Serge Birasa, CPA, CGA, ACCA.

1. Get all your deductions
During this busy tax season, most business owners are frantically thinking about how they can maximize on their deductions. However, by the end of the year it is too late to make an impact on that.
An accountant can support you by easily identifying these potential deductions throughout the year and advise you how to make strategic decisions for year-end deductions. Many business owners forget to track and account for items like depreciation, out-of-pocket expenses and home office space. Don’t leave money on the table!
2. Avoid an audit
Another really compelling reason to hire an accountant is to avoid the dreaded audit. Unfortunately, most people think of an accountant as someone who can fix these issues after they’ve occurred.
The important thing to remember is that an audit can easily be avoided if you get the guidance and counsel of an accountant year-round.
There are many explanations as to why a business is audited: from too many mistakes on tax forms, to being too ‘charitable,’ to excessive write-offs. Think of an accountant as a long-term partner who is invested in your business and cares to keep it fiscally sound.
3. Save time and energy (and sanity!)
Most entrepreneurs think that a tight budget means they won’t be able to afford hiring an accountant. But if you think about how much time and effort you spend on trying to manage your finances yourself (not to mention the possible errors you could incur during reporting, and related losses from poor financial decisions), the benefits certainly outweigh the cost.
As an entrepreneur, your focus should be on running your business. Investing in a professional accountant and engaging him or her as an ongoing tactical business advisor will assist you in maintaining that focus and simultaneously keep you on the road toward your business goals.
4. Make real-time decisions
When I consult business owners, they often tell me that they wish they could easily calculate the potential consequences and implications of making a big office purchase or hiring more employees. Having an accountant as your financial advisor to help you with budgeting and monitoring cash flow on a steady basis will allow you to navigate any hurdles that occur in real time.
You should take a collaborative approach with your accountant, allowing you to make decisions together based on the latest data and also take advantage of a consultative relationship that will help you make business decisions when you need to make them.
5. Plan for the future
Finally, one of the biggest benefits of hiring an accountant is getting advice on how to plan for the future. Together, you can pull reports from past months and examine the seasonality of your business. Doing this will help you determine the best time to buy inventory, and budget for big-ticket investments so that you can stay competitive and viable.
As a business owner, you are most often preoccupied with the day-to-day operations of running your business. However, an accountant can take a step back and objectively look at the big picture to find the best way to support the longevity of your business.
The life of a business owner can be isolating, especially when you’re left with a pile of receipts and invoices to plow through at the end of the month or the year. It doesn’t have to be that way. As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work,” and partnering with an accountant who has the skill and expertise to guide you through your journey will set you up for lasting success.

The opportunity I get every time I speak to a customer to help them make a positive change in their company or life. I also enjoy the autonomy I get from being able to try new ideas and building relationships with customers to help them meet their objectives. I enjoy most of all the different challenges which allows me to better myself in order to deliver the expected requirements.

The main reason I started my own business was to be able to give back to the community. With 15 years of experience, I saw an opportunity to help fellow small business owners with their day-to-day finances.

It comes down to priorities. I’m in business to create lifetime clients because in my experience, when you treat someone with care and respect, you get great referrals and word of mouth. I want my clients to really understand the financial process and I encourage them to ask me any question no matter how ‘dumb’ their question may seem. I make it a point to personally respond to questions within a business day and I’ll spend whatever time is necessary to answer the question to my client’s satisfaction.

My services are solely remotely using QuickBooks, Turbo Tax, ProFile,

Made sure that we are enforcing social distancing as much as possible and discouraged the sharing of equipment and supplies. On top of that, we have implemented several sanitizing stations. We’ve also restricted workplace visits but adding all of our services online.