today's features

ten questions for potential new hires

young businesswoman speaking with client

plus four considerations before you start screening.

by jody grunden
building the virtual cfo firm in the cloud

before our firm became a distributed company with a remote workforce, our hiring was naturally limited to a small geographical location – fort wayne, indiana.

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

when we really started to grow, we knew we needed to bring in more senior-level accountants to be able to handle the clients we were bringing in at such a rapid pace.

read more →

call and geraci: future-proofing without p.e. | gear up for growth

reserves, credit lines, and leadership pipelines fuel expansion.

this is a preview. the complete episode is first available exclusively to pro members | go pro here
sponsored by poe group advisors: helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms. see today’s special offer

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegoogle/youtubespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music, audibleplayer fmaudacy, rss
poe group advisors consistently excels in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity.
.

gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

fiercely independent isn’t a strategy, it’s a stance,” says john geraci, managing partner of lga cpas & advisors. “to truly remain independent, firms must be strategic about how they differentiate themselves, understand the threats posed by private equity, and have the conviction to invest in their people and future leaders.” 

more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more gear up for growth

more 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 videos and podcasts here

geraci and jeff call, managing partner of bennett thrasher, were guests on gear up for growth, hosted by jean caragher of capstone marketing.  

as private equity continues to reshape the accounting profession, both leaders agree on two critical factors for firms choosing to remain self-owned: independence must be intentional, and culture is the ultimate differentiator. 

read more →

more revenue in fewer hours

welcome to the balanced millionaire plan.

by jackie meyer

are you an accountant, tax advisor or financial consultant who’s feeling overwhelmed by long hours, endless compliance work and ever-increasing client demands? or maybe you’re in a corporate job dreaming of entrepreneurial freedom. are you tired of trading hours for dollars, only to find yourself burned out and undervalued? do you dream of a practice that generates significant revenue and provides you with the freedom to live a balanced, impactful and fulfilling life?

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

 

you’re not alone. in fact, according to a 2023 report by the illinois cpa society, 41 percent of accounting and finance professionals are either looking for a new job or plan to start looking by the end of the year, citing factors such as salary, burnout and lack of work-life balance. many advisors report working 60 to 80 hours a week, only to see their income plateau while their stress levels skyrocket. this isn’t just about numbers; it’s about a fundamental shift in how we define success and build our practices. if you relate to these struggles, you’re in the right place.
read more →

standout teams require everyone to be on board

four people talking in office

how to overcome roadblocks.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

“coming together is a beginning. keeping together is progress. working together is success.” – henry ford, inventor, founder and ceo of the ford motor company

let’s follow mary as she works through the first principle – creating a firmwide, standout team.

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

 

mary’s firm (continued)

mary is back in her office after the partners’ meeting where she told all the partners that the firm must become a standout, high-performing firm and move out in front of the pack. she continues to think about what she shared at the partners’ meeting and what comes next – how to move this process forward and create the vision that she shared. she knows she must get deeper into each principle and what leadership must do to fully actualize the goal – becoming a standout, high-performing firm. she decides to bounce some ideas off of another partner and asks jim, a trusted long-term tax partner, to join her for some discussion.

read more →

bissett bullet: let them control ‘the when’

today’s bissett bullet: “you should be in control of what happens next but allow the prospect to be in control of when it happens.”

by martin bissett

accounting professionals are generally of a more technical, reactive background and aren’t used to working in the kind of proactive manner that is required for business development. when we finish a meeting with a potential new client and are at the stage where we need to ask for the next meeting, it can feel as though we’re being pushy.

when you ask a prospect when would be appropriate to come back and talk them through your solutions and they tell you they have a busy period coming up and can’t possibly meet for three weeks, that’s fine, simply suggest a date three weeks away. allow them to dictate when the next meeting happens as long as it does. they will then be happy to meet with you without feeling bullied or manipulated and you will have the opportunity to see them again having given careful consideration to your proposal.

today’s to-do:

role play this scenario with a colleague. when you realize that this approach doesn’t feel pushy on the receiving end, you’ll feel more comfortable asking for the meeting in future.

see more bissett bullets here

read more →

what amazon doesn’t tell you | arc

returns ripple through revenue recognition, inventory, and environmental reporting.

sponsored by poe group advisors: helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms.
see today’s special offer

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegoogle/youtubespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music, audibleplayer fmaudacy, rss
poe group advisors consistently excels in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity.

accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto
center for accounting transformation

accounting arc hosts liz mason, cpa; byron patrick, cpa.citp, cgma; and donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma, use a youtube investigation into amazon’s return ecosystem as a springboard to examine the financial realities behind frictionless refunds. they agree that returns are a strategic cost center that must be engineered into product pricing, platform choice, and tax compliance from the start.

more accounting arc: royalties, residuals, and reality checks | arc-slc | free speech is a right; respect is a responsibility | cash bags, casinos & audits: how first jobs shape usgen z redefines careers | bootleggers, baptitsts & cpas: rethinking licensurecpa firm ownership under firewalking violation: when showing your cpa gets you in trouble | audit bags to tiktok tags, gen z talks success | students challenge accounting’s traditional career path | true grit: recognizing struggles that shape our successes |more admins, fewer students, no planwhat career advice gets wrong for gen z – and how to fix ityour identity is not a liabilityburnout, be gone: accounting needs a boundary breakthrough

higher return rates are the rule online. u.s. retailers estimated that 16.9% of 2024 sales—about $890 billion—were returned, according to the national retail federation and happy returns. the cost of reverse logistics, shrinkage, and fraud compounds the hit to gross margin. “if you want the increased revenue from amazon sales, it’s going to come with increased returns,” shimamoto says. “you can’t have the reach without the cost.”

read more →

when to change your price

five issues to consider.

by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa

what is the lowest monthly fee paid by any of your clients? you probably don’t want to bring on any new clients at a lower fee, so use this as your new business baseline. no one enters your firm without paying this baseline monthly service fee.

