26/09/2023
On the train, travelling back from London after meeting with a relatively new client of mine.
A really lovely couple running a great business which has become extremely successful in a short time and as is common, has had to ‘wing it’ with regards to accounts and processes.
This is where I love to be able to get involved without the restrictions of a specific job title. Yes, we are doing their bookkeeping but in addition I am working with them to understand their business, review current processes and set up new, more automated and efficient ones.
Alongside that, they need to understand their business and being spoken to with financial jargon and presenting generic reporting and expecting that to make perfect sense to them and to enable them to make decisions, not only makes them feel patronised and incompetent but also does not help them understand or feel in control.
So I work with them, understand how they see their business and tailor the reporting to pull in all the correct financials but presented in the way they know their business.
When someone starts a business doing what they are skilled at, it doesn’t automatically mean they understand and can read a balance sheet or P&L.
Running my own business gives me the freedom to take the time to help them understand by understanding them!