QB training seminars

I've taught monthly QB seminars for the local SBDC for the past 8 years. Some are half days and some are all day. We've never provided food--there are vending machines available and nearby restaurants for lunch. Michelle L. Long, CPA, MBAAuthor of: Successful QuickBooks Consulting: The Complete Guide toStarting and Growing a QuickBooks Consulting BusinessMLongConsulting.com

I know that this is a great opportunity to become more known in my community. Is this something that I should charge for? Are the materials offered by the ProAdvisor Program adequate if modified for the program? Any assistance in helping me get this planned would be greatly appreciated

You might contact your local SBDC or SCORE office to see about working with them to offer the seminars. They can help with the marketing, registration, etc. Yes, I get paid for the seminars and I think you should charge people to attend. However, some people offer short, one hour seminars for free, but I haven't done that myself. I started with the materials from Intuit and have modified it over the years.Michelle L. Long, CPA, MBAAuthor of: Successful QuickBooks Consulting: The Complete Guide toStarting and Growing a QuickBooks Consulting BusinessMLongConsulting.com

I have been known in the past for undercharging for my services and training. Even my employee(s) have told me that I need to raise my rates. I just need to know if what I am thinking for this training seminar is in the ball park of averages. $69/half day and $129/full day. Can I require a minimum attendance?

Both of those are reasonable rates to charge--how do those rates compare to other seminars in your area? Yes, you can require a minimum attendance or the class will rescheduled for a later date--you should be prepared to give full refunds or transfer their registration if this happens. You should also consider limiting the class size to a certain number.

Thanks so much for your input. My rates are actually on the higher side of a QBx LevelI course held twice a year that is 12 hours over 4 evenings for Basic Training and a Book. This Course is $195. A QBx Level II Coruse covering inventory and payroll is an additional 9 hours and another $80+ but you must have the first course completed and book from QBx I is required. This course is taught at a Educational Center by a public Accountant who is not Certified in Either Accounting or QuickBooks as a ProAdvisor. She is however, backed by an Education center that offers Certificates for the Training hours. She is paid as an Instructor for the the class time. I as a Certified ProAdvisor would like to offer certification of training. Am I able to do this? How do I go about doing this? On another note.What about offering online training from within my website? Has anyone ever offered this and has it been successful? Perhaps an Intro course in selecting the best product for a participant's business.

If you objective is to secure clients, I do not recomend the night school or jr. college route. The attendees are not generally potential clients. You will have better luck doing a half day class on Thursday in the AM and charge $97.