rosenbloom: don’t merge for the money

merge to make a better business.

this is a preview. the complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members. 

the disruptors
with liz farr

ira rosenbloom has worked in m&a with accounting firms for years, but things are changing today. the community of buyers is shrinking, so firms are being more selective about with whom they partner. rosenbloom is also seeing more creativity in transactions, and acquiring firms are looking closer at the clients they may be adding.

more podcasts and videos: adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trapgeraldine carter: charging more is better for your clientsvimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

“we’re bringing in more clients. are they the right clients?” he asks. “and if we bring in clients from this other firm, and we do some cutting, how do we let that other firm earn some money back?”

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imagine! the national tax advocate does

(you may say she’s a dreamer, but she’s not the only one.)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

one word keeps popping up in national tax advocate erin m. collins’s introduction to her annual objectives report to congress.

the word is “imagine,” and collins’s dream depicts an irs that is a only bit more feasible than john lennon’s dream of a world with no countries or religion.

more: art werner: maximizing fringe benefits | is the irs mismeasuring phone service? | irs makes big progress but … | business booming, but not as much as last year | busy season barometer offers clues for better business | tax practitioners say happy days are here … again | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

but you can still sing along …

“imagine a taxpayer or a representative receiving a text message

… or email referring the taxpayer to their online account,
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adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trap

be unstoppable without sacrificing your soul.

this is a video preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members.

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).

the disruptors
with liz farr

like many of today’s younger accountants, adam lean didn’t want to be relegated to the back office recording history and focused on compliance but wanted to have an impact by helping businesses grow. “i didn’t want to just be that person that just recorded the fact that the titanic was sinking. i wanted to help the titanic not sink.” younger people “want to make waves,” lean says. “they want to make more money without having to sacrifice their soul.”

more podcasts and videos: geraldine carter: charging more is better for your clientsvimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

lean, the ceo and co-founder of the cfo project, had an epiphany.

instead of being “at the whim of my clients or government deadlines, or bookkeeping deadline,” lean discovered that by helping business owners understand their numbers, he could do something bigger and better. most business owners don’t understand their numbers, but as lean says “that’s a skill that if harnessed in the right way, you can be unstoppable.”

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you can’t win with lowballing

when to let the next accountant take the losses.

ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: a client of 10 years was paying a fixed fee that was now a little less than half of our time charges. also, there had been a gradual scope creep with additional services being forced on us without any extra fees.

more: nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky | yes, you have to share work papers | hiring experience vs. training inexperience | eleven ways new staffers can help bring in business | should you merge? here’s how to chart your path | a friendly chat or a billable discussion? | busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you | when selling a firm to staffers is tricky | want to merge? six steps to take | how to raise your rates
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the cpa had not received an increase in six years because of the client’s constant complaining that the fee was too high. the client just told us they had a quote from another firm that was half of ours, and said if we didn’t match it, they would leave us. what should we do?
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geraldine carter: why charging more is better for your clients

do the work you love for clients who value your expertise.

this is a video preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members. 

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).

the disruptors
with liz farr

geraldine carter wants accountants to get off the treadmill of working too many hours for too little pay. her new book – down to 40 hours – will help accountants achieve the “utterly reasonable” goal of working only 40 hours a week.

more podcasts and videos: vimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

carter helps accountants solve the problem of overwork with a three-pronged approach: creating value for clients, pricing effectively, and delivering services efficiently. a key to this approach is focusing on a niche. by focusing on a particular type of client, you see the patterns that help you create value for clients, “and you’re likely going to be one of the few with that expertise.” providing more value “enables you to increase your prices for the same work,” she says.

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irs makes big progress but …

four people talking on phones in call center

problems remain. (shocked, we are.)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

national taxpayer advocate erin m. collins has plenty of good things to say about the irs in her annual objectives report to congress.

more: the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | can’t irs online accounts be more useful? | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist | the nightmare of non-credentialed tax preparers | taxpayer assistance centers: a good idea that should be better | irs still falling short on service
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

“the irs largely succeeded in 2024,” collins writes regarding this year’s tax season. “after several years of abysmal taxpayer service during the covid-19 pandemic, the irs has now delivered two filing seasons that demonstrate the agency has restored service to pre-pandemic levels and has improved in most, but not all, areas of service. this is excellent news for most taxpayers.”
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use surveys to generate new revenue

 

blue pencil marking survey

download the sample client satisfaction survey.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: is there any value to sending clients a survey?

