what’s the why?

how do you view the answers of others?

by gary adamson

the very human tendency to assume that others think as we do can lead to great misunderstanding. in truth, the things that drive individuals – what makes it all worth it – vary widely. discovering what makes each team member tick and what he or she most desires and values is an important step toward creating a cohesive partnership and bridging the gap, not just between generations but among all members of the firm.

more: three strategies to keep emerging leaders energized | marketing: not just for partners anymore | leadership growth is a two-way street | each generation must change
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as firms wrestle with baby boomer succession, the differences in attitudes, thinking and motivators between current and future leaders can sometimes be great. more often than not those differences or gaps are major contributors to the absence of future leaders who are on deck and ready to step into the shoes of the retiring partners.
read more →

top ten types of clients (and 24 more reader suggestions)

two women in office shake handsbonus: how verticals and the gig economy can help you.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

taking on a client’s internal accounting work requires a level of comfort for both the business owner and the accounting firm. a client that has already provided you with access to sensitive financial data is easier to work with than a new business with no previous relationship. once you have done it well with current clients a few times, then you are ready to do this with prospects.

more: eight things to stop doing now | keep the accountants focused on accounting | which kind of team do you have? | you don’t have to do everything | what do you want advisory services to be? | meet the new bos | why ai is not the enemy

reader favorite: the 24 personalities of individual tax returns (and the clients behind them)
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

understand that to be able to effectively in-source your client’s internal accounting work to your accounting firm, you need on-demand access to your client’s information. it doesn’t work if you have to wait for someone to send you the information you need. understand that the processes you use today for write-up and compliance work will not transfer well to this level of client collaboration.
read more →

the great resignation or a reshuffling?

how many in-person days make sense for your firm… and who decides?

by steven e. sacks

the concept of “quiet quitting” is now mainstream thought. summer 2022 is over, and with it, for many companies and their workers, their remote work arrangements.

more: four accountability steps for firm success | how to build a standout team | five keys to becoming a high-performing firm | assessing your firm | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders | why leaders must ensure clarity | incremental vs. exceptional success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

many recognizable companies have sought to get back to some normality. some want workers to return to the office full-time, some have asked for a two- to three-day in-office arrangement, and some have viewed remote work as successful and see no reason to change anything for the foreseeable future.

workers will not easily accept these changes.

read more →

learn how to let go and let someone else step up

young businesswoman talking to her client and using tabletthree ways for leaders to draw in more.

by sarah johnson dobek

encouraging new leaders and creating smooth transitions are easy goals to identify. honing in on specific tactics to accomplish these broad objectives can be much more difficult. this post offers practical suggestions from current leaders at firms that are finding success at developing the leadership capabilities of younger team members.

more: three strategies to keep emerging leaders energized | marketing: not just for partners anymore | leadership growth is a two-way street | win with an intentional culture
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

leadership is one of the top issues facing accounting firms today. we often hear firms say they can’t find or don’t have good leaders in their organization.
read more →

prepare the next generation now

group of four young professionalsthey will look to you for an example.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

if you are a partner in your firm, you may already have asked yourself the all-important question: how can i successfully retire and have someone else take over the firm?

more: five ways to show commitment | comfort vs. complacency | how are you showing your commitment? | five questions about your network | seven things that good advisors skip | internal communication can’t be overlooked | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the partner who has a satisfactory answer to that question is the one who is committed not only to developing business and building the firm on a regular basis, but also to developing and preparing the next generation of professionals in the firm.
read more →

the ten financial controls that’ll make you a hero

what clients need to know.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow!

if you want your business to grow, don’t focus on only the easy financial controls where you can see quick results – such as holding down petty cash expenditures or checking expense accounts for accuracy.

more: rule #1: start with cash | organization minutes too often overlooked | the seven-minute financial statement | the kpi an absentee manager needs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

instead, go for the tough steps that affect long-term profits and facilitate growth.

read more →

csr for cpas: the missing ingredient

`transformation talks: it all starts with transparency.

