Author: Danielle Graham

In the Spotlight – Michelle Messer, MJM Accountants

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This month, QuickFee is launching In the Spotlight to recognise legal and accounting practitioners who demonstrate innovation, success, and commitment throughout their work. 

Each month, we will select individuals or firms to acknowledge the positive impact they have had on their community or their industry sector. If you think you know someone who fits the bill, please send us a 100-word summary to media-au@quickfee.com telling us why they deserve recognition.

Submission criteria:

  • The legal or accounting professional has shown an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction while still assuring the profitability and viability of their business or profession.
  • They have helped a client turn around business profits with innovative business opportunities.
  • They have outperformed their peers in their sectors, market segments and geographical areas in terms of community service.

 

In the Spotlight – Michelle Messer, MJM Accountants

Michelle Messer from the QLD-based accounting firm MJM Accountants is our first to be In the Spotlight. MJM Accountants, founded in 1992 by Michelle and her parents, focuses on bringing colour and fun to the accounting industry. Michelle’s vibrant personality brings a breath of fresh air and just seemed like the perfect way to launch our new Spotlight series.

It’s fair to say that Michelle likes to do things a little differently. Whether she is running the practice, painting watercolours, or creating comic books, Michelle manages to be both effervescent and down to earth at the same time – which is an approach that she has carried through to her practice.

 

From the vibrant and engaging superhero theme branding to their love of a good night out, this is one firm that doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter mould of most suburban firms. Their website even challenges this stereotype by asking, “Who says accountants are boring?”

Beyond being a successful business owner, Michelle ensures that fun is the core of everything she does, which means that the team at MJM Accountants also does things a little differently.

 

The team has built a profitable book of clients who love working with them while maintaining their positive outlook and creating a sustainable work/life balance.

They are firm believers of flexi-time, and for every minute someone works over their contracted 38 hours each week, they get time off as compensation. They also don’t hesitate to cross over roles within the team, with everyone jumping in to answer calls or complete admin work or anything else that needs completing. Michelle says that this all-hands-on deck model works so well because they don’t have any deadwood in the team. Instead, every team member wants to be there and support each other and the company. 

 

They are a tightly bonded group that is intent on having fun. Like the time that the whole firm rented camper vans and took a road trip to Melbourne – alternating driving duties with completing tax returns – so that Michelle could don a horse costume and take part in Hamish and Andy’s Race That Slows Down the Nation. Their clients loved it, with many following them along the way on Instagram. 

 

 

Their culture is founded on having fun, and they are so serious about maintaining a positive culture that they don’t tolerate demanding customers. Therefore, all potential clients need to meet with the firm in a two-way interview process whereby the team must agree they are the right fit before coming on board. By doing this, Michelle says they ensure they have a great group of clients who refer other great people.

 

Through initiatives like this, Michelle has built a loyal client base and an even more loyal team that genuinely enjoys the work they do and the people they work alongside.

But Michelle’s work-life looked very different seven years ago. 

 

Her days were filled with back-to-back client meetings and phone calls, and to get the work done, she was consistently having early starts and late finishes – all with a young family at home. So, Michelle knew there had to be a better way of doing things.

 

It wasn’t until she attended a few medical appointments that she noticed that most specialists have specific days each week when they see patients – a very standard practice in the medical field. Which begged the question… if a patient is happy to accept this from their doctor – why would they not accept the same from their accountant?

 

So, in 2015 Michelle’s practice implemented something they call Client Days. These are two scheduled days per week purely dedicated to meeting with clients, meaning the remaining days are free to spend getting through the workload. With balance restored to their days and stress levels lowering, the team also decided to start sending two team members into every client meeting so that the client always had multiple people to contact if they needed help. It also meant that if someone wanted to take leave or was off sick, the client’s needs were still being met, and the business could keep ticking along. 

 

This simple change instantly impacted the staff and created a lifestyle change that allowed for greater productivity and flexibility – while still delivering high service levels to their clients. With their streamlined processes, the team can balance their work and home lives and thrive in both. 

 

Michelle has a lot to be proud of, from their humble beginnings in 1992 to the vibrant business they have built today. So, on the 16th of Sept 2022, MJM Accountants will celebrate its 30th year in business, and true to Michelle’s style the party will be a big one. 

Learn more: https://www.mjmaccountants.com.au/

 

Rules for scaling your business – Join the Elites with Bruce Coombes

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Join the Elites – Insights from the minds of the super successful

Our Managing Director, Bruce Coombes, was recently invited to participate in the first-ever episode of the webinar series Join the Elites. Host Taryn Holman, National Sales Manager at Seamless SMSF, is joined by a different accounting industry expert each episode to hear about their formula for success and seamless profitability.

According to Bruce, the accounting formula that gives you less frustration, more profits, and more time to yourself is one where you position “the right customers, the right staff, doing the right things that you want to do. So it stops being work and starts becoming fun.”

With 42 years of industry knowledge, Bruce outlined his key insights to help you get to that end goal and enjoy yourself along the way.

