train your clients before they train you

taking unscheduled phone calls and meetings wrecks your bottom line and theirs.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

many of the behaviors you rationalize as good client service are just desperate measures to avoid losing bad clients.

more: why time tracking still matters | business owners face one of three exits | how small firms can win the talent wars | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm | do you know your turnaround time?
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however, clients are trainable – at least as trainable as jack russell terriers. that is to say they’re somewhat trainable. however, like jack russell terriers, you train clients or they’ll train you. somebody’s getting trained. here’s an example of how that works.
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where is your firm in its lifecycle?

//m.g005e.com/2023/05/08/the-future-of-accounting-a-vision-of-trust-clarity-and-hope/how to change if you don’t like what you learn.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

a while ago i gave a speech on business performance measurement and, to prepare, i searched online and found many books on performance measurement, but they were for personnel performance, not for businesses where i found only a dismal few.

more: wow clients with trend analysis | trends are all around us | how to prepare business plan financial projections | the top 11 financial statement ratios | eight ways to value a family-owned business | are you ready for a co-owner to drop dead? | charity directors must take theft seriously | forensic techniques can be fraud deterrence | the hazards of poor internal controls
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however, that’s what i have been doing my entire career, so i was able to put together an enlightening presentation. that also got me thinking about the areas business owners and managers should concentrate on to improve their business’ performance.

for starters, here are three basic premises:
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wow clients with trend analysis

//m.g005e.com/2021/11/17/business-development-and-sales-arent-scary/comparing the statement of operations with the balance sheet. bonus: the five numbers needed to run a better business.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

the sample statement of operations report below was created using excel to better illustrate and highlight the differences. this also enabled entering selected percentages, which cannot be done on most computer-generated financial statements. most computerized reports can be exported to excel with a couple of clicks.

more: trends are all around us | six kinds of loan covenants | what’s more profitable, raising or lowering prices? | solos need plans for death, disability | five ways to ward off fraud in not-for-profits
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besides the percentages included below, a helpful percentage would be increase or (decrease) in monthly sales, or any other item you want to track. in the illustration, monthly purchases to sales and cost of goods sold percentages were tracked.
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marie greene: your bad apples are ruining you

don’t be afraid to fire poor performers to appreciate great performers.

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the disruptors

with liz farr for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

marie greene founded connected accounting in 2019 out of a desire to create a new kind of accounting firm where firm culture and “reliable, reliable, reliable” customer service were the highest priorities.

“what is your culture? who do you want to have on your team?” are questions leaders need to consider when seeking out new team members or deciding who to fire, says greene. she advises firm owners to remember the message it sends when poor performers are retained because “the good people also leave because you keep the bad apples.”

more: megan genest tarnow: hire for curiosity rather than complianceclayton oates: one way to keep clients for liferandy crabtree: follow these three rules to keep employees happyerik solbakken: yes, you can work less and make more | donny shimamoto: future firm growth requires a mindshiftjennifer wilson: empower young workers to build the firm everyone lovesmike whitmire: re-think your hiring and training practiceshector garcia: success strategies of a quickbooks youtube superstar | blake oliver: why tax work yearns to be freeprivate equity explodes in u.k. | brannon poe: the status quo must go  | accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | disruptor: jason statts shakes up the status quo | think small to think big with matt wilkinsonwhen financial statements go extinct with corey schmidtcan geraldine carter save accountants from themselves?re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson

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greene recognized that not everyone in a firm wants to be a partner, especially today when “we see partners work crazy hours” and rarely enjoy the benefit of a lighter workload that used to come with becoming a partner.
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the future of accounting: a vision of trust, clarity, and hope

//m.g005e.com/2023/05/08/the-future-of-accounting-a-vision-of-trust-clarity-and-hope/let’s own the unknown.

donny shimamoto, cpa, citp, cgma
center for accounting transformation

in a world where trust and integrity are more valuable than ever, the accounting profession stands tall as a beacon of hope. it’s a field where ethics and client interests reign supreme, and these core values set accountants apart from other business consultants. but the future of accounting is evolving, and as we embrace this change, we must not betray the very trust that forms the foundation of our profession.

more:  donny shimamoto: future firm growth requires a mindshift | ai, ocr, nlp & cpas: oh my!   |  accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | early adopters gain an edge in audit | dustin wheeler: for serious cas success, hire tech teams | csr for cpas: the missing ingredient | donny shimamoto explains how ‘agile’ applies to cpa firmsstaff retention for remote workers | why the future is in risk advisory |  ready for non-cpa “cpa” firms?
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the future of accounting is about more than just crunching numbers and balancing books. it’s about transforming the role of accountants into business service providers, offering comprehensive solutions that go beyond the traditional realm of accounting. it’s about helping clients find peace of mind, vision, clarity, and hope in the face of uncertainty.

