In a nutshell exceptional business accountant are well trained, experienced accountants who work well with others.

For example, an accountant who is not a CPA yet who is willing to call in specialists whenever and wherever needed is more valuable to you and your business than a hot shot expert who suffers from the NIH Syndrome (Not Invented Here) who is unwilling to admit to their limitations and actively seek advice from others on your behalf.

Each an every person involved in the accounting profession has their place. Some got very little tax planning specific education in college, so what they know comes from real world experiences (theirs and their contemporaries) along with their continuing education studies.

They spend their careers certifying balance sheets, P&L statements, and dealing with various tax compliance issues. As a business owner you know this is a critical value your business accountants bring to the table, especially if you intend to seek outside financing or you are dealing with an audit.

Some business accountants focused on tax planning courses in college and continue to expand their tax planning education through their continuing education – because planning is what interests them. Tax planning gets them excited and they devote themselves to continually tweaking their knowledge in this ever changing field.

Once these business accountants get into their practice they are able to expand the practical applications of these strategies and tactics on the ground – helping real business owners make real planing decisions that result in real profits for their clients.

Should you look for a small business accountant whose strength is compliance? Someone who knows how to get you out of trouble, papers over your mistakes, and can keep you from being the subject of annual IRS audits. Or someone you call before you make major decisions or acquisitions? A small business accountant whose insights will keep you focused down the road so you’re decisions are leveraged in your favor every time.

Simple. The business accountant you should have is someone you like and trust, who recognizes their limitations, understands the value of other perspectives, and who has a network – formal or informal, of business accountant they regularly collaborate with.For example bookkeepers, forensic accountants, fraud accountants and investigators, enrolled (IRS) agents, etc.

Exceptional business accountants with a network of accounting contemporaries, when they see a situation outside their areas of expertise, that needs attention – can pick up the phone and get the right people on the case. In addition their relationships with their peers will often result in free advice for you, since their relationships are likely to be build on the regularly exchange of information at no charge between them and their accounting colleagues.

And just as importantly, exceptional business accountants have working relationships with parallel professionals, individuals and organizations whose services are often required along with theirs – in order for your to receive the maximum benefits from your accountant’s knowledge and expertise.

For example Certified Financial Planners, Chartered Life Underwriters, Benefit Consultants, Estate Planning Attorneys, Pension Actuaries, etc. provide products and services that often dovetail with your business accountant’s advice. When your business accountant knows, likes, and trusts professionals in these and other areas you are the beneficiary on many levels. Perhaps most importantly they have a history of working together for their client’s benefit making you part of a successful and profitable (for everyone) process.

Business accountants who are part of a mastermind group that includes these and other parallel professionals expand their own understanding of what’s possible, pick up knowledge and insights of value to you, and become an even more valuable asset for your business.

The number one characteristic of your exceptional small business accountant is that they are someone you can talk to. Someone willing to listen, is interested in you as a person as well as a business owner, and actively reaches out to other professionals – business accountants of all sorts as well as parallel professionals on their clients’ behalf.

Business accounts please note. People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care and are interested in them!