management

how to start (or re-start) your own accounting firm

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checklist: 18 steps to success.

by brannon poe

are you exploring the idea of starting your own cpa firm? or perhaps you are ready to re-invent the one you have? either way, we’ve gathered some of the key focus areas to help you create your plans for the future.

more by brannon poe: five keys to successfully selling a cpa firm  |  10 questions to ask yourself before buying an accounting practice  |  five key decisions for your exit strategy  |  how to transfer a boomer-owned cpa practice to a millennial |

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

1. should you start your own cpa firm? this is a great place to start, don’t you think? not everyone is cut out to own their own business. starting a cpa firm takes a variety of different skills and talents.

in the meantime, here’s a short list of what’s needed to thrive: read more →

maximize your role as visionary

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woman ladder binoculars city view outlook vision success climb adobestock_57204649.jpegdo the things that only you can do.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

your final role as ceo is visionary. this differs from your role as strategist, as the visionary role deals with the long-term future of your firm.

more: how to be the chief communicator | the tax practice traffic cop | the land mines in tax returns | how to teach reviewing and time management | how to coach your staff | give your people the resources they need | 4 steps to take before next tax season
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this is the fun part, if you really relish your role as ceo. consider your firm a blank canvas on which you can experiment endlessly.
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the land mines in tax returns

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woman reading paper document at office desk in front of computerdata entry errors = public beheadings.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

your next role as ceo is reviewer. there are two types of review: primary and secondary.

more: how to teach reviewing and time management | how to coach your staff | how to create good managers | how to hire and manage great admin staff | managing people: the heart of effective project management | tammy’s tale of tax season tardiness | beware the leeches and consultants | the value-pricing con job | the 21st-century cpa firm | ruthlessly efficient workflow management | the annual tax meeting is dead. clients killed it.
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

depending on the size of your firm, you may only have primary reviews. if your firm consists of you and a preparer, you won’t have a second level of review. i don’t consider the self-review as a review step. i consider it part of preparation.
read more →

want an open culture? let employees share their thoughts

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man in business suit listening attentively to coworker4 keys to soliciting genuine feedback.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

you are in a boardroom or a staff meeting room. the managing partner, his or her second in command, or someone else in charge has offered employees the opportunity to suggest or share an idea.

more: the job interview: a make or break proposition | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet? | outsourcing the c-suite | battling staff turnover | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

did you ever hear someone express what you thought was a ridiculous idea, which was followed by the sound of crickets? furtive glances all around. breaths held. no physical movements to suggest any type of reaction. heads remain down, and note-taking was actually mindless doodling.
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building competency on every level

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diagram
work is passed down to the next level once the saturation point has been reached.

including 3 key initiatives in most strategic plans.

by bill reeb

let’s discuss how firms need to alter their thinking as to what best practices might look like near term to better position themselves for the future that is almost here now.

more: change happens: how to master it.
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

first of all, which i have covered numerous times before, we have to truly address from a workload perspective the prevalence of the upside-down pyramid™ in firms.
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smart tech tips from top cpa firms

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laughing businesswoman talking on the phone in office in front of four monitors5 key questions, including what to tell recruits.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

i have a keen interest and understanding of how managing partners perform their jobs. their duties encompass a long list of critically important management functions. certainly, one of these is to ensure that technology has an optimal impact on the firm’s success, profitability and efficiency.

more: 15 amazing organizational tactics to manage a cpa firm | why governing by partner ownership is bound to fail | 6 ways to retain nextgen staff | how to develop a truly progressive nextgen culture | the top 5 concerns of great managing partners | partners: when to speak up and when to shut up
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this can be quite challenging because, unlike most mp duties, managing the technology function is a highly technical skill that most mps don’t have.
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4 steps to take before next tax season

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young businesswoman working on laptop computer with growth chart in backgroundthink of yourself as a ceo.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

please have a seat. no, not that one. take the one next to me. all of us are here because we love you to death. we only want the best for you. but we can no longer stand by and watch you suffer. when you suffer, we all suffer as a family. we have written some letters to let you know how we feel. i’ll let your firm go first.

more: how to create good managers | 4 tips for managing advanced preparers | the right way to assign staff projects | workflow for dummies | how effective project management makes your life easier | 2 lessons clients taught me | no consultant can solve your biggest problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

“your behavior has affected me negatively in the following manner. i’m not as profitable as i should be. you are stifling the development of your staff. your clients are upset that returns aren’t getting done on time. your kids resemble the mailman more than you.

“please accept the help we are offering you today. we have your bags packed, and we’ll put you on a plane to rehab at the beach. don’t worry about scoring your next fix. we’ll help you detox safely. but you must decide right now. you must give up your addiction to doing everything yourself.”
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15 awesome tactics for running a cpa firm

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businessman writing to do lista checklist you can implement now.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

haven’t we all learned the hard way that the best way to solve a problem is not to let it arise in the first place?

more: why governing by partner ownership is bound to fail | 6 ways to retain nextgen staff | how to develop a truly progressive nextgen culture | the top 5 concerns of great managing partners | partners: when to speak up and when to shut up
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

let’s start with a great example: hiring. read more →

9 key insights for practice excellence

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illustration listing key insightsbe ready for growing pains.

by kayleigh padar

karbon’s latest practice excellence scorecard report reveals nine key insights to promote success – from suggesting expert help to reminding firms to consistently update business processes.

the study has assessed 250 accounting firms so far and identified the common challenges firms are facing and the ways they’re overcoming them.

the data from the report is used in karbon’s new interactive quiz, which scores a firm compared to other firms and provides insight on what areas firms should improve on.
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ready to be a virtual cfo?

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three people speaking by videoconferencesolid technology is just one key.

by jody grunden

you may have heard about virtual cfo services. it’s a concept that’s been around for a while now that allows cpas and accounting firms to offer cfo services to smaller businesses that may not yet be able to afford a full-time cfo.

more: the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what is a virtual cfo?

virtual cfo (or vcfo for short) stands for virtual chief financial officer. a vcfo provides outsourced accounting services at a high level for businesses.
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4 tips for managing advanced preparers

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purple no. 4 billiard ballgood project management software also helps.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

managing advanced-level preparers sounds easier than it is. these preparers will all have blind spots that appear at inconvenient times. some won’t be able to adapt to your internal procedures, because they worked at firms without well-defined procedures.

more: 3 tips for handling rookie tax preparers | how to hire and manage great admin staff | managing people: the heart of effective project management | tammy’s tale of tax season tardiness | beware the leeches and consultants | the 21st-century cpa firm | ruthlessly efficient workflow management
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we had one person who insisted on printing out the prior year tax returns and workpapers before beginning a return. she said she just needed the paper in her hands. that didn’t work for us.
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