When you first set your business up usually you end up doing everything yourself. This generally involves all of the tasks from answering the telephone, invoicing, to cleaning the office not to mention actually doing the work that your clients pay you for.
As your business grows you reach the limit where you can't carry out all of these tasks yourself and if you want to continuing to grow you need employ the services of other people. An accountant should be the first professional that you think about hiring but selecting the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. To help you out, here are some things to think about when choosing.
Be certain that the person you hire is qualified. There are always people around that have done some bookkeeping in the past and possibly do it very competently but until the Inland Revenue ask to have a look at your books you will never be 100% sure that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really want the assurance that your accounts have been professionally prepared by a qualified person who is up-to-date with current tax legislation and allowances.
Ensure that the accountant you choose is someone that you are able to have a good working relationship with. Once you start hunting for an accountant there is generally a divide between the large accounting firms and the smaller local accounting firms. For small to medium sized businesses, it is often easier to build up a strong working relationship with a small accounting firm also the service fees of a smaller accounting firm are also liable to be much more affordable.
Select someone that can understand your business. Most smaller accountants tend not to be specialised in a certain area of business and have much more diverse accounting experience. Who ever you choose, making sure that your accountant understands how your business operates is essential for them to carry out the best job they can for you.
Choose an accountant that offers a wide range of services. Accounting isn't just about bookkeeping and spreadsheets, at the very basic level your accountant should be able to perform services such as filing your tax return for you and preparing financial statements. Some accountants offer additional services such as keeping track of your business performance and helping with your business planning, they can also work along side and support your management team.
Always ask questions before selecting and accountant nd make sure that you interview several accounts. Always compare the services that you get for the money that you are paying and compare several accountants like for like. Check to see if they already have clients in your area of business and see how deep there understanding of your business is. It is also very important that you get along well and feel that you would be able to develop a good business relationship.
As your business grows you reach the limit where you can't carry out all of these tasks yourself and if you want to continuing to grow you need employ the services of other people. An accountant should be the first professional that you think about hiring but selecting the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. To help you out, here are some things to think about when choosing.
Be certain that the person you hire is qualified. There are always people around that have done some bookkeeping in the past and possibly do it very competently but until the Inland Revenue ask to have a look at your books you will never be 100% sure that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really want the assurance that your accounts have been professionally prepared by a qualified person who is up-to-date with current tax legislation and allowances.
Ensure that the accountant you choose is someone that you are able to have a good working relationship with. Once you start hunting for an accountant there is generally a divide between the large accounting firms and the smaller local accounting firms. For small to medium sized businesses, it is often easier to build up a strong working relationship with a small accounting firm also the service fees of a smaller accounting firm are also liable to be much more affordable.
Select someone that can understand your business. Most smaller accountants tend not to be specialised in a certain area of business and have much more diverse accounting experience. Who ever you choose, making sure that your accountant understands how your business operates is essential for them to carry out the best job they can for you.
Choose an accountant that offers a wide range of services. Accounting isn't just about bookkeeping and spreadsheets, at the very basic level your accountant should be able to perform services such as filing your tax return for you and preparing financial statements. Some accountants offer additional services such as keeping track of your business performance and helping with your business planning, they can also work along side and support your management team.
Always ask questions before selecting and accountant nd make sure that you interview several accounts. Always compare the services that you get for the money that you are paying and compare several accountants like for like. Check to see if they already have clients in your area of business and see how deep there understanding of your business is. It is also very important that you get along well and feel that you would be able to develop a good business relationship.
About the Author:
Neil Houghton Accountants Clevedon offer a broad range of accounting services and has over 25 years of experience looking after the accounting needs of a diverse range of businesses. Neil Houghton Accountants Nailsea.