the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

and the 3 questions you should be asking yourself today.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

i had just come off a really bad tax season.

this was about eight 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.” read more →

walking the walk with a radical cpa

broken chainget real. get up from your desk. go for a ‘gemba’ walk.

by tom hood
the radical cpa

i remember sending a video intro to jody padar’s first meeting of ic opportunities where i read a quote from the february 2012 edition of fast company magazine in which the editor, robert safian, intro­duced the concept of “generation flux” and it reminded me of jody and her tribe:

tom hood
hood

“in our hyper-networked, mobile, social, global world, the rules and plans of yesterday are increasingly under pressure; the enterprises and individuals that will thrive will be those willing to adapt and iterate, in a disciplined, unsen­timental way… generation flux is a term that describes all of this — the chaotic business era that we have moved into — as well as the people who are poised to thrive in this environment.”

so what is a “gemba walk,” you might be thinking? read more →

emerging breed of cpa rewrites the rules of the profession, smashes old business models

pisano
pisano

‘generation flux’ embraces adaptability, flexibility, openness, decisiveness.

by gretchen pisano
the radical cpa

with a lifelong commitment to con­tinuous learning, cpas are some of the most willing learners you’ll ever come across.

today’s new generation of cpa embraces adaptability and flexibility, an openness to learning from anywhere, decisiveness tempered by the knowledge that business life today can shift radically.

read more →

social business: how new communication tools are revolutionizing the accounting profession

william r. pirolli, cpa/cff/pfs, cgma email vcard bill is a partner with over 30 years of experience in public accounting. bill was formerly managing principal for the accounting firm of pirolli, deller & conaty.
pirolli

and yet, the heart of the cpa business remains a constant.

by william r. pirolli, cpa, cff, pfs, cgma
the radical cpa: new rules for the future-ready firm

at the heart of our profession are people… connecting with people. the human connection to the information we deal with is what makes our profession so personal and rewarding. it should always be at the heart of what we do.

the ways we connect have changed dramatically over time. while we all still use the telephone, fax, face-to-face meetings and the occasional written note, the invasion of facebook, linkedin, twitter, skype, youtube, instagram, cloud-based services and that smartphone or tablet you might be reading this on all serve to make our communications and services immediate, exponential and virtually limitless. read more →

6 reasons why cpa firms fail in innovation

the compensation trap that turns winners into losers.

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.

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.

you will never have innovation unless you allocate some time and reward to making it happen. read more →

overcoming the roadblocks to innovation

6 reasons why innovation is so difficult at accounting firms and 6 practical ways to launch new money-making ideas.

by august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership 

the mantra over the last few years has been “change or die.”  so, why is it that professional services firms, especially accounting and law firms, have found it so difficult to embrace change, innovate and spend time and resources on research and development in order to build a stronger future?

here are six reasons why firms fail to innovate: read more →

good ideas can come from anywhere

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and areading a lot of magazines keeps thinking fresh.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: why do you read so many magazines that have nothing to do with accounting? i noticed this from your blogs and references you make in your speeches.

answer: i read a lot because i like to, and because i view it as part of my job of bringing ideas to clients to help them in their businesses and because i am always looking for ideas to help my business grow. ideas are not specific to an industry. read more →

how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats

dozens of accounting firms are turning a business cliche into new growth.

by gale crosley
crosley & co.

an internet search for the term “predictable growth” yields millions of links to websites, videos, books, and consultants. there seems to be no doubt about the idea that growth can be planned and charted.

but for accounting professionals who are trying to grow their firms, it may seem that there’s nothing at all predictable about sources of opportunity and how to manage them. if that’s your situation, it may be because you haven’t yet unlocked the power of the product lifecycle.

more gale crosley at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for pro members:

in the 1970s, bruce henderson of the boston consulting group introduced the concept that products and services have a predictable, consistent cycle. some four decades later, the bcg matrix that he developed remains a popular growth tool. dozens of accounting firms are adapting a version of the model and are using it to help determine how to grow each service line and industry. read more →