Top 5 Books for Accountants at Accountex 2018

The key to running a successful accountancy business is knowledge. Knowing what’s going on and having access to information is the best way not only to gain insight on the accounting world but also to learn more about the best practices available to the industry.

This is why we have compiled a list of the top five books we believe every accountant should read in 2018. They will help, we believe, any accountant to get a competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced accounting world.

1. How to run a Successful Accountancy Practice in 3 Hours Per Week by Rudi Jansen

You may already know of Rudi Jansen but maybe can’t figure out from where. Well if you have anything to do with accounting (which it seems you do) and you use LinkedIn, then you’ve most likely come across one of his articles or vlogs about helping accountants.

In addition to helping accountants, Rudi is also the author of How to run a Successful Accountancy Practice in 3 Hours Per Week. In his book, he provides a step by step guide for accountants to streamline and organise their practices. The book is meant to be a quick read which makes sense since Rudi is all about helping people reach freedom by optimising their time.

2. The Accountants Millionaires by Heather Townsend

Heather Townsend is a consultant, speaker, and author of The Accountants Millionaires’ Club. She provides her insights on how to scale up profitability and turn your current practice into a £1m accountancy practice.

The Accountants Millionaires’ Club is a great guide with practical knowledge for accounting entrepreneurs who are established but now want to take their accountancy firm to the next level. The book lays out a good foundation for growth and also encompasses real-life examples and proven strategies to help practice owners make better decisions.

3. The Digital Firm by Will Farnell

Will Farnell, the author of The Digital Firm, has come up with a great guide for accountants wanting to jump the learning curve about where the accounting industry is headed. He predicts future trends in accounting and provides ideas on how to prepare for them. It’s a simple and well laid out book which sheds light on key concepts without getting bogged down in technicalities and jargon.

The Digital Firm describes the adaptations Will and his partners has been making at Farnell Clarke to transform it into a firm that values technology and harnesses it to build better relationships with their clients. The book uses case studies of other firms that have taken on the digital transformation and have come out better for it. He explores how automation is helping to make processes more efficient in the accounting industry.

Based on his personal experiences of building a digital practice, Will is now an advocate for getting other accountancy firms to move towards cloud accounting technology.

4. The Business Growth Accountant by Paul Shrimpling

Paul Shrimpling, the author of The Business Growth Accountant is another supporter of automation implementation in the digital age. His book, as the title suggests, focuses on growing your accounting practice the right way. Many practices are looking for ways to move forward from just providing accounting services. This is where Paul’s book comes into its own and gives tips, ideas, and tools which can be implemented in your practice to make your life easier and deliver a quality experience to your clients.

The Business Growth Accountant provides insight to help accounting practices reduce turnover while increasing profits. He describes how to expand a practice by adding more value-added benefits such as advisory services. Paul has helped many practices through the years and now provides his advice and insights in this one book.

Radio Show Host, Ronald J. Baker of The Soul of Enterprise had this to say “The Business Growth Accountant is a treasure trove of advice on how to move your firm up the value curve – by giving your customers the services they need and want.”

5. The Pioneering Practice by Amanda Watts

Last but surely not least on this list of books for accountants is The Pioneering Practice by Amanda Watts. In addition to being an author of multiple books, she’s also a multi-award winning entrepreneur, business coach and marketing training professional. It’s for that reason this book is a bit different than the others on this list.

The Pioneering Practice is an in-depth look at the 9 key marketing strategies an accounting practice should implement over 12 months to transform their business. Amanda’s philosophy is about helping accountants engage with an audience, connect with prospects and convert them into clients.

What books would you recommend for accountants? Let us know in the comments below.