10 radical steps into the cloud

the bottom line is this: the specific technology you use doesn’t matter.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

once you decide on what cloud software you want to use, here are the 10 steps you need in order to make the transition:

step 1: adopt for your own practice. choose an online software you’d like to try and input your financials. it’s the easiest move to make, and you’ll learn a lot during the process. you’re the most intimate with your own financials, so start there.

more on radicalism: six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud | radical customers are on their way | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

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i currently run our financials in three sets of software, xero, sage one and quickbooks online. why? because i want to know what’s happening in all three products — and which one works best for me. i would also suggest playing with bill.com. it’s how you’re going to learn best how to use it. read more →

six competitive advantages for the radical cpa

there are tools for all sizes and needs.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

we’ve said the backups and the intangibles outweigh the little annoyances. but what specifically will you gain from moving to the cloud?

more on radicalism: radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud | radical customers are on their way | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

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

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radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud

your customers’ expectations have now changed.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

let me clear this up now. the cloud is not an actual cloud.

it’s your software in a computer room, miles away from your physical location. i’ve been to the cloud and it’s a funny and interesting place to visit.

more on radicalism: radical customers are on their way | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my practice

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

it’s just a warehouse; they take your driver’s license, they scan you in, inspect your eyeballs and make sure that you’re not some bad person. there’s a large area full of servers and wires and it’s unbelievably hot. but what was especially endearing about my experience was that my cloud provider, byron patrick from simplified innovations, couldn’t contain his excitement about taking me. he was like a kid in a candy shop. it must be a techie thing.

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radical customers are on their way

do you create content? you’ll need to learn.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

new customers want cpas to use the latest technology and the next generation of business owners demands it. but what about the legacy customers who you think don’t care? the original owners may not care, true. but your legacy customers are going to have the same succession issues as your firm. those customers are going to have to create a succession plan and if that plan is going to the next generation, that generation doesn’t have any experience with you as a cpa firm. and you better believe tech­nology is important to them; it’s in their dna.

more on radicalism: the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

for example, if the dad passes the torch to the kid, and the kid says “well i don’t know john cpa all that well. they don’t use cloud tech­nology and i’m going find a firm that does use the cloud.” they choose technology because they have no current relationship with the firm. we receive many leads from business owners in this situation.

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the market is moving toward the radicals

5 ways to be prepared.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

a cch white paper, “charting a course for the future: a report on firm preparedness,” defines some of the trends that will have the most significant impact on accounting firms and their customers over the next five years.

learn more
learn more

more on radicalism: 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

the study also notes how well-prepared accountants are to take advantage of these trends. by putting the “very prepared” firm under the magnifying glass, the report examines what makes firm owners confident about the future.

free instant download:
report on firm preparedness

the most important take­away is that firms that feel more prepared for the future report that they are more productive and more profitable today. read more →

you’re radically more than you realize

are you guilty of random acts of consulting?

by jody padar
the radical cpa

to me, the most trusted business advisor is the small busi­ness advisor. that’s what my customers see. my firm serves small businesses from the ground up to $10 million. yes, we look at their numbers, but practically speaking one gains a lot when you’re in their financial underwear drawer.

most of our conversations are around their questions. it’s a natural extension of the work we already do – financials, taxes, payroll, cash flow and forecasting.

more radical cpa: 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

these people are not asking complex tax questions. they’re asking about it, human resources, general licensing and for help with some decision-making. we’re small business consul­tants.
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5 radical transparencies. are you ready?

plus 4 questions as you shift from number cruncher to advisor.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

aside from creating a new way to do compensation and work, the “new firm” model brings upon a whole new level of trans­parency for both the customers you work with and your employ­ees.

more on radicalism: 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

  1. data is changed in real time. no longer can you say that you never got that fax or email.
  2. more clarity in communication and expectations is required.
  3. what you communicate and how you deliver these communications will materially change, which calls for better monitoring of how team members communicate as well.
  4. communication tools will vary. are you using email, phone, videoconference, in-person, text or facebook?
  5. how will you feel about your employees having transparent communications with firm customers and, more important, how is all this communication shared internally?

here are just some of the things that shift: read more →

4 questions radical firms must face

embrace the laws of disruption.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

with revolutionary change, comes disruption. you knew that, right? the three laws of disruption say that:

  1. disruption comes to us all. so, if you’re reading this, you’re going to be disrupted. congratulations, that’s a good thing!
  2. disruption comes because of changes in the product-market fit.
  3. there are only three methods to change the product-market fit.

more on radicalism: being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

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being radical is all about your customer

think in a new way, starting now.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

once you begin brainstorming about your new processes, you need to think about it from as many different viewpoints as possible, with an emphasis on design thinking. the easiest way to define design thinking is to look at it from your customer’s perspective instead of yours.

more on radicalism: being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

it’s not all about you. i know, i know. but hear me out. it’s hard to look at your firm from a customer’s perspective. that’s why we gravitate to a firm-centric point of view. this point of view asks questions like:

  • what do we sell customers?
  • how can we reach customers?
  • what do we need to establish with our customers?
  • and how can we make money from our customers?

we’re think­ing about ourselves internally. nobody wants to hang out with someone who only thinks of themselves, yet that is the way we run our firms.

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being radical starts with being the change

here are the questions you need to ask.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

“say it with me now: i am a change agent.”

before you consider adopting the cloud or any of the “new firm” mindset, you have to ask yourself if you are willing to be the change.

more on radicalism: why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

once you decide, first things, first. own it! you have to commit. if you teeter it will be harder. jump in feet first and feel the shock of the cold water. i’m not saying it won’t work if you wade in, i’m just saying it’ll be more of a challenge.

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why start being radical now?

your competition can come from anywhere now.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

i’ve been in the cloud for eight years so it’s old news to me.

the biggest thing to do is to look around and look at the competi­tion. you can probably leave your firm and start your own firm with less than $400 a month in software and without or very limited overhead. isn’t that terrifying for you old-timers!

more on radicalism: going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

that’s what the next generation of accountants has at their disposal. and they are doing it whether it’s good or bad, whether they have the experience or not. they are opening their own accounting firms. the times they are a-changin’. read more →

going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’

happy young businessman jumping in tornadothere are 4 keys, but they come down to meeting needs.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

people often ask me: what makes a firm a “new firm?” there are four fundamental tenets.

more on radicalism: why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

these four tenets, although adopted dif­ferently within each firm, compromise a new set of values that most of the “movement” firms embrace. ready? here we go:
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why should cpas be radical?

businesswoman lassoing light bulbthe alternative is complacency. we all know where that leads.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

cpas must be “radicalized” so they cannot be lulled into com­placency and driven by reaction to their current firm or live­lihood. the changes that are happening in today’s fast-paced world need to be addressed.

more on getting radical: the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

you and your team have already felt the changes. the silent majority of many employees are hurt, suspicious and feeling unheard. they see and experience the changes happening around them and don’t understand the complacency or the resistance to change from firm management. you may even be feeling this yourself within your firm of one.

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