Answer: 

Most of our clients had an accounting or bookkeeping service before they switched to Fuel Accounting. So why do they switch instead of sticking with their past providers?

Well, there are many reasons. Here’s a quick recap of some of the critical reasons why:

XERO
First, as a high-tech firm we believe in getting the best out of technology.  If you are using Xero accounting software then you MUST have an accountant that is a genuine Xero Guru.  If your accountant is preparing reports by re-entering your data in another system then you need to run away fast!  If your accountant is not looking in your Xero ledger and finding and fixing problems (even before you know about them) then you are on the hook for significant penalties.  We don’t leave you with that kind of risk! As one of the few “Most Valuable Professional” Xero award winning accountants, you know that we are world-class Xero Gurus that can ensure that your accounting records are correct and well organized.

PROFIT
We don’t focus on your tax return by itself – we focus on your profitability.  A lot of accountants make wild promises about saving you tax.  And we don’t want you to pay any more tax than you legally have to.  But what we want for you more than paying less tax is that YOU make MORE MONEY!  Tax is only a small part of it.  As a Profit First Professional firm we are experts in helping our clients improve their profitability and ensure that when those annoying tax payments are necessary, you already have the money in the bank to pay for it.

EDUCATION
We believe in educating our clients.  We invest heavily in training our clients how to use the technology tools well and ensuring that they are as efficient as possible.  We have monthly client-only webinars where we discuss many issues from technology to business issues.  In addition, we have our private members site where all our articles and training resources are available to our clients free of charge.  There is an entire university programme in there!

PROACTIVE
Lastly, but not least: we are not the kind of accountants that you only talk to once a year, at tax time.  We are your year-round business support partner.  If you have questions about your accounting software, or about issues you are facing in your business, you can call or email us.  We don’t charge for simple questions like this – EVER.  And not only that, we build an entire process around your needs.  We check in on you throughout the year to make sure that there won’t be problems at tax time and ensure that all your filing obligations are met.

You may not be getting the best value for your money with your current accounting or bookkeeping fees. You could be paying more than you should, or you could actually need different services than you’re getting now. You might be a great candidate for our Self Service Plan, a “Do-It-Yourself (DIY)” program that can still provide the best outcomes…but you do more of the accounting/bookkeeping work yourself. It’s been our experience that most business owners are not getting the proper services for the lowest fees possible.

Finally, we’re not saying anything negative about you or your current providers of financial and accounting services. But, a high percentage of business owners we do a free analysis for, discover that they have been:

• Wasting money in professional fees,
• Overpaying taxes,
• Paying unnecessary penalties and interest,
• Not earning the maximum net profit they could,
• Not taking the maximum income home for your family,
• Working too hard and too long for not enough money,
• Stuck in a job with their business, instead of enjoying the full benefits of a self-employed business owner!

So, are you 100% sure you’re taking home the most amount possible?

100% sure?

Most of our clients are shocked to discover how much money and time they’ve unfortunately wasted until they went through our objective, Fuel Accounting FREE Consultation to dig through your situation and see how much we can find that can make a significant impact on your income, time and anxiety.

To find out how our unique approach to business and accounting can help you, please book your free appointment here.

Answer: 

One of the allures of cloud accounting is that it makes keeping your accounting records more accessible.  Entering payables, managing receivables and reconciling your bank account are now effortless.  It does make you wonder whether you even need an accountant or bookkeeper at all these days!

I often liken it to having a car.  You can operate the car pretty well on your own.  You know how to drive, how to put fuel in it, how to fix a flat – maybe even change the oil.

But unless you were specially trained you wouldn’t try doing much more than that.  You know that there are lots of things that you don’t know, so you pay a mechanic to do routine (and unexpected maintenance) and give you the certificates you need to keep the government happy.

Sure, you could watch you-tube videos until 4 in the morning (every morning) and work out how to do most of what the mechanic does, but you would probably never do it as well as they do.

Having a business and accounting software is not that much difference.  There is SO much that you CAN do.  There is also so much that you could learn to do yourself – all the way to preparing your own accounts, sales tax returns and income tax returns.  But the question is “at what cost?”

There is a TIME factor that has a real cost.  Every hour you spend working on your books is an hour that you are not building your business.  You didn’t get into business to prepare books, accounts and tax returns.  You got into business to build a lifestyle for you and your loved ones.  Even if you had the time to spend on accounts work I guarantee that there are better uses for it!

