growth strategies

when the last accountant was truly incompetent

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not just bad, but malpractice-level wrong.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: i was asked to consult with a client selling his business and provided a fixed-fee estimate for the project. the fee was layered based upon how the project progresses.

more: don’t like checklists? find a new job. | five ways to get staff to own their work | writing a reference? here’s how | 44 key attributes for assessing staffers | make cpe worth your while | what to do with a lousy client? | but i am managing! | how to run a practice in 90 pages | how improv can help accountants | four tips for new partners | an alternative to pro bono
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i am usually pretty good at estimating what these things cost, also considering that the accountant might not have done too good of a job and some minor fixing up is needed.  however, in this situation the reports the accountant prepared were totally wrong and needed massive changes. how should i handle this?
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five global cpa leaders: four survival strategies

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sometimes it takes a catastrophe to spur fundamental change, and that’s what we’re seeing today.

//m.g005e.com/2020/08/05/5-firm-leaders-on-how-covid-19-is-changing-their-thinking/
new imperatives, from the u.s. to spain, australia, and back: mcconnell, fay, tomasi, and majchrzak.

by bill penczak

the combination of the summer doldrums and the covid shutdown has provided some firm leaders pause to get in touch with their right-brainedness.

more marketing in the covid era: 5 things your firm should do differently this summer | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis? | how to inoculate your firm against covid competition | ‘found money’ delights clients | don’t buy a rolodex, buy a process | the three r’s for beating the corona crisis | 6 reasons why your marketing sucks |

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

these are difficult times for the economy and the industry, and while some firms hope to return to the good old days, covid and other societal changes may cause a long-overdue sea change in the accounting industry, which has been doing the same thing the same way for more than 100 years.

sometimes it takes a catastrophe to spur fundamental change, and that’s what we’re seeing today.

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why advisory opportunities emerge from core cas offerings

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three keywords to guide you.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

“we want to offer outsourced cfo and advisory services.”

it has become an increasingly more common intent of accounting firms of all sizes. technology automation, artificial intelligence and more innovative solutions seem to make it even more logical for accountants to feel that the future is more about advisory services than ever before.

more: is it time to outsource? | your firm’s cas team: who and how many | two tech approaches to cas | when to start building your cas tech stack | stop derailing cas | show your priciest cas package first | your firm needs a cas champion
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you have similar intentions and goals, please answer this question:

“what type of advice do you give to your clients, periodically and regularly?”

or turn it around and answer this question:

“what type of advice do your clients seek from you and when?”

if you could think of 5-10 different actionable insights you regularly deliver to your clients, congratulations! but if not, do not worry. it is not difficult to lay a strong foundation for your advisory services. read more →

eisneramper takes on private-equity investor, spins out attest firm

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charly weinstein on cnbc talking about the private equity deal.

towerbrook capital partners’ infusion “reimagines the traditional accounting firm model.”

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

eisneramper llp – one of the profession’s top 20 firms with more than $420 in annual billings, 200 partners, and 1,200 employees – has sold about half the firm to towerbrook capital partners, a private equity fund with big investments in the financial services sector.

as a result, eisner is splitting into two entities: the legacy eisneramper llp, a licensed cpa firm, to provide attest services, and the new pe-funded eisner advisory group llc, for business advisory and non-attest services. terms were not disclosed but towerbrook has a reputation for taking controlling interests in the companies it funds. audit and assurance account for about 49 percent of eisner’s pre-deal billings, with 42 percent from tax and 9 percent in consulting.

“it will be a positive disruptor in the profession,” according to charly weinstein, eisneramper ceo.  “rather than conforming to traditional frameworks, adopting a new model of ownership facilitates the best structure for the firm to drive growth and innovative solutions to our clients. our colleagues will be able to chart a course for success in our purpose-built practice structure.”

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nine smooth moves to build client satisfaction

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which do you need to work on?

by bill penczak

client relationships have never been more vulnerable, as other firms, reeling from the covid crisis, will be knocking on your clients’ door with promises of better service, more services, and lower rates.

more: re-thinking today’s firm with five global leaders | 5 things your firm should do differently this summer | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis? | how to inoculate your firm against covid competition | ‘found money’ delights clients | the three r’s for beating the corona crisis
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now, more than ever, tax and accounting firms should examine how they can constantly improve the service and relevance to their clients, for today and into the new normal.

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let’s get real: kill saly

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gary cokins on predictive accounting and driver-based budgeting.

