1. Have a wealth of business experience. Experience with other businesses in your sector is even better.
2. Think strategically about your business options. They should offer suggestions on how to grow your business next year and not just compile reports from last year.
3. Help you execute a tax plan that legitimately allows you to keep more of what you earn. This extends past the taxes that the business pays and includes the income taxes paid by the investors and principals.
4. Are candid and direct in their conversations and communications. It is easy to find an accountant to meekly agree with your decisions but you want someone to tell you when they think you are heading down the wrong road and why.
5. Help you protect your business from embezzlement, fraud, and dishonest employees through good financial controls and procedures. They should also help you implement internal procedures to more quickly detect any errors or omissions.
6. Provide an objective perspective about your business performance. Your sales manager will overestimate sales and the operations manager always fails to add in one-time expenses so you need a clear and accurate picture to make informed decisions.
7. Save you money and increase your profit by helping you identify “best” practices. This is where their experience gives them actionable insight into the business.
8. Be involved in the business community. They should have contacts that can help you grow your business and form strategic alliances.

One answer is: “Accounting is simply a “process for a pre-determined purpose” of understanding where ”money” came from, and where “money” went.”

It at least establishes how a professional can connect to a client by answering what could be construed to be a “complicated question” in a “simple manner”! (Or, another words, the “old” Kiss theory!)