I started planning to set up The Accounting Room in April 2022. I wanted to work more closely with small/medium business owners, providing more insight and hands-on support than the old-school year-end accountant. A year later and we have two full-time staff, two part-time staff, a partnered tax team, cool office space and an amazing network of local professionals who all come together to meet almost every requirement of a small/medium business owner.
When good firms price fairly, it can be seen as expensive by business owners
We have clients in a variety of industries, and of different shapes and sizes. We work hard to understand their aches, pains and aspirations. In fact, our culture is the single most important thing for us. We thrive on continually exploring what can give our clients competitive edge. Our personal approach and willingness to find the answers that will propel our clients is what gets our best feedback.
I believe the single most pressing issue for practitioners today is price. So many inexperienced accountants charge way too little, which ultimately leads to them being overworked, providing a poor service and their clients leaving. This then has a knock-on effect of portraying our industry in a negative light. It also means that when good firms price fairly, it can be seen as expensive by business owners. As a result, convincing a prospect of what value looks like is an ongoing battle.
Saving clients’ time is just as important as saving clients’ tax – if not more so
My advice to those starting up a practice is to price correctly and choose your software wisely. Saving clients’ time through accounting software, automation and the ever-expanding available digital tools is just as important as saving clients’ tax – if not more so. Most SMEs we assist have a good proportion of the software and processes that we implement in-house for our own business.
Being an accountant is also about helping clients grow, being someone that they can trust. You need to be that external sounding board to allow them to step back, look at things from an informed perspective and help them achieve their goals. There is nothing more rewarding than succeeding with our clients. When they win, we win.
Outside of work, my hobbies, in no particular order, are sport, eating out, drinking out, travel, gym and family.
