Bookkeepers need to read. Entrepreneurs need to read. So what books are you reading to advance your bookkeeping side hustle?
These books are great resources to motivate you on your side hustle journey. These recommendations are either from my OWN reading or from the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community. There is an awesome thread HERE inside the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Group listing out books that people recommend.
I will divide these useful books into two main sections:
1) Books to get your BOOKKEEPING NERD on. Oh yeah. Bookkeeping and accounting industry books galore, as recommended by people who get jazzed by this stuff.
2) Books to motivate you on your side hustle journey. Books about entrepreneurship. Books about taking action. Books about being wise at business.
Let’s Go!
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Xero: A Comprehensive Guide For Accountants and Bookkeepers
Hot off the press in April 2021, Xero: A Comprehensive Guide For Accountants And Bookkeepers will be a MUST HAVE for any one who serves clients on Xero (or wants to serve clients on Xero). Written by Amanda Aguillard, Xero Ambassador and HUGE friend of the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community.
Schaum’s Outline of Bookkeeping and Accounting, 4th Edition
Schaum’s Outline of Bookkeeping and Accounting, Fourth Edition is the book that the course I took to launch my side hustle recommends for extra practice.
Let’s start with the sexy stuff. The Debits. The Credits. (Could one of these names be a good band name…headline the big accounting conferences???) The Software. The Pricing. The NUMBERS. The Books About The Bookkeeping Industry.
Great frugal tip, check your library for accounting books. They will certainly have some. And the basic accounting concepts are centuries old. So your library is a great place to start. But if you want to have your own book…
The Bookkeeping Side Hustle Guidebook: Actionable Steps To Become A Virtual Bookkeeper Without The Overwhelm
Umm…I wrote this one. And the world’s most famous accountant YouTuber Hector Garcia wrote the Foreword. Code WORKFROMHOME gets you 30% off.
Xero: A Comprehensive Guide For Accountants and Bookkeepers
Hot off the press in April 2021, Xero: A Comprehensive Guide For Accountants And Bookkeepers will be a MUST HAVE for any one who serves clients on Xero (or wants to serve clients on Xero). Written by Amanda Aguillard, Xero Ambassador and HUGE friend of the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community.
Schaum’s Outline of Bookkeeping and Accounting, 4th Edition
Schaum’s Outline of Bookkeeping and Accounting, Fourth Edition is the book that the course I took to launch my side hustle recommends for extra practice.
Bookkeeping All-In-One For Dummies
We’ve all heard of the Dummies series. They have a new 2019 edition called Bookkeeping All-In-One For Dummies.
Keeley told us this in the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Group: “I’m in the middle of reading it now and it’s given me a great insight to what a bookkeeper does and explains everything in easy to understand detail 
“
Another book in this publishing family is called Bookkeeping Workbook for Dummies. This was recommended by the most famous and my favorite accounting YouTube sensation Hector Garcia. He says “I used Bookkeeping Workbook for Dummies 12 years ago, when I was getting started.”
If you are looking for something even more thorough and hard core, you can check out the books from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. They supplement their certification process. https://bookstore.aipb.org/
Century 21 Accounting
Melissa told the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Facebook Group that she read this book to move her forward in learning this profession. Buy this one before all the college students purchase it in the fall.
E-Myth Bookkeeper
So, you may or may not have heard about the E-myth concept. The “E” stand for “Entrepreneur”. And the basic premise of the whole series is that business owners start to drown in their work because they spend too much time working IN their business and not ON their business. So, Micheal Gerber wrote his first generic book, and then has written a ton of industry specific versions of this book. The E-Myth Bookkeeper is the one that is specific for YOU, the bookkeeping side hustler.
This book was at my local library. I checked it out and read it in early 2017, before I ended up deciding to really venture in to starting my own business. It gave a good picture of the work. And helped me make the decision to take the course that I took that got me started. (I’m a student of Bookkeeper Business Launch).
The Kninja Way
I interviewed the author, Juliet Aurora and read the book. This is the ORIGINAL Bookkeeping Side Hustler story. Auto-biography. Really good.
What’s Your “And”?
John Garrett is an accountant turned comedian and inspirational author and podcaster. He is on a mission to make sure that people know that “Who you ARE is so much more than what you DO”. I interviewed him about his book when it came out.
I also think this book could make a great gift for clients, no matter what industry they are in.
Profit First and/or Fix This Next
Mark Wickersham’s Books
All of Mark Wickersham’s material is great for the budding entrepreneur. He has A LOT of free content on his website and does free webinars and mentoring sessions quite often. But if you are a bibliophile and like to touch a real book, he has three that you can choose from.
I’d say Mark’s material is for people who are already moderately comfortable with accounting/bookkeeping and need help on the business side of things.
Now on to some of recommended “business-y” books. General and specific to bookkeeping businesses.
Business Boutique by Christy Wright
This book is a practical primer for anyone, but it is typically geared toward women. In fact, the sub-title is “Helping Women Make Money By Doing What They Love”. If men can get past this subtitle and the girly stories about fashion and babies and such, then they would be well served by the practical steps. Each chapter has a to-do list and check list. I have read this one.
Start With Why and Find Your Why
The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur
What It Takes
Don’t Keep Your Day Job
Limitless
Never Go Back
Small Acts Of Leadership
Never Lose A Customer Again
Abundance Now
The Success Principles
The Lean Start Up
Fanatical Prospecting
Quitter by Jon Acuff
So, I particularly recommend this book to people who are feeling lifeless and frustrated at their day job. This book is basically a journey through what you need to do to find/identify/solidify your passion and then proactively (and probably more slowly than you’d like) take steps to get into that career that you love. I think there is a lot or real wisdom here. I found it interesting that he specifically addresses some of the relationship stains that come with entrepreneurship, especially in marriages.
I’m a stay-at-home-mom, so I can’t exactly “quit” my day job, but this book still really spoke to me.
Note: I think if you are more of an impulsive risk-taker by nature, you will be frustrated by this book. Though you should probably still read it. But you will think this guy’s tips are too slow. You want the big thing and you want it now.
Books by Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love me some Nick Loper and his Side Hustle Nation. He has quite a few on Amazon, but I’ll point you to two.
1) Some of you reading this are just in the tire-kicking phase of determining your side hustle. You aren’t sold on bookkeeping, but you feel the desire to do SOMETHING. Then you need this general book on finding your side hustle.
The Side Hustle: How to Turn Your Spare Time into $1000 a Month or More
2) Entrepreneurship is sort of analogous to being a juggler in a circus. It is difficult to manage all the tasks. Especially when you are side-hustling because your day is already full with a job or with kids or with caring for parents.
The Progress Journal: A Simple Daily Planner to Make Meaningful Progress on Your Most Important Work