I've been sent a message on my facebook page from a printing company and he said he needs help with his last two years.
What questions do I need to ask? What will I need from him? Is there anything important that may have come up in those two years? I'm used to dealing with VAT and PAYE so would a company like this not have anything like that? Should I ask if he has premises or works from home?
Arrrrggghhh!!! My mind has gone blank! Need to show him I'm confident and professional but I'm panicking a little.
You need to establish what he wants from you. If he needs help with the last two years, I would assume he is a little behind with his affairs. You also need to find out how up to date he is with things like VAT returns and PAYE, if they are applicable at all.
But don't panic, be calm. You need to establish facts.
Do you work from premises or home? Are you a sole trader? Do you have any employees? Whats your yearly turnover approximately? Are you registered for VAT?
I'm not sure if these make me sound unprofessional or not. I'm used to just going to work and doing the books not gaining clients myself I never thought I would be so nervous.
Try to avoid closed questions - if you ask the first question and he says 'yes', you're onto the next question straight away. It gives you little thinking time.
A first question may be 'could you give me a little background about your business?' You can then subsequently ask about VAT, employees, etc.. if they haven't been answered - but ONLY if they haven't been answered. If you ask whether he's VAT registered if he's already said he is, it can shopw you're not listening.
Also, be genuinely interested in the business and ask questions about it, show a real interest. If you can build a rapport, you can establish trust and the start of a working relationship.
Why not google the name of his company and see what that pops up? And if it's a limited company I'd pay the money (£1 a document) at companies house to download all the documents available on them.
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Never buy black socks from a normal shop. They shaft you every time.
Ask him to bring in all his business records including the last set of accounts, and copy Vat Returns, if any. Have a scan through the bank statements to get a picture of his outgoings eg. wages, rent and taxation as well as income.
This should prompt some questions for you. If his takings are £10,000+ per month, he ought to be VAT registered, for instance. Ask for a profile of his customers. Are they VAT registered or is he selling to the general public?
If he has had a previous adviser, then you should obtain professional clearance before commencing work. Hope this helps.
