For small businesses looking for help with their accounting, bookkeeping, human capital management, financial analysis, or corporate strategy, independent contractors can be a fantastic choice for a cost-effective and experienced expert. The FINSYNC virtual assistance network has a carefully vetted selection of professionals looking to help businesses.
One such independent skilled professional is Mark Wright, an accountant who was paired with a FINSYNC client to serve as their cloud controller. Finding an accountant like Mark can be difficult, especially when he spends time traveling across the country in an RV with his wife. Luckily, every campground they stop at has Wi-Fi, so he’s always available remotely.
How did you decide to become an independent professional?
I’ve been doing this for 34 years now, and probably about a third of the time, I’ve been working as an independent professional. Right out of college, I got a job as a controller for a government contracting company. It’s very extensive when you deal with the government as far as what they’re looking for, and we had to do a very in-depth audit every year.
The CPA who did the audit loved the information I gave him because it was clean, and he didn’t really have to do anything with it. He was a CPA who had hundreds of clients all over the world, and he told me, “If you ever want to go out on your own, there’s a lot of incompetence in the accounting field, and I can give you a lot of work.”
What are the benefits of being an independent contractor?
Obviously, flexibility is the biggest thing. You can move things around if you need to. If you need to go away on vacation, you can basically do it from everywhere. Now, there’s Wi-Fi everywhere, so there’s a lot of flexibility. You’re working on your own, and so you know … you take care of your own stuff, and I like that.
What’s the most challenging part about being an independent contractor?
I’m a people person, so sometimes it’s hard not to get out. You’re not in an office every day; you’re not around a lot of people. I think anybody working from home, no matter what field they work in, has to find a way to be active in the community and to get outside. Do things like exercise to balance it out, because otherwise you would never leave your house.
How did you learn about FINSYNC’s virtual assistance network?
I searched on Indeed, looking to pick up some more remote hours, and I saw an ad of theirs. I responded and had to go through the process of interviewing, getting certified with their proprietary software, and getting familiar with it.
I went through that, and they had a client in Dallas, Texas, that they thought would be a good match. Finally, I interviewed with them, and I’ve been working for them ever since.
What do you do for Peisner Johnson?
Pretty much everything — accounts payable, accounts receivable, handling all the general ledger, payroll — I’m really their one-person accounting team, soup to nuts. One issue I deal with is billings. They have a lot of monthly billings they do based on tax returns and a lot of subscription billings. I’m not going to say it’s complicated, but there are a lot of intricacies.
What’s your working relationship like with the company?
I think it’s been good. They would have to testify on that, but I think it’s good that the former controller, Mike, did stuff online with me to make a smooth transition. There have been a few little things that came up that I wouldn’t know about, and the people there have been great and very helpful. It’s been a great experience so far.
Would you recommend FINSYNC’s virtual assistance network to other independent skilled professionals?
I definitely would, especially if they’re looking to do something where it’s totally remote. The whole platform allows you to do everything on a remote basis. I’ve been doing this for 34 years, and there are some clients I’ve worked for directly as an employee where there was just no way you could do the job remotely from a logistical standpoint.
If you’re a client who has the ability to work with professionals remotely, the FINSYNC platform provides cost savings and efficiency. Everything is cloud-based and backed up. All documents are saved online — invoicing, bills, anything — so it’s all paperless and saved.
The support from FINSYNC has also been tremendous. They really stand behind you and make sure that there’s no issue with a client or with anything you’re doing. If you do need help, they’re available to talk to, and their response is excellent.
Any advice for other independent professionals out there?
Keep looking. It’s hard to find the perfect match, but FINSYNC can help. Remote work for accountants is definitely becoming more acceptable, and I think over the next five to ten years, it’s really going to blow up. A company can save a lot of money using a remote employee, and if they’re open-minded, it can really work well. Anyone who wants to get into this and go remote needs to just keep plugging away.
FINSYNC Accounting Partner Program
We understand accounting professionals’ critical role in a business’s success. This is why we have designed the FINSYNC Accounting Partner Program. Where a dedicated Account Manager will help you achieve your firm’s goals. FINSYNC’s platform consolidates all financial operations into an all-in-one system, ensuring smooth financial management while connecting businesses with the right financial experts.