While running a business, especially abroad, finding a good accountant is a match made in heaven. Clients, suppliers, employees—the whole world can wait, but with the tax authorities and various regulators, the clock is ticking as soon as you receive a commercial registration certificate.
In Kazakhstan, for a few years, all activities were outsourced to an accounting firm. They handled my taxes, advised on various regulations, and managed communications with the labor authority, statistics authority, etc., quite well. Recently, they sent me revised terms and conditions with a 300% fee increase, citing inflation and so on.
Situations like this are my bread and butter—I negotiate constantly with suppliers. It does not matter if I negotiate on behalf of multi-million-dollar companies or when it involves my own company’s core vendor—don`t agree to the bad deal.
To cut a long story short, I changed suppliers in one day, thanks to my friend from an accounting network. We have yet to establish a professional relationship fully. Still, we managed to close the old accountancy contract and transfer various documentation, software, and bank access to a new one quite fast. We agreed on a new fee, and it is pretty reasonable.

What have I learned from this lesson, and why am I sharing it?
Something I was saying and doing for my clients all the time: always keep a portfolio of core suppliers.
Diversify your vendors based on expertise, geographical location, and maturity of the activity level. Don’t rely on a single one. Always have a backup plan.
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