What are your biggest business opportunities in 2012?

There is much doom and gloom about and forecasts that it won't get any better for some time. But there are always opportunities. I see mine coming from the ability to integrate my business with cloud computing platforms so I can collaborate with my customers in an efficient manner, and grow by collaborating with other businesses (e.g. bookkeepers) to deliver some of the work. The technology will allow me to differentiate my business from traditional firms, at least until they catch up.

What do you see as your biggest opportunity for 2012 and how are you positioned to exploit it?

Like you Chris, going further to adopt cloud based technologies is key for us.  Accountants are traditionally way behind the times, only adopting things when they absolutely need to.

Also, currently eyeing up a commercial property that's come up for sale nearby...way outside my comfort zone but is exciting and opens up a fair few new possibilities.

Spent the latter half of 2011 making some changes and expanses in my offering - adding in the focus groups and customer feedback systems work, along with looking how i work with the voluntary / social enterprise sector (where all my pre Objective Eye experience lies), so will be spend the early part of 2012 making that work. Then i've big plans for the next phase of the business in the latter part of the year.

Also have plans (whisper it, not sure i've said it out loud before...) to bring a new person on board.... 

For me it's about bringing most of what I do online, so that I am able to offer my services to far more people and not be reliant on face to face income.

It's also about creating packages and training courses to make things as easy as possible for people.

I've gone full-time with the business for 2012, so I'll be able to work with my current regular clients in a more timely and efficient manner and take on some new one-off and regular clients too - so it's opportunity all the way for me this  year!

For me it's carrying on growing the Excel part of the business.  Last year was easily the best year I have had in the 10 years of running a business and the key was all the Excel projects that came in.  Also taking someone on to do much of the development work has made a huge difference in freeing me up to grow the business. 2012 will be key in taking all of this to the next level.

It is rumoured (although it has to be seen to be believed) that business insurance premiums will increase this year after many, many years of a soft market. This is obviously a great opportunity for us to win new business is what is still a very cost concious world. Conversley it could also be a threat to our renewal book, so client communication and relationships become of even greater importance.