Have You Hired an Accountant or a Business Advisor?

At BridgePoint we find it’s a point of difference in a young professional’s career that could really change how they work and the value they can offer clients. Run the numbers or grow the business as a valued business advisor? 

Could one firm provide you with both? Having seen the advantages, BridgePoint Group sees developing trusted business advisors as a winning combination. It’s a feature of the BridgePoint Group’s employment experience and one that employees love. 

Here’s why BridgePoint Group offers more to their staff than a standard accounting career pathway. 

Reflecting on his own career, Neil Parker (MD BridgePoint Group), said working for a larger accounting firm developed his accounting skillset. “I knew my debits and credits and tax law very well. I was an effective accountant but it was only when I worked for a smaller firm that I started to gain some business acumen. That became a powerful combination.”

BridgePoint Group’s staff training is designed to get the best of both accounting and business advisory. All the technical training is conducted by external, world-recognised, respected trainers. This means the training is commensurate with the technical training any large firm would provide. Where our staff development comes into its own is the opportunity to work with the senior management team and to learn about the businesses they are dealing with (our clients). So as the team members build their technical skills, they are learning how to become a trusted advisor. This is often the ‘something-more’ that people look for, once they have mastered the technical accounting skills. 

The majority of our clients are small to medium businesses. They are looking for a ‘partner’ in developing and growing their business. Quite often, the business owner does not have an executive team to bounce ideas off. Naturally, they look to get advice from their accountant. They are looking to get insights from someone who understands business generally and their business specifically. Not only from an accounting perspective but can contribute to the development of the business and make a positive difference to the future of the business. 

Working at BridgePoint Group

Working at BridgePoint Group adds an array of real-world business skills on top of the technical knowledge most young people already have from accounting qualifications. There’s the opportunity to establish greater fulfilment in one’s professional life, rather than more of the same, mundane day-to-day compliance work. 

If Neil Parker was having a conversation with his twenty-two-year-old self, he would advise to go for a firm that will provide the experience to understand business. “Don’t discount the importance of learning strong technical skills. They are most certainly a solid base. Yet, the real joy comes from being able to make a difference. The learnings from working closely with clients (and BridgePoint Group’s management team) are invaluable to developing your professional skills. Sometimes the allure of working for one of the big four accounting firms can actually lead to professional dissatisfaction. The day-to-day grind can get to you, and leave you disappointed with the profession. It’s not the profession, it is the workplace in many cases.” 

This can lead to young professionals swapping firms and having a resume littered with short term roles. To an employer, that person may be seen as a risk, as being unstable when in fact it’s because they have never been given the chance to professionally develop into a valued business advisor. 

If you are looking for a workplace that wants to develop your professional skills as well as prepare you to become a trusted advisor (which is very fulfilling) then BridgePoint Group may be the end of your search and the beginning of a satisfying career as a trusted advisor.  

If you want to start your career as a trusted business advisor, then give us a call on 1300 656 141 or email us info@bridgepointgroup.com.au

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Neil Parker

MANAGING DIRECTOR

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