why knowledge maintenance is key

businesspeople discussing chartsdon’t let systems and processes leave with your employees.

by steven e. sacks

there are nearly 80 million baby boomers today, and this cohort ranging from ages 55 to 73 is projected by the u.s. census bureau to reach 83.7 million in the year 2050. by 2030, more than 20 percent of u.s. residents are projected to be aged 65 and over, compared with 13 percent in 2010 and 9.8 percent in 1970.

more: set your staff on the right course | how does your firm leverage its talent? | the lost art of the interview | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet?
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a large part of this growth is because of the aging of baby boomers (individuals born in the united states between mid-1946 and mid-1964), who began turning 65 in 2011 and are now driving growth at the older ages of the population. as one source in 2016 put this into perspective, every day, 10,000 people turn 65. there are more than personal financial issues at stake here.
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traditional benefits for remote employees

woman sitting outside with laptop and smartphoneis skimping worth the cost in loyalty?

by jody grunden

traditional benefits often include things that many brick-and-mortar office workers take for granted such as paid time off, health insurance and a retirement plan.

more: keeping the right people on the bus | 10 interview questions for unlocking true potential | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture
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why do i say these are taken for granted? well, some distributed companies may hire independent contractors to cut down on their expenses when it comes to “frivolous” things like this, but we believe in building a great place to work, and to us that means offering the kind of benefits that make employees feel secure and cared for.
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set your staff on the right course

people standing, holding food and talkinghelp them develop soft skills.

by steven e. sacks

in the famous words found in alice in wonderland, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road can take you there.”

more: how does your firm leverage its talent? | retention starts with the hiring interview | the new way to handle exit interviews | who’ll quit next? | strengthen your firm’s screening practices | smart trust in the workplace | what aspiring accountants need to know
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this is a lesson alice learned much to her frustration. this, too, can be frustrating for professionals entering the workforce, especially in cpa firms. firms often are not clear about establishing and communicating expectations for their new hires. the focus on billable hours takes precedence over building professional and personal growth.
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how does your firm leverage its talent?

five questions you can’t say “no” to.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

with millennials representing 35 percent of today’s workforce, 50 percent in the next couple of years and 75 percent by 2030, the career mindset will shift even more toward moving onward and upward – and out.

more: retention starts with the hiring interview | how motivation is like bathing | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs | a leader’s guide to ending entitlement
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unless you are a business owner, the days of 40-year employees have disappeared.

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keeping the right people on the bus

illustration of different types of people connectednot everyone will work out, and that’s ok.

by jody grunden

there’s a common misnomer when it comes to retention and keeping people on the team. retention doesn’t mean keeping every single person on your team forever.

more: 10 interview questions for unlocking true potential | the hidden cost of running a distributed company | how to develop your leadership team | 4 ways to bill clients | automation and the future of accounting | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
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not only do you want to get the right people on the bus, but you also want to get those people into the right seats. we want summit cpa to be a great place to work, and we want great people to be working here. however, we realize it may not be the right place for every person.
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10 interview questions for unlocking true potential

how to think outside the (geographical) box and hire remotely.

by jody grunden

before our firm became a distributed company with a remote workforce, our hiring was naturally limited to a small geographical location – fort wayne, indiana.

more: the hidden cost of running a distributed company | how to run effective leadership team meetings | disc helps remote team work together effectively | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | the rise of the virtual cfo
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when we really started to grow, we knew we needed to bring in more senior-level accountants to be able to handle the clients we were bringing in at such a rapid pace.

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retention starts with the hiring interview

two women shaking hands across a tableask about real-life situations and look for fit, not personality.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

what are your strengths and weaknesses? all potential hires are asked this. if you had to plan for these two questions, what would you do to be ready to respond?

more: how motivation is like bathing | the lost art of the interview | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | the holy grail: finding the right talent | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet? | outsourcing the c-suite | getting the accounting firm agreement right | today’s workplace challenge: communicating across generations, cultures, and diversity | negotiate for success, not a ‘win’ | does busyness really mean productivity?
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there have been scores of books offering guidance on interview preparation; what to avoid; how to turn a negative to a positive; and skillfully and persuasively transform what you perceive to be a weakness into a strength.
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the hidden costs of running a virtual cpa firm

happy business professionals giving high five hand slapcombine a retreat with cpe.

by jody grunden

with a brick-and-mortar company, there are a number of standard costs that you would expect to have, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, building repairs, furniture, technology, etc. the total amount of these kinds of costs typically falls in the range of 3-4 percent of the company’s annualized revenue. that amount can be pretty significant for a lot of companies.

more: how to run effective leadership team meetings | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize | ready to be a virtual cfo?
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some business owners may think they can save the company all of that money by going remote, but i personally believe that’s a terrible idea. while it’s true that a distributed company doesn’t have the costs that come with having a physical space, the very nature of a remote work environment results in a completely different and unique set of needs that should be considered in the company’s annual budget.
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how motivation is like bathing

two businesswomen sitting at table and talking in office courtyardit’s just one key to employee retention.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

salary used to be the main driver behind a young professional’s choice of employer. no longer. in fact, salary is now ranked as fourth or fifth among the important criteria.

more: the lost art of the interview | the new way to handle exit interviews | who’ll quit next? | strengthen your firm’s screening practices | smart trust in the workplace | what aspiring accountants need to know | improve job satisfaction or it’ll cost your firm | we hear but do we really listen?
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the gen y cohort is looking at meaningful and challenging work, increased responsibility, rapid upward mobility, the freedom to innovate, an opinion to be respected, a system for frequent performance feedback and a work environment that encourages the use of technology – specifically social media.
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build trust through transparency

make sure your people understand what they’re seeing.

by jody grunden

joel gascoigne, founder and ceo of buffer, a saas product that helps users schedule social media posts, has become very well known for building a transparent organization.

more: how to run effective leadership team meetings | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize
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a few examples of the types of information that buffer shares publicly include salaries and equity shares of all team members, company saas metrics and things they’re learning in their journey – good and bad.

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the lost art of the interview

two men sitting across from each other shaking hands5 things you’re trying to find out.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

“you’ve gotta understand – when you interview someone, it’s not an interrogation. it’s not the nuremberg trials.” – joan rivers

the process of interviewing candidates can be done more effectively if less reliance is placed on the resume. much has been written on this, from psychologists to organization behavioral scientists and everyone in between. the prevailing view is there needs to be the “knowing of the unknown.”

more: the new way to handle exit interviews | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs
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filling a position, after all, is a two-way street of mystery: the candidate will have no idea of what the actual work environment will be like, and the organization will not know if the candidate matches up with his or her resume. if you are responsible for selecting candidates or at least screening them in the early phases, use your time wisely and ask relevant and insightful questions. it will be a mutually beneficial exercise.
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how to run effective leadership team meetings

four people on each side of a videoconference3 ways to make it happen.

by jody grunden

doing the disc assessment with our team, we learned that some people love meetings and some people despise them. the “d” (dominance) personality on the disc scale tends to be direct, very results-oriented and less collaborative in meetings. the “i” (influence) personality enjoys meetings because they provide an opportunity for social engagement and collaboration.

more: toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how to develop your leadership team | disc helps remote team work together effectively | how core values affect remote work culture | 4 ways to bill clients | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the “s” (steadiness) personality may not feel comfortable speaking up in meetings unless they are called upon. the “c” (conscientiousness) personality may need to rally more energy within themselves for meetings because they tend to value working independently over collaboration. knowing the personalities of your leadership team members will help you run more effective meetings.
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