Are we the right accountant for you? We’ve previously shared our blog 5 Reasons not to work with PPF – but we have many many more reasons to work with us!
By looking around our website it’s pretty clear we’re not your ‘typical’ accountant – far from it! But what makes us different? And more importantly, why should you work with us? Well, here’s 50 reasons on why we are different and you should work with us 😊
Reason 1 – B1G1 & The Buddy Bag Foundation
Via the B1G1 initiative, we’ve committed to a cause close to our hearts – The Buddy Bag Foundation. By working with us, you get to share in the support for a fantastic organisation and make an impact in a child’s life. Read more on our blog on how we support The Buddy Bag Foundation with your help.
Reason 2 – Live & Learn
Our client only community and education programme – check out all the details in our blog explaining what Live & Learn is and how it came about!
Reason 3 – We’re Goal Focused
Your business is there to support you and your desired lifestyle, not the other way around. We dig deep and find out what your goals are, and look at how we can help support you in achieving them. Our services are designed to help you reach your goals and life the life you want! Check out Madison’s blog on setting goals to help with setting your own goals for you and your business.
Reason 4 – We’re a Digital Practice
If you haven’t realised already we love Xero and using tech to make your life easier. But we don’t just use tech for using’s sake – each app or software we use will solve a problem and/or make life easier for you. We find the right solutions for you and your business – no shoe box of receipts for us! And, tech will not only make your life easier – it will help us to work together better. From Zoom calls, to uploading receipts via Dext, to cashflow reporting and more – we use tech to remove friction and make everything more efficient.
Reason 5 – Regular Contact
We’re not one of those accountants you don’t hear from from one year to the next – we actually speak to our clients alot! You’ll get an annual Zoom call to go through pre year end planning, quarterly check ins, weekly bookkeeping queries, monthly payroll filing confirmation, weekly blog emails and so on! We believe in building a relationship with our clients and working in partnership.
Reason 6 – We’ll send you reminders to pay your tax bills!
We know you’re busy people, and even if you plan to diarise a payment, we know these often get missed/forgotten too, so we will send you reminders a week before your VAT, Corporation Tax, Self Assessment (both Jan and July payment on accounts) are due, so you don’t forget to make payment!
Reason 7 – We’re a Xero only firm
Being a Xero only firm means we can master just one software and be experts, rather than trying to use a number of softwares and muddle through them all. Plus, well Xero is the best offering out there anyway! No, being serious, we do actually believe that Xero is the best solution for our clients which is why we chose to partner exclusively with Xero. Not only is it a cracking piece of software, but their values align with our own to create a strong partnership.
Reason 8 – Our Fabulous Team!
We really do have a great team at PPF, who all care about our clients, as well as each other! We all want the best for our clients, and to help them reach their goals. Meet our team and get to know them here.
Reason 9 – We get the parent/life/work juggle
We really do! We’re all walking the walk and juggling kids, dogs, travel or volunteering around working at PPF, so we know what it’s like for our clients also juggling themselves. We know what it’s like getting that balance right, and we want to help you get the lifestyle and balance you dream of!
Reason 10 – We care about our clients
We mentioned above we care about our clients – you’re not just a number on a database to us. We get to know all about our clients and what makes them unique, and build strong relationships. Kids and pets are often joining us on Zoom calls – which we love! We’re right by your side every step of the way, we’ll support you with your downs, celebrate your wins, give you that kick up the bum when you need it (in a nice way of course!) and just generally be there for you in anyway we can!
Reason 11 – We send you biscuits when you’re ill!
As we said above – we support you during the rough times, and send you biscuits to cheer you up when you’re ill or going through a tough time.
Reason 12 – We can provide your whole finance function
From bookkeeping right up to virtual FD services, we have you covered! Our solutions are tailor made to give you the support you need at every stage of your business journey.
Reason 13 – Onboarding gift
Upon signing up to work with us at PPF we’ll send you a little welcome gift to say hello! Who doesn’t like receiving gifts?!
Reason 14 – Xero Training
We don’t just supply the software and expect you to get on with it. We give every client some basic training, and also have a range of solutions depending on your training needs.
Reason 15 – We’re a Chartered Firm
50% of the team are fully qualified Chartered Accountants – meaning we have high standards of training and knowledge to assist our clients. Technically anyone can set themselves up and call themselves an accountant – but you can rest safe in the knowledge that we are all qualified and know what we’re doing 😉
Reason 16 – We’re licensed by ACCA
Being licensed by ACCA means we have met the high standards ACCA have set for training, knowledge and experience, meaning you can rest assured that we are regulated and professionals.
Reason 17 – We’re an ACCA Approved Employer
Being an ACCA approved employer means we have met high standards set by ACCA for supporting our team. We have a training plan in place to ensure we are always on top of regulation changes and the best we can be. We are living out our Excellence value daily, taking our continued professional development seriously.
Reason 18 – We’re fully insured
Again, ACCA set high standards for insurance to protect us and our clients, and at PPF we fully comply with these regulations, giving you peace of mind.
