What’s in a title?

Richard Brewin • March 20, 2019

You will have read that Xero have started on online petition to change the dictionary definition of an accountant to “ a person whose job is to keep or inspect and advise on financial accounts .”

Putting Xero’s possible motivations to one side, they’ve raised an interesting debate and one that I’m not sure has an answer. Accountancy is such a wide profession now with so many branches, specialisms and niches that I’m not sure there is such a thing as ‘an accountant’ these days. Most job titles require a more specific word putting in front of the accountant tag. I guess that, whatever that additional wording is, most accountant roles involve at least an element of financial maintenance or inspection so maybe that’s not a bad generic answer that Xero have.

The problem is that a generic wording like this does nothing to enlighten the outside world as to the true role, value or potential of an accountant.

When I moved onto working with accountants rather than SME’s I spent a lot of time trying to work out how to define my role. Was I a mentor, a coach, a consultant, an advisor, an accountant? What’s the difference between them?

It took me a while but I finally worked it out….it didn’t matter!

What matters far more is ensuring that my brand, both personal and business, shouts out in very clear terms what I’m about, why I do what I do and who I am looking to work with. It needs to demonstrate that I understand the challenges faced by my target market and highlight the meaningful benefits that I can bring to those in that market place.

By giving myself a generic tag, let’s say ‘mentor’, I am open to those in my target market applying their own interpretation to what that role brings and it may not be the same as mine.

By spelling out who I am, why I do what I do and making it relevant to the right people, I remove any confusion.

So, if you need a title then call yourself whatever you want, but make sure that your message is clear. Define yourself, don’t leave it up to the dictionary writers or Xero to define you.

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.