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megan genest tarnow: hire for curiosity rather than compliance

flip the org chart and put staff at the top.

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the disruptors
with liz farr
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

megan genest tarnow is well-known in accounting circles as the go-to expert in using quickbooks for the fund accounting required by nonprofit entities.  

more: clayton oates: one way to keep clients for liferandy crabtree: follow these three rules to keep employees happyerik solbakken: yes, you can work less and make more | donny shimamoto: future firm growth requires a mindshiftjennifer wilson: empower young workers to build the firm everyone lovesmike whitmire: re-think your hiring and training practiceshector garcia: success strategies of a quickbooks youtube superstar | blake oliver: why tax work yearns to be freeprivate equity explodes in u.k. | brannon poe: the status quo must go  | accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | disruptor: jason statts shakes up the status quo | think small to think big with matt wilkinsonwhen financial statements go extinct with corey schmidtcan geraldine carter save accountants from themselves?re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson

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

many of the best accountants she knows have come from non-traditional backgrounds like dance or philosophy. megan herself worked in theater for several years before she was thrust into a finance role. like her, these non-traditional accountants apply their native curiosity to understand how the pieces fit together. by leaning into the work and asking questions, they uncover an unknown aptitude for accounting, suggesting that perhaps we should hire for curiosity rather than compliance knowledge.  

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twyla verhelst: how firms get creative to compete

that includes hiring non-accountants.
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subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: apple, google, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, gaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

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the disruptors
with liz farr
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

you have to be intentional about creating the firm you want, said twyla verhelst, cpa. the head of accountant channel at freshbooks and creator of women in accounting mentorship said the first step is getting clear on your why, your firm’s why and your team’s why so you can approach growth more intentionally.

more: clayton oates: one way to keep clients for liferandy crabtree: follow these three rules to keep employees happyerik solbakken: yes, you can work less and make more | donny shimamoto: future firm growth requires a mindshiftjennifer wilson: empower young workers to build the firm everyone lovesmike whitmire: re-think your hiring and training practiceshector garcia: success strategies of a quickbooks youtube superstar | blake oliver: why tax work yearns to be freeprivate equity explodes in u.k. | brannon poe: the status quo must go  | accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | disruptor: jason statts shakes up the status quo | think small to think big with matt wilkinsonwhen financial statements go extinct with corey schmidtcan geraldine carter save accountants from themselves?re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson

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

she said cpas should be asking, “why is it that a particular goal appeals to you?” “is that the right thing to be working toward now?” “what will you do to get there?”

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eight ways managing partners make a real difference

friendly business team looking at tablet in office lobbywant to play at the peak of your game?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

so, what do the truly successful managing partners do that differentiates them from their peers? in this short post i will quickly summarize the results of my research, which entailed interviewing 150 practicing and managing partners in a cross-section of consulting, accounting and law firms across europe and the u.s., before focusing on the things great managing partners did to ensure they were always at the top of their game.

more: ten steps to a new managing partner | five ways to keep your edge as a leader | managing partner: the toughest job in the world | why partners need written goals | eight criteria for partnership | how you can get partners to change
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the model

this model of what successful managing partners do is adapted from the leadership model in “when professionals have to lead,” which rob lees co-authored with tom delong and jack gabarro. i have used the same overarching dimensions of direction, commitment, execution and personal example and added context to reflect its impact on what firm leaders need to do.
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four steps for controlling source documents

woman typing on laptop in front of windowcharge less for more efficient methods. reward your clients.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

permissions are key. in our company only three people have a connection to their local c drive from our managed server. also, we can track who is logged in, from where, how long and what they accessed.

