CJM Associates

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a film production company that produces corporate films and TV commercials. I’m the managing director or chief executive officer. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CJM Associates?

My relationship with my previous accountant wasn’t bad, but I didn’t feel I was getting what I needed out of the relationship. I also certainly didn’t feel I had as good a grasp on the numbers as I needed.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a couple of different levels of relationship. Craig (Director) helps me understand long-term strategies. I’ve got my internal finance officer who deals with the accounts and bookkeeping. They’ve helped with our financial processes and reporting.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from CJM. Along with Craig, there is an accountant that I deal with occasionally. They’ve got someone who manages the bookkeeping side of things as well. 

How did you come to work with CJM Associates?

I first came across them through networking; that’s how I met Craig originally. We seemed to know a lot of the same people. I would literally run into Craig more often in events by accident, so I asked around, and people had good things to say about him. They were highly recommended. 

Craig was also a lot more visible than my previous accountant, so I thought it would be interesting to engage with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe our engagement started in 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We don’t have metrics in terms of actual numbers, but we’re certainly more than happy with them. I’ve got absolutely no intention of changing my accounts any time soon. We’ve overhauled all of our processes and our financials, and I have a much better grasp of the numbers now. 

Craig’s much more available to me in terms of picking up the phone and answering questions. We also pay fair market rates for what they offer.

Accountants are one of those things that are difficult to judge — you’re either happy, or you’re not. For instance, I wouldn’t own my apartment if Craig weren’t my accountant. 

I was trying to buy an apartment a couple of years ago, and, as somebody who owns a business, it’s really hard in the UK to provide accounts that the banks like. I was jumping through an awful lot of hoops to get the numbers that they needed. 

With Craig, the level of service I got when I was running out of time to buy my apartment was just incredible. 

They used some very clever thinking: I needed three years of account, and I wasn’t able to get that, so they closed the year a month early and then turned my accounts around over the weekend to get the numbers that the bank needed to give me the apartment. 

It’s a convoluted story that mentions our relationship outside of my business, but it made all the difference to me in getting the apartment. 

How did CJM Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

We have monthly catch-ups with Craig. However, as a result of their work, I’ve implemented different kinds of monthly reporting. I get some lower-level reports that Craig doesn’t look at, which gives me a good understanding of what’s going on in the business.

I also sit down with him once a month, and we go through the numbers at a much higher level. 

We have regular communication and a good standard in terms of what comes through from them. They’re quick to turn things around when we need anything that’s not part of our regular reporting packages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team delivers a flexible level of service. With other accounting practices, small businesses like mine are often at the end of the queue. That isn’t the case with CMJ. They’re available to us not just in terms of standard services that we ask for, but also on the more complex side of things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I genuinely don’t have a bad word to say about them; they’ve been great for us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d happily recommend them, and I often do. They picked up 4–5 more clients from our recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Chase Bedrooms & Kitchens Limited. We manufacture, install, and supply kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CJM Associates?

We weren’t so happy with our accountant and felt they could be doing more. We hired CJM Associates to take over.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mainly, they work on our end of year taxes for us. Someone does our bookkeeping and accounting, handling any tax liabilities, and so on. 

What is the team composition?

We work with about three people form their team. Craig (Director) and two other teammates work with us.

How did you come to work with CJM Associates?

We met Craig and we knew he’d be able to help us with our needs when we were having problems with our accountant. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since around April 2011. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’ve been quite good and helpful, especially through the COVID-19 situation, and giving us extra information to help us out. They’ve really improved our efficiency around taxes and make everything a lot easier. They also give quite good advice.

How did CJM Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

Any time we have a question, they’re always helpful. Again, if there is anything we’re unsure of, they will happily explain things to us so we understand. They make everything easy to understand for us, which is really good. We mainly communicate by email. If we have to go back and forth, we can also have a phone call with them or they’ll come to our office if needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go the extra mile and are quite keen to help out. They won’t charge for the little things like other companies do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Pricing down is always a good thing but you pay for what you get. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d definitely advise people to use them — they’re quite good. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an importer running the company. I am the Managing Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CJM Associates?

I was in a mess before I met Craig I did not release what a mess we were in. We had no idea about how to run the finances of the business from top to bottom. We needed a full financial plan.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal is to make the company finically streamlined. To have a full plan and the direction for the finance of the business.

SOLUTION

How did you select CJM Associates?

They came highly recommended by a friend.

Describe the project in detail.

To start with Craig and his team came into the office to discuss my full-needs. It was clear that we needed a hands-on approach, a for the first month I had at least 1 member of his team in my office until all our accounts within the order and rectified. After this, all my staff spent time with Craig while he assed their job roles. New systems are in place and Craig is monitoring ongoing work as well as planning for the future.

What was the team composition?

Craig (the boss) oversees everything. We have another member (Kain) who is in and out of our office on a regular basis and the is 24/7 support from Sam in their head office.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Yes, we now have a fully streamlined business and this year we will be posting record profits. Craig and team are a lot to do with that.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They have a seamless workflow. As I said, they are part of our team now.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are always available 24/7. Additionally, their knowledge and attention to detail are second to none.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Co-operative Web. We’re a software development house that works with clients big and small, including multinational clients, banks, and government agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CJM Associates?

For the first several years we had a quite well-known accounting firm looking after us. Challenges came up year-after-year with our year-end tasks and their understanding of our business model since we’re member-owned. Our accountants had been filing the wrong information for years so we started getting in touch with other agencies in our area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do quite a few things for us, both officially and unofficially. For our monthly retainer, they help us do all our finances. They support us using Xero, getting all of our information in there and making sure everything reconciles. They also do our tax returns and help with R&D tracking, which earns us taxes back from the UK government.

Unofficially, when our founding and manager director left a few years ago, they came in and offered their business advice. They did it free of charge, too, to make sure we were stable. We learned how to do proper forecasting and reporting and set ourselves up properly. They do things like that whenever we need, both as an accountant and a support network.

What is the team composition?

We work with a few people depending on what we’re doing. Craig (Director, CJM Associates) is our primary contact and he’ll distribute our questions and requests to the right person.

How did you come to work with CJM Associates?

One of our friends runs a design agency and was working with CJM. They took the time to learn our business and what we were doing rather than just assuming we were the same as their other clients.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around £250 ($330 USD) a month, and the total is over $50,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We don’t have specific metrics, but we review their performance at every board meeting. As part of our co-op, we have to review our accountants yearly and we’re always happy. CJM Associates always pass with flying colors.

How did CJM Associates perform from a project management standpoint?

They really excel at giving us the extra support, the stuff we don’t necessarily pay for. They’re always available to talk about things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I never feel like it’s a burden when I call them. They’re always friendly and willing to go above and beyond.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so, not from my doings with them. They perform very well at their specific tasks. They do exactly what we want them to do and more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend time helping them get to know your business. Invest in the time upfront because that’s what helped us over the years. Working with an accounting firm that didn’t understand us was a royal pain.