in an industry that’s interesting to you. And people are always going to need bookkeepers, so the sky’s the limit in terms of choice and where you can take it. It’s a very versatile job, and if you want to embark on a finance career, bookkeeping is a good place to start.