Reason 19 – We’re a Xero Gold Champion Partner
We have met Xero’s criteria to become a Gold Champion Partner – meaning we have demonstrated practical use of Xero through the number of clients we have on Xero, up to date knowledge through our Xero certifications and more! Check out our Xero Partner listing here.
Reason 20 – Xero Certifications
Following on from above every member of our accounting team is at least a Xero Certified Advisor. Most are also Payroll Certified, and we also have members of the team with Tax, Migration, Industry specific, and service specific badges. As part of our Excellence value and continual professional development we strive to ensure we are always fully up to date with our Xero Certifications and keep up dated on all new features.
Reason 21 – Transparent fees
We know you don’t like nasty surprises, which is one of the reasons our fees are transparent – so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money! All fees are explained and broken down in our initial proposal, and subsequently in your monthly invoices and renewal proposals. Check out more on our fees in our pricing blog.
Reason 22 – Fair value based pricing
We also want our fees to be fair, and not some random amount. We don’t believe hourly pricing is fair as so many other variables can affect this – so we base our fees on other factors – mostly volume of work involved. We also recognise that a business can fluctuate over a year so what we quote and charge for bookkeeping initially at the start of your year, could be way off what it should be at the end of the year as your business has grown. Also many businesses have peaks and slower periods, the work we need to do on a daily/weekly basis will fluctuate, and therefore so will your fees. Therefore we review our bookkeeping fees on a quarterly basis and increase or decrease as your transaction volume increases and decreases! Find out more about this here.
Reason 23 – Monthly payments
All of our fees are monthly paid over the 12 months of your financial year. We found this a great way for you to budget, and maintain your cashflow – and yes, the same goes for us! We will quote you an inclusive monthly price based on all the work we will be doing during the year, so you know exactly what you’re paying and again – no nasty surprises. If there is any additional work required outside the scope of your monthly fee this will be discussed and agreed before we commence any additional work.
Reason 24 – Our Values
We live and breathe our values – Excellence, Simplicity, Lifestyle – they are our guiding principles of how we do things at PPF. We’re not a firm who just plonks some words on our website and never think of them again – everything we do is guided by our values. You can read more on our values here.
Reason 25 – Cheryl is Xero’s MVP 2018
Each year at XeroCon Xero celebrate the very best of their accounting, bookkeeping and app partners. The MVP award celebrates the individuals who Xero believe have made an outstanding contribution to the accountancy world. This is the only award that is decided by a panel of judges, and you cannot enter or be nominated for – it’s completely down to Xero, so it is pretty special!
Xero said they chose me as their MVP as I am a tireless Xero advocate (I do love Xero!), helping the team with various issues, as well as helping with their new CIS and MTD for VAT functionality. They also like our business model, allowing flexible working among other things.
Getting up on stage in front of nearly 3,000 other professionals was surreal, then being given my award and being congratulated by both Gary Turner (Xero UK MD) and Steve Vamos (Xero CEO) – just wow! I’ve got to admit it was all a bit of a blur – I was so in shock! It is so rewarding to be recognised in this way, and such a confidence boost to carry on building the business so I can help as many other business owners to realise their dreams.
Reason 26 – We’re paperlesss!
We don’t do paper at PPF – everything is digital – meaning things are streamlined to make things much easier for all of us! No more relying on the post or dropping receipts off to us – you scan them in the Dext app and we can then access and process – job done! Much quicker too 😉
Reason 27 – Digital Signatures
Following on from being paperless – we also don’t cut down a load of trees (not literally obvs!) to print your accounts/reports and post to you. Everything is sent to you via our secure online portal for you to view and download and approve digitally. Again, speeding up the process, but also doing our bit to save the trees!
Reason 28 – Online meetings
Ok, ok, since around March 2020 we all got pretty good at this Zoom lark – but we were actually holding online meetings via Zoom before all the cool kids started! All of our meetings are on Zoom, making things easier for us both (as well as practical in the current climate).
Reason 29 – No unnecessary meetings
So yes, all our meetings are on Zoom – but we don’t hold meetings for meetings sake! If it can be sorted in an email or a quick phone call then all done 🙂 We know your time is precious so we will always do things the most efficient way (Simplicity Value 😉).
Reason 30 – Quick Query Service
Don’t you hate it when you ring or email your accountant with a quick question and you then get billed a ridiculous amount?! Yeah, us to! So we don’t do that!! Included in our services is what we call our Quick Query Service. Basically if we can answer your question with a phone call/email/Zoom (whichever is most appropriate) in around 15/20 mins then it’s all included – no extra fees. There will only be additional fees if and when it’s additional work or an expert that’s required – and we will always talk to you and let you know when something is outside of the scope of your current services and we’ll agree a fee before we do any additional work.
Reason 31 – You don’t need to worry about deadlines
We have you covered! Our systems are all set up with repeating tasks for all of your services, which means we just get everything done! A common feedback from clients is that they don’t need to worry about what they need to do and when, we have it covered.
