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How To Find A Business Accountant
Business accountants provide tax planning, financial advice, and business consultation to small business owners. The business accountant that you choose will play a vital role in the success or failure of your business. For this reason, it is important to make the right choice the first time. Here are some tips on how to find a business accountant.
- When trying to find a business accountant, start with referrals from other professionals, such as your lawyer or banker. You can also get referrals from other small business owners. You can also check with the State Board of Certified Public Accountants for referrals in your area.
- Make a list of questions to ask before calling any accountants. These questions should include: Are you a CPA (Certified Public Accountant)? What are your fees? Do you have references? These are the only questions that need to be asked over the telephone. The rest of your questions will be asked during the consultation meeting.
- Set up a consultation meeting with the accountants that you are interested in. These accountants will preferably be CPA's, have fees that you can afford, and will have already provided you with references. Make sure that both you and the accountants set aside plenty of time for each interview - at least an hour or two.
- During the consultation meeting with the accountant, ask: Are you capable of planning and preparing taxes? How will I transfer financial information and records to you - hard copy or electronically? What software will I need? How will you help me make my business grow? What other services can you provide? Why should I choose you as my business accountant?
- There will be other questions and discussion that are specific to your business. Arm yourself with a written list of questions to take to the meeting with you. You can also ask the accountant to send you a written proposal before your meeting.
- Don't make a decision until you have interviewed all of the business accountants that passed your previous phone interview. One accountant may offer you a better deal or have better networking connections than others - but you won't know this if you make your choice without talking to all of the accountants.
You must use care when choosing your business accountant. This person will have access to all of your financial information and he/she should be a valuable resource for solving or avoiding many business problems down the road. If after the initial round of consultations, you still have more than one accountant that you are interested in, request a second interview, and ask more in-depth questions. After that second consultation, you should know which accountant would best serve your business.
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