People don’t always ask the most important question about a business. They’ll ask, “What do you do?”, “What’s your expertise?” or “How much do you cost?” All perfectly good questions, but very few think to ask, “Why did you set up your business?” Yet the answer to that will tell you who the business really is.
So, who is Grace Certified Accountants? Why did I set up the business in the first place? There were several reasons.
Because I Wanted Freedom
It can be difficult to juggle having a job and being a mother, especially a single mother of four children. Even today, it isn’t easy, but before working practices changed during the Covid lockdown, working from home wasn’t usually an option.
Setting up my own business allowed me freedom from a strict 9-5 routine. Not only does it let me arrange my schedule around family needs, but the nature of the business means I can work from home when I need to. That lets me be around when my children need me to be.
Of course, the business itself is really another baby, but I have the freedom to integrate its care into the rest of the family. And the importance of freedom is central to Grace Certified Accountants, since it’s what all our clients enjoy — the freedom of knowing their finances are being looked after by experts.
Because I Disliked the Corporate Way
Back before I set up Grace Certified Accountants, I worked for a large accountancy firm — and some of the way they operated got on my nerves. I remember one incident, for instance, where a client I was talking to needed more answers than normal. My approach, then and now, is to give as much time as needed, but I was put under pressure to end the meeting — it was taking up too much time.
That kind of thing was common, and it wasn’t my idea of doing business. Because I’d known the correct way to run a business since I was a child in Zambia.
I lived with my grandmother, who ran a bakery. Her products were well known, and many customers travelled a long way. Sometimes, by the time they were ready to leave, it was getting dark — and my grandmother wouldn’t hear of it. Although we didn’t have much room, I lost count of the times a customer would be found a bed for the night, rather than having to go home in the dark.
That’s how a business should be run — and with Grace Certified Accountants, I’m able to do so. Not that I’m necessarily saying I give beds to clients, but I do invest in looking after them.
Because I Can Earn More
Having a steady pay check at the end of the month is all fine and reliable, but it does limit your ability to increase your income. With my own business, earnings are potentially unlimited — and think of how many shoes that lets me have. Oh, and meeting the kids’ needs, obviously 😀.
And that reflects what Grace Certified Accountants can do for you, by streamlining your accounts, reducing your tax bill and leaving you free to work on growing your business — and to remember why you set it up.
Give me a call to find out how Grace Certified Accountants can help give you freedom, boost your finances and give the kind of customer service my grandmother taught me.