See full profile: Walmer Accountant - Liesel Williams
Were you always planning to be an accountant and why?
Yes, from my youngest memory. My mom is an accountant, so seems to just be in my blood. Accounting makes sense to me, seemed like a logical choice.
When meeting with clients do they mostly come to your own premises or do you mostly go their theirs?
My clients come to my office.
What is your preferred mode of communication with your clients?
Have you ever done an online video call with a client?
No
What do you love most about accounting?
Most probably the structure of it, everything has a place, has a format and rules regarding its presentation.
There is a debit and credit to every entry and can always be simplified if thought of that way.
Would you recommend accounting as a career for school-leavers, and why?
Most definitely, it is a crucial service and industry that is needed by every company is operation, regardless of their business nature.
It opens doors to many opportunities, as said above, it is needed in every industry and thus you can gain exposure to many different work environments.
What qualities should South African business people be looking for in their accountant?
Most importantly is integrity, there are many people who do not understand the accounts/financials and they thus place a lot of trust in their accountants, which needs to be earned and maintained through their integrity.
What is the biggest challenge facing accountants today?
There are a number of additional regulations and requirements that are required due to new regulations and thus keeping up to date with all new legislation is vital. Not keeping up to date is very detrimental to the accountant themselves but also to the client and their compliance requirements.
What aspects of accounting do you focus on most?
In my specific job, I focus mostly on compliance and presentation.
Describe your average client:
Most of my clients are entrepreneurs, starting their own companies and would be categorised as an SME.
How far away from your premises is your furthest client?
I have a few clients who work in different countries, one being situated in China.
From your accounting experience, if you could cite one of the biggest reasons SME's in SA fail, what would it be?
In my own experience, cashflow is the life line to a business, thus proper management and budgeting for cash flow is essential.
What accounting software do you like best?
Caseware
What other software, online services or apps do you use?
Pastel and VIP
Do you think the coming wave of automation in the next few years will steal some accounting jobs and why/why not?
Yes, even as speak there are functions of accounting software that eliminates human intervention. The simple task of processing bank statement can now be imported into the pastel system with only limited work required by the personnel importing.
What is your opinion on Bitcoin?
I am always wary of different things and the risks involved. As there is such “openness” to the process, in that no-one can block you from sending or receiving bitcoins with anyone, anywhere in the world, I can foresee a number of risks involved in the application.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
This is mostly spent with my daughter and family life at home. We enjoy being outdoors and staying active.
What is the most interesting thing on your bucket list?
Maybe not so much interesting, but crazy, as I would like to complete the ironman in South Africa, as well as in another country.
What has your experience been on FindanAccountant?
I think it is a very good platform, enabling those people seeking professional accountants to come to one spot and know what they are getting. I hope for a long and fruitful relationship.
See how our other local South African accountants have answered the above questions.
