Bird spikes on trees…and why focussing on the problem can harm your perspective

Richard Brewin • June 29, 2018

The good folk of Barlett Court flats in Bristol have resorted to putting anti-bird spikes in the trees overhanging their car park to protect vehicles at their ‘prestigious development’ from the damage caused by bird poo. (“Pigeon spikes on Bristol trees branded ‘idiotic’” bbb.co.uk/news 19 th January 2018).

According to one resident, “It’s quite hard to wash cars out here because there’s no washing facility so it’s quite a problem for residents.”

Car owners amongst us will be aware of the mess you can return to when you’ve parked under a tree and it can be very corrosive if not cleaned off. Understandably therefore, action was called for by the tenants and the building’s management company have been trying to address the ‘pigeon problem’ since 2014, including installing fake birds and noise deterrents.

But here’s the thing.

In becoming fixated on the pigeon, surely the managers have missed a far simpler, much less controversial and arguably less apparently idiotic solution to banning birds from trees….install an outside tap!

This can happen so easily in business. We can become so frustrated by the client who won’t respond, by the employee who’s always late, by the service that isn’t quite working, that we end up taking actions that inconvenience the silent majority rather than fix the problem minority…and we damage ourselves as a result.

Don’t get sucked into planning for the negative. Keep the bigger picture in mind, plan for the good, not the bad, and accept that you can’t please everyone all the time.

Why your accounting firm is unique

By Richard Brewin • June 5, 2025
All accountants are the same! We’ve all heard it said. It’s nonsense, of course, but, when you are asked what it is that your firm does that differentiates it from other accounting firms, it can be a challenge to come up with something tangible.  Accounting firms tend to offer similar services, that’s what makes them accounting firms. Differentiating from competitors based upon services provided is therefore an issue.

Will MTD ITSA be the next big gift from the accounting profession

By Richard Brewin • April 2, 2025
Question… Should accountants charge for the additional work and obligations they will have when MTD ITSA finally comes into play next April? Not sure? Let me ask another one… Should business owners and taxpayers be expected to pay for the work that their accountant does for them and for the expertise that they receive? Put down in black and white, the answer seems obvious but there are many in the profession who are losing sleep over this issue.

“Accountants can’t or won’t sell”

By Richard Brewin • February 25, 2025
Accountants selling to their clients is a topic as old as the profession itself. I regularly hear criticism from those looking to monetise the accountants’ relationships with their clients that “accountants can’t sell”. I also come across an attitude within the profession that “accountants shouldn’t sell to their clients…it’s unprofessional…it’s not what my clients expect”.  Let’s tackle the issue.