It's not every day you get to interview an accountant who's also a retailer and a podcaster, and in this discussion with Andrew Van De Beek from Australia – Andrew runs a twenty-person accountancy business in Victoria – the discussion almost turns into a philosophical debate, but with real, practical outcomes. Andrew is committed to the concept of the business of relationships, with a core focus, a core purpose, around building businesses and helping owner-managed business leaders build organisations that stand the test of time. We discussed process and people and spent a bit of time talking about purpose and profitability as well. But it was the depth of the conversation, the detail of the insight, that stood out for me. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to Andrew. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did. Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Andrew and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast. |
The Solution:
There is, in a really good way, a strong push towards feeling that I want to be a good dad, a good parent, a good partner, a good friend, and having a strong focus on these things means that I also want to be a good team member. I want to work hard and do a good job.
These things are still important, but coming out of lockdowns, etc., means there has been a shift, and what people value is being put into perspective.
I think the challenge that we'll continue to face is what our clients need from us and what our people are capable or willing to give to help them to achieve that - it is hard to align.
We're being respectful of our people, we don't want to overwork them, but we expect them to have a certain skill set. I think that's a huge challenge because I can teach someone to click a button and reconcile a bank account, but how many conversations with a client can they have before it wears them down?
SHOW NOTES
Connect with Andrew
Connect with Paul
Resources relating to this podcast:
During the podcast, Paul and Andrew discuss the importance of purpose when it comes to understanding a client’s business.
Andrew and his team work around 4 P's:
- Purpose
- People
- Process
- Profit
For Andrew, the word Purpose is client-focused. What does the client want to achieve and how can we help them achieve it?
He describes himself as being in the relationship business, and the key to this is getting to know his clients and talking to them about their numbers, the story behind their numbers and how to use the numbers to achieve what they want.
Being a successful firm isn’t simply about delivering your products or services to your clients for a profit – it’s about having a deeper, trusting relationship with your clients so that you can help them connect the numbers of their business with what they want to achieve.
To discover more about leading your firm with purpose, click the button below to read the Business Breakthrough report 'Lead with Purpose'.
At the very beginning of the podcast, Andrew mentions his own podcast, All Aussie Accounting Adventures.