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Beyond Taxes: How an Accountant Can Provide Small Business Advice

June 7th, 2023 | 7 min. read

By Brian Paulson

Small business owners often overlook the importance of a good accountant until they find themselves crunching numbers at the end of a long day. This is a reality for most small businesses, but there comes a time when the owner or their administrative staff can't keep up and need professional help.

Even if you already work with an accountant for your annual taxes, did you know there's another accounting solution that's much more affordable than hiring in-house help? Monthly accounting is bookkeeping, taxes, and year-round advice all in one solution, and it is considered a better investment than just annual accounting.

At CSI Accounting & Payroll, we've worked with thousands of small business owners over the past 50+ years. That means we hear a lot of the same comments - often along the lines of, “I didn’t realize what accounting services included beyond tax preparation. I wish I made the decision to work with a monthly accountant sooner.

Great monthly accountants provide year-round, valuable advice on a variety of topics, such as:

  • Money management
  • Employment laws
  • Profitability
  • Financing

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Elevated Advice From Monthy Accounting

Why is it that monthly accounting provides better advice than annual tax accounting?

The main reason is the fact that monthly accountants are in your books year-round. They have a higher ability to offer timely advice, including proper tax strategy that actually includes year-round tax planning and tax projections. You have better chances to minimize your taxes, and you'll be able to anticipate what you might owe months in advance.

The other big reason why monthly accountants can offer elevated advising services is because they only work with small businesses, and they work with a variety of industries. Because of their dedication to your account, they are able to use their prior experience with your industry to your advantage. They know your unique accounting challenges and opportunities.

Monthly accountants also generate financial statements for you every month, and they're able to use these statements to offer advice based on your data in real-time.

Money Management

Beyond tax strategy, your accountant should be able to advise you on financial planning and management. Individuals use financial advisors for their personal finances, and the equivalent for businesses is using monthly accountants for their business finances.

Use your monthly accountant as a sounding board when you are considering an investment for your business. Your accountant should be the first person you call before taking action if you have an issue with any of the following:

  • Cash flow
  • Credit
  • Collecting money

Profitability

Accountants crunch numbers for breakfast. It’s what we do. We use our year-round touch, industry experience, and monthly reports to help small business owners optimize business performance and growth while monitoring any potential red flags.

Plus, if you have any one-off questions for your accountant, you can contact them at any time for help! If you need assistance on a larger project, you can also look into adding consulting as a service.

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Business Financing

If you’re seeking capital for your small business, a good accountant is invaluable. There are many different routes you can take, and the process can be complicated. Maybe taking out a loan isn't even your best option - but an accountant can help you find out.

Your accountant should be able to help you evaluate various options for securing business financing. Additionally, your accountant should be available to address any questions you may have about the process and gather any supporting documents for the application process.

Employment Laws

Chances are, you don’t have a full-fledged human resources department for your small business, but you're required to adhere to a ton of rules and regulations if you have employees. An accountant helps a lot, but they can help you even more if they work under the same roof as payroll specialists! This is a common thing to find in monthly accounting services.

Together, they can help you navigate through the following, especially as your business grows:

Switch to Monthly Accounting for Better Advice

A monthly accountant is the small business's financial advisor. Once you stop getting enough value out of your accounting, it's time to up the investment to monthly accounting.

Monthly accountants can offer better, more timely advice than annual tax accountants. Although they cover a wide range of topics, some main ones are money management, profitability, business financing, and employment laws. 

If you're considering switching to monthly accounting, why not check out CSI Accounting & Payroll? With over 50 years of experience under our belts, we make a pretty great candidate! To see if we can be a good fit for your business, click the button below for your free consultation:

    MEET WITH AN ADVISOR

Not ready to talk? That's okay! First, learn more about how you can do your own business accounting - but you probably shouldn't.

Brian Paulson

Brian began working at CSI in 1996, and he purchased the business in 2002. As Owner, his primary role is in the management and growth of the firm. Since 2002, the firm has more than quadrupled in size. In 2009, Brian started CSI’s payroll service to complement CSI’s accounting and tax services. Brian received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota, with a double major in Accounting and Financial Management. He’s a member of both the National Society for Tax Professionals and the National Society for Accountants, and he serves on the board of directors for the Professional Association of Small Business Accountants, where he was once president. Brian also serves on the business advisory council for Opportunity Partners, an organization that helps people with disabilities find employment. He’s also contributed to several business books, including Six Steps to Small Business Success and The Lean Mean Business Machine. Fun Fact: To help put himself through college, he used student loans, delivered pizzas, and worked summers in a salmon processing plant in Alaska.