 

 

Surround yourself with good people

With the amount of time you spend at work, it’s essential to surround yourself with good people. Most successful businesses will agree that it is easier to find good clients than find good staff. However, once you find nice clients, they will gladly refer like-minded people if they are happy with your service. Likewise, nice employees will refer good people to work with you if they feel valued. Ensuring you invest the time to keep good people by investing in your culture and refining your processes builds an environment where you have the right people in the right positions doing the right jobs with a positive mindset.

Don’t try to solve all of the problems

The impact of the pandemic on Australian business has unfortunately meant an increase in the number of business closures. The flow-on effect to the accounting industry has been significant in terms of work volume. Accountants across Australia have been working tirelessly to support their clients as we work through the economic impact of the pandemic. According to Bruce, the “sheer fatigue in our profession needs to stop” as you can’t solve every problem for every person.

Being realistic about what clients should be a part of your practice is vital to the long term success of your business, and you will need to manage your clients to ensure you have the right ones on board.

Triage your clients

Helping struggling clients is one thing, but when you overload your books with too many of these clients, you will start to see the impact on the macro level. You are a business, not a charity.

Bruce identifies three criteria for good clients;

  1. They have the ability to take advice
  2. They have the capacity to listen
  3. They pay

Simply put, clients that don’t take your advice or don’t pay should not be your clients.

A business that can balance helping clients in crisis and getting paid what they deserve will survive and thrive. Ultimately, you have an obligation to your primary stakeholder – your family. However, you do not have an obligation to a failing business that will not take your advice.

Finding good clients makes it easier for you and your team to do the work they enjoy. Don’t put up with the difficult clients – if they don’t align with your vision and culture, help them find a better-suited firm.

Don’t undervalue yourself

Consider this analogy, would you choose a discount heart surgeon or the best, most expensive one when it comes to your health? There is no doubt that surgeons deliver fantastic value to their clients – but they do not do it for free, and nor should you.

When you lower your costs, you undervalue yourself and the service you provide your clients. Which is a trend that Taryn says is all too common in accountants as, by and large, they are genuinely caring, good people and feel that minimizing their costs is the best way to help their clients. Remember that your clients are not paying for an hour of your time – they are paying for your experience.

Book a meeting with yourself

There will always be something that demands your attention, but according to Bruce, “being busy is not a badge of honour”. Instead, ensure you block time in your diary to allow yourself time to think and reflect. By taking back control of your time, you have the chance to properly digest information and create the opportunity for innovative thought.

Rules for scaling your business

According to Bruce, there are two basic rules for scaling your business.

  1. “Growth for growth’s sake is absolutely pointless. There is no point in having a chart that goes up and profit that doesn’t move. You are in business to make money.”
  2. You are in business to make money!

These rules mean that you simply will not stay in business in the absence of making money, and to stay in business, you must have a clear vision of your end goal in mind, value and invest in yourself, and surround yourself with good people.

 

About Seamless SMSF

Seamless SMSF is an Australian, privately owned Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) Audit Firm that offers SMSF Audit services to accounting firms. Having built a Live, Fully Integrated Workflow Portal, accountants can access contractors who supply back-office labour to assist them with functions necessary to run their accounting businesses successfully. This unique portal, paired with outstanding service, has made Seamless SMSF Australia’s #1 SMSF provider for accounting firms, now auditing in excess of 19,114 funds. Click here to enquire.

 

How can you help Australia’s disadvantaged youth?

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How can you help Australia’s disadvantaged youth?

Irrespective of the broad-reaching impact of COVID-19, this year has been especially tough for Australian children and young people growing up in poverty; those who cannot choose their circumstances.

According to the 2020 report* from ACOSS/UNSW on Poverty in Australia, 1 in 6 Australian children now live in poverty. For these children, even the most basic of life’s necessities are hard to come by.

Perhaps worse, children in families experiencing financial disadvantage are now more likely than ever to fall behind with their learning, since they generally have less access to vital learning materials and books in the home environment.

With most schools now requiring laptops or tablet computers for in-class and home learning, those who cannot afford these necessities struggle to achieve the continuity of education needed to succeed academically.

The Smith Family have been working to improve the lives of Australian children in Australia for over 100 years. Their flagship program – Learning for Life – supports 58,000 students with long-term support for their education and post-school support programs that aim to transition these children into the workplace.

Children who have a disadvantage in learning early on in life are more vulnerable to future hardships. They can often fall into what The Smith Family describes as the “Cycle of Disadvantage”.

The Smith Family aims to break this cycle by providing programs that give disadvantaged Australian children the support and resources they need to keep pace with the rest of the class.

This is achieved through a number of intervention initiatives such as learning clubs and programs aimed at the community, arts, literacy, numeracy and mentoring, amongst others.

The Smith Family relies heavily on donations from individuals and corporations to deliver these valuable programs. These donations help support young Australians to create better futures for themselves.

QuickFee makes an annual Christmas donation of $5,000 to the Smith Family. This donation aims to provide immediate support to the established programs to deliver long-term positive benefits for impacted children and their families.

