and 23 additional details to hammer out.
all things being equal, in a merger between firms of relatively equal size and weight, not all things are equal. here marc rosenberg, author of cpa firm mergers, lists the thorniest questions that crop up most frequently.
the most critical issues read more →
by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
when i look through accounting today’s top 100 leaders list and the comments they have made about what they perceive to be the challenges in our profession, many of the answers are the same: change, talent and relevance are a few you’ll see. and they are all right to some extent, but there is a deeper systemic problem that i think could fix quite a few of these in one swipe. i’m not saying it will be easy, but it is a fairly straightforward problem once diagnosed.
the most interesting part is that the smallest firms are getting better at solving this than the larger firms. read more →
readers’ forum: hours worked. firing clients. setting prices.
the best – or worst? – accounting marketing methods.
by wesley middleton, cpa
managing partner, middletonraines + zapata llp
i read “the 5 worst marketing methods for accountants,” by sandi smith leyva and i was shocked.
the top three that are on my list that are must do in our firm are on this list.
so let me speak from a managing partner perspective of a firm of 37 people adding 28% organic growth through these exact channels. cpa firms are getting it wrong and while i feel like i am sharing my secret, i just have to say it. read more →
how a larger firm worries about the smaller firm’s issues.
mergers between larger cpa firms have their own special issues, as marc rosenberg, author of cpa firm mergers, discovered when he interviewed the partners of one of them. they are:
plus: the 8 leadership traits driving firms toward destruction and 3 steps to fix the problem.
by august aquila
creating the effective partnership
many accountants could add to this list, but here are some of the surefire signs that a firm has weak leadership driving the firm toward implosion.
by ed mendlowitz
question: how do i switch to value pricing?
response: there are a number of ways. ron baker’s books tell how to do this. so does dave cottle’s but in a different way. i believe most firms do some sort of value pricing and that is when a fee is determined in advance with the client. i’ve written previously on this and have presented programs for cpa firm management groups, but here is a descriptive checklist to use as a guide: read more →
one question: for initial buy-in, should you write a check or transfer wip and a/r?
there’s a lot to worry about in any cpa firm merger deal. but in one deal between two small firms, when marc rosenberg, author of cpa firm mergers, interviewed one firm’s partners, he heard seven major issues. they are:
today’s topic: software and technology.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 conducts surveys all the time, but we like to ask periodically if there are questions we just aren’t asking that you need answered.
we’re giving you the opportunity to help your fellow accountants with their pressing questions.
update: see the rebuttal, “the 3 most unused marketing methods for accountants“
by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
there are a couple of dozen different marketing methods that you can use to build your practice, but they are definitely not created equally. in fact, some are so ineffective and costly that we really try to steer people away from them. here are five of the worst for building your practice. read more →
why you can’t afford to wait for the next big thing.
by frank stitely, cpa, cva
technology pundits love to pontificate in absolutes. “you have an absolute duty to protect your clients’ data.”
so they advise taking a pass on new technology, such as mobile devices and the cloud, as being too risky. their recommendation is to wait until tech security stabilizes, which is the same as their recommendation last year, which was the same as their… you get the picture.
faced with new technology, as cpas, we must fear it. or so we are told. but the pundits misunderstand the risk of the status quo. read more →
and 6 emerging innovations used by the best firms.
by marc rosenberg
from the introduction to quantum of paperless
cpa firms are a lot more innovative than many of us think. in fact, technology is the major area of innovation for cpa firms. the way accountants do their work has been totally transformed and continues to change every year.
some of the major innovations roman kepczyk addresses in the newest edition of quantum of paperless: the partner’s guide to accounting firm optimization include:
2. smartphones and tablets, including the touchscreen
3. cloud/saas, including portals and addressing security issues
4. workflow, including paperless audit and other software and scanning technology
5. knowledge management
6. social media networking
meanwhile, leading cpa firm managing partners leverage technology for efficiencies using one or more of nine main strategies, based on a rosenberg associates study of a cross-section of firms with revenues ranging from $3 million to $15 million. they are: read more →
in a series of interviews with some of the profession’s leading technology executives, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 identifies four new rules for success in a rapidly changing competitive marketplace. and it’s probably no accident that three of the four executives who answered our call focus on workflows and document management.
1. workflows and client service are inextricable – brock philp, president and ceo, doc.it, a document management system
2. the biggest peril is irrelevance – scott fleszar, vice president, strategic marketing, thomson reuters tax & accounting, cs professional suite
3. cpas must move from compliance to reliance – chris frederiksen, chairman, 2020 group, practice development tools
4. tax prep alone won’t support the profession – matt peterson, president and ceo, efilecabinet, document management read more →