here’s what you’re looking for: hitendra patil

outlook & analysis

three amazing cpas who want to do tax returns for free

creating awesome value to become the go-to business strategist.

by hitendra patil
pransform inc.

as part of my role in calling on cpa firms, i meet with as many as a hundred in a month. but three of them absolutely blew me away. let me tell you why.

they all share one common factor in their thinking, which is creating awesome value for their clients. all of them provide the same standard services to their clients that an accounting and tax firm would. what happens beyond those standard services is what separates them from the rest of the world. and they use a simple trick to create awesome value. read more →

management

can accounting firms lead with work-life vision?

and 5 practical ideas to implement measures to create real work-life balance at your firm.

work life balanceby hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

do you want employees who have:

  • greater engagement in their jobs
  • higher levels of job satisfaction
  • stronger intentions to remain with their employers
  • less negative and stressful spillover from job to home
  • less negative spillover from home to job
  • better mental health

aren’t these the things most accounting firms would want their employees to experience?

in a 2014 national study of employers conducted under the “when work works” project, families and work institute and the society for human resource management noted that employees in more effective and flexible workplaces are more likely than other employees to have such desirable traits mentioned above.

do you and/or your employees work 12-14 hours a day or 50-60 hours a week, don’t exercise, always feel tired, sleep poorly, eat junk food more often (mostly at your desk) and find it difficult to meaningfully engage with your near and dear ones? read more →

outlook & analysis

why accountants could be the happiest people on earth

now or later keys shows delay deadlines and urgencynew research shows “givers” outpace others in life and in business. are you a “giver” or a “taker”? take the 10-minute test.

by hitendra patil
pransform

imagine that one of your clients calls you up and expresses his gratitude for the help you gave him.

you wonder: “i just gave him the balance sheet and told him that his business model needs some adjustments. i did what i have always done, so why is he thanking me so big? but, yeah, i do feel happy my client thanked me.”

more on entrepreneurial strategy: what if accounting firms were ‘apps?’ | top 10 entrepreneurial traits of successful accountants | four leadership strengths that define accountants | as block and liberty add accounting services, independents face 3 options | readers sound off on liberty, h& r block plans to launch bookkeeping services | threat or opportunity as h& r block, liberty jump into bookkeeping services? | six secret keys to the mind of the entrepreneur | 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z | 5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm

there is a huge new opportunity for accountants to reconnect with the real purpose of the profession, i.e.: becoming not just a trusted advisor for businesses and people but literally the “business strategist” for their clients. who else understands the “language of business” as well as accountants? read more →

outlook & analysis

what if accounting firms were apps?

smartphone12 ways the app phenomenon could change the way you think about your practice.

by hitendra patil

consider, for a moment, the new “app economy.” there are over a million apps in apple and google stores, with hundreds of them doing much the same thing in almost the same way. according to pew research, 90 percent of americans have cellphones and 67 percent find themselves checking their phones for messages, alerts or calls — even when they don’t notice their phones ringing or vibrating.

so, are accounting firms like apps already — offering the same services, same deliverables, same outcomes at the same or similar prices? if so, the only thing missing in the accounting marketplace is an “accounting services app store.”

more on entrepreneurial strategy: top 10 entrepreneurial traits of successful accountants | four leadership strengths that define accountants | as block and liberty add accounting services, independents face 3 options | readers sound off on liberty, h& r block plans to launch bookkeeping services | threat or opportunity as h& r block, liberty jump into bookkeeping services? | six secret keys to the mind of the entrepreneur | 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z | 5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm

wisdom tells us to “hang out where clients do.” yet, there are hardly any “accounting firm apps” on the app stores. read more →

pro member exclusive

top 10 entrepreneurial traits of successful accountants

accountant with abacustest yourself against this checklist.

what does it take to succeed in accounting?
join the the survey; get the answers

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

which accountants have the most talent for building a practice and sustaining a growing firm?

what separates successful practice owners from less successful ones?

in general, the most successful independent business owners, compared with the less successful, are:

  • three times more likely to build large businesses and to grow them significantly;
  • four times more likely to create jobs;
  • four times more likely to exceed profit goals; and
  • five times more likely to exceed sales goals.

read more →

pro member exclusive

as block and liberty add accounting services, independents face 3 options

libert-block-logos-170x145when 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 published its analysis, “threat or opportunity as h&r block, liberty jump into bookkeeping services,” by hitendra patil of pransform, it ignited a small firestorm of responses from readers and a reality check for the profession.

related: new strategic ally, or competitive threat?

two distinct groups of voices seem to be emerging with three basic options for independent accounting firms, according to patil who has been studying the profession’s reactions. read more →

client service opportunities

readers sound off on liberty, h&r block plans to launch bookkeeping services

liberty block logosnew strategic ally, or competitive threat?

practitioners are actively debating the effects and impact of h&r block and liberty jumping into the bookkeeping business, as detailed by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间’ hitendra patil here.

