six ways to give yourself a raise

sandi smith, the accountant's acclerator
sandi smith, the accountant’s acclerator

start by knowing your “opportunity number.”

by sandi smith, cpa
the accountant’s accelerator,
a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 affiliate

when i worked in the corporate world, it was always great to get a raise.  now that i am an entrepreneur, raises are replaced by increases in revenue and profits.  more revenue and profits are nice, as long as we’re not working correspondingly more hours.  so how can we give ourselves a true raise: work the same amount of hours or less and make more?  here are a few strategies for your consideration:

1. take on more profitable work by knowing your opportunity number. 

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seven steps to building a great partnership

august aquila
august aquila

what makes an accounting firm great? by august aquila aquila global advisors  too many firms don’t give a lot of thought to the question.their main concern is surviving. but the sooner a firm can start focusing on what makes a great partnership, the better off it will be. think about this, if you don’t address this question, how will you know if you are admitting the right types of partners?  what technical and personal skills would you want? what personal values (character) would you look for? here are seven characteristics that form the foundation of a great partnership. if you are missing any of them or if you merely need to improve in some areas, now is the time to start strengthening your firm’s foundation. read more →

ed guttenplan, w&g: every staffer gets a coach

strategy 2012: management development.

what are your critical challenges for 2012, and what can do you about them? a number of the profession’s leading lights have been sharing their thoughts with accounting today. here’s one:

ed guttenplan
wilkin & guttenplan

we see the top challenges as being leadership development and building your “bench,” and practice growth profitability. also, remaining efficient in light of new standards and, of course, preparing for the future.

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women report growing career dismay

survey reveals widening gap with men.

only 48 percent of women are satisfied with their careers, compared to 59 percent of men — a gap that has only widened from year to year, according to a mergis group survey.

and nearly three-quarters of women in accounting and finance believe they face a tougher set of obstacles than their male counterparts.

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how cpa firms make money in turbulent times

rosenberg survey uncovers the power of leverage.

by gary l. adamson
adamson advisory

the universal measure of profitability in accounting firms is average income per partner. another universal tool is the annual rosenberg national map survey. it’s a must-have for running your firm.

in the latest survey, rosenberg identifies his “elite” firms, which are the 54 that had income per partner of more than $500,000. not bad considering it is based on 2009 economic data—from the middle of the recession.

it’s interesting, if you dig into the data in the survey, you will find that these 54 aren’t just the biggest firms, although as rosenberg puts it, bigger is better in terms of profitability. in fact, 24 of them are in the $2-$10 million fee range and three are sole proprietors.

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6 steps to improving accountability in your firm

steve erickson

start with planning and coaching.

by steve erickson
steve erickson llc

improving partner and staff accountability is essential in these economic times.

review notes and backward looking evaluations might well have some influence on future performance but do not have any impact on what has already taken place. there is a better way to get to get your partners and staff to take ownership and agree to be accountable.

here’s how you can immediately improve accountability and performance in your firm: read more →

start from day one with the ‘one firm’ vision

three essentials to making it work: entrepreneurial spirit, leadership skills and knowledge.

by paul rich
rothstein kass

paul rich

if your goal is to be a “firm” (rather than a collection of  sole practitioners) with the potential for significant growth, maximization of revenue and profits, the “one firm” model should start upon the commencement of business operations.

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