How to Develop a Strong Personal Brand as an Accountant

When you think of “personal brands” you probably think about social media influencers and startup CEOs. The kind of people who have “sexy” careers that are interesting and unique. 

However, the truth is, we all have a personal brand, and it’s one of the most important tools we can use to grow our careers or for business growth. So yes, you might not be one of the beautiful people selling diet pills to millions on Insta, or the cool nerd who wears hoodies to the office in Silicon Valley, but you might still want to build a brand that helps you earn more. Here’s how. 

Be a Big Picture Thought Leader

You’ve probably heard the term “thought leader.” You might not know exactly what it means, but the short version is that thought leaders are people who take a philosophical, big picture view of their industry. They’re not focused tightly on the nuts of bolts of how everything happens, but rather, they want to know how things happen, and why, so they can create solutions and systems that do more, faster, and better for their clients. 

A good way to think of this is to be the kind of accountant or bookkeeper that considers both the cause and effect of their client’s financial problems and offers advice and help to improve both. 

You don’t have to be profound or inspirational to be a thought leader. You just have to be willing to share your knowledge and put yourself out there. 

Get with the Times!

There’s a reason why some accountants and bookkeepers have a reputation as being staid, old fashioned and boring, and it’s not because of the grey suits! 

Many accountants and bookkeepers are stuck in the past. They prefer to use old and outdated technology, they’re afraid of change and they’re still in love with paper and email. 

Technology has moved on a lot in the last 20 years. We have cloud-based options like Google Sheets. We can share good-looking views directly with our clients if we need to, rather than using email or worse – snail mail! 

Accounting is probably not going to be a “sexy” profession, but with the new tools available for automation, productivity and more, you can definitely be at the cutting edge. 

Be Ahead of the Pack

The truth is, more and more accountants and bookkeepers are using tools like QuickBooks and Google Sheets to work with their clients, but you can do a lot more too. 

Tools like LiveFlow work to connect it all together. So, you can use QuickBooks to do your clients’ books, utilize templates to standartize your reports and then connect LiveFlow to Google Sheets and share access with clients - all with just a few clicks. 

Many customers these days are looking for financial support from accountants and bookkeepers who embrace technology, so make sure you’re one of them. 

Learn from the Best

You might not think so, but there are already some “brand name” finance professionals out there, and they do share their knowledge and thoughts. Learn how Josh Greenbaum, the author of ​​”Numbers Scare Me & Other Excuses: A Business Owner’s Guide to Lead Like a CFO”, advises to make financial decisions and grow as a leader here.

Learning from the best and brightest minds in the business is a great way to change the way you think and approach everything from automation to productivity and from growth to templates. 

Share Your Expertise

Of course, you don’t only have to read books by leaders in the field. You can also share your own knowledge and expertise by starting a blog or writing a book of your own. In fact, writing a book – even if you self-publish – is one of the best ways to get instant credibility and a great way to build your brand! 

Or consider running your own podcast like Dorothy Kolb, Founder & CEO of dk east associates.

Be Visible

Hopefully, all of these tips will help you to start growing and building a personal brand for yourself and for your business. 

You’ll be amazed at how many people desperately need information that you already have. 

Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge. You might be worried that it will cause you to lose potential clients who decide to “do it themselves,” but the truth is almost always the opposite. 

People want to work with people they trust. They want to know that you have the tools, knowledge and expertise to deliver great results, and the best way to show them that is you is to show them. So, share your knowledge. Embrace technology. Be at the front of the pack – a leader, rather than a follower. 

It’s one of the best ways to grow your business without any hard selling required.