When you first set your business up usually you end up doing everything yourself. This includes everything from accounts to tidying the office as well as doing all of the paid work as well.
As your business grows you get to the point where you can't carry out all of these tasks yourself and if you want to continuing growing you are going to have to employ the services of other people. The first person that you should think about hiring is an accountant. But choosing the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. To help you out, here are some things to consider when choosing.
Make sure that the accountant you choose has the right qualifications. There are always people that have done some invoicing 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 100% certain that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really need the security of knowing that your books have been professionally prepared by a qualified person who is up-to-date with current tax laws and allowances.
choose a personthat you are able to have a good business relationship with. When you start searching around you can find a divide in the type of accountants you come across. One one side will be the big accounting firms where you generally 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. The more personal attention that you receive from a smaller accounting firm often suits a small to medium sized business better. This is because it is often easier to build up a strong working relationship between businesses of similar sizes.
Make sure that whoever you select, they are someone who understands how your business works. Most smaller accountants tend not to be specialised in a certain area of business and have much more diverse accounting experience. Ensuring that your accountant knows how your business operates is essential to them being able to carry out a good job for you so make sure that your accountant understands your industry and business set-up.
Ensure that the account you choose is able to offer you a wide 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. 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 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't carry out all of these tasks yourself and if you want to continuing growing you are going to have to employ the services of other people. The first person that you should think about hiring is an accountant. But choosing the right accountant for your business isn't as straight forwards as you might think. To help you out, here are some things to consider when choosing.
Make sure that the accountant you choose has the right qualifications. There are always people that have done some invoicing 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 100% certain that they are doing the job correctly. If this happens then you really need the security of knowing that your books have been professionally prepared by a qualified person who is up-to-date with current tax laws and allowances.
choose a personthat you are able to have a good business relationship with. When you start searching around you can find a divide in the type of accountants you come across. One one side will be the big accounting firms where you generally 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. The more personal attention that you receive from a smaller accounting firm often suits a small to medium sized business better. This is because it is often easier to build up a strong working relationship between businesses of similar sizes.
Make sure that whoever you select, they are someone who understands how your business works. Most smaller accountants tend not to be specialised in a certain area of business and have much more diverse accounting experience. Ensuring that your accountant knows how your business operates is essential to them being able to carry out a good job for you so make sure that your accountant understands your industry and business set-up.
Ensure that the account you choose is able to offer you a wide 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. 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 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:
Bristol Accountant Neil Houghton provides a broad range of accounting services and has over 25 years of experience looking after the accounting needs of a varied range of businesses. Bristol Accountant