Whether you’re still tied to “seasonal” work or not, as an accounting professional and potentially firm owner, you are staring down another “busy” spike and then the end of a year. So, how are you set up to handle it all, if indeed it needs handling?
By my estimate the vast majority of you are about to experience an ebb in your work, and I’m genuinely curious about how well you believe it will be addressed. Is it being approached with trepidation or welcome? Either one will be an indicator of a few things:
- The platforms you have in place to handle workflow, communication and production
- The kind of work you’ve chosen to do
- The amount, and type, of clients you’ve chosen to work with (if they are indeed chosen)
- The degree of delegation you’ve taken on for work to be completed
- The overall balance you’ve created, if any
If you can indeed answer the above with honesty, it should also add some clarity to how not only the next several weeks will go for you but also extend well beyond even this year. It is my wish, my hope, that enough of you are able to address these issues with some sense of, maybe not urgency, but at least priority.
Nothing changes or improves without a plan, and everything I mentioned can take time to address. It won’t happen all at once, but know too that it won’t happen at all without picking something. Sounnds simple, I know, especially just sitting here typing it all out, but finally treating your firm as a business and your chosen career with a sense of clarity and purpose will make all the difference.
I also know that what is making all of this seem harder are the narratives constantly swirling around you. Specifically, about not doing enough to “change,” about outside money potentially influencing your future, about where AI can fit into your work or practice, and about simply not being enough for your clients.
Don’t let any of that distract you, but know that there are opportunities to continue to play the significant role you chose when “accounting” became the thing you do. So, before diving into the next several weeks and the rest of the year, touch base with someone in your network. Get your head right, and even ask the questions I laid out above with them present.
As I always say, you are never truly alone in this profession; community is everything. Go forth with confidence and support.