Industry professionals, recruiters and college professors are unanimous in their belief in one thing: there is no better way to start a career in accounting than experience with a Big 4 public accounting firm. If you are reading this you no doubt are well aware of who these guys are:

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touché, KPMG and Ernst & Young.

While each of these companies has various strengths and weaknesses, they are all alike in the fact that they provide the recent accounting grad with a world class experience. First year associates at these firms are given a level of responsibility that is truly remarkable. When I was a first year I remember thinking on an almost daily basis “I can’t believe they’re letting me do this.” As I strolled into the CEO’s office of the firm we were auditing, as I tallied up a multi-million dollar mistake I’d found in another company’s books and as I traveled the country with my very own American Express Corporate Card, I kept repeating this thought:
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Don’t try to compete on price.  Competing on price is almost always a losing proposition. For small business owners, the most important impact lands right on the bottom line. The smaller the gross margin (the % of sales price remaining after deducting the cost of producing the product) the more pronounced the negative impact of cutting price to get a sale.  Instead, work on the issue of making price a secondary consideration to your customers.  Take a long look at your products or services and seek opportunities to differentiate yourself.

Concentrate on marketing.  A recession is not the time to cut your marketing budget.  Stay in the spotlight.  By letting your customers and potential customers know you’re thriving and always ready to do business, you’ll fare much better coming out of the recession.

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