No one wants to pay an accountant. Spending money to have someone keep track of your money seems almost counterintuitive at times. You may even question if they bring value to the equation. Of course, we all talk about how they save you from the IRS, but what else do they do?
In Michael E. Gerber’s book The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, Gerber claims there are three different personas within each business owner vying for your time and attention: the Entrepreneur, the Technician, and the Manager. Entrepreneurs have crazy ideas, brilliant out-of-the box thinking that makes companies function and drives them forward. The Technician is the one who performs tasks. And the Manager is the one who organizes and helps put order to the chaos.
Let us apply the role of accountant to this theory. Most people start their business either because they are a Technician (someone with a passion for doing or creating something like a baker, a jewelry maker, or a music teacher) or an Entrepreneur (someone with an idea and a knack for business). No matter which one you are (or even a mix of the two), you likely didn’t get into business because you enjoy the managing aspect. But that’s where you can lean on the talents of others, and accountants are excellent in bringing order to chaos. We give you, the owner, the information needed to make sound business decisions, and we establish limits that enable an entrepreneur to thrive. This is done through timely and accurate reporting and a deep understanding of what a dollar is doing in the company.
I’m a big Star Trek fan, and I like to describe myself as a Spock, a logical thinker that perceives the world in primarily analytical processes. In the context of the E-myth analogy, I argue entrepreneurs are like Kirk, wide-eyed and ambitious go-getters with a laser focus on the goal and less on the semantics of getting there. Kirk has all the knowledge needed, but often Spock helps guide Kirk to the correct answer. They work as a team to solve problems that arise. Spock gives the framework that Kirk then uses to solve issues.
Accountants can be your Spock (even if they’re not a Trekkie). We do not have all the answers, but we can help guide the decision-making process using the numbers of past performance and forecast of what the future holds. We can help make sound decisions around tax planning and provide an in-depth look at costs, sales, and where to focus your energy to make the best business possible. We can create pricing models and collaborate on cost cutting ideas.
If you see yourself as a plucky Captain Kirk, leading your business through uncharted territory and find yourself in need of a Spock when it comes to your financials, give us a call or send us an email; we’d love to connect with you to boldly take your company where it has never gone before.
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