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

however, the question remains whether the client will be billed on a fixed-price or value-priced basis. here are five issues to consider as you make this decision:

read more →

six ways an internal audit helps

the six principal tasks required.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

every business has a system of internal controls. very small businesses likely rely on luck and the honesty of their one or two office staff. small businesses rely on their independent auditors to check their system once a year and large companies employ one or more internal auditors on their staff.

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

this post explains the internal audit process that applies to every size business. businesses have voluminous transactions; multiple people involved, companywide; and assets that need protection.
read more →

think strategically about profitability

businessman turning compass labeled "strategy" like a steering wheel

use this portfolio evaluation tool.

by august aquila
max: maximize productivity, profitability and client retention

can you ever spend too much time thinking strategically about your accounting and consulting practice? if you are like most professionals, you usually have outlined some goals. you know where you want to go.

more by august j. aquila
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the real question you must ask is this: “do you know the best way to get there?” in other words, “what’s your strategy?”
read more →

permanent relief for pass-throughs? | quick tax tip

the 199a deduction just got a second life — and a boost.

sponsored by poe group advisors: helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms. see today’s special offer

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegoogle/youtubespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music, audibleplayer fmaudacy, rss.

poe group advisors consistently excels in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity.

quick tax tip
with art werner
cpe today

when section 199a was introduced under the 2017 tax cuts and jobs act, it was hailed as revolutionary. for the first time, owners of pass-through entities — partnerships, s corporations, and sole proprietorships — received a significant tax break meant to level the playing field after the corporate rate dropped dramatically.

click here for more art werner

“the idea was simple but powerful,” says tax guru art werner in the latest episode of quick tax tip. “you lop off 20% of the income from flow-through businesses, making sure they weren’t left behind when c corporation rates fell.”

but that popular deduction — and many others tied to the individual provisions of the 2017 act — was scheduled to sunset…until now.

read more →

avoid these fifteen merger deal breakers

man tearing a piece of paper in half

plus: the proper process in 21 steps.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

it’s important to understand the flow of the entire merger process.

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

every merger has its unique aspects. it’s impossible to choreograph, from a to z, exactly how the process for all mergers will work. the steps in the process listed below appear in the order of how they commonly occur.

but again, because all mergers are different, the flow of the steps might vary from merger to merger.

read more →

leadership is an upward spiral

businessman bursting through flames and fireworks

four key questions to ask yourself.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

unhappy and difficult clients help our firms to improve our client management skills and present opportunities to refine our leadership skills.

more by martin bissett

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

 

it is tough for us to build a successful firm without difficult clients or internal personnel issues in order to provide learning experiences for us to build a robust and commercially successful infrastructure.
read more →

shein: no pe? no m&a? no problem | the disruptors

there’s more than one way to scale.

this is a preview. the complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members | go pro here
sponsored by poe group advisors: helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms. see today’s special offer

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegoogle/youtubespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music, audibleplayer fmaudacy, rss
poe group advisors consistently excels in helping our clients find the right accounting practice sales opportunity.

the disruptors
with liz farr

steve shein thought small accounting firms need a different option than private equity or the traditional m&a route. so he founded franklin alliance, which operates differently from either of those models.  

unlike traditional private equity models that typically focus on cost reduction and mandate immediate process changes, franklin alliance operates as an investment partner with a fundamentally different structure. “we’re trying to build this intentionally, with the goal of being a differentiated partner, specifically for small firm owners who care about things like culture, autonomy, and their firm identity,” shein explains. 

more streaming: hood and weber: time to riseproctor: turn dumb ideas into brilliant solutionscarter-gray: how 1 poor review strengthened the firm | hartman: upwork to “40 under 40” in 3 yearstelka: transform fear into fuel | woodard: move past reports; deliver results | baker: find true purpose to end burnoutbrolin: the w.i.n. leadership formulagertrudes: how eos & “unreasonable hospitality” reshaped growthlab | vilms: the power of people in a tech-driven world | dickerson: from diagnosis to disruption | kapilovich: treat people like people | martha yasso: from wall street to main street | jackie meyer: tax plans in 90 seconds? believe it erica goode: build a $200k firm in 15hrs/week |

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

“we built this platform as an operating company specifically so we’re not a fund,” shein explains. “it’s backed by venture capital and family offices, which basically means that the profile of the investors that we’ve taken capital from has a longer-term time horizon.” 

this structure enables what shein calls a “culture of growth rather than a kind of cost rationalization,” which is a better fit for many small firms. the approach contrasts with acquisitions by regional firms, where acquired firms are generally forced to adopt new processes, workflows, and technology within 90 days. 

read more →