How to Find the Best Accounting Firm In Pittsburgh For Your Small Business : If you’re looking for the best accounting firm in Pittsburgh for your small business, here are five sure-fire facts about the city and five sure-fire ways to find the accounting firm there that best fits your small business needs.
Pittsburgh — The Most Liveable City In The US Pittsburgh is the second largest city in Pennsylvania, with a population of 311,647. The seven districts around the city have a population of 2,354,957 people. The County of Allegheny, which includes Pittsburgh, is by far the largest and most prosperous. In these seven counties, there are more than 1,000 accounting firms, 40% of which are in Pittsburgh. More than half serve small businesses.
In 2005 and again in 2009, The Economist ranked Pittsburgh as the most livable city in the United States. In 2007, Pittsburgh claimed the number one spot on the Places Rated Almanac. In 2010, both Forbes Magazine and Yahoo! have Pittsburgh at the top of their list. Entrepreneur Magazine ranks Pittsburgh as one of the best for entrepreneurs.
Pittsburgh — City of Bridges. Pittsburgh is the world record holder for bridges with 446 of them completely within city limits. The bridge crosses the Allegheny River from the northeast and the Monongahela River from the southeast to form the Ohio River and the downtown area known as the Golden Triangle.
They connect the city with four surrounding areas, namely the North Side/North Hills, South Side/South Hills, East End and West End. Four interstates (I-376, I-79, I-279 and I-579), known to Pittsburghers as Parkway East, Parkway West, Parkway North and Crosstown and two major highways (Route 28 and Route 22) connect the 237 boroughs and 202 cities with each other and with Downtown Pittsburgh.
Most of the major accounting firms serving large Pittsburgh companies are located in Downtown Pittsburgh. However, almost all of the accounting firms that cater to the growing urban small business population are located in the north, south, east and west of the city. These companies serve small businesses in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and also offer their services to the six other counties that make up the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Small business accounting firms in this area have deep ties to the communities, people and businesses that live there.
Pittsburgh — A Changing City. Thirty years ago, Pittsburgh was a dirty, smoky steel city, known as the City of Steel, for its prominence as a mighty steelmaking hub. When industry collapsed and Pittsburgh lost its manufacturing base, blue-collar workers and corporate giants such as Westinghouse, Gulf Oil, Koppers and Rockwell International, the city faced its first economic crisis in more than a century. However, to his credit, the city transformed like no other in the country and emerged twenty years later as a thriving white-collar metropolis.
Today, Pittsburgh is still a city of steel. US Steel, the 10th largest steel company in the world, is headquartered there. Allegheny Technologies, a world-class steelmaker, has eight factories in the region. The city still employs 7,000 steel workers and another 12,000 in the primary metals sector. Although the region lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 30 years, the sector is still one of the largest contributors to the region’s economy.
What has changed is how diversified the sector is now. Leading companies in life sciences, robotics, information technology, and research have joined eight Fortune 500 companies. Health care, education, research, financial services, and entertainment/tourism are emerging industries driving income and employment for the region. the.
One of the fastest growing areas supporting the transformation of cities into white-collar economies is accounting. This is especially true as cities continue to move from industry to services and technology. Many emerging companies in all sectors of the local economy are small businesses. While there are already over 400 accounting firms in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County alone serving this business, that number increases dramatically as you move to the seven other counties around the city.
Pittsburgh — A City of Growth. The local economy reflects the country’s economy that continues to struggle against recession. However, the region fared better than most places in the country and is poised for substantive growth in 2011. Economists from the city’s largest financial institution predict that the Greater Pittsburgh Area will add 13,000 new jobs this year. Unemployment is expected to fall below eight percent as big companies start recruiting and start-up businesses start to grow. Additional recruits will also be seen when new companies are there.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the city’s largest employer, is currently in hiring mode. Retail giants like Dick’s Sporting Goods and General Nutrition Center (GNC) are growing. Google now operates a 40,000-square-foot office in Pittsburgh and recently announced plans for expansion. Marcellus Shale natural gas will be a major contributor to the local economy. Arts and Culture, including film production, is constantly evolving and dozens of new information technology companies are emerging to support the growing research activities at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University.
