The big switch: Why changing accountants is easier than you think
If push came to shove this year, change might be in the cards for you and your company. Change can be as exciting as it is dread-inducing. As a production company owner, you may want to avoid making significant structural modifications, such as changing your staff or consultants, especially if they’re responsible for sensitive information like financials. Not for nothing, but it is tax season after all, so accounting is likely on your mind, whether you want to be thinking about it or not.
So, what should you do if your current accounting team isn’t quite cutting it?
Finding an optimal financial solution is more than possible. Though you may be the one spearheading this transition, your new accounting team should be able to expertly lead the way in obtaining the information they need to do their job properly. Think of it like this: if you were hiring an architect, would they wait for you to recommend surveys or permits? No, you’d expect them to lead on the project you hired them for. The same rules apply to your accounting team.
You still have time to make this change before the end of Q1! You can make this change in time to have the most beneficial impact on your company, and it’s a lot easier than you may expect.
What to expect when you switch accountants
At Syzygy, we’ve onboarded our fair share of clients, so we know that other accounting firms often incite (and invite) chaos. We’ve seen our accounting peers dive in on new clients without understanding their complexities, gathering essential information and documents haphazardly and thoughtlessly. Ultimately, the business owner and executive producers bear the consequences—enduring mistakes made by an accounting team that doesn't understand the production business or dealing with extra work from disorganized onboarding. As an EP, this can be stressful enough that you regret making any change at all.
We’ve honed our process over a myriad of onboardings, successfully using it to get to know new clients, establish trust and rapport with them, and obtain all the necessary information. We know what questions to ask and when to ask them, which conversations will be challenging, how to get what we need from a prior firm or staffer (no matter how engaged or disengaged they are), and most importantly, when it should start to feel easy for everyone.
When clients sign on with us, we take full responsibility for the onboarding process and ask that our clients join us for the ride. We’ll ask questions and request information, but our experience guides the process—designed to set structure and earn trust—from end to end.
Feel more at ease with Syzygy
Changing such a critical business function can feel daunting, no matter the circumstances or the team you choose. That's why it's so important that the advisors guiding you through the transition should have the competence and experience to assure you that you’re just experiencing the pains of change—not the pains of a wrong decision.
If you’ve experienced a painful onboarding with an accountant or accounting firm in the past, we'd love to hear about it. If the fear of change is stopping you from making a good decision for your business, let us reassure you.