I meet a lot of people, most of them business owners. Some of these business owners are in the same industry as myself – they’re accountants. I like to listen, often they tell me what they do before I tell them.
Occasionally, when I ask what they do, they’ll respond proudly with “I am a certified chartered accountant”. Now this isn’t the first time that I’ve said it, and it won’t be the last – you should always use a qualified accountant. I don’t disagree at all!
The thing is, a certified chartered accountant isn’t a job. A certified chartered accountant is a qualification. It’s as if I presented myself like this:

My name is Jason Seagrave and I’m a GSCE in woodwork and a BTEC in home economics.
Come on guys! We’re more than just our qualification!
Let’s talk about how we help our clients – how we find out what their objectives are and how we help them grow to achieve them.
Unless, of course, we don’t… In which case “I’m a certified chartered accountant” is all we have to say!