more: why you need standard naming conventions | procedures require regular revisiting | why federated search matters | tips for getting clients started on bos | the best tech for your team and clients | marketing? know your goals first | eight things to stop doing now | you don’t have to do everything | why ai is not the enemy
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if documents are in our cloud storage, the permissions to download them can be turned off. viewing is done from within the document storage app. nothing is perfect. they can still take a screenshot but we attempt to keep things as closed as possible while still allowing for work and efficiency.
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clayton oates: one way to keep clients for life

play the infinite game and 11 more takaways

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: apple, google, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, gaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

the disruptors
with liz farr for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

“we’re ultimately in the people business. we’re in the relationship-building business. we just happen to do accounting.”

that’s how clayton oates, the founder of qa business, views the accounting profession.

more: randy crabtree: follow these three rules to keep employees happyerik solbakken: yes, you can work less and make more | donny shimamoto: future firm growth requires a mindshiftjennifer wilson: empower young workers to build the firm everyone lovesmike whitmire: re-think your hiring and training practiceshector garcia: success strategies of a quickbooks youtube superstar | blake oliver: why tax work yearns to be freeprivate equity explodes in u.k. | brannon poe: the status quo must go  | accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | disruptor: jason statts shakes up the status quo | think small to think big with matt wilkinsonwhen financial statements go extinct with corey schmidtcan geraldine carter save accountants from themselves?re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson

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

oates also believes accountants can choose whether they are playing a finite, zero-sum game with clients or the infinite game, which continues forever and results in an abundance forever mindset with clients, who will then be your clients for life. 

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solos need plans for death, disability

"sorry we're closed" sign hanging in windowchecklists for pre-planning … and for recovery in a worst-case scenario.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

every sudden death or disability is a tragedy. for those who own a business and do not have a contingency plan in place, their legacy is confusion, high costs, stress and anxiety for their family, employees, customers, vendors and everyone else who depends on that business in some respect.

more: when an owner dies without a buy-sell agreement | are you ready for a co-owner to drop dead? | simple controls can prevent fraud | charity directors must take theft seriously | forensic techniques can be fraud deterrence | the hazards of poor internal controls | rule #1: start with cash
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businesses are organic in that many people depend on them for many things and do become part of people’s lives. owners who do not plan, shortchange those they leave behind … saddling them with doubt and many times with unnecessary and unfavorable consequences. lack of planning is not done through ignorance, but through arrogance. making plans for your death is difficult and unpleasant … but it is a necessary part of life. it is a courtesy for those closest to you who contributed to your success.
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put a little zip in your zoom

come on. sit at the cool kids’ table.

group corporate video conference computer monitor screen

by beth ziesenis
app of the week

i don’t think the founders of telecommuter appreciation week could have anticipated worldwide adoption.

more apps of the week:  make your computer a clean slate | recycle and repurpose old devicesenlist ai for more productive meetings | keep teams on task with project management apps | apps to put your affairs in orderapp of the week: celebrate black business month | app of the week: cheap flights | help your clients save money | time to upgrade your spreadsheets | app of the week: secretly stash cash | easy apps for increasing client engagement with video | app of the week: grow your business knowledge and career skill sets | app of the week: upgrade your resume | app of the week: end procrastination
see all: apps of the week here |
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the date is a tribute to telephone pioneer alexander graham bell because it’s the week of his birthday (march 3).

so much of the working world experienced telecommuting in 2020, many millions of people learned to say, “you’re on mute” on cue. read more →

what makes an excellent tax return reviewer

bonuses: a 10-question test (and answer key), plus 18 other issues you might want to test.

by ed mendlowitz
how to review tax returns: the field-tested update

firms have to decide who will do the tax return review, and how qualifed they are for this. ideally, trained tax department personnel are the primary reviewers. however, the bunching and compression of work often shifts some of the review to higher level, non-tax personnel such as audit managers and partners who might not have the comprehensive training, background, knowledge and experience to handle everything that comes up during the tax preparation process.

more: ‘quick and dirty’ tax review | when returns should be submitted for review | tax follow-up worksheets can mean more revenue | stop tax return review shortcuts | routine is key to reviewing tax returns | seven types of tax return reviews
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additionally, in many firms, almost everyone on the staff will prepare some returns to ease the almost insurmountable burden on the tax department. that lack of trained preparers, though, places an added burden on the reviewers, making it important for them to be more aware and alert when they perform the review.
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