Home > Money and Finance > Accounting > Finding a Great Accountant


Steven Hastert

Guide to Finding a Great Accountant

Features that separate average accountants from great ones


Useful
5.8
out of 10

Add Your Comments
 
 
Email Guide to Finding a Great Accountant to a friend
Save the Guide to Finding a Great Accountant to My Work.com Favorites
Print the Guide to Finding a Great Accountant
link to this page
Save to del.icio.us
digg it!


Good CPAs are easy to find, but if you’re really serious about building a great business it’s worth the extra effort to find a great CPA. Great CPA’s all have the following qualities:

  1. Have a wealth of business experience. Experience with other businesses in your sector is even better.
  2. Think strategically about your business options. They should offer suggestions on how to grow your business next year and not just compile reports from last year.
  3. Help you execute a tax plan that legitimately allows you to keep more of what you earn. This extends past the taxes that the business pays and includes the income taxes paid by the investors and principals.
  4. Are candid and direct in their conversations and communications. It is easy to find an accountant to meekly agree with your decisions but you want someone to tell you when they think you are heading down the wrong road and why.
  5. Help you protect your business from embezzlement, fraud, and dishonest employees through good financial controls and procedures. They should also help you implement internal procedures to more quickly detect any errors or omissions.
  6. Provide an objective perspective about your business performance. Your sales manager will overestimate sales and the operations manager always fails to add in one-time expenses so you need a clear and accurate picture to make informed decisions.
  7. Save you money and increase your profit by helping you identify “best” practices. This is where their experience gives them actionable insight into the business.
  8. Be involved in the business community. They should have contacts that can help you grow your business and form strategic alliances.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Ask for referrals


A good first step is to ask your business associates for referrals. Remember this a first step and should only give you a start on a candidate list.

I recommend: You should seek out the referrals from the most successful people you know.  One option is your linked in network.

Expand your candidate list.


Add to your candidate list with an online search.

I recommend: The Accounting Aisle provides you with great accountants in your area.

Interview your candidates


You should be comfortable with your accountant. An interview will give you a gauge of their personality.

I recommend: Monster for information on running a good interview.

Check references.


Don't get lazy and forget to check their references. This is an important decision and deserves this step.

I recommend: The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) keeps a report on all members in good standing.

The official source of Finding a Great Accountant is the US Accountants page at Business.com

Featured Vendors

Bookkeeping Services
Free Quotes from Multiple Firms Operating Businesses Only Please.
Accounting.BuyerZone.com

Accounting Software Directory
Compare accounting software using Capterra's free, comprehensive directory.
Capterra.com

Accountants in Bakersfield
Provides comprehensive solutions for finding the right CPA firm for your organization, including firms in Bakersfield
www.cpaxdirect.com/

Find Accounting Software
Compare accounting and business management software. Conduct software searches based on industry, operating system or application.
www.findaccountingsoftware.com

Subscribe to

Try our free weekly WhatWorks newsletter, with business how-to advice
& resources from Work.com.

click here to view a sample issue
 Related Resources from Business.com Back to top 
 Recommended Solution Providers Back to top 

The Accounting Aisle will help you quickly find several good candidates for business accounting.


  CommentsBack to top 

Loading Comments...


Add Your Comments


Email Guide to Finding a Great Accountant to a friend
Save the Guide to Finding a Great Accountant to My Work.com Favorites
Print the Guide to Finding a Great Accountant
link to this page
Save to del.icio.us
digg it!


Is any content on this page inappropriate? To let us know, please click here.

Ads by Google







© 2008 Work.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Work.com is a property of Business.com.
Help | About Us | Site Map | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Community Policy | Community Blog | Advertise on Work.com | Contact Us / Feedback | Work.com Feed