That is a very good question and hopefully we can help you here with a few pointers. Contacting an accountant before trading or very early into your trading is always a good idea.
You should always consider qualifications, as anyone can call themselves an accountant even without a qualification. The two main Accountancy qualifications in practice are those who are a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and Chartered Accountant (ICAEW). Their websites also have find an accountant tool. Then you may wish to consider a firm with a Chartered Tax Adviser (CIOT), the gold standard qualification in UK taxation.
Local or online depends a little on your own personal preference. If you prefer the face to face contact then stick local, if you are happy with video calls or by e-mail and letters then having a firm not local works. We have clients all over the the UK and some overseas, however the majority would be within a 30 mile radius of our location. Some clients we have never met in person, so it is not essential to have a local firm. An issue with some online only firms are you do not necessarily know who or where your work is being performed, there is a growing trend to use cheap labour in Asia with their clients not knowing this, this is not something we believe in.
You should consider if the accountant has experience in your business area, although not entirely necessary, as most accountants should be adaptable and will probably have similar businesses to yours, you may feel more comfortable if they did.
You should consider what type of support you need from the accountant, if you go for a 1 or few staff firm then you may not have the support all year round for when there are holidays or sickness. Being with a slightly larger firm support should mean someone is always available to assist you, offering support all the time. With more staff members they will have different experience, which can help as you grow you have the support on hand without feeling you have outgrown the firm.
I would always consider a firms website, if it appears good and modern, it can give a better impression on the firm and they may be more up-to-date with the latest ideas to save time with bookkeeping etc.
I would always recommend speaking to the accountant to see if you get a good impression and feeling you can work with them. A good relationship with your accountant can make things easier for you and them to provide you with a good level of service.
A good firm is always a proactive firm, there has been a marked difference shown in the Coronavirus period, lots of accountants (like us) have been regularly e-mailing and calling clients about the support on offer. Some other accountants have just left it to the clients as they feel there are a lot of announcements etc., so are not offering the support businesses need at these times.
Fees, although cost does matter, you often get what you pay for. Going for a cheap accountant can actually cost you more than going with one more expensive, due to the mistakes the cheaper accountant makes, which costs you more in tax, etc.
I hope this helps a little to think about the type of firm you would like to engage to help you and your business. If you would like to contact us, we would be happy to speak with you to see how we can assist you.