For these reasons we recommend that business owners take a pragmatic approach to their accounting:  Do what you have TIME to do BEST and pay someone to do the REST.  If money is tight and time is plenty, then do more of the bookkeeping yourself.  Having an accountant as part of your team gives you the peace of mind that you’re not making stupid mistakes and things are getting filed on time and correctly.  Once your business reaches the point where your time is more profitably spent doing something (anything) other than bookkeeping then delegate that aspect as well.

At Fuel Accounting we help clients at the level that they are most comfortable with.  We have a range of service levels that help you get the most out of your accounting system and your time.  We can provide the level of service that you can afford, and then grow with you.  We don’t see ourselves as traditional accountants.  Unlike most accountants we won’t “sell” you a tax return – we prefer to build a relationship with you that helps you grow and manage your business.

Our service roles are:

Mechanic: Xero live support, training and consulting – help just for immediate problem – in and out with no long-term commitment or relationship

Self Service: We help oversee your Xero system with live support, regular tune ups and adjustments to get things cleaned up, legal boxes ticked and taxes filed at the end of the year – this is a year-round relationship that deepens as your needs develop – you do the day-to-day bookkeeping and we’ve got your back

Full Service: We work with you to perform your bookkeeping and ensure that your business engine is running smoothly every month (as well as at year end) – this is an active partnership

Valet: We help you drive your business and coach you into those nasty turns.  You’re still the driver, but we help you grow your business.

To find out how our unique approach to business and accounting can help you, please book your free appointment here.

Answer: 

We understand that many businesses have a fairly simplistic or bare bones method of doing the books, paying bills, handling taxes and compliance.

And that while these systems may not achieve the most impact on your bottom line…they are very inexpensive.

But, we would like you to think about this by way of example:

Let’s say your bookkeeping or accounting costs you $1,000 a year.

Affordable for almost any business.

But what if you’ve been overpaying taxes by $3,000 a year due to the lack of tax planning, missing receipts and poor accounting hygiene.

And let’s add to the example that you’ve been in business for 10 years with your current accounting functions.

So, if you had wasted $3,000 a year in needless taxes for those ten years…you would have $30,000 less in available cash you could have re-invested in the business or taken home after taxes.

That’s a lot of money. A lot more than the $10,000 you paid for your accounting fees, right?

OK so you may be concerned about fees, but in this very common example we see similar stories about every week…how much did the owner lose by “saving money” on low cost, low results services?

Make sense?

But here’s the deal. You don’t have to risk or spend a penny to find out if your accounting/bookkeeping may be costing you thousands of dollars a year or more in overpaid taxes or other expanses!

We offer a totally FREE CONSULTATION to review your business’ financial situation in detail to help you figure out if:

Everything you’re doing is tip top, and no changes necessary.

Some of what you’re doing is OK, and other aspects could use improving.

You’re wasting a lot of money and serious changes should be considered.

So, sometimes “saving money” could actually be a very costly exercise. Are you certain your business isn’t caught in this trap?

Why not find out for NO COST, NO OBLIGATION, without any sales pitch?

Most of our clients are shocked to discover how much money and time they’ve unfortunately wasted until they went through our objective, Fuel Accounting FREE Consultation to dig through your situation and see how much we can find that can make a significant impact on your income, time and anxiety.

To find out how our unique approach to business and accounting can help you, please book your free appointment here.

Answer: 

We offer Profit First Consulting to clients with almost any accounting system.  But if you want us to support you from an accounting perspective then you need to move to the accounting platform of our recommendation: Xero.

Why do we do this?

It’s simple.  We are one of the most experienced Xero accounting firms in the world.  Not only are we a Gold Partner, but our founder was the first to ever receive Xero’s coveted “Most Valuable Professional” award.

We believe that we can add the most value to your business if you are working in the accounting platform that we know the best.  And don’t worry – we will help train you and get you converted.

And if you’re one of the few businesses where Xero is not the best choice for you – we’ll tell you and you’ll find another accounting partner to help.

Answer: 

We serve clients all over the world through our consulting and Xero Support services.  Our staff are qualified professional accountants in New Zealand and Canada.  We only offer tax services in these countries.  But no matter where you are, we can help you create a healthy accounting system and grow your business.