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Add You - How to Find a Good Accountant for Your Cleaning Business
There was a buzz in the air recently about the US Postal Service. Seems as though they were running into a budget deficit in the billions.The Postal Service claimed they must cut Saturday service to customers to stay afloat -- a service they had provided for years. And one that customers expected. They said people using email instead of regular mail made a major dent in their profits. Customers were in an uproar. If customers had a choice, they'd lose many. Welcome to the real world of business.There are three lessons in this for your
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to
At first blush, it would appear there is no shortage of Succession Planning Advocates convinced in theory, the importance and benefits of corporate Succession Planning. In practice, however, real succession planning - or the overt lack thereof - runs juxtaposed to principle. The important question then is, “Why?”In November 2002 I wrote an article *The Art of Succession Planning in which the argument in favor of a detailed Succession Plan was put to rest. Clearly, the advantage of proper planning is no argument at all. But try telling that to
Perhaps you're a sole-proprietor who is thinking of incorporating your business. Your accountant will be able to advise you about how this move would affect your taxes and business growth. Or maybe you have questions on whether you should buy or lease a new truck for your business. Once again, your accountant will be able to help.
So how do you go about finding an accountant who is a good fit for you and your cleaning business? Here are a few tips:
* Ask other business owners for references. Find out who their accountants are and how happy they are with the services their accountant provides.
* If you can't get any references, go to the yellow pages and search the listings for several firms to contact. Call their offices and ask for the names of accountants who are familiar with cleaning businesses. Call four or five of the accountants on your list and ask them to tell you about their experience with working with clients in your industry and about their fees. From that information, narrow down your list to two or three accountants to interview in person.
* Prepare a list of questions to ask at the interviews, including:
- Do you have experience working with cleaning companies? (As a cleaning business you have unique expenses, including cleaning supplies and equipment, so it's helpful to find an accountant who understands your business.)
- How long have you been an accountant?
- What certifications do you hold?
- What continuing education or workshops do you attend?
- What is the hourly billing rate and what are the charges for extra services such as completing tax returns or helping with payroll?
- Who will I be working with and will I always be working with the same person?
- How accessible will my contact person be? Can he be reached by phone and e-mail? If I have to leave a message, how soon will he return my call? Will I be charged for every phone call?
- What other services do you provide and at what fees?
- If my cleaning business is audited, what are your responsibilities?
- What type of insurance do you have? (They should carry liability and errors and omission insurance.)
- Look for an accountant who is forward thinking. Ask what problems he might foresee and what he would do to correct those problems.
- Also remember to ask for references and then be sure to call those references.
* Meet with several prospective accountants and ask your questions. An accountant should be willing to meet with you for a brief "get to know you meeting" at no charge. A face-to-face meeting will help you to assess if you are comfortable with him or her and if you can establish a long-term relationship. As you are asking the accountant your questions, watch their body language. Do they seem interested in you and your business? Have they communicated with you in a language that you understand and not used accounting language jargon?
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to t
At some point you’re going to need to develop partnering relationships with other non-competing complementary tech providers in your area for partnering and subcontracting type of work. That way you can meet the needs of your clients for many different types of projects.Partnering- How To Be The Virtual Solution for Your ClientsSometimes you may be asked to do some work that you don't have experience or skills in. For example, let's say you’re a really good generalist and you’re good at setting up simple LANs, but all of a sudden your
* Ask other business owners for references. Find out who their accountants are and how happy they are with the services their accountant provides.
* If you can't get any references, go to the yellow pages and search the listings for several firms to contact. Call their offices and ask for the names of accountants who are familiar with cleaning businesses. Call four or five of the accountants on your list and ask them to tell you about their experience with working with clients in your industry and about their fees. From that information, narrow down your list to two or three accountants to interview in person.
* Prepare a list of questions to ask at the interviews, including:
- Do you have experience working with cleaning companies? (As a cleaning business you have unique expenses, including cleaning supplies and equipment, so it's helpful to find an accountant who understands your business.)
- How long have you been an accountant?
- What certifications do you hold?
- What continuing education or workshops do you attend?
- What is the hourly billing rate and what are the charges for extra services such as completing tax returns or helping with payroll?
- Who will I be working with and will I always be working with the same person?
- How accessible will my contact person be? Can he be reached by phone and e-mail? If I have to leave a message, how soon will he return my call? Will I be charged for every phone call?
- What other services do you provide and at what fees?
- If my cleaning business is audited, what are your responsibilities?
- What type of insurance do you have? (They should carry liability and errors and omission insurance.)
