While you're waiting

Over the last few months I have posted an enormous amount of valuable information to this blog. However my focus has now moved on - so there will be no more posts here.

I am however regularly blogging elsewhere:

Advcie and tips for ambitious professionals

Accountant jokes and fun

Do you get on well with your accountant?

We all gel with different people. There are no rights or wrongs, we are just all different.

One reason why far too many people think that their accountant is just merely 'okay' is because there is no real relationship.

Few people interview prospective accountants in the same way as they would staff. But, almost regardless of the service you want, you will want to make sure that you like your accountant.

You need to be clear what is important to you and what you want them to do i.e. do you want them to visit or will you go to them? do you want them to do your bookkeeping or just your accounts? do you just want them to complete your tax return? Have you a preference for gender or age?

I will shortly be producing a guide to interviewing your new accountant.

In the meantime, maybe it's worth thinking about how you could improve the relationship with your accountant. Maybe just going for a drink together, or having a meal together would help - as long as they don't want to charge you for this. On the other hand, do remember that accountants, like solicitors, really value their time. Look at it from his/her perspective. Are you a growing business? Will the investment of time in building a relationship with you be worth it to the accountant? If they can see longer term potential in you maybe they will be happy to invest the time.

(I wonder if the origin of 'gel' is an abbreviation of "get on well"?)