Do the Push-Ups Yourself.

There is an interesting title for a blog post; catchy and entirely accurate. The idea came from an article I recently read called Vendors & Consultants Can’t Do The Push-Ups For You by Matt Sonnen of PFI Advisors. The concept is straightforward; regardless of what you hire an outsider to do for your business, the heavy lifting must still reside with you.

When I meet new clients, they often assume that once they share their needs and paperwork, I, as their accountant, will magically bring all their business financial goals to fruition. Nice thought, but it is not so simple.

An accountant’s role is to prepare and maintain financial reports, prepare tax returns, evaluate a business’s financial operations, identify issues, and help find solutions to those issues. Our job as the hired expert is not to run your business. Instead, it is our job to walk beside you, guide you and keep you out of the weeds. We are here to communicate best practices, to know the rules, answer your questions, and be that reassuring hand on your back as you bravely run and grow your business.

The basic fact is this: No matter who you hire, you will always have the most intimate knowledge of your business. You have the dream and the plan, you know every detail, and only you can truly carve a path to success. We can happily teach you the best, safest, and most beneficial way to do your push-ups, but in the end, it will be you doing them.