Tell me about a time you had to manage conflicting expectations between a business owner and their external accountant regarding bookkeeping practices or reporting (for example, timing of adjustments, treatment of director’s loans, or payroll journals). How did you handle the communication and what was the final agreement?

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I had a client where the owner wanted all personal expenses put through the business and ‘sorted out at year end’, while the external accountant wanted a clean separation and monthly adjustment of the director’s loan. It was causing constant tension and messy reports.

I started by having separate one‑on‑one calls with each of them. With the owner, I translated the accountant’s concerns into practical terms: higher ATO scrutiny, distorted margins, and how it could impact a potential future sale. With the accountant, I showed him how often this was happening and proposed a middle ground.

We agreed on a clear process: I set up tracking categories and a dedicated director’s loan account, and I posted a standard journal at month‑end. Within two months, the number of ambiguous transactions dropped by about 70%, and the accountant said year‑end cleanup time reduced by roughly five hours.

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