“this is an opportunity to highlight quality,” says wesley middleton, head partner at middleton raines in houston. “the only person who has something to worry about are those that are only focused on price.”

not all practitioners agree in the discussion which began at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 and has spilled onto the 20,000-member 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 linkedin group. read more →

outlook & analysis

threat or opportunity as h&r block, liberty jump into bookkeeping services?

liberty block logoswhat it means for independent tax and accounting firms.

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

the accounting profession in the u.s. has been shaken up by announcements from liberty tax services and h&r block that they are entering into core bookkeeping and accounting services business.

more on the entrepreneur accountant:  six steps for a better tax season   •  8 seconds into the future: meet generation z   •   5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm   •   3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting   •   the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today   •   get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things   •   what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients   •   create your “not-to-do’s” list   •   irs bitcoin rule: 5 things accountants need to know   •   tax season tips: train your brain to focus   •   what the bitcoin phenomenon means for accountants   •   overcoming your clients’ worst fears   •   5 tech tips for reigniting growth   •   a case study in using linkedin   •   accountants and six fundamental human needs   •   client satisfaction starts with ‘likeability’   •   why accounting? your clients want to know   •   what’s next: predictive accounting

the news came as a surprise to many and i had a few discussions with some accounting professionals, especially smaller firms and some solo practitioners, on what they think of this new development. read more →

busy season management

six steps for a better tax season

how some smart firms spent their summer vacations…

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

a new busy season is fast approaching and vacation season is coming to an end. but some firms haven’t been taking time off. they’ve been assessing the lessons from the 2014 busy season to apply to 2015.

more on the entrepreneurial accountant: 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z   •   5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm   •   3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting   •   the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today   •   get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things   •   what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients   •   create your “not-to-do’s” list   •   irs bitcoin rule: 5 things accountants need to know   •   tax season tips: train your brain to focus   •   what the bitcoin phenomenon means for accountants   •   overcoming your clients’ worst fears   •   5 tech tips for reigniting growth   •   a case study in using linkedin   •   accountants and six fundamental human needs   •   client satisfaction starts with ‘likeability’   •   why accounting? your clients want to know   •   what’s next: predictive accounting

here are six of the things that the most innovative firms have been doing. and no, they aren’t what you might necessarily expect. read more →

outlook & analysis

six secret keys to the mind of the entrepreneur

and how accountants can leverage them to be trusted advisors.

by hitendra patil
pransform inc. 

it’s said that accountants are the trusted advisors of their clients. but in reality it’s a myth – as far as business owner clients are concerned.

peer groups, associations, similar business owners, people from the same industry … entrepreneurs don’t listen to anyone else who has not “been there, done that.” they may hear. but they rarely listen.

more on the entrepreneurial accountant: 8 seconds into the future: meet generation z   •   5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm   •   3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting   •   the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today   •   get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things   •   what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients   •   create your “not-to-do’s” list   •   irs bitcoin rule: 5 things accountants need to know   •   tax season tips: train your brain to focus   •   what the bitcoin phenomenon means for accountants   •   overcoming your clients’ worst fears   •   5 tech tips for reigniting growth   •   a case study in using linkedin   •   accountants and six fundamental human needs   •   client satisfaction starts with ‘likeability’   •   why accounting? your clients want to know   •   what’s next: predictive accounting

after talking to several business owners about what they expect from their accountants, we figured out six key insights into how entrepreneurs think. read more →

outlook & analysis

5 reasons gen y will make or break your firm

and two make-or-break questions for your firm’s future.

by hitendra patil
pransform inc.

have you heard of “generation y”? anyone who was born between 1980 and 2000 is a millennial and they will be the majority of your staff within the next few years, if not already. they have grown up with technology, the information explosion and diversity. what they studied for their degrees is far vaster than what you studied.

more from this author:  3 ways amazon’s new fire phone hints at the future of accounting  |  the 8 traits creating the firm of the future today  |  get more done, make more money: stop doing these 17 things  |  what shopping habits reveal about accounting clients  |  create your “not-to-do’s” list

simply, they think and act radically different than older generations in at least five ways that are already beginning to reshape the profession. read more →