how to build a better firm through teamwork

persuasion word cloudpartnership is about persuasion. plus 5 questions to consider.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

just as the partners need to engage with the firm’s vision so do the firm’s people. but, like everyone, they actually engage with people not words.

more on leadership for pro members: drop politics, be accountable | don’t weed out the roses | back to basics: 25 ways to grow your practice | 3 ways to halt a poor leader | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | 11 steps to building a better partnership team | how to combine two firms after merger: carefully

so, effective partners continually engage with their people, regardless of their level and role. they go out of their way to create a personal bond, sharing personal information and operating with honesty and integrity in all of their interactions.
read more →

drop politics, be accountable

goldfish forming an arrowsix expectations for leaders.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

every book you read on leadership will tell you certain things you need to do to become a good leader. however, you can do these things and still not be someone who people want to follow.

more on leadership for pro members: don’t weed out the roses | 8 questions to analyze your pricing | 24 points for after the deal is done | 5 questions for every mp to answer honestly | 6 practical ways to innovate | how to tell a culture change is due

why? leadership is all about trust. if you cannot trust me, then you will not follow me or believe in me.
read more →

don’t weed out the roses

gardener pruning a rose bushwhen tweaking your comp system, remember it’s not just about the money.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

if your partners are putting up a fight to keep clients who should be let go, take a look at your compensation system. it’s not just about billable hours.

more on leadership for pro members: 8 questions to analyze your pricing | what makes a successful strategic plan? | innovate or die | partners love, hate leadership | 8 ways leaders destroy firms | today’s top six partner compensation trends | 8 financial ducks to line up now

here are 16 tweaks to your firm’s compensation system. while the list is not exhaustive, it does provide criteria that firms can consider beyond revenue.
read more →

8 questions to analyze your pricing

number 8 in gold

building a growth-centric pricing strategy requires analyzing 3 factors.

which pricing schemes are working best today?
join the survey; get the results.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

think of any services, professional or commercial, that you have purchased over the last few years.

more on leadership for pro members: what makes a successful strategic plan? | back to basics: 25 ways to grow your practice |3 ways to halt a poor leader | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | 11 steps to building a better partnership team | partnership is about persuasion

would you pay a premium rate to a bonsai gardener just to trim a regular tree or shrub? most likely not, since there would be many a gardener available to do this simple task. however, the price of an open heart surgery would not matter, if the operation would save your life.
read more →

what makes a successful strategic plan?

cute furry monsterfacing the monster issues.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

during the next several months, firms will be meeting to develop a strategic plan for the coming year or two. it’s a summer ritual for many firms.

more for pro members24 points for after the deal is done | innovate or die | 3 ways to halt a poor leader | partners love, hate leadership | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | 11 steps to building a better partnership team

however, the plans that are usually developed don’t address the real issues that firms are facing.

a client recently asked me, “what can we do to develop an effective strategic plan?” i’m not sure if he liked the answer or not. i am still waiting to hear if my proposal was accepted. let me share with you what i said to him.

read more →

back to basics: 25 ways to grow your practice

sprout growing on money pile of glass jar bankhow many are you doing? what would you add?

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

sometimes the best way to grow a practice is to return to the basics – no fancy marketing campaigns, just some good old fashioned face-to-face contact and working your existing client base.

more for pro members24 points for after the deal is done  |   innovate or die | 3 ways to halt a poor leader | partners love, hate leadership | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | 11 steps to building a better partnership team

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

here’s a list of 25 ideas for growing your practice. how many are you currently doing? read more →

24 points for after the deal is done

colleagues working side by sidehow to make sure these two firms start working as one.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

congratulations! after years of planning and months of tough negotiations, you’ve finally closed the deal on merger of your cpa firm.

more on leadership for pro members: innovate or die | 3 ways to halt a poor leader | partners love, hate leadership | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | 11 steps to building a better partnership team

you might be thinking the most difficult work is behind you. think again! you now have to move your eye from the financial to the human side of the merger.
read more →

innovate or die

photo of a skunkuse a ‘skunk works’ mentality so the compensation trap doesn’t ruin you.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

the focus on most cpa firms is on billable hours. while there is nothing inherently wrong with this focus, it has become the overriding focus of firms.

more on leadership for pro members3 ways to halt a poor leader | 5 questions for every mp to answer honestly | does your dashboard need fine-tuning? | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | how to tell a culture change is due | today’s top six partner compensation trends | 11 steps to building a better partnership team | why your firm should be a republic | 8 financial ducks to line up now | partnership is about persuasion

there is nothing wrong with making money today, but what about building for the future? with “today” being the dominant focus, what is the encouragement to cpas to innovate? in most firms there is no alignment with innovation and compensation.
read more →