Most Flemish accounting firms recognize this paradox: inquiries are pouring in, but staff capacity is in the red. Wouter Pieters, Partner at Van Coile & Partners in Drongen, experienced this daily. “At a certain point, it became too difficult to find staff,” he explains. “We then decided to stop accepting smaller sole proprietorships in secondary or primary occupations for the time being.”
The profitability trap of small files
The reason for this client stop was purely economic. A small file often costs a file manager as much time as a more complex one. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur’s perception of the cost price often does not align with the reality of manual bookkeeping. At Van Coile & Partners, they decided that the role of the accounting firm had to shift from data processor to strategic advisor.
Dexxter as a ‘Digital Waiting Room’ for sole proprietorships
The breakthrough came with the implementation of Dexxter, a tool specifically built for the needs of sole proprietorships. By allowing starters to work in this ecosystem, you create a win-win scenario for your firm:
- Shared responsibility: Your client does 80% of the preparatory work themselves. Entrepreneurs like Yannick log their daily receipts and invoices directly via the smartphone app. They describe it as “child’s play.”
- The free accountancy portal: As an accountant, you get completely free access to an overarching portal. At a glance, you can see the turnover, costs, and taxable result of all your linked files per quarter. You only need to take action when you receive a notification or when the figures indicate growth.
- Smart automation: The software blocks double entries and automatically applies reverse charge VAT for EU invoices. This ensures that the delivery to your accounting firm is of unprecedented quality.
A pipeline for the corporations of tomorrow
“A client who is small today doesn’t have to stay that way,” says Wouter. By using Dexxter as a ‘waiting room’, you bind these sole proprietorships to your firm during their growth phase at minimal operational costs. When they make the transition to a corporation (BV/NV), you already have a strong relationship, and they return to you as ideal, digitally savvy clients for double-entry bookkeeping.
Today, Van Coile & Partners serves starters again with great pleasure and profitability. They are building their client portfolio without the constant pressure for new hires.
👉 Want to discover how your accounting firm can grow profitably again? Book a demo call with Arnout and discover our portal.
