What If Accountants Are the Reason Business Owners Avoid Their Books?

I don't think most business owners truly understand the value of bookkeeping. And before my fellow business owners get upset with me, hear me out.

Business owners are some of the most creative, brilliant, fast-paced people you'll ever meet. At any given moment, they have 40 different ideas running through their heads. They're thinking about their next client, a new service, an employee who needs help, and an opportunity they just thought of while driving to work. Their family. A vacation. Next year’s goals. Etc Etc.

And somewhere in the middle of all that creativity, we're asking them to slow down, open a Profit & Loss report, review their boring expense categories, and remember what they spent $27.52 on at Staples last week.

Of course, they're going to want to avoid sitting down and doing that mundane task! They'd much rather be thinking about the future, only pausing long enough to check their bank balance to make sure there's enough money to keep living their dream.

Of course, we, as accountants, know that their bank balance doesn't actually tell them what they need to know. It doesn't account for every upcoming obligation, and it certainly doesn't tell them what they can comfortably afford to spend. But checking that balance is familiar, it's quick, and it's how many business owners have learned to navigate their finances.

Does that mean business owners don't care about their financial health? Absolutely not.

What I think it means, is that we, as accounting professionals, haven't always figured out how to communicate financial information in a way that makes sense to the brilliant, creative minds we're supporting.

And I truly believe that responsibility falls on us, as accountants and bookkeepers.

We have to remember that our clients started their business because they had an idea, a passion, or a skill they believed could make a difference. They never ever dreamed of dealing with numbers (or they would have started an accounting firm).

It is our job to simplify accounting into bite size pieces for the business owners we are supporting. They don’t want or need to walk line item by line on the P&L, unless there are major issues. Instead, show them exactly what you need their help with and then give them the why….something like, “If I have the answer to these expenses, I will be able to forecast when we can hire employee 1 or give employee 2 their raise.” This is what business owners live for and makes reviewing numbers have value to them.

Buttttt, business owners, I have something to say to you, too.

We need you to show up. We need to hear your vision.

When your accountant schedules a financial review, please make that meeting a priority. We can prepare your reports, identify opportunities, and help you understand your financial position, but we cannot make those decisions for you. We need you to give us direction and tell us what is important and cast your vision to us.

Because for us, the most valuable conversations happen when you finally slow down long enough to tell us what you've been dreaming about.

Maybe you're thinking about hiring three more employees. Maybe you want to purchase a building, increase your prices, or take your first real vacation in five years. Those are the conversations we want to have with you! Because once we understand what you're trying to accomplish, we can help you figure out what it will take financially to get there. But when we don’t know? All we have is the numbers to keep looking at that have no dreams or direction behind them. So of course that will be boring.

I think there's an incredible opportunity for accountants and business owners to build better relationships in 2027. Relationships where business owners feel safe enough to share their biggest dreams and financial concerns, and accountants feel empowered to offer guidance that goes beyond reconciling bank accounts.

But it takes both of us showing up.

Accountants, we need to learn how to speak the language of the business owners we serve.

Business owners, we need you to make time to share your dreams and visions, so that we can do a better job to protect and help grow what you've worked so hard to build.

Because when we combine your creativity with our financial expertise, some pretty incredible things can happen.

Your numbers tell a story, let's make it a good one,
Crys

P.S. For Accounting Professionals:

💜 Join my CFO Advisory Institute! If you're a bookkeeper, accountant, or CPA who wants to build deeper relationships with your clients and learn how to turn their financial information into meaningful conversations about their goals, this mentorship was created for you!

The CFO Advisory Institute officially launches January 1, 2027. VIP Enrollment is now open! Learn more about the CFO Advisory Institute here.