Wealth & Finance International - Business Awards 2015

www.wealthandfinance-intl.com 9 I was extremely excited to hear that I won the award and I consider it a great honour. There are many, very good, professionals in this field in the Richmond area so to be singled out in this was is thrilling. I have dedicated my entire career to the Accounting & Tax industry. During this time, I have spent many hours keeping up with the emerging trends in the industry as well as all of the information we need to know regarding the ever-changing tax laws and new financial reporting requirements. This time has been well spent as it has been of great benefit to our cli- ents, making sure that they are compliant with the law and ensuring that they are provided with every benefit the law allows. The information our firm provides assists them in running their businesses and frees them of the burden of financial and operational reporting and taxes, so they can concentrate on what they do best, running their businesses. The items outlined above and the individualized services our firm has provided to all of our clients have made me and my firm successful in this area. Our approach is to listen to our clients and determine the areas they feel stress. We take the time to understand their unique situations and determine what needs providing in addition to what they may already be receiving. We have an advantage in this area as we train our staff across the broad array of industries that we serve. The key is effective commu- nication. Listen to the client, determine their needs and tailor services to best satisfy their situation. One of our biggest challenges is ensuring that we stay at the forefront of emerging developments and trends within the industry. In order to stay abreast of these changes, we subscribe to many periodicals and ensure that our reference materials are always up to date. We spend a great deal of time attending seminars, conducted by well known thought leaders in our industry which is a major time and cost commitment to our firm but one which is necessary and required by our profession. Staying current with trends also means updating technology and its uses within the industry. Something with is not always easy when the industry falls behind the ‘technical curve’. When QuickBooks online was initially introduced, it was not readily received by our industry. The major concern was two-fold. Many accountants were still concerned about data security as it was stored in large sever facilities across the country. The other problem was the functionality found in QuickBooks Online was not as robust as that found in the desktop version. We have seen major changes in both areas in the past several years. Intuit has drastically improved the capability of the online product. Many of our clients are now technology savvy and perform some tasks on their own systems while others like the fact that we can securely log into their online system, perform or work, and they can log in and view their finan- cial statements on a real time basis without dealing with paper. Data safety is not just a technological issue either. To ensure client trust and confidence, we ensure that we hire trustworthy staff and perform background checks and contact previous employers. Our firm has estab- lished procedures to safeguard our client’s data. Since we are basically paperless, this includes multiple layers of security on our computers. When we have source documents from our clients, we make sure they are logged and stored in locked file cabinets until returned. We also have established review procedures where everything produced for our clients is checked and reviewed by a Partner Though we are a medium size local firm, we have experienced an in- crease in clients due to the growth of the global economy. As pointed out above, we have clients across the United States and Internation- ally. The ability to effectively serve these clients is mainly due to the rapid improvement in technology, which has torn down all location barriers. However, these benefits do not come without challenges. Tax laws can be drastically different, not just by country but from state to state. This further increases the complexity and necessity of our firm staying current. Richmond, Virginia and the surrounding counties is a great area to have a firm that provides Accounting, Tax & Business Consulting services. There are many small to medium size businesses and individuals in the area that require our services. The region also is continually recognized as a great place to do business and the area continues to grow. We face the same challenges as other firms in our industry. In order to grow we must inform the public of our expertise, quality and outstanding service. We run our firm using a family type atmosphere. We treat our employees with respect and we solicit their input regarding ways to make our firm run more smoothly. We also involve them in discussions about future plans for the firm. Though professional, we feel this atmosphere contrib- utes to our employees taking pride in the firm, which translates to their work quality and outstanding service to our clients. We are striving to continue to deliver outstanding service to our client base as well to continue to grow. The very best way to grow your firm is through referrals from your current clients and by providing them addi- tional needed services. We are also exploring additional service offerings, which we feel will benefit existing and future clients.