Most of the new companies established in the area are small businesses that support this large industry. As the area expands, these businesses will also grow and their need for more specialized accounting services will become clearer. Currently, accounting firms in the Pittsburgh area offer 18 types of small business accounting, income tax accounting and project accounting to name a few.
Pittsburgh — City of Champions. Pittsburgh is home to three major league franchises – the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Two of those teams have graced the city with championships, the Steelers winning six Super Bowl titles and the Penguins winning three Stanley Cups.
Thanks to an ingenious idea from the beloved Pittsburgh sports broadcaster and his Terrible Towel, the Steelers have given Pittsburgh fans a reason to proclaim their hometown pride by simply waving their Terrible Towel. This marketing icon single-handedly created the Steeler Nation, a fraternity of loyal fans across the country who quietly and selflessly raise millions of dollars for local charities in Pittsburgh.
The pride of this hometown, this brotherhood, this spirit of generosity is championed in almost every neighborhood and community in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Pittsburghers are proud, diligent, friendly, and generous people. Many of them have lived in their hometowns for years and have set up hundreds of small businesses to support their families, their communities and the city they call home.
Accounting firms across the region are rooted in these same neighborhoods and have been successful in guiding and supporting these businesses and the local communities and organizations they serve. Because of their hard work, this small business continues to grow.
With a sound knowledge of the city, its economy, and people, you can easily find the accounting firm in Pittsburgh that best fits your small business needs. Here are five sure-fire ways to help you do that.
Pay close attention to your location and the location of the accounting firm you choose to work for. Pittsburgh is a huge metropolis with over 400 neighborhoods and communities as diverse as the people who live there. It is this environment and community that makes Pittsburgh unique and it is important that you find an accounting firm that knows these places and the businesses that exist there.
Pittsburgh is also a city, like many other major cities in the country, beset by traffic jams, construction delays, and inclement weather. These conditions cause havoc on the roads in and out of the city at any time during a typical weekday. Don’t waste time driving all the way across town to meet your accountant. In addition, if your accounting firm is close to you, they should be willing to come to your place of business.
Focus your attention only on companies in Pittsburgh that specialize in small business accounting. Small business accounting firms track salaries and wages, federal, state and local tax deductions and Social Security, utility costs, maintenance, depreciation, amortization, interest and rent. They also prepare your tax returns and manage your 401K payroll, health insurance, and retirement plans. These are responsibilities that you want your accounting firm to handle for you. If they can also provide sales, marketing, and financial services to meet the growing needs of your small business, so much the better.
Think about the things you know you want to receive from your accounting firm on a regular basis. Would you like them to reconcile your business checking account each month so you know how your business is performing and you can manage your cash more effectively? Do you want an income statement that details your income and expenses on a monthly or quarterly basis so you can determine how effectively your business is performing?
Would you like to receive a balance sheet that gives you an idea of the financial condition of your business at a given point in time so that you have proper financial reporting to provide to banks, investors and vendors taking into account how much credit will be given to you? ? ? Any accounting firm in Pittsburgh that claims to be a small business accounting firm should be able to provide all of these things as a matter of course, including as much consulting as you need to run your business effectively and efficiently.
Get answers to all your questions before you commit to one of the accounting firms. Here are questions you might consider asking:
• Where exactly is your accounting firm in Pittsburgh?
• What accounting services do you provide for small business owners? Can you take care of me and my accounting needs?
• What relationship do you have with the community? Have you been recognized by your Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Administration for outstanding service to small business owners?
• What kind of monthly/quarterly/annual reports can I receive from you? How will this report help me better manage my business? Can I understand it without your help?
• How and in what format would you like to receive information from me? How often do you want that information?
• When I have a question or concern, what is the best way to communicate with you? How quickly will you respond?
• How can you help me grow my business?
Start your search with Google, not the Yellow Pages. Start by searching for “Pittsburgh Accountants” or “Pittsburgh Accounting Firms.” Narrow your search, if necessary, based on the location and type of accounting services provided; for example, search for “Accounting Firms In Kennedy Township” or “Small Business Accounting In Pittsburgh.”
Realize early on that accounting is the foundation on which your success, to a large extent, will be determined. And remember, for small business owners, it’s all about saving time and saving money. Using these five surefire ways to find the best accounting firm in Pittsburgh for your small business will save you both and your company’s success depends on it.