Koppel Services

Mister B

Name organisation:
Mister B
Reviewer:
Wim Bos
Organisation type:
BV
Product:
Leather clothing and sex toys
Total staff:
30
Expertise:
Retail
Website:
www.misterb.com

Mister B is a global brand in the area of high-end leather clothing and sex toys for men, and has established itself as a household name within the homosexual community in a wide range of countries. It all started 20 years ago, when Wim Bos launched a shop on Warmoesstraat in Amsterdam. Mister B has since expanded into a global corporation straddling a large number of stores, a wholesale division and an on-line business. Mister B operates several proprietary stores in Amsterdam and Berlin augmented by franchise operations in Paris and Antwerp and a total of 18 in-store boutiques all over the world. Pride lies at the heart of the business, whose motto it is that sexual freedom should be matter-of-course the world over.

Koppel Services have been in charge of my accounting records for over a decade

Wim Bos recalls how the original small-scale accounting office sufficed during the first five years of Mister B’s existence: “The accounting records were very simple, in that I knew what was coming in and what was going out, as only cash flows. The financial statements were prepared and the tax returns filed at the appropriate times.” Things started to change when the fifth year drew to a close: “I knew that sooner or later I would have to switch to a consultant whose capacity and know-how would enable me to grow my business in a responsible manner.” Nevertheless it took Wim Bos another five years to switch to Koppel Services: “At that time my business was becoming considerably more diversified, with separate divisions, subsidiary companies, operating companies and even a private limited company or GmbH in Germany.” It was at this stage that the further categorisation of Mister B’s accounting system was becoming inevitable: “I found myself having to tend to multiple sets of accounting records, which made things considerably more involved.”

Nico Koppel was introduced to Wim Bos as an all-round tax expert cum consultant. “I needed Koppel to enable the well-guided growth of Mister B.” Which was exactly what Koppel delivered for its now long-standing client: “The ultimate responsibility for my accounting records, bookkeeping, annual figures and tax returns has rested with Koppel Services for the past ten-plus years.”

Koppel Services have never betrayed my confidence

One of Mister B’s sweeping administrative changes has been the switch to Exact for bookkeeping purposes: “The statistical flows would no longer have been manageable, let alone readily comprehensible, had it not been for the new automation format.” Koppel coached Wim Bos when he made the switch to Exact.

Koppel’s Bas Hollenberg visits Mister B’s offices at monthly intervals to tend to the accounting records, “in order for the tax returns to be filed both correctly and in good time”. Wim Bos completely relies on Koppel Services where this is concerned: “This is precisely what I have engaged them for, and they have never betrayed my confidence including where it concerns issues such as grants, tax allowance and other matters of a tax-specific nature which as an entrepreneur you tend not to take into consideration as you lack the appropriate know-how. It is in areas such as these that you need a dedicated expert such as Koppel, whose stock in trade this is.”

You must be able to rely on your accounting office

Wim Bos is convinced that Mister B would have floundered (or worse!) had it not been for Koppel Services: “I truly needed them when my business first started to take off. I could have gone with a similar consultant, as Koppel is not the only one in its chosen field, but I ended up opting for Koppel and have never regretted it.” As an entrepreneur what you need is a reliable accounting office that matches the size of your business, and that makes Koppel the right choice for Mister B at the current stage.

“It is gratifying to know that my accounting records are shipshape, my tax returns are taken care of on monthly basis and I am promptly provided with accurate payroll information. Life can be quite daunting if as an entrepreneur you have to worry about all these things. A reliable accounting office can be a true life saver.”

The old situation

Until ten years or so ago a small-scale accounting office looked after Mister B’s accounting records. The business’ explosive growth was causing its bookkeeping to become increasingly complex, to the point where the accounting office was no longer up to the job and Wim Bos had no choice but to switch to a larger-scale accounting firm. He was introduced to Koppel Services and decided to outsource his accounts to them.

The solution

Koppel Services was put in charge of all of Mister B’s accounting records, coaching the business while it evolved from a straightforwardly organised, modestly sized business to a complex organisation comprising a management company, a subsidiary company, several operating companies and a German-based GmbH (private limited company) whose accounting records became proportionately more elaborate. Mister B simply needed Koppel’s capacity to cope with all of this.

The benefits

  • Reliability;
  • In-depth knowledge of tax rules;
  • Timely filing of tax returns;
  • Has rendered Mister B’s growth manageable.
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