outlook & analysis

soloists drive mobile tech trend in accounting

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smallest practices find new profits in going virtual as larger firms would prefer to cut staff and delay tech upgrades.

soloists gone mobile

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 exclusive

if you’re a sole practitioner, there’s a 4 in 10 chance you’re reading this outside the office – at home, on the bus, maybe while waiting in line at the dmv, according to the accounting firm operations and technology survey.

related: accountants find power and freedom in mobile tech  |  how firms are adapting to the new mobile workforce  |  new client opportunities with mobile apps  |  cloud & mobile technologies drive change in tax and accounting

the new survey of almost 300 professionals shows that 44% of sole practitioners report they work out of the office more than a quarter of the time, placing them in the vanguard of the mobile workforce trend. in fact, 5 percent use no office at all, reporting instead they work virtually – maybe from home, car, a client’s desk or even a starbucks. (though we suppose those grande mocha light frappuccinos add up.)

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are bad clients driving you crazy?

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angry businessman on the phone16 ways to tweak your compensation systems to get and keep the right clients.

if your partners are putting up a fight to keep clients who should be let go, take a look at your compensation system. it’s not just about billable hours.

august aquila, creating the effective partnership, suggests 16 tweaks to your firm’s compensation system. while the list is not exhaustive, it does provide criteria that firms can consider beyond revenue. read more →

why i don’t hire on experience

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aquestion: i know you advocate for hiring entry-level staff, but is there a situation when an experienced person should be hired?

answer: obviously there are exceptions – but i believe they are few and far between and not worth the overall effort of only hiring experienced staff, which many small firms only hire, and occasionally larger firms do when they think a “gem” is available.

the main reason of the whys and wherefores of the exception and hiring experienced people is that the experienced person you interview has worked for only one firm and you believe that firm has the same quality standards for training and development as you have and the person is leaving because of: read more →

can you hear me now?

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eight reasons why accounting firms need to work on internal communications first. by bruce w. marcus a terrific definition of chaos is when a client asks two different people in your firm the same question – and gets two different and … continued

your clients love you? what if you’re wrong?

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a short discourse on random and statistical risk. by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 risks are different in context and magnitude. a good mathematician can often statistically quantify the boundaries of risk, such as telling you that one … continued

survey: how accountants keep up with tech trends

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top strategy: compare with peers.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 exclusive

the pace of change in technology is leaving accountants so dazed and confused that about half of all practitioners say merely “keeping up” is one of their biggest technology-related problems. cost comes second.

accountants are so fed up with the staggering pace of developments that you couldn’t pay them enough to try a new software product “while drinking umbrella drinks on a beach at vendor expense,” according to randy johnston and leslie garrett, writing in the new accounting firm operations and technology survey. they caution, however, that “if you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.”

the survey reveals the top tactics accountants are employing to stay up to date and make informed decisions – starting with keeping close tabs on their colleagues and competitors. read more →

6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger

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and the top 8 questions every staffer will ask.

aquila
aquila

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

to get your employees’ commitment to the merger, they must understand how it impacts them personally and see the opportunities for themselves.

let’s assume that the announcement for the upcoming merger or sale is handled properly. in other words, it was not leaked or there were no rumors on the street. you can be sure that once the announcement is made, employees start thinking about one thing — how does this event affect me? this is about self-preservation; it’s an emotional and psychological question that everyone will ask themselves. read more →

5 time management tips for an overworked accountant

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time management clock money dreamstime_xs_13009574

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aquestion: i am sure you heard this before, but i just can’t seem to get on top of my work – i am always behind and in addition, my income has been dropping.

i am a sole practitioner with no staff and don’t want any. i like what i do, but lately it seems i have been chasing my tail and losing some ground. my practice is 40% 1040s which are mainly done from mid-january to april 15. i do not file many extensions. another 40% are small businesses that i work on monthly. about half i go to and the other half send in their information or quickbooks files. 10% is payroll preparation for clients.

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managing risk in client relations

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wishful thinking? by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research has uncovered the startling fact of the wide disparity between how accounting firm management perceives their own performance and how their clients see their performance. (join the … continued

when accountants don’t know they don’t know

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blindfolded at computer by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

early in my career, one of my favorite things to teach was maslow’s four stages of learning.  i still think it’s one of the most valuable and profound pieces of information i have come across in my learning.

maybe you recall, too:

  1. unconscious incompetence.
  2. conscious incompetence.
  3. conscious competence.
  4. unconscious competence.

here’s how it applies to accountants: read more →