Are You Looking To Hire An Accountant? Here’s What You Need To Know

Only Hire an Accountant When You’re Ready to Delegate

As a small business owner the best thing about running your own business will often be that you are in control, you are the boss and you are in charge of looking after the baby that is your business. By running your own business you have the ability to set your own working hours, create your own business strategy, regulate your workload and determine how much you will charge and how much you will earn.

When you run your own business you are the master of all these things and this can offer a very liberating and wonderful feeling.

However it can also be what stops you delegating and this can stop the growth of your business. We have come across new and small business owners who often feel overworked, tired and stressed and this tends to be down to the reluctance to delegate and allow others to help out in the business.

After all, who can possibly know your business as well as you do and be able to care for it and love it in the way you do?

The thing is the people that you can delegate work to don’t need to be able to know your business inside and out when they start; they just need to be skilled in their area of expertise. For example, you may not be able to design a website, but a website designer can understand your business and use their skills and expertise to create a first class website for you, allowing you to get on with what you are good at – running your business.

Looking To Hire An Accountant

The same goes for an accountant; while an accountant may not understand your business as well as you do, they will get to know it better over time and they can bring a fresh pair of eyes to your business. They will also know things you can claim for and things you can do to make your business more financially stable and profitable – allowing you to get one with what you are good at!

You need to make sure you choose the right accountant for your business and your needs but once you have chosen your accountant and handed over your company’s finances to someone more experienced in accountancy you will be able to free up more time to concentrate on the other parts of your business.

Please take the time to consider some of our services and contact us if they are of interest.

Why Should I Change Accountants?

There are lots of reasons that people choose to move to a new accountant. If you feel that you are unhappy with the level of service you are receiving then this is a good reason to change accountants. Your accountant should be proactive in finding tax-saving options, if they’re not doing this you could be spending more on tax than you should be.

How Can I Change Accountants?

In one word, easily! Accountants are not allowed to put a fixed term of contract in place, so all you need to do to change accountants is give 30 days’ notice to switch providers.

We would always recommend that you give your accountant notice when you are leaving them. However, as your accountant, we can make this process easier for you. We will send your old accountant a professional clearance letter that asks for all the relevant documents and information that they hold for your business.

We will send your professional clearance letter to your old accountant on your behalf. This is a letter of correspondence that asks permission for us to take you on as a client and ask for the documents and paperwork that we need to look after your business accounts. This is the hardest part of changing accountants and absolutely nothing to worry about as we will do it all for you.

What Can Direct Peak Do Better?

We make sure we communicate with you throughout the year, not just at year end. We will make sure that you are utilising your tax savings. Once the end of year has passed it is too late to utilise these, so we make sure you are ready to utilise these savings. Our team will keep a close eye on your accounts throughout the year to make sure your business is on track. We will also let you know before year-end any changes that we recommend. As accountants, we are regularly in contact with our clients. As our client, we will speak to you throughout the year with any recommendations or to answer any queries. We don’t just offer an end of year service; we offer an all year round service.

As a small business and accountants experienced working with small to medium businesses we know how worrying an accounts query can be. This is why we get most to almost all cases within 24 hours, to put your mind at rest. There is no charge for queries by phone or email, so if something is worrying you, please tell us.

By knowing where your business is at, it is easier to make informed business decisions. We turnaround management accounts within an average of 25 days of month end. This helps you see exactly what is happening within your business. All our work is on a fixed fee so there will never be surprise bills. We also utilise technology to make your life and business management easier.

All of our new clients moving over to Xero receive a free Xero migration service and two hours training for a member of staff, so you know your business will be up and running on Xero smoothly and your staff know how to use the essential day to day features. We are Xero Gold Partners and also offer advanced Xero training and Xero Payroll Training, so if you need further training, we are here for you.

If you’re finding frustration with an existing accountant or feel it’s time to move on to better accounting systems to reflect your modern business, let us help. Call us now for a free consultation on 01778 481044 and let’s get this job ticked off your new year’s to-do list!