- Look for an accountant who is forward thinking. Ask what problems he might foresee and what he would do to correct those problems.
- Also remember to ask for references and then be sure to call those references.
* Meet with several prospective accountants and ask your questions. An accountant should be willing to meet with you for a brief "get to know you meeting" at no charge. A face-to-face meeting will help you to assess if you are comfortable with him or her and if you can establish a long-term relationship. As you are asking the accountant your questions, watch their body language. Do they seem interested in you and your business? Have they communicated with you in a language that you understand and not used accounting language jargon?
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to
Creativity in companies has resulted in innovative breakthroughs that vastly improve people’s lives while growing business profits.1st Example: Airports became a lot busier after someone created airplanes. Before that, people just sat around airports reading newspapers while drinking coffee and wondering how they could travel to another city.2nd Example: Bowling became much more popular after some creative soul came up with the idea of putting pins at the end of the alley. Previously, bowlers became bored just rolling the ball down
* Prepare a list of questions to ask at the interviews, including:
- Do you have experience working with cleaning companies? (As a cleaning business you have unique expenses, including cleaning supplies and equipment, so it's helpful to find an accountant who understands your business.)
- How long have you been an accountant?
- What certifications do you hold?
- What continuing education or workshops do you attend?
- What is the hourly billing rate and what are the charges for extra services such as completing tax returns or helping with payroll?
- Who will I be working with and will I always be working with the same person?
- How accessible will my contact person be? Can he be reached by phone and e-mail? If I have to leave a message, how soon will he return my call? Will I be charged for every phone call?
- What other services do you provide and at what fees?
- If my cleaning business is audited, what are your responsibilities?
- What type of insurance do you have? (They should carry liability and errors and omission insurance.)
- Look for an accountant who is forward thinking. Ask what problems he might foresee and what he would do to correct those problems.
- Also remember to ask for references and then be sure to call those references.
* Meet with several prospective accountants and ask your questions. An accountant should be willing to meet with you for a brief "get to know you meeting" at no charge. A face-to-face meeting will help you to assess if you are comfortable with him or her and if you can establish a long-term relationship. As you are asking the accountant your questions, watch their body language. Do they seem interested in you and your business? Have they communicated with you in a language that you understand and not used accounting language jargon?
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to
California like the rest of the country has many non-English or limited English speaking residents particularly within the Latino population. To capture these markets many companies often employ bilingual individuals. Sometimes these bilingual individuals chose to take advantage of the limited English speaking for greater profitability to the business and to line their own pockets. While limited English speaking customers may seem like easy targets, California law provides for tough sanctions and expansive protection of these customers.Und
- What other services do you provide and at what fees?
- If my cleaning business is audited, what are your responsibilities?
- What type of insurance do you have? (They should carry liability and errors and omission insurance.)
- Look for an accountant who is forward thinking. Ask what problems he might foresee and what he would do to correct those problems.
- Also remember to ask for references and then be sure to call those references.
* Meet with several prospective accountants and ask your questions. An accountant should be willing to meet with you for a brief "get to know you meeting" at no charge. A face-to-face meeting will help you to assess if you are comfortable with him or her and if you can establish a long-term relationship. As you are asking the accountant your questions, watch their body language. Do they seem interested in you and your business? Have they communicated with you in a language that you understand and not used accounting language jargon?
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to
I received an email recently that mentioned how difficult it is to create an inspiring display window at the end of a season.Yes. It is difficult to come continually come up with new and inspiring ideas. Especially when you are not inspired yourself.You're tired of the merchandise in your store that you have seen it every day for the past several weeks.You're disappointed that a product you anticipated would be a hot seller, is still sitting on the shelves.You're frustrated by the dwindling product selection,
Service is important. If the accountant doesn't seem interested in you and your business or takes calls during the meeting, it might be best to move on to the next candidate who will devote his full attention to you and your business.
After interviewing several candidates sit down and decide which one you are comfortable with and that you are confident has the knowledge and abilities to keep your business finances on track. Once you have decided on who you want to work with request a written estimate of costs that spells out what your responsibilities are and what your accountant's responsibilities cover. Knowing what you will be doing and what your accountant will be doing can eliminate confusion and save you time and money.
Remember, your accountant should be more than just someone who prepares your tax return. He or she should be able to help you in making important financial decisions that guides your business and makes your business profitable. Spending time and effort in finding the right accountant when starting your business can help to assure your cleaning business is successful in the long run.
Copyright 2006 The Janitorial Store
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