18-22 July - Bean counting week one
For those of you who have noticed, and not all without justification, that i appear to have spent more time blogging than working over the past 2 or 3 weeks, you will be pleased to know that i left the house at 645am Tues to Thurs this week, and got home at 8 on Tues and midnight on Wed. Yes, normal work hours are being resumed.
My first week's work isnt finished yet - i have a second week to try and pull together the pieces from last week and assess what adjustments to numbers we need. Besides, there are no financial statements to issue opinion on, simply an assessment on whether the numbers are materially* correct. (* definitions to be provided on request or at a later date)
It would be wrong of me to bore you into what work i actually did. Besides, it is the same as the work i do every week. I look at numbers in a set of accounts, decide which ones are important (usually the biggest ones) and then decide whether they look as though they could be right or wrong. Easy. Just ask the guys at Parmalat. Hmm. Maybe not.
For me, all jobs are the same. And this is probably fair, since all companies, all businesses, all entrepreneurs are trying to make money and therefore produce a set of accounts to say how they did.
The real interesting differences are WHAT these people do to make money. That will never stop surprising me. For example, i have had clients that run gyms, that make barbed wire, that print the 'void' sticker on an FA cup ticket, that print books, that build houses, that buy and sell land, that make horseshoes, that make t shirts to sell in Harrods, that sell cars, that programme computers and write all kinds of software, that make lifting equipment for hospitals, that make fuel tanks for satellites, that investigates and gets you a patent for your invention, idea, product or even name, that run cafes, run health food shops and that sell antiques. And one that runs a fantastic bar in Lincolnshire. Insurance, motor, retail, maufacturing, engineering, surveying. Seen them all.
Combine with that the fact that all businesses have a different type of people, with different interests and motivations, experiences and expectations. This job is about numbers and money. But more than that for me, its about people and, quite frankly, being amazed at the number of ways there are out there to make money... It would make a fantastic 6 month career for any kid who had no idea what they wanted to do - guaranteed, you wont find the majority of these careers in everyday text books. "You want to build fuel tanks for satellites?" They'd lock you up.
This week i was introduced to a whole new business. The barriers between rich and poor are the largest they have ever been - equally large probably are the demands of the richest to spend a higher proportion of their income on health related products, as if the demands of the lifestyle they were living means that health is something that they cannot readily attain, that needs to be purchased, through food supplement, fitness coach or health centre.
This business is health business. I have heard that the products i was looking at retail at upwards of $40 a litre bottle. What is the business? Well, in the main, it is the sales of the juice of the Tahitian (from Tahiti!) noni fruit, which is supposed to have magical healing qualities. I have used the advice of my mate Hels and linked a web page to this site - see, i am providing an education for you all - i bet at least one reader hasnt heard of the Tahitian noni!
Various research suggests that this product is good for you and has health benefits. I was given a free 1 litre bottle to take home and try (you are advised to drink 30ml a day). The proof of the pudding is in the drinking and, well.... quite frankly, there must be tastier ways to fill yourself with that level of goodness. I am far more likely to agree to drive 100 miles a day round here, than to sink any meaningful amount of that (i still have it, so visitors should come and try it - hey maybe it will taste better as a 'mixer'!)
Just goes to show you. People arent always in to what feels right. They are in to what they think feels right. And when it comes to health, people are masochists. So folks, the lesson is this. If you have a money making scheme dont give up on it. Because, especially when it comes to health, people will put themselves through all levels of stress to make themselves healthier. Be it drinking carrot smoothies, sending electric currents through themselves, or doing 45 minutes on the latest exercise contraption.
So keep up with all your hair brained hopes and ideas. And when you need an accountant, remember it was me who encouraged you!
My first week's work isnt finished yet - i have a second week to try and pull together the pieces from last week and assess what adjustments to numbers we need. Besides, there are no financial statements to issue opinion on, simply an assessment on whether the numbers are materially* correct. (* definitions to be provided on request or at a later date)
It would be wrong of me to bore you into what work i actually did. Besides, it is the same as the work i do every week. I look at numbers in a set of accounts, decide which ones are important (usually the biggest ones) and then decide whether they look as though they could be right or wrong. Easy. Just ask the guys at Parmalat. Hmm. Maybe not.
For me, all jobs are the same. And this is probably fair, since all companies, all businesses, all entrepreneurs are trying to make money and therefore produce a set of accounts to say how they did.
The real interesting differences are WHAT these people do to make money. That will never stop surprising me. For example, i have had clients that run gyms, that make barbed wire, that print the 'void' sticker on an FA cup ticket, that print books, that build houses, that buy and sell land, that make horseshoes, that make t shirts to sell in Harrods, that sell cars, that programme computers and write all kinds of software, that make lifting equipment for hospitals, that make fuel tanks for satellites, that investigates and gets you a patent for your invention, idea, product or even name, that run cafes, run health food shops and that sell antiques. And one that runs a fantastic bar in Lincolnshire. Insurance, motor, retail, maufacturing, engineering, surveying. Seen them all.
Combine with that the fact that all businesses have a different type of people, with different interests and motivations, experiences and expectations. This job is about numbers and money. But more than that for me, its about people and, quite frankly, being amazed at the number of ways there are out there to make money... It would make a fantastic 6 month career for any kid who had no idea what they wanted to do - guaranteed, you wont find the majority of these careers in everyday text books. "You want to build fuel tanks for satellites?" They'd lock you up.
This week i was introduced to a whole new business. The barriers between rich and poor are the largest they have ever been - equally large probably are the demands of the richest to spend a higher proportion of their income on health related products, as if the demands of the lifestyle they were living means that health is something that they cannot readily attain, that needs to be purchased, through food supplement, fitness coach or health centre.
This business is health business. I have heard that the products i was looking at retail at upwards of $40 a litre bottle. What is the business? Well, in the main, it is the sales of the juice of the Tahitian (from Tahiti!) noni fruit, which is supposed to have magical healing qualities. I have used the advice of my mate Hels and linked a web page to this site - see, i am providing an education for you all - i bet at least one reader hasnt heard of the Tahitian noni!
Various research suggests that this product is good for you and has health benefits. I was given a free 1 litre bottle to take home and try (you are advised to drink 30ml a day). The proof of the pudding is in the drinking and, well.... quite frankly, there must be tastier ways to fill yourself with that level of goodness. I am far more likely to agree to drive 100 miles a day round here, than to sink any meaningful amount of that (i still have it, so visitors should come and try it - hey maybe it will taste better as a 'mixer'!)
Just goes to show you. People arent always in to what feels right. They are in to what they think feels right. And when it comes to health, people are masochists. So folks, the lesson is this. If you have a money making scheme dont give up on it. Because, especially when it comes to health, people will put themselves through all levels of stress to make themselves healthier. Be it drinking carrot smoothies, sending electric currents through themselves, or doing 45 minutes on the latest exercise contraption.
So keep up with all your hair brained hopes and ideas. And when you need an accountant, remember it was me who encouraged you!
posted by CBC at 3:14 pm
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