- Where do homeless accountants live? In a tax shelter.
- Welcome to the accounting department, where everybody counts.
- A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
Jokes by accountants are unfairly seen by some as a contradiction in terms given their stereotype. Many accountants have a great sense of humour and are fantastic ‘business advisers’ in terms of saving tax. Efficient profit extraction, entrepreneur relief on the sale of a business or on the need to have a business plan is bread and butter to a good accountant. The business plan though is often written around the financials to keep the bankers happy.
Just though as we stereotype people, so we can stereotype what is good business advice. To advise companies on the day to day operations of their business needs a wide skill set. It also needs considerable hands-on business experience to see beyond the pure financials, tax and the like. Our approach at SME Strategies is to encourage our clients to look creatively and holistically at their business and to provide them with the appropriate specialist support.
One particular area of importance is a firm’s marketing strategy which, whilst naturally part of the overall business strategy, is often good to think of separately. This is in order that it does not become the poor relation to the financial part of the strategy. It allows the marketing strategy to be given real focus. This is especially important for many SMEs who may have a great product or service, about which they are passionate. However they may not have a corresponding strong skillset in terms of telling the world about their great service or product.
This is why we have teamed up with a marketing expert who can work with our clients to review their marketing plan, if they have one, and suggest ways forward. You can read more about a marketing strategy on our Marketing Strategy page. We have also added some great resources on marketing which can be found in our Resource Tools section. Our aim is give our clients the very best advice we can in whatever areas are needed.
The last word though should go to the bankers who can provide business with that essential cash. We cannot do without them!
- Bankers are people that help you with problems you would not have had without them.
- What’s the problem with banker jokes? Bankers don’t think they’re funny, normal people don’t think they’re jokes.
- If you owe the bank £100, that’s your problem. If you owe the bank £100m, that’s the bank’s problem.
Perhaps the last laugh though is had by those who bring accountancy, banking and marketing onto the same hymn sheet and sing in perfect harmony.
(Jokes reproduced by permission of Lloyds Banking Group training dept & The Comedy School)
David