tax season
many considerations factor into the best time to retire.
by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice
question: i am 76 and am starting to think about slowing down and selling my practice. i am a sole practitioner with three bookkeepers and a secretary/admin person working for me. i have a nice spacious office in a small building i own.
i have been approached by a larger firm that wants to buy my practice, but they want a guarantee of retention, and i was thinking of working with them for two years to ease the transition, and then sell. how do i set up the work arrangement?
also, they want me to move into their office, but then i will have to sell my office and the real estate market is soft. also, we will negotiate the price now (a percentage of gross) but how do i know they won’t change their mind, or what happens if the transition period is not good and i have to pull out? what do you suggest i do or how should i proceed?
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rely on your professional network for answers you don’t know. plus 13 key takeaways.
the disruptors
with liz farr
nancy mcclelland never intended to start a firm, but after leaving a toxic work environment, she took on a few part-time gigs. because she’d never worked at a cpa firm, she built it “the way it made sense” without bumping up against the traditions of “this is how it should be done.”
more podcasts and videos: alan whitman: stop accepting the status quo | sean duncan: discover your own genius | ingrid edstrom: true wealth is not financial | caleb jenkins: firm growth requires owners to shift roles | chris hervochon: be the leader you want to work for | ira rosenbloom: don’t merge for the money | adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trap | geraldine carter: charging more is better for your clients | vimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option |
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
the name of her firm – the dancing accountant – reflects her passion for dancing and membership in several dance troupes, including one where she wears miniskirts and go-go boots. sharing that passion with her clients means putting herself “out there” and having faith that her clients respect her work as an accountant. “and you hope that they don’t laugh too hard at your dancing or that they’re not disappointed to find out that you’re just doing silly, fun stuff.”
bonus: a sample flexible work arrangement policy.
by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset
this post originally by convergencecoaching, cofounded and led by jennifer wilson; updated by rosenberg associates
what is work flexibility?
convergence coaching uses the terms “anytime, anywhere work” and “work flexibility” very similarly. both refer to increased flexibility around timing and location, around one’s work schedule and the place where work is done, while simultaneously meeting the needs of its staff and the goals of the firm.
“we like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they (are) at their desk or in their kitchen. yours truly has never worked out of an office and never will.” – richard branson
“be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods.” – anonymous
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can you leave behind a cheat sheet? a toy? it’s not silly if it works.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firm
want to charge more for your services? one way is to offer clients more value. your fees and your value to the client should go hand in hand.
here are nine ideas to increase your value to your clients:
1. offer a guarantee
you might feel like offering a guarantee is taking on a lot more risk than you’d like to, but this is a myth. when you offer a guarantee, you help to lower the perceived risk your client feels they might have when deciding to do business with you. this greatly increases the number of clients who will take that chance, even if they don’t know you very well yet. the surprising truth is that very few people will take the time to ask for a refund, making the increased sales far more valuable than the few returns you’ll need to process, if any.
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focus on their needs, not yours.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
let’s start with two simple definitions to avoid any confusion:
when we meet with prospective clients – and i say this as someone who has sat in on many hundreds of meetings of this nature – we rarely give potential clients a reason to buy from us that they care about.
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there aren’t enough of us to help everyone who needs our help.
the disruptors
with liz farr
what would work look like if it reflected your passions? “imagine,” says sean duncan, cpa, “if you worked with the people that you loved working with, talking about the things that you love talking about, and you made a living and helped them?” as duncan says, “that’s just freakin’ awesome!”
more podcasts and videos: caleb jenkins: firm growth requires owners to shift roles | chris hervochon: be the leader you want to work for | ira rosenbloom: don’t merge for the money | adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trap | geraldine carter: charging more is better for your clients |
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
duncan was working at a large regional firm back in 2006 when he noticed that many small business clients were asking him for advice, but they couldn’t afford the fees of a large firm. so he started his firm out of “kind of this gut feel” of wanting to help those small business clients. over the years, his firm, smd consulting and accounting, has developed a specialty in working with video game developers, a special passion of duncan’s.
management and review still will be needed.
by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice
question: a cpa sole practitioner with a few part-time staff told me that he has come to realize that he no longer had a practice, but a business, and wanted to hire a person for “growth,” not just someone to help him get through the day.
he wanted some suggestions of what type of person he should hire. read more →