John Gordon, Tax Director

Obtaining CPA services up front is some of the best money you can spend when starting a business. It's not that expensive to sit down for an hour or two," advises John Gordon, tax director for Atkinson and Company, Ltd., (ATCO).

Serving the Southwest for more than 30 years, ATCO is one of the largest New Mexico-owned public accounting and consulting firms. The company employs some 50 professionals offering a range of services from its Albuquerque office.

The firm offers business consultations, tax planning, computer systems analysis, and assistance with financing.

ATCO also provides auditing, accounting, assistance with internal control, fraud prevention, strategic planning, and tax return preparation. CPAs can help establish planned giving programs, provide representation before taxing authorities, and interpret government regulations.

With million dollar settlements landing in the laps of clumsy consumers, limiting liability is among the first steps a business owner should take to prevent being burned down the road. And limited liability characteristics should not be sub-stituted for insurance coverage. ATCO staff encourages business owners to con-sider coverage to protect against fire, theft, and general liability, including umbrella policies for personal injury and property damage.

Barbara Lewis, CPA

ATCO shareholder and audit director Barbara Lewis, CPA, is known throughout. Be forewarned starry-eyed entrepreneurs, consulting with a certified public accountant (CPA) from the start can help you avoid some common pitfalls.According to financial experts, business startups face legal as well as tax issues that should be dealt with long before the doors open for business. With million-dollar settlements landing in the laps of clumsy consumers, limiting liability is among the first steps a business owner should take É

the industry and beyond for her excellent client service. In 2000, she received the "Outstanding Member in Public Practice" award from the New Mexico CPA Society.

Lewis advises prospective business owners to first develop a solid business plan with help from a team of knowledgeable professionals.

"Accountants will help you develop that business plan, and you can also use them as a sounding board for your ideas," says Roberta Barrett-Salas, ATCO mar-keting director.

"During the initial visit, ATCO con-sultants will begin with the basics," she says. The two of you may ponder questions such as: Will you have enough employees? Is there money to pay these employees? Who will be your customers? You might also discuss how to hire personnel or choose the right benefit plan for your company.

ATCO has a "small business package" to help a new business get started. This includes setting up a tax identification number, determining the correct form of ownership (such as sole proprietor, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, etc.), and getting incorporated.

"Each customer's needs are different, and our goal is to establish a strategy that makes sense for them," Lewis says.

CPAs bring more to the table than number crunching. Lewis and Gordon both note that their business boils down to rela-tionships.

"I try to establish rapport with my customers by being genuinely interested in who they are and what they do and by showing compassion for their issues. I want to help them be successful. That is my number one objective," Lewis says.

"I view the CPA profession as a people profession," she adds. "It is about establishing relationships with our customers and becoming their trusted advisors. In a service business like ours, you are expected to know the technical rules, but what our customers really need from us is a business mentor to help them make good decisions for themselves and for their companies."

Once established, a CPA can help keep your operation on track. ATCO's Phases of a Business Program looks at where a business is to date and what it will take to get it to the next level.

Barrett-Salas publishes several newsletters, including one aimed at prospective clients. ATCO publications feature articles on year-end tax strategies, non-profit organizations, personnel, technology, marketing, and more.

Gordon says ATCO employs computer hardware and software consultants who help businesses become more tech savvy. "We also sell four kinds of software now," he adds.

The firm's small business group, made up of professionals from the tax, audit, bookkeeping, and computer departments, brainstorms ways to market the company and introduce new serv-ices to existing and prospective clients.

The firm taps national and interna-tional resources through its affiliation with Moore Stephens North America, Inc., (MSNA, Inc.), a network of certified public accounting firms. MSNA, Inc., represents firms in all major metropolitan areas of the United States, Canada, and Mexico and is a member of Moore Stephens International Limited, one of the 15 largest consulting and accounting networks in the world with more than 250 offices in some 60 countries.

"This business is very competitive. You have to be on the cutting edge and have the services people need or you are out of the ballpark," Barrett-Salas says.

She points out that CPAs follow a code of ethics, and as a profession, are noted as trustworthy. ATCO staff donates time and energy to more than 40 community organizations.

New Mexico WOMAN's Top 25 Women-Owned Business event has been sponsored by ATCO since it was established in 1994. Lewis is on the steering committee. Barrett-Salas also lends assistance coordinating the event. The firm's primary responsibility is to review applications for accuracy and contact businesses if information appears incomplete or inaccurate.

"I actually determine who the Top 25 recipients will be," Lewis proudly notes. "It is a great event and a wonderful way to acknowledge and honor women-owned businesses."

"ATCO also awards an 'Atkinson Woman of Achievement Award' to an up-and-coming woman-owned business, which has not necessarily made it into the Top 25 yet. Our award is designed to honor and recognize women-owned businesses that have accomplished great things with their companies and are on a path to establishing a well-managed, professional, mature company," Lewis says.

And what's the best piece of "free" advice this premier public accounting and consulting firm can offer you? "Visit your CPA!"

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