Always aim for the bright side of your firm

Richard Brewin • August 6, 2018

What’s the best thing about running your own accountancy firm?

Forget your hassles and frustrations for one moment and think about the reasons why you wanted to be your own boss. A ‘Top 5’ list based on the accountants that we work with looks like this:

  1. A belief that there had to be a better way of looking after clients than you were experiencing with the firm you were in.
  2. An unwillingness to follow the decisions and plans of others.
  3. A desire to see more rewards for your own efforts.
  4. Better work-life balance.
  5. A need for greater recognition and reputation.

Any of these could form the basis of your answer to the question above. Running your own firm should be about spending your time doing the things you want to do, in the way you want to do them and with the people you want to do them with.

Now let’s bring those hassles and frustrations back into the frame. The chances are that these are the things that you feel are keeping your firm and your happiness in the shade. These tend to be the things that occupy the thinking time of those trying to run the show.

How much do you focus on the light as opposed to the shade? Are your strategies geared towards achieving the best things about running your own firm or minimising the worst?

Do you challenge yourself to proactively strive for the light in your firm, aiming for the best things about running your own firm, or are you consumed by the shadows that lurk in your frustrations.

You can change this.

Rather like the visual tricks that show two different images in the same picture depending on how you look, by focussing on light not dark in your firm you can get a very different perspective from the same picture. Focus on strength not weakness. Focus on the good, not the bad. The picture remains the same but by creating strategies to build on your strengths you can address your weaknesses in a very different light.

Try it.

Being proactive is a culture, not a slogan

By Richard Brewin • June 27, 2025
Look at any accounting firm website and there is a fair chance that the word ‘proactive’ will be prominent. Ask some business owners and taxpayers whether they consider their accountant to be proactive.  There is commonly a gap between the two, between the intent of the accountant and the expectations of the client.

How tech helps us to rebuild our trusted advisor role

By Richard Brewin • June 23, 2025
The tag ‘Trusted Advisor’ gets bandied around a lot. Without trying to be deliberately contentious, I often challenge its use. Undoubtedly, accountants were once the trusted advisor to their clients. When I came into the profession 44 years ago now, the older partners, especially, were seen by their clients as their trusted advisor, their ‘go to’ person on any issues, business, family or personal, that were troubling them. Without the filing deadlines of today, these clients were with their accountant primarily because they valued the relationship rather than the products.

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.