Reason 32 – Our webinar series
In addition to our client only webinars we also have free monthly webinars for everyone – check out our schedule here!
Reason 33 – Weekly blogs
Our team take it in turns to write blogs on a variety of subjects each week and Madison sends out our blog of the week to our clients each week. Our blogs cover a variety of topics, and we also have guest blogs from people we know, like and trust! Check out our blog here!
Reason 34 – Knowledge bank
Our blogs cover a wide range of topics and cover many frequently asked questions – so you can find the answers to many of your questions even when we’re not working.
Reason 35 – Free advertising
We regularly share clients businesses and posts on our social media channels (with their permission of course), so it’s an extra advertising channel for you without you having to do anything!
Reason 36 – Plain English
We know there are a lot of acronyms and complex words within the accounting world – but we always explain things in plain English and promise not to baffle you with accounting jargon – where’s the benefit in that?!
Reason 37 – CPD
We’re always learning more – keeping up to date with new regulations, researching new tech, and generally ahead of the game. We always strive to be the best version of ourselves in everything we do (Excellence Value 😉), and therefore able to give our clients the best service we can.
Reason 38 – Regular fee reviews
We always want you to be paying fair prices for our services, therefore we ensure we carry out regular reviews. We follow a 1-3-12 principle – as we charge payroll per employee it makes sense we review your payroll prices each month – increase our fees as you take on extra employees, and decrease our fees as you have leavers! As we mention above we review bookkeeping quarterly so our fees fluctuate with your transactional volumes & fluctuations, and lastly everything gets reviewed annually!
Reason 39 – Excellent inter team communication
Yes – we actually all talk to each other – alot! We hate it when you have to repeat yourself, so we are always sharing information between us! We’re constantly in touch via Slack and have weekly team meetings to make sure we’re all up to date with each other! And the highlight of our month is our monthly meet ups in person 🥳
Reason 40 – Stringent hiring process
We’ve got a pretty tough hiring process – we want to make sure that every member of the team is a good values fit as well as a good skills fit. We’re proud to say because of this we have a fabulous team who are able to communicate and work together well – and we’re all rowing in the same direction!
Reason 41 – Email or text reminders
We send out email reminders as standard – but can also sent out text ones too if you’d prefer – just let us know!
Reason 42 – Explainer videos
We use video’s alot at PPF – we find they’re just so easy to explain things! If you’ve asked us how to do something in Xero, 9 times out of 10 you’ll get a video explainer. We also record explainer videos with all of your accounts, to talk you through what everything is and means so you actually understand what you’re approving!
Reason 43 – Approachable team
We’re not your stereotypical, boring, stuffy, dinosaur accountants – we’re down to earth and here to help. We’ll never judge or laugh – we want your ‘silly’ questions – the only silly question is the one you don’t ask.
Reason 44 – We know people
We’ve built up a network over the years of people who are experts in their fields and we can happily recommend and/or introduce you! We also regularly recommend our clients to each other too (and they have a chance to speak to each other as part of Live & Learn). So if you need some help ask us who we know that can help! Check out our recommendations blog of many of the people we recommend!
Reason 45 – Referral/Thank You Gifts
We really do appreciate those who help us and refer us to their friends too. We love to show our appreciation with a little gift too to say thank you!
Reason 46 – Well ahead of deadlines
All of our processes plan to be well ahead of deadlines – we don’t want you being stressed and we certainly don’t want to be hounding you to be able to meet a deadline, we don’t want to interrupt your precious family/downtime!
Reason 47 – We respect your holidays & downtime
We don’t want to contact/bother you while you’re on holiday – so as long as you let us know, we won’t be contacting you while you’re off (unless it’s an unavoidable emergency of course!).
Reason 48 – Quarterly summaries
We don’t want you getting a shock tax bill, so all of our accounts clients receive quarterly summaries with a summary P&L and tax bill estimate. We want you to know where you are during the year, so you can plan and save accordingly.
Reason 49 – Daily bookkeeping
We carry out your bookkeeping daily so your accounts are always as up to date as possible, and you therefore have up to date financials when you need them. It also then means that we’re able to prepare your returns and accounts much quicker at quarter/year end!
Reason 50 – We’re on your side!
We act as the middleman between you and HMRC as much as possible so you don’t need to deal with them! (And we hate them and their incompetence just as much as you do 😂). And just in general too – we’re on your side – we do everything we can to get you closer to your goals, and be as tax efficient as possible, as well as keeping you protected and on the right side of the tax man!
Reason 51 – We’re a DOUBLE award winning firm!
In September 2022, we won two awards at the Accountancy Excellence Awards – Small Firm of the Year & Client Service Award. These awards are known as some of the most prestigious within the industry (some would even refer to them as the Oscars of the accounting industry).
We feel truly honoured to have received these and feel it is a real testament to the hard work, dedication and care that the whole team provides for our amazing clients.
If you like what you see and you are interested in exploring working with us at PPF please complete our quick questionnaire, and book a discovery call with us to chat further!
