Most accountants dream of starting their own firm. They work hard to move up on their firm’s ladder until they have gained the resources and the experience needed to start their own path. If you’re now at this stage of your career, congratulations, you’ve made it! The next challenge is actually turning your plans to reality. Starting an accounting firm has its own share of risks. You'll be putting your job security, savings, time, and other resources on the line as you start your journey.

Companies and firms today have many reasons for finance and accounting outsourcing. Gone are the days when outsourcing was frowned upon as a business strategy due to the apparent risks involved.

The latest trends in finance, accounting, data, and technology are redefining the work of finance and accounting (F&A) professionals everywhere. For Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), these rapid changes in the F&A industry mean that they need to adjust and recalibrate their roles as they redefine what makes a good CFO and meet the growing needs of their business. Here are four important skills that will help CFOs deliver more in the next five years, according to CFOs:

In any company, having a strong, competent management team is crucial for achieving the organization’s goals. Your startup is no different. Assessing company management is as important as getting your financials in order, especially if you’re looking to speak with investors.

Automation is taking over a number of roles in the finance and accounting (F&A) industry. From bookkeeping to data analytics, and even to the offices of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) automation and digitalization have made their marks. Today, the digital transformation of CFO roles is necessary to help CFOs benefit most from new F&A technologies and navigate the demands of the industry. But how exactly does this digitalization affect the role of CFOs? Here are a few points on how automation and digitalization will affect CFO roles.

What is Outsourcing? Outsourcing is a business process by which a company employs a third-party resource to execute business functions that may or may not be critical in achieving the company’s goals. Functions that are traditionally performed by in-house resources, such as human resource management, information technology, payroll processing, and even finance and accounting, are now commonly outsourced due to the many benefits of this strategy.