 

To donate to The Smith Family, you can click here to set up a one-off or monthly donation to help provide access to learning and life education support programs.

 

*Poverty in Australia report link: https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-in-Australia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf

Donation link: https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/donate

 

Tips & Tricks: How to recruit & retain talent

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What does the Great Resignation mean to Australia’s Accounting Industry?

There is no denying that the Great Resignation is a hot topic at the moment as Australia waits to see if our job markets will go the same way as the US.

In a recent webinar on recruiting and retaining the best talent, accounting industry experts Bruce Coombes – QuickFee, Craig West – Succession Plus, Alistair Barr – Striver and Stephen Watts from TOA Global discussed the potential impact of the Great Resignation on the accounting industry in Australia.

Who are the hardest to recruit and retain right now?

There is no clear-cut winner (or loser) in this respect. Striver’s Founder and CEO, Alisdair Barr indicated that finding and securing the best talent for those in 2–5-year entry-level roles are extremely competitive at the moment. This is mainly because whilst they may be fresher recruits – and less expensive – they have some experience and can provide billable hours from the moment they start.

Conversely, Succession Plus are seeing the market for higher-level roles tightening up and recruiting senior positions is becoming increasingly challenging. The power that desirable senior-level staff have in this shifting job climate means that more money and more benefits are making it to the negotiating table than ever before.

What are recruits looking for?

What happens in our job market is not just about a need for compensation in the traditional monetary sense. Instead, there is a greater desire for increased flexibility in working hours, days and location, and different benefits to what is generally on offer.

The flexibility and freedom many of us have experienced with working from home is not something most people want to give up that easily. On the contrary, there is a definite appetite for it.

However, not all employees love the idea of working from home every day. Sure, it has benefits in terms of flexibility, but how does that impact the incidental networking in the lunchroom or social get-togethers. For a graduate, bumping into the managing partner and striking up a conversation over coffee gives them a level of visibility they cannot achieve through zoom. Craig West, CEO and Founder of Succession Plus, says one of the most complex challenges right now is how employers can successfully build a corporate culture for people who have never met face to face. Weighing up all of these factors will undoubtedly be challenging, and we will likely see some creative solutions in the near future.

How important is a good culture fit?

Finding an employee that is right for the role and the company culture has always been a challenge, but it is has been even more challenging recently working remotely.

Having a clear understanding of the drivers for employees in this new environment and being able to put into place strategies that you can execute well and believe in is essential. Employees want to work for something they believe in. For younger workers, this may mean providing clarity on growth and development, and for more senior employees, it may mean giving equity options.

Keeping in touch with the community also has value, especially for the younger employees. Corporate responsibility and genuine community support keep your business connected to things that your staff believe in.

What makes employees want to leave?

Craig West calls this the Decision Point. This is the point when you weigh up your level of satisfaction with your current situation and whether there are better, more attractive situations. Many factors go into this decision, such as limited growth opportunities, reduced work/life balance, being underpaid, job insecurity, poor workplace culture, and high-stress environments.

If there are more attractive offers available, then the decision to move away from these stress factors becomes that much easier to make.

How do you balance the various flexibility needs?

As the pandemic drags on and the operational requirements continue to change, managing the differing preferences can be challenging. Therefore, creating a balance between working from home and working in the office is vital.

Stephen Watts from TOA Global calls this strategy Perform to Play. If your team is performing well while working remotely and it works for the business, it is reasonable to continue allowing this option. When expectations are clearly set, and dialogue is kept open, there is no reason not to allow flexibility.

Being consistent across all channels of the business is even more critical. For example, if one team has the option to work from home and another doesn’t have the same opportunities, it will generate discontent. Being consistent across the business will circumvent this.

How do smaller firms compete with the big players?

Providing employees with a voice at the table is easier for smaller firms than for big players. At the large firms, the table is just too big to hear every voice! Being able to speak up and be heard has enormous value for everyone, from the freshest graduate to the longest standing team member.

Providing good mentoring opportunities is also essential. Opportunities for growth and development tailored to the individual and their goals will always have a place in keeping staff happy.

So how can you recruit and retain the best talent in the face of a looming Great Resignation?

Have different options in your toolkit. Whether those options are flexible working arrangements, increased wages, paid paternity leave or a day off on your birthday – the most important thing is that they need to be visible to your team. Communicate these things clearly and openly and be ready to answer questions around them honestly. Transparency is the key here.

Offer appropriate compensation. This means offering a wage within or above market value and providing a compensation model that reflects the return on investment you will see. You are investing in an asset at the end of the day. Understanding what motivates the employee and trying to meet what is reasonably in your power will drive their engagement and increase their return on investment to the company. It’s a win-win if executed successfully.

Give people a voice. Ensure your team feel that their voice counts and that they are empowered to speak up. However clever you think you are, there will always be better, more creative ideas from your team. You may not implement every idea, but if you don’t give people an opportunity to be heard, you will never hear that great idea.

Effectively collaborate. One thing is sure – collaboration skills will be vital not just for employees to work effectively but also for businesses to ensure they have the suitable systems in place to facilitate a varied working style.