What happens after you sign up as a client
So you’ve signed up as a new client with Pisces, what happens next? You shouldn’t worry and be scared, we have a very simple process that we follow when we take on a new customer. This is a process that we have done many times and will be split in to a few areas.
Firstly we need to make sure that we have all the details from your previous accountant if you have one, get you set up on our systems and then make sure that your finances are sorted. Once that is done we can start to get to work and help you with your business.
The boring admin
Like any new relationship we have to start off doing the boring admin. We need to collect all your personal details – name, address, date of birth, national insurance number and company details if you have one. We need this so we can do our due diligence checks and set you up as a client.
We will need to get your approval to act as your agent with HMRC, that is, if we need to speak to the tax office for you we need to get the approval set up with HMRC to do this. It’s better to do this at the start so we have everything set up if we need it. We need to do this for tax, self-assessment, payroll and vat.
When we get the details from your accountant we will check to make sure that we have everything that we need, that we have the last years accounts and all your tax references. We will be doing your accounts now so we need to make sure that we have everything that we need to do our work. Making sure that we have all the details here will save time in the future.
Set up on our systems
We want you to be able to have control over your finances to be able to see where you are anytime you want. To do that you need access to your online bookkeeping software and you need to know how to use it! You need to be able to login last thing at night and check your finances. So we need to get all your details and books on and up to date for you to do this.
We will normally start this off by having a call with you to connect your bank in to the accounts and spend time giving you training and how to use the software and where to look to see how you are doing.
If you want to see how much tax you might have to pay late on Friday night, you will need to know where to look and we can show you this when we first set up all of your software and systems.
Get your finances sorted
Once your software is set up we then need to make sure that we bring the work up to date, if you change during your accounting year end we will normally have to do some work to bring things up to date.
We need to make sure that we have got the wages correct that you have paid, that the vat is correct and check that all your transactions are recorded properly in your accounts. Essentially give your books a health check and make sure that they are accurate.
If you want to see what you owe in tax we need to make sure that all the information in your accounts is accurate. We need to check that the accounts are correct, that we have all the information is complete and that everything is matching exactly what is on your bank and credit card statements.
You need this to be able to make the right decisions for your business. It is to be complete, up to date and accurate. If it is not, the decisions that you make about your business will not be as good as what they can be.
We need to do this before we can start to look to the future and to be able to make better decisions for your business and to help you grow and live the life you want.
Planning
Now that we have everything set up for you. We have your details on our system, your software is set up and we are confident that it is accurate we can start our relationship properly with you. The most important thing in this relationship is you the customer. We want to make sure that you are clear where your finances are and what you are going to be doing to try to grow your business.
To do that we need to spend time to talking to you. We need to understand what you want and where you want to be in the next twelve months. What do you want to achieve and how much do you want to grow your business?
We need to give you feedback on your accounts now. You need to know where you are now to know where you want to be in twelve months-time. You need to plot your journey to your end point and destination.
We can help you set a plan to achieve your goals. We can show you if you can invest in your business, do you have the money to take on staff and how many can you afford to take on? What parts of your business you are having trouble with? Do you need help collecting in the money that is owed to you? Do you need help to ask your customers on time?
This step is important it sets the agenda for our relationship. How you can make your business better and what we can do to help. It sets the goals for the next year and what we are going to do to track your journey along these goals.
Check in call
If you want to grow your business you have to do the work. You have to spend time to promote and find new customers and build your business to what you want it to be. It will not happen by itself. It will take time, you will have ups and downs and it will take time. But with the right information and guidance you will get there.
We need to check your progress with you along this journey. To make sure that things are going well and if there are any problems that you need our help with. This is the ongoing support that you will get form us, monthly check ins to see how your business is going and if you need any help or if we can give you any advice.
This is the most important part of this process. It is making sure that you stay motivated to grow your business and that if you are having problems you have Pisces to help you.
If you want to take things further….
Please get in touch if you need help with your business and you want to have more creative and personal freedom.