today's features
pricing, fees & billing rates

the accounting profession promise that could change everything

“30 minutes or it’s free;” “absolutely, positively overnight;” “no surprise billing. ever!”

edi osborne

by edi osborne
mentor plus

what do these three tag lines have in common? predictability.

dominoes and fed ex built their entire business model on making (and keeping) an uncomplicated predictability promise to the customer.  dominoes and fed ex looked at their marketplace and asked one simple question, “what is your number-one  frustration in dealing with pizza and package delivery?” those frustrations were dissected and turned into game-changing promises that rocked everyone else in their industry.

in the same way, accounting firms that adopt a “no surprise billing” promise could be game changers in their marketplace as well.

more from edi osborne for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members (go pro here):

game changing innovations are not limited to big companies. in fact, even the smallest of accounting firms are in a position to be game changers.

read more →

pro member exclusive

how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats

dozens of accounting firms are turning a business cliche into new growth.

by gale crosley
crosley & co.

an internet search for the term “predictable growth” yields millions of links to websites, videos, books, and consultants. there seems to be no doubt about the idea that growth can be planned and charted.

but for accounting professionals who are trying to grow their firms, it may seem that there’s nothing at all predictable about sources of opportunity and how to manage them. if that’s your situation, it may be because you haven’t yet unlocked the power of the product lifecycle.

more gale crosley at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for pro members:

in the 1970s, bruce henderson of the boston consulting group introduced the concept that products and services have a predictable, consistent cycle. some four decades later, the bcg matrix that he developed remains a popular growth tool. dozens of accounting firms are adapting a version of the model and are using it to help determine how to grow each service line and industry. read more →

management

13 reasons timesheets will never die

ed mendlowitz

nor should they.

by edward mendlowitz, cpa
partner, withumsmith+brown

time sheets are an essential part of any professional services organization. some people contend that they should not be maintained since they should not be the basis of any pricing – that fees should be solely based on the value to the client. i disagree.

editor’s note: timesheets, billing, cost accounting, value and pricing strike at the core of the accounting firm business model. for more on the topic, see:
> 14 steps to find the right “value price,” by bruce w. marcus
> you may be value-billing but don’t know it, video with terry putney
> why the next boom could be the worst thing that ever happens to accountants, with ron baker

read more →

pro member exclusive

planning a partner retreat for real results

and why the best firms make them regular events.

by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of guide to planning the firm retreat

retreats are critically important to a firm’s success.

a retreat provides an opportunity for key people to meet off premises to plan for the future, devise strategies, form goals and address problem areas. another objective of a retreat is less tangible, but equally as important: to enhance the quality of the relationships among co-workers and improve communications between them.

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charts & graphs

accounting hiring outpaces economy, hits new record

the tax, accounting and bookkeeping services industry is cracking a new record high in persons employed full-time.

the nation’s economy as a whole added 115,000 new jobs in april pushing the unemployment down by one-tenth of one percentage point to 8.1%.

but employers in the tax, accounting, payroll, and bookkeeping industries added 2,000 new jobs last month, marking the ninth month in a row of growth for public practice, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis. read more →

outlook & analysis

no alignment? no execution.

seven steps to getting things done right.

august aquila
august aquila

strategy, they say, is easy. execution is hard.

excellent execution beats excellent strategy most of the time. unfortunately, at many accounting frims, good strategies die a slow death as intertia, obstinacy or simple disinterest take hold.

the roadmap to success may seem easy to follow. but, as management consultant august aquila says, “it takes real commitment from the firm’s leaders to do it and follow through.”

aquila is ceo of aquila global advisors, specializing in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and compensation plan consulting. here’s his seven-step formula for translating good intentions into real results. read more →

leadership

the partner compensation checklist

it’s a process.

by gary l. adamson
adamson advisory

there is a constant topic of conversation both inside firms and at almost every conference. it is the age-old question of partner compensation and “how do you do it”. as our firm grew, we evolved from everyone is equal, to the “slip of paper” approach, to a more goal driven, performance based system. every firm is a little bit different but the issues surrounding how you split the pie are pretty consistent.

read more →

leadership

paul dunn: cpas change lives

[jwplayer mediaid=”19373″] here the legendary practice management guru paul dunn previews his planned talk at the aicpa pracitioners conference in june. and here he is delivering a ted talk: [jwplayer mediaid=”19374″] an engineer by training who quickly discovered people were … continued