more: nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky | eleven ways new staffers can help bring in business | busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | want to merge? six steps to take | how to start providing family office services | every accounting firm needs quality control | no one listens to you? change how you talk | 47 types of business valuation to provide | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice | uncooperative partner might not be the problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

response: yes. our firm sends a survey with every deliverable to a client. we want to know what they think and how they feel about our service.
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the irs tidal wave is here

man silhouetted against open doorway in tidal wave

what you need to know now.

by eric green

for over a year now, we’ve been saying that the irs was properly funded and warned it would unleash a tidal wave of work. we also warned you that we would be dealing with all sorts of untrained employees. the bad news, at least for clients, is that day has come.

more: s corp clients beware | four ways to handle federal tax liens | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | tax chat: eric green reveals the tax rep guide to tax season | what i wish clients knew about tax liens | tax: explaining the bad news about canceled debt to clients | offers in compromise aren’t for everyone
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the good news for tax pros is that with this wave of enforcement spells opportunities for representation work. what you do still have to navigate is the impact of untrained employees, who are creating their own set of challenges.
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vimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option

humans are the most advanced supercomputers, but there’s no user manual.

this is a preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members. 
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).

the disruptors
with liz farr

like many who start out in public accounting, vimal bava didn’t initially question the status quo of our high-stress profession where long hours and little time for self-care are the norm. part of that stress was a partner who would “chew us out” for mistakes on returns.

more podcasts and videos: dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

but when vimal’s doctor told him he needed to find ways to reduce his stress, he started his own firm. another wake-up call for vimal came in 2017 when one of his accountant friends suddenly passed away.

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nine reasons not to specialize

young black woman sitting in front of laptop looking thoughtful

think about what you really want.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: can you recommend a specialty i can get involved in to generate more revenue for my practice?

more: when board service gets tricky | yes, you have to share work papers | should you merge? here’s how to chart your path | hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you | how to raise your rates | higher fees to start: ten ways to make your tax season better | three ways to start an accounting practice | free consultation? not always | referral fee? forget it | how much is your tax practice worth?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

response: my discussion with the cpa indicated that his practice consisted of a large individual tax return practice and many monthly business clients. he thought financial planning or business valuations would be a way to expand his services and make more money. it did not seem he had an intellectual interest in these areas.
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are you projecting confidence?

woman with ponytail reflected in window

you are your first client. what’s your first impression?

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

winning your first client is all about understanding why someone would buy from you before you ever speak to them, before you ever meet them, before you ever start the preparation for talking to them.

more: five questions to help forecast your firm growth | four key questions about leadership | showing leadership through customer service | the real math behind the sales pipeline | keep business development going during busy season | walk the commitment walk | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential | five ways to rally your firm to its culture
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

this discipline too often goes unexplained by most sales training programs offered to the accounting profession, but ultimately we have to be comfortable with who we are and the value that we offer.
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disruptors: cut 90% of your clients with dominique molina

we risk losing a generation of highly talented people if we continue to expect them to pay their dues and work long hours.

this is a preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members.

the disruptors
with liz farr

in 2006, dominique molina was overworked and burned out at her accounting firm. but instead of throwing in the towel, she drastically overhauled her firm: she pruned her client base from 300 to 30, focused on her expertise in tax planning, and shifted to value pricing.

more podcasts and videos: dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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

that transformation was “beyond my wildest dreams,” molina says. “i never could have predicted the joy that i feel in my life, the satisfaction and fulfillment i feel from my work” by helping her clients with their own business transformations.

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when board service gets tricky

businesspeople having a meeting over coffee sitting together at a table discussing a document, young man and two middle-aged women present

keep the totality of the relationships in mind.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: i am on the board of directors and am treasurer of a not-for-profit organization. one of the board members is an officer of a commercial bank where we have our accounts.

more: yes, you have to share work papers | hiring experience vs. training inexperience | a friendly chat or a billable discussion? | when selling a firm to staffers is tricky | courting a client? don’t give too much away for free | nine tips for a healthier tax season | fifteen strategies for first-time supervisors | measure knowledge gaps (then close them) | should you offer financial services? | ready to retire? selling your practice is no strategy | 20 things you need for a business valuation
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the organization wants to get a one-year cd with some excess funds they have. it turns out that the interest rate is less than half of what we could get from a local savings bank. i suggested that we open the cd in the savings bank and the bank officer got very agitated and threatened to cut off the bank’s support of the organization if we did not keep the funds in his bank.
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