How to Find an Accountant for Your Business
by Veronica Stone on October 5th, 2007
An accountant can be your best sidekick when it comes to your business. He or she can advise you when it comes to purchasing certain things, what will affect taxes, and of course, the actual taxes. A competent, hardworking, and honest accountant is an absolute must. You will trust this person with the company’s finances and well being. Here is a great step by step process to find a good accountant for your business.
Step 1 – Ask for referrals from associates:
If it is possible, ask your friends or associates for the name of a great business accountant. If someone you know is already working with him or her, and is willing to recommend him or her, then that’s a good sign. Getting an accountant that you know has been doing a great job for someone else is a really nice way to make sure that you’re getting the right accountant. You also want to make sure the accountant is familiar with the circumstances of your business. For example, does he or she know the laws pertaining to an eBay business, etc.?
Step 2 – Phone Interview:
When you have found an accountant that you would like to check out on a deeper level, give them a phone call. Remember, you’re the boss in this situation, so it should be perfectly okay for you to interview the accountant. Ask about years of training, background, and of course, references. You most certainly want to call these references as well to find out what they have to say about the accountant you’re interviewing. Ask also about a detailed billing plan and what fees the accountant charges. Ask specifically what the services include as well. For example, would he or she help you with an audit? Another question you’ll want to ask is about their availability to you and their ability to grow with your business. If their workload limits their availability to you, or your business grows quicker than they are able to keep up with, they won’t end up being much use to you. Questions like these are very important.
Step 3 – Observe:
Give the attorney some time, say 12 hours, and ask him to answer you back with billing information, etc. Does he or she call you back within the time frame you asked for? Do they have all of the information you asked for? There are also a few other things that you want to watch for as well. Is he or she agreeable to work with? Do they seem like it doesn’t bother them at all to help you? If they are short, or seem as if they are doing you a great favor by getting back to you, you might want to think twice before hiring them.
Step 4 – Who is actually working?
Find out how the accountant’s work process goes. What work does he or she do personally, and do they have ‘junior assistants’ who do work for them? If they do, what aspects of the job do the assistants handle? You want to make sure you are getting what you’re paying for, and if he or she is throwing all of the work on someone else while you are paying for the top accountant, politely tell them, ‘no thanks.’ If you wanted a junior assistant to handle your business, then you would’ve hired one.
It can seem a bit frustrating to find the perfect accountant that you will be able to work well with. However, the effort is definitely worth it. A great accountant can be a huge value to your company.