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegooglespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music and audibleplayer fmaudacygaana (india), and boomplay (africa)

center for accounting transformation
center for accounting transformation

transformation talks
with donny shimamoto, cpa, citp, cgma
center for accounting transformation

accountants have the power to change the world, according to james ross, the corporate responsibility and sustainability executive for buzzacott, one of the largest accounting firms in the united kingdom, in this interview with donny shimamoto.

more: secret to success? a growth and abundance mindset | o.d. lanier: stepping into advisory | from tax to transformation | early adopters gain an edge in audit | why the future is in risk advisory | four strategies for a future ready firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

“we want to walk the walk before we talk to talk,” ross says. “we don’t want to necessarily be delivering to clients something or an expectation that we’re not actually able to do ourselves. it’s just about being really honest about where you are in that process and continuing to take the next steps to improve more widely across the organization.”

read more →

eight things to stop doing now

superhero businesswoman wearing shadow capesometimes work belongs in other hands.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

a firm we worked with in philadelphia has a dedicated administrative assistant for their teams.

more: keep the accountants focused on accounting | which kind of team do you have? | you don’t have to do everything | what do you want advisory services to be? | meet the new bos | why ai is not the enemy
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

she is not a bookkeeper. however, she is very organized and a dedicated team player. after she had been doing it for a while, i asked her what she now saw her function to be. her answer is: read more →

telling prospects too much

know when to stop.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers

q. i usually give away too much info at a meeting to get a new client. we simply answer too many of their questions during the initial meeting.

more: how to improve quality control | how to get into your own cpa practice | when not to charge for an initial consultation | what good managers know about bad judgment
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we don’t know how much info to give away, so the possible new client will get hooked and not take the information and run to somebody else. usually, somebody else is cheaper.

how do i find the right balance?

read more →

rule #1: start with cash

lots of information is lurking there.

by ed mendlowitz
77 ways to wow! the checklist handbook for small-business advisory services.

one time i was asked to audit a hotel in florida that was going to be foreclosed on by the mortgagor and for which i was paid in advance. the audit was planned and scheduled, and it looked like we had everything under control from our end as much as we could.

more: organization minutes too often overlooked | five cash reports you can’t live without | when an audit is a great thing | which kpis do you need?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i received a call on a friday morning that the foreclosure was going to take place sooner than expected, and i had to either do my work monday through wednesday or return the retainer because the foreclosure was going to take place on thursday. i took a sunday evening flight with a senior accountant. when i walked into the hotel, i got really nervous. this was not a small motel but a big hilton hotel – not what i anticipated.
read more →

marketing: not just for partners anymore

let people at all levels show their strengths.

by bonnie buol ruszczyk
bridging the gap

firmwide initiatives that bridge generations aren’t limited to process refinements and lean-style efficiency efforts. dramatic changes in marketing have accompanied the digital revolution, and today’s most successful firms are embracing their new opportunities. marketing is yet another avenue for bringing together old and young firm members and enhancing mutual understanding as everyone works to benefit the firm’s growth.

more: how to close the generation gap | eliminate mystery through communication | leadership growth is a two-way street | how to encourage firm ownership | change when? continuously | win with an intentional culture | each generation must change
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

marketing in the accounting industry has an interesting, and fairly short, history. it is not unusual to find partners who still remember when it was against aicpa rules to advertise, market, directly solicit or even participate in competitive bidding. virtually non-existent for most of the 20th century, accounting marketing has evolved at a rather slow pace even since the rules were changed with the bates ruling in 1978.
read more →

keep the accountants focused on accounting

six businesspeople in meeting around tablechecklist: the 10 questions you need to ask.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

i’ve developed a series of questions to assess someone’s aptitude for being on a team. each person in your firm who is a possible member of the back office support (bos) team needs to answer these questions. that includes you, as you are a potential team member.

more: which kind of team do you have? | you don’t have to do everything | what do you want advisory services to be? | meet the new bos | why ai is not the enemy
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

ask others in your firm or people you work with outside your firm to give you feedback on these questions as they see you and the other potential members of your team. their responses will give you a second filtering of your potential as well as others you would like on your team. notice these are not questions relating to the competencies in accounting functions. the assumption is that you and your people already possess those skills.
read more →