Top Accountants
Our Salute to the Numbers People
2022 Top Business Accountants
For entrepreneurs, their accountant plays an active part in the financial success of their businesses. The following accountants have proven their dedication to helping small businesses in St. Louis grow and have been named the Top Accountants for businesses in 2022. In the following profiles, this year’s top accountants share their wisdom for your business.
Mark E. Vaughn
Franklin & Vaughn, LLC
Number of Years Serving Business Owners: 30 years
Motivation to help business owners:
Many people are great at providing goods or services, but they struggle with the bookkeeping, tax, and accounting side. As I provide my services, I get the satisfaction of watching them grow their business. Large businesses have the ability to hire in-house staff to handle these needs. We can come alongside the small business owner and provide the same insight at a more economical cost than full-time staff.
Obstacles you help entrepreneurs with:
I work with small business owners to understand their financial statements and plan for the future. Growth, recession, retirement, and many other business changes need to be planned for well in advance. Careful analysis of financial statements can help position a small business for these changes when they arrive.
Best advice for small business owners:
Create a team to help provide answers. No one person has all the answers. Gather a team of trusted advisors. I recommend a good lawyer, banker, and insurance agent to start, along with a good accountant. As you grow, you’ll need to add a financial advisor for long-term retirement plans.
Biggest mistake that you see business owners make:
Starting a business without sufficient capital. All small businesses take time to generate cash flow. The owner either will need to wait to collect from customers or have the first customer walk in the door. During that waiting period, the bills will not wait. Insurance, rent, supplies, payroll, and other bills will need to be paid before the first dollar is deposited in the bank. Without sufficient start-up capital, the small business may die before it ever gets a chance to live.
