Pretend Accountants

Have you ever heard of “Imposter syndrome”?

There’s the official definition: Successful people who feel like frauds (even though they’re not).

Then there’s my definition…

…Which is rather the opposite!

My “Imposter Syndrome” involves people who are fully confident they can do jobs for which they are patently unqualified.

Here’s an example I see again and again:

People without accounting qualifications pretending they’re accountants!

And no, I haven’t just uncovered a secret crime wave of people infiltrating accountancy firms on forged documents.

I’m talking about business owners who end up trying to do their bookkeeper or accountant’s job.

My favourite – albeit extreme – example was the couple running a successful business importing garden furniture.

They spent three days every week – including their entire weekend – trying to keep on top of their accounts themselves.

I’m a finance director who loves numbers, and even to me this sounds like a nightmare!

And while that is admittedly rare, there are owners of quite large businesses up and down this country spending hours each week double-checking their accountant’s work…

Dealing with invoices, bills, expenses and aspects of payroll…

And even trying to fix their cash flow themselves.

Perhaps you can relate?

If so, I understand how it happens.

You worry that your bookkeeper or accountant is getting things wrong, but you can’t afford mistakes with your numbers – it’s too important. So you take on some of the responsibility….

Maybe it just feels quicker to do it yourself than to constantly go back to your accountant to ask for better work.

Or perhaps when you leave all the numbers to someone else, it feels like you’re losing financial control of your company. You want to know every little detail – so you end up handling the numbers yourself.

But here’s the thing.

You’re not an accountant or a bookkeeper.

So you are not the best person for any of these tasks. You’re not even a good person for these tasks!

And even more importantly, it’s not the best use of your time, either.

As owner or CEO, you have much more important work to be doing.

Your job is to give your business strategic direction and to help it grow. That’s the most important job in the company!

With limited hours in the day, your company simply cannot afford to have you spend your time fiddling around with payroll or double-checking your accountant’s spreadsheets.

(And I’m betting you don’t find it much fun, either.)

I’ll let you in on a secret – I’m all about the numbers, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done our company’s accounts myself. Years, in fact. Nowadays, I’m completely hands-off.

Freeing up that time has allowed me to focus on the things that really matter – thinking about where our company is going and how I’m going to get it there, and then making sure those plans come to fruition.

Plus, it’s given me time to do some things I want to do – like spend more time with my family, in my house in Wales and helping The Tallylyn Railyway – rather than the things I feel obligated to do.

What about you?

If you stopped working on your company accounts, what valuable things could you do with that time?

How much faster would your company grow?

How much more job satisfaction would you feel?

How much more time could you spend doing things you love?

Now let’s make that happen.

When you work with our Outsourced Finance Department, we handle all your bookkeeping and accounting efficiently, accurately and smoothly, taking this burden completely off your hands.

You’ll never have to worry again about getting involved – because you will trust the numbers you receive completely.

(And you’ll actually feel a lot more in control of your company, once you have consistently good information about your financial situation.)

And once you’ve freed up that time…

We’ll also help you use it really well.

You see, we’ll also take on the role of Finance Director, which you probably don’t have in place yet.

We’ll interpret the numbers we give you, so you can make better-informed, more financially astute decisions about your company’s future…

…And forge ahead much faster.

There will be no more “Imposter syndrome”.

You’ll focus on the parts of the job that you’re genuinely good at and enjoy much more – and everyone will benefit.

Just call us on 01279 647 447 or email me right now to talk about how we can help you.

Why you hire the wrong accountants

The company owner took responsibility for building an accounting function which they understood very little about.

They had no idea what an efficient, successful finance department that helps propel a company forward looks like.

Read More »

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