Blog Layout

25 Questions to Ask When Hiring an Accountant

Linda Weathers • Aug 16, 2021

A lot of times, new business owners ask us one question: How much will it cost for you to do my accounting or taxes? And, we’re happy to answer that question as soon as we find out more about your business and whether we can help you with what you need.

However, you might want to ask us more questions than simply inquiring about our fees. Here are some to consider. And yes, feel free to grill us. We appreciate your interest and want you to know us better. Setting expectations at the beginning contributes toward a healthy long-term relationship between a business owner and their accountant.

How long have you been in business?
What experience do you have with companies in my industry?
What experience do you have with companies at my revenue level?
What professional bookkeeping, accounting, and/or tax credentials do you have?
How skilled are you with technology?
What accounting software do you support?
Have you earned any accounting software credentials?
Do you partner with any accounting software vendors, and what benefits do your clients receive from your partnership?
What accounting and tax services do you offer? Do you have a specialty or favorite service or niche?
What services are inhouse and what is outsourced by you to other vendors? (example: payroll)
Are your employees US-based or overseas?
What size is your team, and who would support my business?
How do you bill for services: flat-rate or hourly?
How long is my initial rate locked in for?
How often do you raise prices on clients?
What price would you charge to perform the services I need?
Do you offer a guarantee or warranty on your work?
How do you protect and secure my financial data?
Who in your company and supply chain will see my financial data?
How secure is the accounting software you use?
Do you require me to sign a contract or engagement letter?
What is your cancellation policy?
If I pay for software through you and decide to cancel, what happens to my software and data inside the accounting system?
Is your firm environmentally-friendly?
Does your firm support diversity and inclusion?

< Older Post Newer Post >

Five Summertime Strategies for 2023

By Linda Weathers • 15 Jun, 2023

We’re six days away from the first day of summer, and a few weeks away from the midpoint of the year. It’s the perfect time for taking a strategy check in your business to see how you’re doing for the first half of 2023 as well as to plan something fun and productive for summertime. […] The post Five Summertime Strategies for 2023 first appeared on .

Five Summertime Strategies for 2023

By Linda Weathers • 12 Jun, 2023

Cool Tech Tools: ChatGPT

By Linda Weathers • 05 Jun, 2023

The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) has been in the news quite a bit recently, and one of the reasons is the launch of an AI chatbot called ChatGPT. The GPT in ChatGPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer, which is a program that can realistically write like a human and interact in a conversational way. […] The post Cool Tech Tools: ChatGPT first appeared on .

Cool Tech Tools: ChatGPT

By Linda Weathers • 01 Jun, 2023

5 Ways to an Accountant’s Heart

By Linda Weathers • 12 May, 2023

In the last few years, the shortage of accounting professionals has grown tremendously, and many business owners are struggling to find reputable, quality accounting services. Prices for accounting services may have gone up due to this supply/demand imbalance, and they will keep going up for years to come– due to the shortage in accounting graduates […] The post 5 Ways to an Accountant’s Heart first appeared on .

Don’t Shortchange Yourself: What an Entrepreneur’s Pay Should Cover

By Linda Weathers • 28 Apr, 2023

Being in business means taking a lot of risks, especially financially, and as an entrepreneur, you deserve to be rewarded for those risks. Your pay is just one of the many benefits of your self-employment. But it’s not like the pay you get as an employee; it needs to be more comprehensive than that. Getting […] The post Don’t Shortchange Yourself: What an Entrepreneur’s Pay Should Cover first appeared on .

1099-K Reporting Changes

By Linda Weathers • 20 Apr, 2023

For taxpayers collecting payments through a third-party payment platform (such as PayPal), the American Rescue Plan Act (the “Act”) established a major change to tax reporting rules to prevent businesses and contractors from hiding income through the receipt of electronic payments. Form 1099-K is the tax form issued by credit card companies and third-party payment […] The post 1099-K Reporting Changes first appeared on .

Cool Tech Tools: Drones

By Linda Weathers • 20 Apr, 2023

Drones were considered fun when they first came out, but they are far from toys. Drones have surprising benefits with extremely high return on investment to certain business owners. A drone is a robot that can fly and that is controlled by a remote device. The technology includes GPS (global positioning system) and built-in sensors. […] The post Cool Tech Tools: Drones first appeared on .

6 Ideas to Put the Spring into Your Spring Revenue

By Linda Weathers • 06 Apr, 2023

While spring brings a change in the weather for most locations, it also brings a number of opportunities to refresh your products and services. Spring is a great time to boost your marketing campaigns so that you can boost your business revenues. Adding the theme of spring to your marketing campaigns allows customers to see […] The post 6 Ideas to Put the Spring into Your Spring Revenue first appeared on .

Do You Need a Business Savings Account?

By Linda Weathers • 23 Mar, 2023

If you have accumulated more money in your business checking account than you really need for daily operating expenses, that is a nice problem to have! It’s time to consider putting that money to work. A business savings account might be your answer. Every bank is different when it comes to the features and benefits […] The post Do You Need a Business Savings Account? first appeared on .