don’t fight it, work within it.
by gary bolinger
so, you have a client who owns a small business (use whatever definition you want for small business). there may be two or three owners of this business. the client(s) spend a lot of time working in or on the business. most small business owners spend more time working in the business rather than on the business.
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with a structured approach to advisory services, you can get the client(s) to spend a little more time working on the business to enhance the possibilities for growth, improved profitability and long -term success. so, your firm needs to develop that structured, repeatable approach for advisory services.
as you think about this business and the owner(s), keep in mind that you can’t separate the client(s) from the business. your client does have a private life. they have personal goals outside of the business. it might be a dream vacation home or the best college possible for their children. your client may have dreams of early retirement. the other owners may have different retirement plans that will impact the early retirement plans of the first owner. business and personal goals are inextricably entwined in small businesses of all kinds. as the most valued advisor, it is important that you have a general understanding of some of those personal goals. the reality is that the personal goals of the owner or owners will and should impact business decisions by small business owners. if you don’t understand that personal perspective, you cannot effectively serve as the most trusted and valued advisor.
plan for discussions about how your client(s) feel about their role in the business. are they leveraging the best skill sets that they have? if there are multiple owners, there are multiple considerations. we all know that some people are good at details and others are “big picture.” the big-picture types might be good at innovation but not so good at the implementation of the innovation. are the right people in the right roles? they have a human resource need. you can help with that. the right kind of advisory session with a client will help the client identify needed skill sets to enhance the future of the business. your firm can assist the client by writing job descriptions and performance expectations. you can also assist in screening job candidates.
experience in the industry in which the client is operating is vitally important as well. your client has significant experience in supply chain issues; they deal with it on a regular basis. the client also has a pretty good background on important key performance indicators. but do you know if the client has ever spent the right amount of time thinking about how these issues impact their business? you can and should help with that.
your client has feelings about the current state of affairs and future of the business that you won’t discover by doing a tax return or preparing a financial statement. the clients’ knowledge of the current situation allows you to develop a realistic situation analysis, which is key to the development of a strategic plan for the business. the situation analysis and facilitation of the strategic plan are billable.
to enhance your advisory services, make a list of things that you should talk about with the client: personal issues, operational issues (kpis, hr, innovation, etc.) as well as industry trends that will help build a foundation for planning and implementation. these tools will guide your advisory practice for years to come.