5 Reasons to Join the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Community

What do puppies, networking, and free swag have in common? They’re all things you can find in the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Community! The Community is an online hub designed to be your one-stop-shop for learning resources, networking opportunities, and industry news to help you support your small business clients.

(Interested in learning more? You can get exclusive access by joining the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Program.)

It’s no surprise that we love the Community, but we wanted to hear what our Partners had to say about it. So we asked them to describe what their experience has been like, and were so blown away by their answers that we just had to share them here.

What Is the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Community?

Simply put, the Accounting Partner Community is a place where accounting professionals can connect online by sharing stories, asking questions, offering advice, and getting to know each other through fun discussion boards.

It also has tons of resources and training tailored for bookkeepers and accountants who work with small businesses. But don’t just take my word for it! Here are 5 things your industry peers have said they love about the Partner Community.

1. Make Genuine Connections

In the accounting industry, we often hear people say things along the lines of “I’ve found my people,” and that’s exactly why the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Program exists. We love sparking genuine connections between practitioners that go beyond accounting work. Discussions like ‘what’s a piece of technology you can’t live without’ or ‘show us your pets!’ help break the ice and make it easier to reach out to others for support.

“The Community has been a huge help to me as somebody just starting out in this world,” said Michael Harris, FreshBooks Accounting Partner and Community member. “Not only with specifics [about accounting] but also in a broader sense, some of the things I’ve learned from the Community have been creeping into my day-to-day and that’s been really interesting to see.”

2. Professional Networking Opportunities

Let’s face it: Finding the time for networking can be hard. Sure, joining an industry association helps, but sometimes it can be difficult to make time for in-person meetups. As an online hub, the Community is available 24-7 and it’s filled with other accountants and bookkeepers who face similar challenges in the industry.

“This is a place to build real business relationships with others,” said Thomas Ledford, 1040 Tax Instructor at Thomas G. Ledford & Associates. “[It’s also a place to] connect with like-minded individuals who are working at starting and growing a profitable, sustainable business that will give them the time and financial freedom they seek.”

Some Partners have even used the Community as a way to form professional partnerships and directly grow their businesses:

“So far the greatest benefits have been the personal connections, inside Freshbooks and with other accountants,” said Rebecca Kittel, Owner at Ledger Up, LLC. “I’ve partnered up with another accountant, and I dare say we’ve had exponentially great returns from our partnership.”

3. Stay in the Know

The Community has a lot to offer that goes beyond discussion boards. Members of the FreshBooks Partner Program can use it as a way to keep up with what’s new in the accounting profession and at FreshBooks.

Through the Community, Accounting Partners are often the first to know about FreshBooks news and product updates, so they can be prepared to help their clients with any changes to their accounting software.

Accounting professionals also use the Community as a way to keep up with industry news. “It’s a great community supporting great software,” said Daniel Jaworski, Accounting Partner. “[It’s also helpful] in a wider context of business advice and development, e.g., by sharing interesting articles, podcasts, etc.”

4. Bring Out Your Competitive Side!

If you like seeing numbers go up, you’ll love Community Challenges. Completing Challenges will give you points that you can use to redeem for rewards like free books, swag that’s exclusive to the Partner Program, and paid admission to VIP public speaking courses.

Challenges are set up to help you get the most out of the Accounting Partner Program. Think of them as bite-sized courses that range from business tips to product refreshers, and fun conversation starters.

5. Continuous Learning Through the FreshBooks Certification

The Community is your gateway to completing the FreshBooks Certification. This training helps you get up to speed and become an expert on FreshBooks and its apps so you’re perfectly positioned to advise and collaborate with your clients using the platform.

Certified Partners also get additional tools and support to help with their continuous learning. They get to work with dedicated Accounting Specialists who are FreshBooks product experts with accounting backgrounds. Partners also get their own free account so they can continue learning the tool at their own pace.

Whether you’re new to the accounting profession, or you’re an industry veteran, there’s something for everyone to learn within the Community.

“Accounting is a second career in my senior years and it is definitely not like it was when I was in high school,” said Petal-Dawn Loubert, President at PDM Associates LLC. “The technology is daunting for me but I am working my way through the Challenges. Having a community of accountant Partners with a wealth of knowledge and experience to go to for assistance makes the process less stressful.”

We’re Here to Help You Grow and Connect

The FreshBooks Community was designed specifically to help connect accounting professionals, but it’s only part of what makes the Accounting Partner Program great. The entire FreshBooks Accountant Channel team is genuinely invested in your success and is here to help with whatever you need.

Try it for yourself! Check out the Accounting Partner Program and see how it can help you grow your business. I can’t wait to see you in the Community!