It’s Valentine’s Day, so you might be celebrating the relationships in your life: with your significant other, your friends, or your fluffy companion. But you might be overlooking other important connections, like your business relationships. Such as with your accountant.

After your initial meeting (let’s call it a first date), where your accountant has asked you all kinds of personal and business-related questions, you quickly realise you’ve disclosed more information to them in an hour than you would have over 5 dinner dates.

After the initial frenzy of communication, you’ve decided that your accountant is “the one”, and you settle into business as usual, chatting usually only twice per year: at tax time, and sending obligatory “happy Christmas/new year” emails.

But what if you took it a step further?

Here are three ways to get the most from your relationship with your accountant.

1. A foundation of trust and honesty

Being straight up and honest with your accountant (and vice versa) will go a long way to helping you achieve your individual and business goals.

Allowing your accountant to deep dive into your numbers, your goals and your strategies will help provide some context as to where you’ve been, and predict where you’re going.

Your accountant will have the knowledge and expertise to set you on the right path, because you’ve trusted them to become intimately involved with what’s happening inside your business. And in return they can provide honest advice with your best interests in mind.

You will be set on a journey that’s built on the foundation of trust and honesty, so that even through some tough times (such as a pandemic) you’re in the best position you can be to move forward.

2. Great relationships involve communication

Communication, communication, communication. It’s the one piece of advice relationship counsellors agree on. Communication works both ways, when you ask questions and are open and honest, you will find that your accountant can offer a valuable perspective.

Use your accountant like a consultant. When you see your relationship from an advisory perspective, you can open yourself to more opportunities including reducing costs, investing profits more efficiently, and planning for the future success of you and your business.

When you step up your current twice-a-year communication, you will take your relationship from good to great.

3. Love: the key ingredient

This is the simplest ingredient of all. When you love what you do, and when your accountant loves what they do, you can both easily work towards common goals. This will see you build an effective relationship that will last through all stages of life.

If your relationship with your current accountant isn’t quite working for you or your business, contact us for a first date.