Why Your Accountant Shouldn’t Just Be for Year-End

Year-end accounting tells you the past. You need to know the present.

Most businesses work with accountants who only show up once a year. They file the accounts, sort the tax, and maybe send a summary. Then they disappear until next year.

That might work for compliance. But it doesn’t help you actually run your business.

If you're self-employed, consulting, or building a digital business, you’re making decisions every week - sometimes every hour. Relying on year-end data means you're making those decisions blind.

Why Your Accountant Shouldn’t Just Be for Year-End

Real-time insight changes everything

At Lightbulb, we work with people who need to know more than just what happened last year. They need to know:

• What’s in the bank today

• What’s going out next week

• Whether they can afford to hire

• What they owe in VAT or tax this quarter

• If they should reinvest, take dividends, or hold back

And for some, that insight needs to be daily. For others, monthly or quarterly is enough. We tailor that based on the type of work you do and what kind of visibility supports your goals.

A real example: making a smart decision before year-end

We worked with a freelance management consultant who was heading towards year-end without a clear view of their profit position. They wanted to know if it made sense to invest in a business asset - or draw more salary or dividends.

We pulled a live set of accounts, reviewed their profit and loss, and ran a forecast.

That clarity helped them decide to purchase an electric vehicle through their company. It was a legitimate business decision - and one that reduced their Corporation Tax bill. Without that data, they would’ve waited too long and missed the opportunity.

When things go wrong: the cash flow blind spot

We’ve seen this happen too often - businesses run out of cash not because they’re unprofitable, but because they’re unmonitored.

A new business wins work, hires staff, takes on costs, and then finds out too late they can’t afford to cover them. Without real-time data, they miss the warning signs. No one told them that a big invoice wasn’t paid. Or that VAT was due next week.

They weren’t looking - and no one was looking for them.

What we do differently at Lightbulb

When you join Lightbulb, we start with a proper onboarding. We take time to understand:

• What you sell

• How you get paid

• What tools you already use

• What stresses you out financially

Then we recommend a system that fits you. You might need monthly management reports, real-time dashboards, or help reviewing capital availability before spending.

We don’t just plug in Xero and leave. We help you see the full picture - clearly and consistently.

Why this matters

This isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about running your business with clarity.

Knowing your numbers in real time gives you:

• Confidence to plan ahead

• Peace of mind on cash

• Flexibility in decision-making

• Protection from avoidable errors

• Insight into where your money is going

And if your current accountant isn’t helping with that - it’s time to ask why.

Want to see how real-time financial data could change how you run your business?

No pressure, no jargon, just a useful conversation about what’s possible.