Involved, reliable and out-of-the-box
An accountant who uses beer coasters to improve the returns of entrepreneurs? There's a story behind that! Time to visit one of our newest residents: Ketelaar Kroon Accountants and Tax Advisors. We drink coffee with owner Alfred Kroon. Tell me... what do you all do?
“When you think of an accounting firm, you might think of a dusty, old building where people focus solely on annual accounts and financial statements. That is not the case with us at all,” he says with a laugh. “We do things just a little differently. Ketelaar Kroon is a friendly and driven team of 20 experts. We think it is important that everyone feels at home with us. Each customer therefore always has two permanent contact persons, who provide support and advice on all kinds of financial issues.
Consider, for example, administrative support in the form of secondment, for entrepreneurs in the growth phase. We are also there for self-employed people who are looking for affordable, reliable help with their bookkeeping. We have a handy portal for this: MijnZZP.online. Self-employed people can easily upload their receipts there. We will then arrange the rest, such as their VAT return.”
And... what about those beer mats?
Alfred: “Ha, that's part of our efficiency improvement process! We use a quick scan and special software to look at how an entrepreneur's productivity, efficiency and cost structure can be improved. This also involves a special beer mat. During four sessions we write down essential information together, such as the costs per day and wow factor. That felt pad is a truly surprising source for insight, interaction and change.
For example, recently during a session we talked about gross profit. I asked: 'What are your costs per workable day? And what do you send for?' The answer was 'my gut'. A telling answer that shows possible growth. The great thing about these processes is that we do not direct as accountants, but think along on an equal level as a sparring partner. So back to basics, but also out-of-the-box.”
Not an hourly bill, but time for coffee
Since the beginning, people have come first in everything Ketelaar Kroon does. Alfred goes back in time: “When I started my own business in 2017, I took my years of experience as an employee with me. I knew one thing for sure: I really want to pay attention to customers. Not every hour has to be invoiced. You should also be able to drink a decent cup of coffee together. And the stress can be removed. Trust must form the basis and there must be literal and figurative space to turn to each other.
And it worked! Over the years, Ketelaar Kroon has grown, partly thanks to the acquisition of NAG and Ketelaar Klip. Together we have now existed for 75 years. That was worth celebrating in March and provided a great moment of realization: we can be proud of our minimal customer and staff turnover!”
A new office at Waarborg
While Alfred started in his attic at home in 2017, Ketelaar Kroon now has three offices in Veendam, Stadskanaal and Groningen. In Groningen they have just moved into a new office at Griffeweg 97. “We looked for a place where we could create an intimate, familiar atmosphere, but we succeeded. Waarborg helped us a lot with this. 'Our' potential office was still being renovated when real estate manager Guido took us for a look. It immediately felt good. Waarborg's interior designer then designed a modern 3D interior for us. We moved in in December '22. Our new office fits like a jacket.”
The result is certainly impressive: a cozy seating area as soon as you enter, lots of light, acoustic lighting and a living, green wall. We particularly like Ketelaar Kroon's signature throughout: Alfred's private collection of Graffiti Art from Nomen decorates the walls!
