Advisory
Our advisory services are what really sets us apart from most accountants
The role and of the accountant and the services they can provide has shifted significantly over the last few years, driven by the increased use and functionality of cloud accounting software. We work with businesses to ensure they have up to date and relevant financial information, allowing our clients to make informed financial decisions and help their business to grow.
For too long accountants have interacted with their clients just once a year – the conversations are inevitably backwards looking and focussed on outdated information. Analysing the past is certainly useful, but what is far more informative is how your business is doing now and using business plans and KPIs to forecast how it will do in the coming year.
In order to achieve this we work with clients on cloud software and keep their finances up to date. This can be through supporting your in-house finance team or providing an outsourced bookkeeping service. We regularly discuss your business finances and ensure these are presented in a clear and understandable format. We work with you to set budgets for the year ahead allowing you to make informed business decisions.
Most of our clients are not of a sufficient size that makes hiring a full time Finance Director a possibility. As such we try and bridge the gap between the traditional Finance Director and Accountant roles to provide clients with the tools they need to grow their business.
Our advisory services include:
Virtual FD
We can attend monthly or quarterly board meetings, providing a deep insight in to your company’s financials
Monthly and Quarterly Management Accounts
Provides a detailed and real-time view of your company’s financials, ensuring any issues are known about quickly and can be dealt with accordingly
Due Diligence on Future Acquisitions
Acquiring a firm can often be a quick way to grow your business, and we can provide due diligence services on a company you want to acquire
Information on Debt and Equity Funding
External financing can be a great way for your business to grow and we can discuss the pros and cons of debt vs. equity funding and the various sources available to businesses
Business Plans
Preparing a formal document on the future growth plan of your business, noting both financial and strategic ambitions for the business
Cashflow Management and Analysis
Now more than ever, cashflow management is critical. Having a deep understanding of your businesses cashflow requirements ensures correct financial decisions can be made
Financial Models
The provision of detailed financial forecasts for the business, which can be used for debt or equity funding, or for the existing shareholders of the business to plan how they would like the company expand
Business Growth Strategies
We can assist and advise on ways to help your business grow, such as hiring additional staff, opening a new office, acquiring a competitor, or entering a new market
Advisory Journey
Clients usually start by taking compliance only services from us, such as annual accounts, payroll and personal tax. As part of all our annual accounts meetings, we discuss how the year ahead looks for clients. This can often lead to conversations on the growth goals of the business, and how revenues and profits may change over the coming months.
In order to track this growth, clients will then often benefit from having management accounts prepared each month or quarter. Utilising cloud accounting software means clients already have a better view of their financial performance, and then working with their accountant, we are able to bring figures completely up to date and provide insights on how the business is performing compared to a budget that may have been set, or against the same period last year.
If the business has ambitious growth goals, they will often then take further services, such as the Virtual FD service with monthly or quarterly meetings, or want to put a detailed financial model or business plan in place, particularly if they are seeking external debt or equity investment to allow them to grow.
The above demonstrates how over a period of time, modern accountants can provide a wide variety of services to clients and work with them closely to ensure they have up to date, relevant and timely financial information to allow them to make informed business decisions.
