Anyone that has started their own business understands that when you first start out you usually end up doing everything yourself This generally involves all of the tasks from answering the telephone, accounts, to cleaning the office not to mention actually doing the work that your clients pay you for.
As your business grows you get to the point where you can no longer do everything yourself and if you want to continuing growing you are going to have to employ the services of other people. An accountant should be the first professional that you think about hiring but choosing the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. Here are a couple of things to think about before you make your selection.
Make sure that the person you hire has the right qualifications. There are always people around that have carried out some accounting work before and are able to do it very well but until the Inland Revenue ask to have a look at your books you will never be sure that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really want the security of knowing that your books have been professionally prepared by a qualified accountant who is up-to-date with current tax legislation and allowances.
Ensure that the accountant you select is a person that you are able to have a good working relationship with. When you start looking around you can find a divide in the type of accountants you turn up. One one side will be the large accounting firms where you normally don't speak to the same person twice. On the other side will be the smaller accounting firms that tend to deal with businesses in their local area. If you are a small to medium sized business then the greater personal attention that you receive from a smaller accounting firm will help in developing a productive long-term relationship. The service fees of a smaller accounting firm are also liable to be much more affordable.
Make sure that whoever you select, they are someone who understands how your business works. You normally find that with larger accounting firms, they tend to specialise in certain areas of business. Smaller accounting firms tend to have a wider experience in dealing with different business types. 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.
Ensure that the account you choose can offer you a comprehensive range of accounting services. Check to see what services your account can provide and what level of service you will be getting for your money. At the basic level most accountants will file your tax return to the Inland revenue for you and should the need arise be able to present all of the relevant documents needed for a financial audit. Many accountants will also measure your business performance, help with business and growth planning and support your management team.
Make sure that you interview the accountant before choosing and don't just interview one. Always compare the services that you get for the money that you are paying and compare a few 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 get to the point where you can no longer do everything yourself and if you want to continuing growing you are going to have to employ the services of other people. An accountant should be the first professional that you think about hiring but choosing the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. Here are a couple of things to think about before you make your selection.
Make sure that the person you hire has the right qualifications. There are always people around that have carried out some accounting work before and are able to do it very well but until the Inland Revenue ask to have a look at your books you will never be sure that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really want the security of knowing that your books have been professionally prepared by a qualified accountant who is up-to-date with current tax legislation and allowances.
Ensure that the accountant you select is a person that you are able to have a good working relationship with. When you start looking around you can find a divide in the type of accountants you turn up. One one side will be the large accounting firms where you normally don't speak to the same person twice. On the other side will be the smaller accounting firms that tend to deal with businesses in their local area. If you are a small to medium sized business then the greater personal attention that you receive from a smaller accounting firm will help in developing a productive long-term relationship. The service fees of a smaller accounting firm are also liable to be much more affordable.
Make sure that whoever you select, they are someone who understands how your business works. You normally find that with larger accounting firms, they tend to specialise in certain areas of business. Smaller accounting firms tend to have a wider experience in dealing with different business types. 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.
Ensure that the account you choose can offer you a comprehensive range of accounting services. Check to see what services your account can provide and what level of service you will be getting for your money. At the basic level most accountants will file your tax return to the Inland revenue for you and should the need arise be able to present all of the relevant documents needed for a financial audit. Many accountants will also measure your business performance, help with business and growth planning and support your management team.
Make sure that you interview the accountant before choosing and don't just interview one. Always compare the services that you get for the money that you are paying and compare a few 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 Bristol Accountants have over 25 years of experience looking after the accounting needs of a diverse range of businesses and can offer your company a very broad range of accounting services. Accountants Clevedon