Everyone likes to know that they make a difference. However, often in our roles, we have trouble seeing how we impact other people’s lives when we are in our day-to-day work.

Every year, we have our annual KATA State of the Union meeting. During this meeting, we review our mission, vision, and values, as well as our priorities of care (which start with you, because if you’re not well, you can’t help anyone else), and of course, we go over some numbers. One thing that we do that might be a bit different than most Accounting and Bookkeeping firms is to go over the impact we’ve made.

This helps our team understand that their work is more than a “job”, it’s a vital part of helping Canadians who engage with our services.

We make it our…

Mission

“To provide a people-first approach to accounting and bookkeeping solutions online for Canadian businesses and individuals.”

We’re proud to say that we’ve really adjusted our culture and our values to align with this mission. If you haven’t seen it already, our tagline, “Communicate, Collaborate, Create,” starts with our top core value – Communication.

Now on to some sharing…

Note:

The ideas and figures shared below are a subset of what we’ve actually done as a firm. This doesn’t represent everything…

Quantitative Impact

Some excerpts from our State of the Union include:

• We have helped over 130 employees and business owners get paid in the last year. Everyone needs money to pay rent or mortgage payments, to buy groceries, and just to get by in this world generally. We’re proud that we’ve helped ensure that employees get paid properly and employers stay compliant with CRA and stay out of trouble.
• We have helped 20 businesses earn over $20,000,000 in revenue. This helps them provide products and services, provide jobs, and provide returns to the founders.
• We have helped more than 200 children get daycare spots. We love working with daycares and are looking to expand this segment of service.
• We have helped in the development of 7 healthcare patents (some are still pending). It’s our hope that the leaders of the business developing these patents will have unparalleled success and achieve their goal of bringing these new ALS and Parkinson’s treatments to market!

Qualitative Impact

• We have helped our clients build and renovate homes for their clients, some of them sustainable homes with a low carbon footprint.
• We have helped several clients provide environmentally conscious landscaping services.
• We have helped indigenous organizations and labour movements connect with their target markets.
• We have helped personal tax clients deal with their Canadian tax matters while being located in 30 different countries.
• We have helped clients build their side-hustles into real, going-concern businesses.
• We have helped clients exit from their businesses for more than $30,000,000.
• We helped one client get organized after a period of very rapid growth from zero to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as they went through a restructuring.
• We have helped dozens of clients and other bookkeeping and accounting firms get better systems in place, provide or undertake training, and build better company cultures.

Why does this Matter?

Peace of mind.

That’s the most important reason to work with a qualified bookkeeper and a qualified accountant. They take on mundane tasks that have you guessing where to even start, giving you the most valuable thing you can get – time. Time to focus on building your business, time to make sales, time to develop your company culture, and most importantly, time to spend with those you care most about.

A qualified bookkeeper will help you build confidence knowing if you’ll have enough funds to make payroll or pay taxes. They can help you understand your cashflow needs and your current state, and help you map out a path forward.

A qualified accountant will help you stay compliant with CRA and avoid potential tax landmines or pitfalls. They can also help you plan for the future, be it providing for inheritors or simply ensuring you’ll have enough when you decide to retire.

A “Bookkeeper” who isn’t qualified, or an accountant who doesn’t take due care can create a bigger problem than having nothing done at all. Keep in mind that this is definitely not a DIY realm if you own a business. Get professionals involved.

Our Vision is…

“To help Canadians build sustainable businesses, live better lives and preserve their family wealth by leveraging cloud-based accounting services.”

What’s your vision for your business?

What’s your vision for your team?

What’s your vision for yourself?