Our values lie at the heart of everything we do at Starfish. They serve as the bedrock of our core beliefs, upon which stands our passion for championing women-led businesses. From the way we work in our day-to-day to the clients and software providers we partner with, our values guide every decision we make.
We’ve re-examined our values
We recently dedicated time to digging into what our values really mean. They’re more than just words on our website; we live and breathe them. They’re an integral part of our culture, holding us to account and helping us strive for excellence in our work.
It brought us to redefine our values, giving more context to the words that represent them. We’ve made sure they serve as the most accurate reflection of what we hold at our core.
Our values
Give appreciation
We’re a positive bunch. It’s easy to focus on the bad things but it’s just as important to show appreciation for the good.
Take ownership
When we take ownership we work best together. We’re a team and being able to trust that something gets done is a big part of supporting each other.
Show understanding
We have a duty to take care of our clients. This requires us to understand our tasks and their needs, as well as them understanding ours.
Set expectations
We’d rather under-promise and over-deliver. Clients deserve clarity and we deserve their understanding.
Be open
Being open allows us to get to the heart of every challenge. When we’re open with each other and our clients, it gives them/us the tools to empathise.
We stand firm in our values, no matter what.
We don’t have any wiggle room or compromise on our values, even if it sometimes means turning down opportunities when another business doesn’t align with them. We serve our clients best when we commit to our values unwaveringly, and won’t work with people or tools in conflict with what we fundamentally believe in.
Our strongest client partnerships come from aligned values
At Starfish, we love to build genuine relationships that last. When others live by our values, it serves as the foundation on which our most awesome partnerships are built.
When we work with new clients, it’s incredibly important our values, vision and way of doing things match up. Our relationship weighs so heavily on collaboration that we’ve found even if these things are slightly off, it stops a client’s business from developing to its full potential.
No matter how much we love a prospect’s business or the passion they have for it, our partnership won’t be the best it can be if there’s a values mismatch. It’s not to say that person is wrong; it just means we have different ways of doing things, and we know they’ll be better served by an accountant who shares their values.
We only work with vendors that align with our values
Our values guide every aspect of how we work, including any providers we choose to partner with. It’s incredibly important we feel alignment with the companies we work with, from tech firms to outsourcers.
A great example of this is Xero. We’re a Xero Gold partner and huge fans of the cloud-based accounting tool, and not just for how brilliant their software is. Xero is one of the best companies to work for in the UK, especially for women. They really take care of their people and take ownership of how they can improve their sustainability effort. They’re genuine people behind a genuine service.
Because we know the values that guide how Xero makes decisions as a company, it gives us rock-solid confidence our clients are in the best hands when we introduce the software into their business.
Support that lines up with your way of thinking.
As an ambitious, small business owner, you deserve an accounting partner on the same page as you. If our values speak to you, it could be the start of a dream partnership.
Giving women in business the backup they deserve, we show them how to use their financial data to find quick wins and act as the sounding board for the big decisions. If you think we could be a great fit to work together, fill in our quick form and we’ll arrange a chat.
