Tax season just finished. For a lot of Alberta business owners, that brief exhale comes with a question you haven’t quite voiced yet. Is the person handling my finances the right fit?
If you’re considering making a change or you’re hiring for the first time, here’s what’s worth paying attention to.
1. Experience with growing businesses, not just established ones
There’s a real difference between an accountant who primarily serves large corporations or straightforward personal files and one who works regularly with growing businesses. The decisions you’re making right now require someone who’s worked through them before: when to hire, how to structure the business, and how to manage cash flow through a growth phase.
Ask who makes up their typical client base. If the answer doesn’t sound much like you, that’s useful information.
2. Credentials that match your situation
In Canada, the CPA designation is the most widely recognized standard, but it isn’t the only mark of a qualified professional. Designations like ACMA and CGMA through the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) are internationally recognized and carry particular relevance for strategic financial work.
CIMA’s training is specifically focused on management accounting and the kind of forward-looking financial leadership that fractional CFO services require. What matters is that your accountant holds an active, verifiable designation and has the experience to back it up.
Be specific about what you need, and ask whether they’ve done that kind of work before.
3. Someone who reaches out, not just responds
A reactive accountant files your return. A great one flags things you didn’t think to ask about, like a deduction you’ve been missing, a structural question worth addressing before it becomes costly, or a deadline that’s easier to manage with some lead time.
An accountant who treats your file as an annual task will show up in April. One who treats it as an ongoing responsibility will reach out in October when something’s worth discussing. They’ll flag risks before they hit, whether that’s a payroll threshold you’re approaching, a cash flow issue building in the background, or a change in CRA regulations that affects your industry.
Ask how they typically stay in touch with clients outside of tax season.
4. Clarity on what you’re paying for
One of the most common hiring mistakes is choosing based on price alone. A lower fee often reflects a narrower scope of service. What looks like a good deal can mean missed deductions, reactive advice, and more time spent managing the relationship yourself.
Some accountants bundle bookkeeping, payroll, and CRA support into their fees. Others bill those separately. Knowing the full picture upfront saves a lot of friction later.
5. Consistent access and clear communication
You should be able to reach your accountant and get a timely response. Make sure you know who’s working on your file from the start, not discover mid-year it’s been handed to a junior who doesn’t know your situation. And when you ask a question, you should get an answer in plain language…not something you need to Google afterward.
A good accountant explains your financial position clearly enough that you can act on it. That’s part of what you’re paying for.
It’s reasonable to ask: “Who will I be working with week to week, and how do you handle communication during busy periods?”
6. Someone who can keep up with where you’re headed
As your business grows, so do your accounting needs. Hiring staff, entering new markets, and formalizing your financial reporting all require a different level of support than basic tax filing. Your accountant should either have the range to grow with you or be upfront about where their expertise ends.
A common mistake growing business owners make is hiring for where they are today without thinking about where they’ll be in two or three years. The cost of switching accountants mid-growth (in time, lost context, and transition complexity) is higher than most people expect.
Ask them early: “What does your experience look like with businesses that are actively scaling?”
Getting the relationship right
What distinguishes a good accountant from a great one is how they show up between filings, whether they know your numbers well enough to spot something before you do, and whether they treat your success as part of their own measure of doing good work.
If your current accountant is doing that, you’re likely being well-served. If you’re not sure, it may be time to explore your options.
Launchbury Accounting & Bookkeeping Solutions works with growing businesses across Alberta, from bookkeeping and tax filing through to fractional CFO advisory. If you’d like to talk through what the right fit looks like for your business, we’d be glad to connect.