Outsourcing any part of your business can be scary. Bringing in freelancers to work on important projects for important clients can initially feel like you are losing an element of control you would have if they were based in your office.
“Can they truly understand and reflect our companies values?”
“Do they understand the bigger picture of the work we are doing?”
“Do they fully understand the task?”
“How can I know exactly where they are up to and if they have fallen behind?”
All valid questions, right? Questions that have no doubt crossed your mind.
Yet, most agencies will speak of instances where they have successfully integrated freelancers into their delivery teams. A lot of agencies we work with use freelancers, and in a lot of those cases, they use the same freelancers regularly, with great results and a limited if any headache. In fact, in some cases, they are that important that they would struggle without them.
It’s the same with outsourcing your finance function
A question we often get asked is, “Can we work together even though we’re so many miles away?”
Does it really matter whether your accountant is nearby or not?
Lets just say you like what you have seen so far, you’ve thought about booking a discovery call, but, not only are you outsourcing your finance function, you are 400 miles away. How could we make it feel like we are a part of your team from 400 miles away? It’s not possible, surely?
We believe if you have the right personnel, processes and systems then it doesn’t matter if you around the corner or 400 miles away. The relationship will be just as strong. Yes, there may be less opportunity for face to face meetings, and that shouldn’t be brushed under the carpet if that is important to you, but here is what we have put in place to make it feel that we are a part of your team and in your corner, however far away you are geographically.
The Support System For Your Agency
We want to partner in your success and work with you as you grow your agency. Part of that growth is being around the right people which is why we’ve been so focused on building that support structure around you in terms of the MAP team and your peers.
With the adoption of cloud accounting, our online community, zoom and everything alike, it could be argued that there is no longer a need to meet the people we do business with in person.
However, with all of the technology around, we still understand the importance of having human interaction. So, we’ve built a community to ensure that through every relationship we have with a client, there is ample opportunity for us to meet.
We place you, your agency and your success at the heart of all the support systems & community we’ve built around MAP.
Facebook Community
You will have access to the MAP agency community, where agency owners get support on their challenges, share ideas and genuinely look to help one another.
Phone, Email & Zoom
We love to talk. If you want to get your thoughts down over an email then feel free but we know the benefits of communicating over a discussion so we’re advocates of picking up the phone over email at every opportunity. In between face to face meetings we can also benefit from using video calls over Zoom to recreate the in person experience as best as possible and share screens, files etc in a live meeting.
Live Q&As
Throughout the year we will run quarterly live Q&A sessions in our Facebook community group that will give you advice on key topics within the agency industry. We do our research to deliver the most valuable insights from MAP and our guests.
Exclusive events
We have partnered up with Insurers, Lawyers & Financial Planners that can use their particular expertise to best advise you on different elements of your business. This is another example of our desire to implement a community that YOU can be a part of. A community that is created specifically to serve the needs of Digital Creative Agencies.
We’ve held events in Liverpool, Manchester & London and we tailor these events to give maximum value to agency owners. You’d be invited to attend these events so if you thought a specific event would benefit you then you could come along and meet some of the team face to face.
Face to face
Despite all of the video calls and being part of an online community it is sometimes just great to have a meeting face to face. All of the previous elements are there to bridge that gap when it is not logistically feasible to meet face to face on a regular basis, however, this does not mean we don’t value face to face meetings. Wherever you are, we would happily meet you quarterly at your office, or you would be welcome to ours. The kettle is always on!
So, to answer the original question ‘Do I need to use a local accountant?’
For 2019 and beyond, the answer is no.
Recent advances in technology means that remote working relationships have become the norm. You no longer need to rely on talent being available in your local area, which means that finding the best accountant for your agency could be anywhere in the UK.
We position ourselves as an extension of your team, we keep a welcoming and consistent line of communication and we make the effort to truly understand you and your business. It can become a long distance relationship that does work, just like that freelancer you couldn’t do without.
If you think so too, then book onto a Discovery Call here and we look forward to speaking with you soon.
All the best,
Will
