What do you enjoy about accounting?
You’re not pigeon-holed into just doing people’s taxes or payroll. You can do forensic accounting, payables, receivables, cost accounting and so much more. I firmly believe that when you find your career niche, and you love what you do, there are all kinds of ways to get accredited within that industry.
I enjoy when companies or individuals don’t have the processes figured out and give me the opportunity to optimize their accountability and streamline their processes. It’s about keeping it organized so that you can account for what you have done, that’s why I love the process part so much.
What are some of the main things that people need to focus on?
Having a good accounting software program for your specific industry is just the start. You need to ensure that whoever is in charge, knows the details of the business, from the ground up. For example: let’s say I’m a business owner, and I’m going to manage a whole bunch of photographers, without any experience in doing photography. I wont be able to take advantage of everything that the photographers have to offer.
Get your hands dirty, learn a little bit of the accounting, how to manage the business, what strategies will improve it, and how to make the company more effective. You don’t have to do it forever, but learning the basics, will make you a better leader for it!
If you’re going to hire a CPA or an accounting firm, listen to ideas and suggestions, so you know what the “soup smells like”, because not all things are going to be a good fit your business, but it will also bring awareness to fraud scams that could cost you your business.
In addition to understanding which marketing avenue is right for you, some businesses thrive on social media, radio, TV, radio, direct mailers, and word of mouth, but you have to find the one that works best for you. Remember any business you gain from any of the avenues mentioned above, even if it’s 5%, is a five percent you didn’t have before, so scale your efforts appropriately, based on the return on investment.