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with steven sacks
the new fundamentals

the main problem with the annual budget process as a fiscal exercise done by the accountants is that it is disconnected from the executive team strategy.

more steven sacks: would you buy your own services? | the future of the accounting profession | avoid last-minute deal making | business is about relationships | can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility

more with gary cokins: the myths of performance management | gary cokins: the truth about activity-based costing

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

corporate finance expert gary cokins says the typical annual budget process allows too much room for bad habits, such as the use-it-or-lose-it mindset of allocated resources, as well as incorporating last year’s inefficiencies in processes into the current year.

five key take-aways:

  1. there is interest now in corporate performance management because executives are frustrated with strategy failure. they are good at formulating strategy, but meeting expected goals is a real problem.
  2. the way to get rid of spreadsheet budgeting is to view the amount of spending of any organization as the result of the confluence of two streams. the first is going to be repeatable work. it tends to be operational. the second is non-repeatable because it involves capital, risk management, and strategy projects.
  3. accounting must carefully identify and construct key performance indicators. but not every type of measurement is key.
  4. activity-based costing is just full absorption costing done correctly, without the “butter spreading” on spreadsheets of labor hours or units produced or sales dollars or full-time equivalent headcount or square feet. none of those reflect the unique consumption that the products or service lines actually consume.
  5. many people have heard about the balanced scorecard, but it’s just a feedback mechanism. the real intelligence is in the strategy map.

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writing a reference? here’s how

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woman working at desktop computerstick to the facts.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: i have been asked to provide a reference for a former controller of a former client.

more: titles can make people happier | help! key staffer refuses to supervise people | get more done by saying no | are you marketing for 2022 yet? | but i am managing! | how are you spending the next five years?
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should i do it?
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five tough questions for these tough times

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do you have the courage to beat the covid crisis?

male-lion-at-rest-portrait-serengeti-2017-telberg-photo crop
telberg.photo

by bill penczak

in times like these, firms should be challenging themselves with the tough question, “what do we want to be, today and into the future?”

more: re-thinking today’s firm with five global leaders | 5 things your firm should do differently this summer | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis? | how to inoculate your firm against covid competition | ‘found money’ delights clients | the three r’s for beating the corona crisis
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if maintaining the status quo and “serving clients,” whatever that really means, are the only responses your partner and leadership teams can muster, then perhaps it’s time to evolve from being a lifestyle firm to being one with a vision and the guts to achieve it.

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when cpas leave to work for a client

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money tree growing in the middle of green meadoware you sure that grass is greener?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i know many cpas who left public accountancy to take a “better” job. for many of them this was a mistake. for some it worked out, so if you are one of the lucky few, you can stop reading what i have to say.

more: when siblings battle over the family business | readers rip: ‘she wanted her shoebox back’ | ceos don’t always know numbers | finding new business in sustainability | how to recoup staff training costs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there are basically three types of companies the accountant could work for – a small client that does not have an in-house controller or cfo, one whose controller will be replaced by the departing cpa, or a large company that has an entire accounting staff already in place. let’s talk about working for the small companies that do not have a controller.
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clients: what accountants don’t understand

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knowing them is just the start.

by gary bolinger

you know a lot about your business clients. as a  result of the compliance work you do – tax and financial reporting projects – you do know a lot about your clients. you know about profit and loss. you know about payroll. certainly, you have some knowledge about vendors and customers, at least from a financial perspective. you have seen marketing budgets, cost of sales and know what occupancy costs are. all of that is good.

more: why accountants fail at consulting | advisory vs. low-value clients | what + who leads firms to better service | how accountants are profiting in disruption | ask the right question(s) | seven elements of engagement for cpas | true advisory work isn’t just consulting
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but do you understand your clients? do you understand your clients in ways that can give you the kind of insight that is needed to indeed be a most trusted advisor? in fact, to be the most valued advisor?
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salt: the small business disaster waiting to happen

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more highlights: “tax season from hell.” the pandemic pivot. small business outlook. digitally-powered recovery.

small business salt: 98% of accountants say small businesses are vulnerable to interstate sales tax issues, including 7% who say “none or almost none” are in compliance and 39% who say “most” are not and another 39% saying only “some” are.  (卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research)

 

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

three years after the notorious “wayfair” decision, accountants say a vast number of small businesses face new and burdensome interstate sales tax measures. but only a few accountants appear ready to help, according to new research by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

more: survey: rough seas ahead for small business

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most accountants believe that 98 percent of small businesses – virtually all – are failing to fully comply with all the interstate sales tax issues they may be liable for. and yet, about 71 percent of accountants are falling short of handling all their clients’ sales tax issues, with about 12 percent saying they address “most” issues, 36 percent handling “some,” and 24 percent handling none, according to the new study conducted in conjunction with avalara, the tax management software company.

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when siblings battle over the family business

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succession plans can get dicey… for the advisor.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

someone has to be the boss. when the founder is active, he or she is usually the boss. but what about arents who step aside to have their children run the business? particularly where there is more than one child working in the business?

more: readers rip: ‘she wanted her shoebox back’ | when parents, children hit an impasse | wealth is a state of mind | the six types of “impossible” clients | you’re not just taxes | granting unconventional request pays off | 20 best practices for staff training and retention | what does the client want to see?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i’ve seen some situations where two siblings can run the business as equals. and then, there are other situations where they can’t. what do you do?

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