the radical cpa

bonus checklist: 5 questions you need to ask.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

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

more radical cpa for pro members (go pro here): who’s your competition? everyone | how the ‘new firm’ was born | radical firms embrace 4 values | radical or complacent? you choose | 3 questions to ask if you dare | who, me a consultant? | target prospects for best fit | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to bundling services | get radical about pricing  |  more…

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.
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where the roots of ‘radical’ cpas originated.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

i started to use this newfangled payroll software that worked through the internet.

back then they didn’t call it the cloud. it was just payroll software that used an internet browser. it solved my business problems of preparing paychecks, paying taxes and filing tax returns for my customers. the technology was paycycle, a cloud-based payroll software.

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“reacting” is no longer enough.

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 radicalism: 3 questions to ask if you dare | are we really that radical? | customer viewpoint: creating a journey map | process maps: methods, meetings and materials | who, me a consultant? | target prospects for best fit | how spiritual value affects pricing | make radical connections | get ready for radical transparency | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas

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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and 3 questions i should have asked before launching my practice.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

i had just come off a really bad tax season.

this was about nine years ago now, and i knew there had to be a better way. i left a mid-sized firm, with seven partners and about 50 other employ­ees and i joined my dad’s firm — literally and figuratively. figu­ratively, because many of his technology and processes were “old school.”

more on radicalism: are we really that radical? | process maps: methods, meetings and materials | 4 questions for choosing the right digital workflow tool | how spiritual value affects pricing | the radical approach to bundling services | get radical about pricing | each social channel has a language | how i got started being social | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | the market is moving toward the radicals | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical?

i was tired of working part-time and not being treated like a contributing member of the firm. my family was young. my son was four years old and my daughter was six. my son was in the process of getting ready for full-time kindergarten and things were just changing in my life. i no longer felt the need to only work part-time, so it seemed like the right time.
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bonus chart: waves of innovation from 1970 to the present.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

what the radical cpas have done is put our cus­tomers first. we have made our firms customer-centric instead of the traditional firm-centric model of years past.

more on radicalism: customer viewpoint: creating a journey map | basics of process mapping: how and who | target prospects for best fit | how spiritual value affects pricing | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | make radical connections | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | how social media transforms firms to their core | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa 

our firms have changed to meet the needs and requirements of today’s fast-paced mobile, social, value, experience-driven consumers.

being a radical cpa is hard.

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bonus: examples, including a complete tax return preparation.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

we use a value stream map, a process map and a sipoc in process mapping. what all of these have in common is that they highlight the process, time, inventory levels and the actors.

more on radicalism: understanding the types and uses of process maps | 4 questions for choosing the right digital workflow tool | target prospects for best fit | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | the radical approach to bundling services | how i got started being social

however, one key variable they all fail to take into account is the customer’s emotions as they journey through the process. a customer journey map solves this problem.
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different maps serve different purposes.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

there are several different kinds of process maps. each map has a specific purpose and use, so here we will cover some of the more common and useful maps.

more on radicalism: process maps: methods, meetings and materials | basics of process mapping: how and who | who, me a consultant? | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | get ready for radical transparency | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa

mapping symbols

despite the wide array of mapping symbol choices available in products such as visio, powerpoint or others, there are four basic symbols that are used in most maps.
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