“Wow that sounds boring!” is usually the response I get when I tell people I am an accountant. My sister-in-law sent me this Tik Tok video and it made me laugh out loud. This is exactly what it is like! Here’s the questions I wish people would ask.
@cost_n_mayorusing the first sound we hear when we open TikTok Vol. 11 ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##mybff ##summerproject ##datenight ##welcomeweek♬ As An Accountant – Rocky Paterra
This video made me laugh so hard. It is so true!
When I tell people I am an accountant, they look at me with their head slightly cocked to the side, an expression of sadness and sympathy across their face. Sometimes they don’t say it, but other times I can read that expression to mean “Oh you poor thing, how dull!”
When I went travelling across Australia with my friend Lorna who was also an accountant, we ran into this issue so many times. “What do you do?” “I’m an accountant.” Conversation closed. It got so annoying that we decided to give ourselves new sexy fake jobs. I became a dolphin trainer and Lorna was a crocodile wrestler. Instant conversation starters and we then had them hooked!
The thing is I CAN make accountancy sexy and exciting. Once at a wedding an old acquaintance of mine stopped me at the bar and asked “Helen, my accountant says I should be VAT registered, what do you think?”. We got into an in-depth conversation about the ins and outs of VAT registration and were having a jolly nice time when his girlfriend stormed up and said “God, why don’t you two get a room! Look at you!” to which I turned around, laughed and said, “We are talking about VAT!”.
That is how sexy I can make VAT!
All jokes aside, I do wish that people would ask me about my job and then they’d have the opportunity to realise the power of getting your head around your finances and feeling like you’re more in control of your cash flow and business decisions.
So if people were to actually stay in a conversation with me and ask me what I enjoy about my job I would tell them the following
1) I love helping people understand money
There is a lot of shame around money and it can be an icky subject for many. A lot of people started their business because they are passionate about what they do. All of a sudden having to have a handle on things like sales, marketing, staffing and finances is difficult. That’s why I love making numbers easy for people to understand and I adore helping people learn.
2) I love seeing the stress lift
Many people I work with are so stressed out about money, tax and finances. They may have buried their head in the sand, got themselves into a financial pickle or just really not enjoy the process of bookkeeping and accountancy. Like Cherry who had got so stressed and anxious about her tax and finances that she let a huge aount of debt build with HMRC. After a couple of months working with us at Insight Finance Solutions, we were able to investigate and realise that Cherry was wrongly being told to pay this tax anyway. We negotiated with HMRC on her behalf and almost £7,000 of debt and fines was wiped out for her. (Watch her video here).
3) I love helping people have the time and brain space to focus on what they love best
People start their businesses with a real passion and fire in their belly for what they love and are passionate about. That passion and love can dwindle and fade because of finances, especially when a business owner feels lost in a sea of spreadsheets, tax, VAT corporation tax and money stress. I love being able to provide the answers that they need to the questions to help them run their businesses. I help take away that brain space that has got them confused or worried and give them that brain space and energy back to achieve their goals and dreams and reignite that passion.
4) I love being a teacher
A lack of confidence around anything in life is usually directly linked to a lack of knowledge. The more we know and experience, the easier things become. This is the same with business finances. I love to be a supportive, calm and informative teacher for my clients. No question is ever stupid and Iove seeing the confusion lift as I explain all elements of business finances. We provide answers, we make it easy and we have fun along the way. I take the pain out of money and finances with clear support and knowledge.
5) I love working in different industries
There are not many jobs where you get to spread yourself across different industries and sectors. I get to experience a variety of businesses, leadership style, processes and team cultures. I learn from each and take my experiences to other businesses and adopt it within my own business. It is exciting and no two days are the same.
So next time you meet an accountant, don’t dismiss them and their vocation as boring. Ask them what they love about it and I bet you’ll learn something new!