busyness isn’t the same as productivity

stacks of papers on the corner of a deskdo you really need to go to that meeting?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

did you ever notice when you call an associate, a friend or a business of any type, more often than not he or she will always respond with “i’m really busy” or “i’ve been jammed up”? it does not matter the time of the year, much less the time of week or day.

more: is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent? | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success | make your presentations memorable | have a real-life conversation | is your message open to interpretation?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

has busy become too colloquial and is simply a throwaway line? what is actually meant by “busy”? or, more specifically, what is the condition of “busyness”?
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what running a virtual cpa firm really costs

happy business professionals giving high five hand slapremote workers still need to get together if possible.

by jody grunden
building the virtual cfo firm in the cloud

with a brick-and-mortar company, there are a number of standard costs that you would expect to have, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, building repairs, furniture, technology, etc. the total amount of these kinds of costs typically falls in the range of 3-4 percent of the company’s annualized revenue. that amount can be pretty significant for a lot of companies.

more: learning to love video calls | try an accountability chart instead | do you have the right people? | boost efficiency with tech stacks | the only 3 metrics you need | how we sell audits online
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some business owners may think they can save the company all of that money by going remote, but i personally believe that’s a terrible idea. while it’s true that a distributed company doesn’t have the costs that come with having a physical space, the very nature of a remote work environment results in a completely different and unique set of needs that should be considered in the company’s annual budget.
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is your leadership team at the edge?

5 ways to evaluate them.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

“teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. it is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – andrew carnegie, industrialist

more on edge leadership: assessing your firm | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders | why leaders must ensure clarity | incremental vs. exceptional success | do you lead or just manage? | managing vs. leading | is your leadership team at the edge? | 6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond | edge leaders share 7 strengths | leadership must drive culture | leading from the edge
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the above quote by andrew carnegie really puts a fence around the key responsibilities of your leadership team:

  • ability to lead their team to work together toward a common vision
  • ability to direct (drive) their individual team members’ efforts and accomplishments toward maintaining alignment with the firm’s objectives and
  • ability to inspire and motivate each team member to achieve more than they have and to reach top performance and top results as a team

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don’t let time pass without …

businessman running after clock in silhouettewhy spend days or years doing things you don’t want to do?

by bill reeb

“time passes anyway” is a phrase commonly tossed around at my mentor john’s martial arts school. it is the reminder that change comes from doing the work and therefore we need to make every workout count.

more: failure paves the road to wisdom | why we have to deal with guilt | are you right where you’re supposed to be? | letting go is not giving up | your obligation to yourself | work smarter, not harder
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

days will pass – 30, 60, 90 – in what feels like the blink of an eye, and when you make every day count, before you know it, you will be a lot better. whether you use your days well or simply throw them away, know that time passes anyway and that time can never be reclaimed!
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accounting jobs recovery slows

cpa firms and tax prep still down somewhat.

by beth bellor

unemployment edged down to 6.7 percent in november, but the accounting profession saw few of those gains, with its only upticks coming in the payroll services sector.

more on jobs: tax & accounting firms rehire two-thirds of pre-covid workforce | new job cuts at cpa firms | covid job toll: tax & accounting cuts 17,500 employees | firms recall half of furloughed staffers | covid kills 67,600 jobs in tax and accounting | pre-covid-19, accounting profession hits new highs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in this report, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 highlights:

  • current and long-term hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax, and cpa segments of the industry (all data seasonally adjusted)
  • average hourly wages for key segments
  • typical hours worked per week
  • trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

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overarching authority that managing partners must have

senior businesswoman holding portfolio16 items that don’t require formal votes. 7 that do. and 25 best practices.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

there is no better way to start this post than with a quote by tony kendall, managing partner of mitchell & titus, a large cpa firm with offices in new york, philadelphia, chicago and other cities. tony said:

“i can’t manage this firm if i have to take a vote every time i want to make a decision.”

for managing partners to be effective, they must have the authority and flexibility to make decisions without first getting approval and without subjecting those decisions to the nitpicking and negativity that may occur when management decisions are open for debate and discussion.

more: exceptional managing partners offer their advice | why management is the #1 key to the firm’s success | herding cats: advice for managing partners
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there are two caveats to this:
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sell your services on value, not price

4 unique value drivers.

by ty hendrickson

it is all too common when putting together a new client proposal for the first thought to be, “i need to be right around or less than what they currently pay to win this client.” does this sound familiar?

more: when did our reaction to “no” change? | 5 ways to rethink the way you communicate | get goal-ready for 2021 | three w’s for networking the right way | the cpa firm partner’s role is changing | the no. 1 reason accountants fail to build advisory practices | 4 reasons to welcome rejection
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we go in to win new business, instead of thinking about what we are bringing to the table and what services we provide, we focus solely on how can we price our work to be competitive and maybe just low enough to win the business. then, when we meet with the client and share our beautiful proposal that took time and effort away from other tasks, the potential new client decides to stick with their current accountant.
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why create an accounting firm business model?

process touch screen showing workflow designpsst … it includes checklists.

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

running a professional services business requires the ability to manage multiple types of strong-minded and -willed individuals.

more: advice to new accountants | what does the client want to see? | 6 ways to increase your fees … if you dare | the clients that got away | upselling made painless
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it works, but it needs a discipline and a model to follow.

here is mine:
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the path to a conscious business

man walking boardwalk forest trail in early morningwhat did you do yesterday to move closer to your dream?

by matt solomon

in my last post, i talked about what it means to have a default accounting practice. the biggest problem with a default practice is that it leaves you unsatisfied and unfulfilled. you’re hungry for something greater, but you don’t know what that could look like or how to get there.

more: are you running your practice by default? | invest in the right guidance | tap into your gold mine | your secret weapon for exponential profits | step into the role of a business advisor | shift your practice: stop depending on compliance work | take the nine-point practice checkup | three ways to leverage today’s uncertainties for renewed growth
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we talked about awareness as a critical first step in creating change inside of your business. i want to take that idea one step further and introduce you to the concept that has the ability to transform your practice and your life: consciousness.
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document management? automate it

illustration of manila folders dropping from laptop screensolutions for firms of all sizes.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless: technology guide & checklist

the network drive in most firms is not very well organized and requires the most cleanup. this happens because it is usually managed with microsoft windows explorer, which allows almost anyone to create or access a file anywhere on the drive.

more: the 4 buckets of firm knowledge | why digital communications matter | the right tech tools for covid work-from-home | it’s 10 p.m. do you know where your backups are?
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unfortunately, there is seldom a firm standard that is adhered to, allowing users to create files with any naming convention they want and store it anywhere they choose. the result can be files that are hard to find and slow to search across the network.
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