If there’s one thing we totally believe in at Insight Finance Solutions, it is the realisation that the financial world and accounting has grown up and evolved.
We actively shout it from the rooftops that the age of giving your accountant a shoe box of receipts at the end of the year is gone. Long gone. We embrace and get the pom poms out for the new way of working as an advisor rather than an accountant.
What is the difference between an advisor and a traditional accountant?
In the past, before the modern digital age really took off and things were done pen to paper, an accountant would act in a very reactive way at the end of the financial year. Many people used an external accountant and they would be someone you might see a couple of times a year if you were lucky – more like a compliance tick box service than anything else. Your accountant would take the shoe box of receipts and your books and prepare your finances on your behalf, ready for you or them to complete your tax return.
All well and good, but at the end of the financial year it’s too late to change anything that has been or offer meaningful advice for the tax year just gone.
At Insight Finance Solutions we’ve always been involved in the strategic side of finance in our previous corporate careers. Preparing in-depth management reports was one of the most exciting parts of the job that we used to love. Getting forensic on the finances gave directors and business owners a real-time business performance overview and the chance to steer the business course depending on the numbers.
These days as a very contemporary finance business, we don’t like to label ourselves as accountants as we really are advisors.
An advisor, even if they are third party consultant (like us) acts as a trusted confidante and is able to be embedded in the business. It’s as if we are part of your in-house finance team. We work with you on having very honest conversations and being very prepared with your finances in advance. This helps us be in a position to offer expert proactive strategic advice and helps our clients be in the picture of how their business is performing from month to month, rather than at the end of the year when it is potentially too late.
The key strengths of hiring an advisor
As an advisory service we pride ourselves on the following values;
Honesty
Having honest conversations is a two way exercise and this is much easier once you have built a relationship and rapport between both client and advisor. At Insight Finance Solutions we have monthly in-depth calls with our clients to work out any challenges and help educate clients on best practice. We also offer something completely unique in the form of money mindset coaching. Sometimes it could be a mindset shift that is needed to remove a block or limiting belief around money and business that will take you to the next level.
Transparency
In the same way as honesty is vital, being transparent is also key to an advisor/client relationship.
We can’t sugar coat your business finances so we do have to be honest. Being proactive and working with clients month to month rather than year to year enables us to have this overview and advise accordingly.
From our perspective, transparency is vital when pricing our services. Yes, we are embedded into our clients’ businesses but no we aren’t on the payroll on an annual salary. Therefore if clients need additional assistance with financial tasks we get to be upfront and transparent about pricing so everyone is on the same page.
Empathy
It is important to listen, be honest and transparent but it is another skill to truly empathise with clients. Many of our clients never got into business to become a bookkeeper or marketer or HR advisor but running your own business has you having to take on many hats and learn many new things. We empathise with this, we are business owners too and we know the value and power of getting good, expert solid advice around the business skills we don’t have the greatest strength in.
In our monthly calls with clients we like to focus on learning and understanding along with discussing strategic business decisions. We like to empower our clients to truly understand the ‘why’ behind different financial decisions or advice. We believe in stress-free finances and know that reducing the stress lies in being empathetic, patient and being a good teacher alongside a great listener.
Scalable Solutions
We love to advise on software, apps and cloud based solutions that have your business and your business growth in mind. This modern digital world had made finances more seamless but with it comes complexities.
We road test solutions on behalf of our clients and advise additional solutions that will not only ease the pressure of day to day finances, but also work with your business as it grows and scales up.
Choosing the right solutions takes time but we love to find a solution that fits our clients and their own bespoke financial needs.
So we hope you can see why we fully and passionately advocate an advisory role rather than that of a ‘traditional accountant’. If you’re looking for a financial service that moves quickly with the times but moves with you at your pace, then why not arrange a quick chat today? We can talk about your business and goals and see if Insight Finance Solutions can be your trusted financial advisory service.