The frustrations of being so close

Richard Brewin • October 26, 2018

I regularly find myself explaining that we only work with good firms of accountants.

It isn’t a targeted marketing approach that has lead us there but much more to do with the fact that it tends to be accountants who already have shown enough enterprise to become good firms who then recognise the role that we can then play.

Good firms already have good systems, good people, good client relationships.  The frustration is that good isn’t great, particularly when it comes to personal rewards and satisfaction.

In this digital age it’s not difficult to have great systems. Clear focus and decisive buying decisions can quickly lead a firm to great systems. Having great people and great client relationships with the right services to the right sort of clients is something that many find a much greater and more time consuming challenge, to the extent that it gets in the way of the systems progression.

Good accountants in good firms then find themselves in the frustrating position of being nearly there…but not quite. A jigsaw almost done but not yet finished.

The role of a mentor is not to be the missing piece in the jigsaw but to help the accountant find that missing piece themselves.

As is often the case with a frustrating jigsaw, the missing piece is usually already there, it’s just fallen out of sight. It’s either lying somewhere waiting to be found or put away somewhere safe and waiting to be remembered. A mentor is there to help bring that piece back into play.

Just once in a while, the piece was never there in the first place. We need to make a bigger decision. Do we go back to the manufacturer? Do we bin the jigsaw and start a different one? Do we just accept a picture that is 95% done? Do we compromise with a different piece, wedged in?

The mentor is there to talk it though, add their experience of many other jigsaws, help you find the best solution.

We do what we do because we love helping accountants to finish their jigsaws.

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.