One of my students, an Indian accountant, was working with US SMEs and startup clients using the strategies we had shared for the past few months.

He approached me for guidance recently. 

Although he was doing well, he preferred to work in a stable job so that he did not have the pressure and uncertainty associated with finding clients every month. 

Is there a way to get a stable US job that he can do remotely from India?

Yes. 

How many of you prefer to have stable jobs rather than work with US clients  

I suggested that he network with US CPAs as they have a huge need for talent. 

He will need to reach out to them initially, perform some initial assignments and build relationships with a few of them over the next 3 months.

If they are impressed, it is very easy to land job offers with them.

How can I find US CPAs and network with them? 

Why would they give me work? 

Let me explain why:  

1. There are almost 6.7 lakh CPAs in the US. You can reach out to them over the internet using a very simple networking technique which I show below. 
2. Why would they work with you? Very simple. At least 50% of them are solo practitioners or have less than 10 people, and cannot hire local talent as it is very expensive. The US is also facing a huge accountant shortage. 
3. They are also finding it difficult to be cost effective in comparison to the Big Four and MNCs who are benefiting from offshoring US accounting work to their global capacity centres (GCC) or KPOs in cheaper countries like India. 
4. Why can’t they offshore work to Indian KPOs? The KPO/GCC model involves volume-based homogenous assignments, and has a much higher cost. These small practitioners do not have homogeneous work, or the budget to outsource to a KPO or set up their own capacity centre, but can work with a remote Indian accountant. 
5. They are aware that working with Indian accountants can enable them to save time and have up to 70% cost-savings, but they don’t know how to find a suitable Indian accountant or bookkeeper who is conversant with US practices. 
6. That is why it is important to reach out to them and show them your skills and track record if you want to get work from them. 
7. What if I don’t know a lot of US accounting and tax work yet? You can still help them with a bunch of assignments such as publishing articles, social media posts or interviews that showcase their insights around US accounting, finance and tax work. 
8. Most of them are very busy with existing client assignments and do not have the time or the resources to build an online presence, which could multiply their brand and inquiries. You will realise the massive contribution you can make to their online presence once you go through their profiles!  
9. That is why it is a great idea to assist them with their brand building initially, when you don’t have US accounting or tax or finance skills. They will welcome this gesture. This is also a fantastic opportunity to interview them, learn more about the US market and get lots of hands-on exposure to the US market and learn from US CPAs. 
10. Over time, as you learn more US-specific skills, you can pitch additional services such as management of accounts receivable/payable, financial analysis and planning (US compliant), US financial statements and report drafting, processing of payroll in US, US tax return preparation, cost and forensic accounting as per US principles. This does not take more than 3 months to get started, and 6 months to master because 80-90% of the work is similar in India, with minor differences. 

By now, this person was very eager to find US CPAs. 

Alright, here is just one out of many directories to find CPAs in the US. 

There are many other directories. 

You will reach a link like this, simply choose the state – California, Texas, Florida, New York, Wyoming are amongst the best bets.  

You will reach a page like this:

Try to find them on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter) and visit their website (if any). 

Check the following:

1. Do they post frequently enough on social media? Do they share insights about their work? 
2. How frequently do they post? What is the typical engagement? 
3. If they have a website, do they have a blog? How frequently is it updated? 
4. Do they have a newsletter on their website?
5. Do they have a YouTube channel/do they post insights on Insta?

This will give you an idea of how to pitch.

What do you write to them?

Send this message to 10 US CPAs: 

Here is a message that you can send if you don’t yet know US bookkeeping and accounting:

Dear xyz, 

Congratulations on <achievement>!

I am thoroughly inspired by the wealth of your experience, but I’m afraid that it is not getting the attention it deserves online! 

I conducted some research, and have identified a few ways in which you can improve your online profile to get more inquiries. 

• I can assist you to create video content every week which can be posted on your social media profiles, Youtube and your website to expand your network and build massive credibility; 
• I can help you to get covered on leading podcasts across the world so that your work gets noticed amongst potential clients; 
• I can assist you to start a newsletter so that your subscribers get updates every week and organised. 
• I can also help you organise a series of webinars or get invitations to speak at other webinars or podcasts.   

Could we jump on Zoom call to identify how I can help you to generate 3x new inquiries in the next 1 month? 

Just hit yes, and I’ll share a couple of time slots this week. 

Cheers

<Your Name>

P.S. Being compensated for my services is not my primary goal as I am looking for my first 3 testimonials currently. If you like my work, you can leave me a testimonial on my profile. 

Once you build a track record, you can write something like this:  

I already helped 2 US CPAs find 3 new clients in the last quarter. 

What message should you send if you know how to do US bookkeeping, accounting and tax filing work? 

Here’s an example – but you can invent 100s more. 

Hi xyz,

I am sure you are exploring new options to compete with large accounting firms which are offshoring a huge amount of work to cheaper countries. You may also feel pressure from increasing automation happening through expensive AI software. I can help you to get an unassailable competitive advantage over your competitors using AI and talent arbitrage that will lower your cost and increase profitability by an order of magnitude. 

• I will enable you to automate the processes and functioning of your firm, using AI – that will massively streamline your work, reduce costs, and improve your profitability without yours having to pay huge amounts of money to a consultant in the US – you will also be able to take on more clients

• I can assist you by performing other accounting, compliance and administrative work as I know US GAAP and tools like Xero, Quickbooks and Wave, etc. 

• I can assist you to set up an MIS system, if you like, for your practice, so that you have a high-level picture of the status of important projects and the roadblocks on your fingertips, and so that nothing critical gets missed

• I can also help you with business development, get you invited to leading industry podcasts which your potential clients listen to, and regularly post on your social media to get followers and clients – this can massively enhance your credibility 

I bet that you will see some results in just 3 weeks!

All I want in return is a recommendation for my work on my profile. If you find my work beneficial and useful, you can give me remote freelance work at any amount, or not. I just want an opportunity to help you out using my skills. It will be a dream come true for me.

Just hit “Yes” if you’re interested, and I’ll share a couple of time slots for a 15-min Zoom meeting. 

Super excited to hear from you. 

Cheers,

<Your Name>

You don’t have to write everything – write what you can do. 

The accountants we help also write a line like this: 

I have familiarity with US practices as I am pursuing a recognised course on US accounting, bookkeeping and tax return preparation and can genuinely contribute – some work samples are attached.

OR

I already helped a couple of US startups and CPAs with this last month, and one of my startup clients secured a Series A funding – here are their testimonials.  

Of course, if you can do more things it is more likely that you can get positive results with a wide range of clients, and you can also charge more per client.  

Since other people do not try this strategy, and because you have a massive cost advantage, you are likely to be highly effective. 

Are you going to try this out?

Remember that getting a yes with such a mail is not difficult if you pitch enough. 

Initially, you may get 1 or 2 responses out of every 20 people you pitch to.

But this will get better over time. 

However, you need to be able to deliver results after that.

That is why learning the skills is crucial. 

Would you like to obtain a step-by-step roadmap to work with US clients? 

It just takes 6 months, and you could get started next week itself once you have the roadmap, and land your first client in under 30 days.