A Week in the Life of Sarah

Monday morning starts with our team meeting to catch up and plan the week ahead. As the person responsible for the accounts I like to be aware of what is happening with each client and to keep up to date with any developments. In my role, it is easy to not be as aware of our client’s activity as the rest of the team and, being quite a nosy person, I like to keep in the loop! The meeting usually takes about 20 minutes, after which I start looking at our bank statement and note any payments received – always a good feeling! We use Sage accounts, with which I have a love/hate relationship, but it helps us produce accurate company accounts. This can be a complicated business and can cause many a frustrated outburst, as Peter will testify!

After reviewing the bank statement and updating Sage, I will then produce a debtors list to manage what monies are outstanding and what needs attention. I then move onto raising any invoices for clients and keeping our sales ledger up to date. Peter and I then normally have a strategy meeting where we look at our reports and plan what is ahead. This can range from perspective client developments, existing client issues, money queries, staffing and HR and training, to looking at ways to develop our business including any trouble shooting. We also have regular meeting with Sophie to go over developments with our website and review workflow and organisational matters.

My days tend to be short but intense, as my role, other than managing the accounts, is offering an independent overview which can give a different perspective. This means I do not necessarily need to be in the office all day and every day and I often take work home to research. So once my jobs are done I leave.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I tend to keep on top of the accounts and concentrate on collecting and organising activity from our suppliers. I also do exciting stuff, like the preparation for and completion of the VAT return! In addition, I produce reports, which allow us to keep an eye on how the business is doing and where we need to give it more attention.

Thursday and Fridays are usually the days where, if needed, I attend meetings with existing and prospective clients and suppliers and continue with planning and preparing work for perspective clients. This involves client research, meetings and, occasionally, travelling to distant and glamourous locations like Liversedge.

I also get involved with special projects, for instance, at the moment we are looking at a new CRM system and looking at how we can improve client reporting. On these days I also keep up to date with maintaining our health and safety and any HR documentation.