Finding an accountant for self-employed therapist?
Hi, I'm going self-employed so I just opened a business account and my bank advised me to find an accountant... Where is the best place to look for one specialising in my field (complementary therapies)? How do I know I can trust him? How much can I reveal about my financial situation, etc? What kind of rates should I expect to pay, how often would I need him, any advice would be very welcome! Many thanks :-)x
Other - Business & Finance - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Go to the ACCA (Association for Chartered and certified Accountants) website. there is a link there for "find an Accountant". The site will tell you how to find an accountant and what to look for and ask.
Answer 2 :
The best thing to do is find someone already established in your field maybe local and then find out who they use and get some info of them Insider knowledge is key to any business success and im sure you can find someone, maybe even a contact from a course you did to point you in the right direction in this Dont worry about specialised accountants, numbers are numbers after all, the same in any trade. If you dont find anyone search for a book keeper first instead of an accountant. these are considerably cheaper and handle less complex smaller sized businesses and so may work out better for you. Good luck, and in your new venture!
Answer 3 :
Hi Your accountant is a critical part of your team, and they can only give you the best service if they are intimately acquainted with your business and personal financial and life situation and circumstances. Websites can be a helpful start (like the acca one mentioned by a previous respondent) but it can be the personal relationship you have with your accountant that matters. 1. ask your friends if they are already in business - they will tell you if their accountant is any good for them / how they work 2. If you are setting up in premises, ask the people who run nearby premises who their accountant is 3. Pop along to a local business network meeting and you will meet several local accountants - then chat to them. Good sources for this include BNI, BRX, the FSB, your local Chamber of Commerce, and so on. Most decent firms will give you a free first meeting where you get the chance to 'size them up'. Fees do vary - a lot will depend on precisely how much you want them to do, how you want them to do it, and how extensive your personal needs are for advice and guidance. It will also depend how much face to face contact you will need and how much email/telephone support you want. Some people like to chat through their business a lot, some less - it really does depend on your personal aims and experience. An increasing number of firms (like mine) operate a fixed fee policy, where we agree the fee up front and stick to it so there are no surprises. As a new business, watch out for firms that charge purely by the hour (a client of mine got very heavily stung by his previous accountant). Your bank manager may actually know of a few quite good accountants locally that s/he can recommend. I could of course recommend myself (I am a licensed trainer in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and a qualified hypnotherapist as well as an accountant) but that would be unfair of me! Above all, have fun and find an accountant who understands your aspirations. Kind regards David Nicoll "the accountant with attitude"
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