strategy

16 rules to $2.25 billion: godaddy founder’s homespun wisdom

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now that internet services provider godaddy has been sold for $2.25 billion, founder bob parsons is looking pretty smart.

bob parsons

so maybe it’s worth looking at the entrepreneurial, controversial parsons’ self-written “16 rules.” (by the way, after serving in vietnam, parson graduated with an accounting degree.)

1.  get and stay out of your comfort zone. i believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. i hear people say, “but i’m concerned about security.” my response to that is simple: “security is for cadavers.”

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it’s official: the war for clients has begun

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client retention falls to winning new business as top issue for firms.

in a signal that the competitive wars among cpa firms have only just begun, a new survey of practitioners shows client retention and even revenue growth are taking a backseat to a desperate grab for new clients.

adding new clients ranks no. 1 for firms employing 2 to 5, 6 to 10 and 11 to 20 professionals, according to the 2011 aicpa private companies practice section’s cpa firm top issues survey, last issued in 2009. read more →

technology raises the bar: four things accountants must do to keep up

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dustin lubertazzi

principles of accounting remain unchanged, but…

by dustin lubertazzi,
senior consultant, sageworks, inc.

luca pacioli, an italian mathematician and franciscan friar, is widely known as the “father of accounting” for publishing 36 chapters on the double-entry accounting method used by venetian merchants during the italian renaissance. his book, summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalita (which translates, “everything about arithmetic, geometry and proportion”), was written as a textbook for students in northern italy at the end of the 15th century. pacioli’s documentation of double-entry accounting and ledgers taught entrepreneurs of the day how to conduct business using timely and accurate financial information, and it established the fundamentals of accounting still practiced today.

pacioli’s fundamentals were only feasible thanks to the written numeral system and the abacus developed before that. and since then, the industry has seen further and more ground-breaking developments including the introduction of the typewriter, then computers, and later the internet. with each of these milestones, technology not only impacted how accountants handle financial information but also how they interact with their clients.

with the changing technological landscape, what must accountants do to stay competitive in the future, and how will technology change the future role of the accountant?

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tax season 2011 disappoints some

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despite economic recovery, many firms seem unable to capitalize on new opportunities. click here to join the tax season 2011 survey; get the results.

march survey results show 18% of accountants reporting "much" better overall results than a year ago and 26% reporting "somewhat" better results. source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

tax accountants are finishing the 2011 busy season with stronger results than they expected, but – perhaps surprisingly — not as strong as last year, despite somewhat improved economic conditions.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research suggests that many accounting firms may have over-reacted to the 2007 market crash by cutting staff and billing rates, leaving them unprepared to capitalize on the opportunities of the 2011 recovery.

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four keys to success at seiler cpas

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lessons from a seasoned firm with steady vision. by gale crosley cpa firm growth consultant crosley + co. seiler llp, based in redwood city, calif., had always served high net worth individuals and privately held companies, especially those in real … continued