four-part plan to re-ignite revenue growth

sprout growing on money pile of glass jar banknew times call for new expansion strategies.

by gale crosley

it’s been a long slog, but we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel known as the great recession. both job creation and the gross domestic product are robust. interest rates remain low, and the stock market is showing solid gains.

more by gale crosley: not all fish need audits  |  the 4 new growth engines in today’s marketplace  |  change catches up with auditors  |  the 6 elements to sustainable growth for cpa firms  | jody padar’s new vision for the ‘new accounting’  |  reality check: achieving world-class growth requires real-world intelligence  |  crosley: the new growth evolution  |  expand your vision and expand your business  |  leveraging leadership: a new way of looking at growth  |  are you creating a sustainable firm?  |  don’t confuse marketing with a true growth strategy  |  overcoming four imaginary barriers that limit cpa firm growth  |  how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats  |  how smart firms use market research  |  got leads? get real. learn how to qualify big opportunities  |  it’s a new generation in lead generation  |  at the best firms, growth is no accident  |  four keys to success at seiler cpas  |  how accounting firms are re-building their sales pipelines  |  how to get started on ifrs in one easy step  |  [pro member exclusive. log in required.]

video: the three elements of growth strategy  |  defining the new business model  |  the 3 hallmarks of the ‘new accounting’ business

while these bright spots are welcome, i urge firm leaders not to be lured into believing that it’s back to business as usual. the light at the end of the tunnel may look like, well, light. but the market conditions illuminated by that light are substantially different from those of the pre-recession environment.

what’s changed? nearly everything, from an upsurge in globalization to stiffer competition, increased standards and regulations, more specialization and a growing reliance on technology. today, clients can engage cpa firms around the corner or around the globe. just because you’re in the neighborhood doesn’t mean you’re in the running. read more →

the cloud is your starting point

man typing into cloudyour customers’ expectations have changed, so you might as well embrace them.

by jody padar

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

more on radicalism: you’re already a consultant | why transparency matters in the ‘new firm’ | 10 questions to prepare for radical change | who’s your competition? everyone | radical or complacent? you choose | 3 questions to ask if you dare

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.

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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the radical cpa and veltig   join forces to launch sage live 

padar
padar

jody padar and donal de paor to announce strategic alliance at the salesforce world tour in chicago, march 24 

chicago – jody padar, cpa, mst, principal of new vision cpa group and author of the radical cpa: new rules for the future-ready firm, published by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, is partnering with donal de paor and the team at veltig, a salesforce solution consulting and implementation partner to support sage live in the market.

the kick off will takes place march 24, during the salesforce world tour at hyatt mccormick place in chicago. both will be speaking on a panel entitled, “the top challenges with business growth.” the panel will take place at 4pm cst and will be moderated by jennifer warawa, vp product marketing, sage live.

sage live is a cloud-based accounting solution built on the salesforce1 platform designed to break down virtual walls between back-and front-office it systems. an integrated accounting platform that provides one real-time source of information, sage live provides business owners a single view of customer, finance, payroll and accounting data in one place, rather than being stored and managed in separate front- and back-office systems.

with the addition of the salesforce data the business owner will have access to deep analytic and reporting tools, live feeds, prospective forecasts, and other in the moment business intelligence.

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want change? lead it

chalkboard saying indicating that time to change is nowbonus 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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how the ‘new firm’ was born

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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radical firms embrace 4 values

core values against open door at top of stairs in the skythese 4 keys 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: radical or complacent? you choose | customer viewpoint: creating a journey map | who, me a consultant? | how spiritual value affects pricing | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | get radical about pricing | how social media transforms firms to their core | radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud | being radical is all about your customer

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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radical or complacent? you choose

erasing the words "status quo"“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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3 questions to ask if you dare

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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are we really that radical?

illustrating customer at centerbonus 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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customer viewpoint: creating a journey map

various cartoon facial expressionsbonus: 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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卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间’ jody padar named top voice in money & finance

learn more
learn more

‘head of the class.’

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor and author jody padar, cpa, mst, has been named among the top 10 money & finance writers on linkedin’s inaugural top voices list.

“i’m psyched to be on the list,” says padar. “for all those naysayers who say social media/business has no roi, it’s really unbelievable. this accolade was completely selected through metrics based on the viral-ability of my content. wow! this shows how with social business, itty-bitty firms can compete on a global scale without huge marketing budgets. cloud and social have completely showed us size does not matter.”

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understanding the types and uses of process maps

the four basic symbols used in most process maps
the four basic symbols used in most process maps

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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