{"id":63003,"date":"2019-07-11t12:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-11t16:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=63003"},"modified":"2019-07-13t19:38:02","modified_gmt":"2019-07-13t23:38:02","slug":"4-steps-to-take-before-next-tax-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2019\/07\/11\/4-steps-to-take-before-next-tax-season\/","title":{"rendered":"4 steps to take before next tax season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"young<\/a>think of yourself as a ceo.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

by frank stitely<\/i>
\nthe relentless cpa<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

please have a seat. no, not that one. take the one next to me. all of us are here because we love you to death. we only want the best for you. but we can no longer stand by and watch you suffer. when you suffer, we all suffer as a family. we have written some letters to let you know how we feel. i\u2019ll let your firm go first.<\/p>\n

more:<\/b> how to create good managers<\/a> | 4 tips for managing advanced preparers<\/a> | the right way to assign staff projects<\/a> | workflow for dummies<\/a> | how effective project management makes your life easier<\/a> | 2 lessons clients taught me<\/a> | no consultant can solve your biggest problem<\/a>
\n\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cyour behavior has affected me negatively in the following manner. i\u2019m not as profitable as i should be. you are stifling the development of your staff. your clients are upset that returns aren\u2019t getting done on time. your kids resemble the mailman more than you.<\/p>\n

\u201cplease accept the help we are offering you today. we have your bags packed, and we\u2019ll put you on a plane to rehab at the beach. don\u2019t worry about scoring your next fix. we\u2019ll help you detox safely. but you must decide right now. you must give up your addiction to doing everything yourself.\u201d
\n
\nafter a few attempts at bargaining and many tears, you accept. you\u2019re not a runner. here\u2019s a big group hug. cut to cheesy lawyer commercial about cash settlements for some disease you wish a relative had, so that you could cash in.<\/p>\n

nothing else matters if you insist on maintaining the cult of you \u2013 the one-man show, the all-knowing expert in all matters. you need to become the ceo of your firm.<\/p>\n

let\u2019s start with your new responsibilities as a ceo.<\/p>\n

what do jeff bezos, ceo of amazon.com, and you have in common? you are both the top dogs in your company. what\u2019s different? he acts like the top dog, and you are acting like the last dog pulling the sled. he\u2019s looking ahead, and you see the same sight every step of the way.<\/p>\n

your job as ceo is to put the right people in the right positions with the right resources. then you let them do their jobs and make money for you. that encompasses a lot of roles, and we will cover these roles. but these roles most definitely don\u2019t include worker bee. your first role is chief strategist.<\/p>\n

your first task as chief strategist is picking the right people. i’ve discussed hiring and managing people before. let\u2019s be a bit more strategic now. let\u2019s pretend you\u2019re the general manager (gm) of an nfl football team. if you hate football, pick another sport, but understand that i won\u2019t respect you as much. i\u2019m talking real football, not that soccer nonsense. who doesn\u2019t know who tom brady is?<\/p>\n

an nfl general manager decides who\u2019s on the team. he knows, for instance, that he needs a good quarterback, but he also needs a backup for the quarterback. tom brady is useless when he\u2019s hurt \u2013 maybe not to you ladies, but in a football sense. the gm also needs offensive and defensive linemen, pass receivers, and defensive backs. he even needs a kicker.<\/p>\n

the gm knows that all of these positions require different skills, but all are essential to a winning football team. the offensive linemen must block other 300-pound behemoths, but tom brady, as quarterback, does not. tom brady blocks the way i do home improvements. no thank you.<\/p>\n

look at your cpa or accounting firm as a football team. you need players with a wide range of skills. you need admin people. you need tax preparers at the entry level or the advanced level. you may need managers, depending on your size.<\/p>\n

some of these preparers will be good at corporate returns and others will be good at personal returns. some will be good at both. some may be good at breathing, but not much else.<\/p>\n

if you own a personal tax shop and you need to get 1,000 returns prepared in tax season, you need to know what roles you need and the production you\u2019ll get out of each.<\/p>\n

if we assume that entry-level tax preparers can prepare about 150 returns during tax season and that advanced preparers can prepare 200, you can put together a number of different scenarios to get all 1,000 returns completed.<\/p>\n

you might decide to go with five advanced preparers and no entry-level preparers. you might decide to go with 6.67 entry-level preparers. 0.67 of a preparer? trust me on this. not all preparers are worth being considered full human beings. more seriously, you are looking at six full time entry-level preparers and maybe two part-timers to make up the .67.<\/p>\n

you can imagine an almost endless set of possibilities for getting 1,000 tax returns done. you\u2019ll probably settle, however, on some combination of advanced preparers and relative newbies. let\u2019s go for two advanced preparers and four newbies.<\/p>\n

you might justifiably ask, \u201cwhat in the hell will i do with six full-time preparers after tax season? as a personal tax shop, i don\u2019t have that much work after april 15th<\/sup>.\u201d<\/p>\n

this is where part-time seasonal employees come in. in our practice, we use about 15 part timers during tax season. the key point is that you must think in terms of meeting the capacity you need with some combination of full- and part-time preparers with varying skill levels. if you have a lot of extensions each tax season because you just couldn\u2019t get to the returns, you have a capacity problem. this analysis helps you solve that.<\/p>\n

let\u2019s not stop with preparers. who\u2019s going to review those 1,000 returns? not you \u2013 at least not if you want a life and happy clients. it will probably be you and at least one other person. so you\u2019ll need to hire a reviewer.<\/p>\n

let\u2019s not forget admin staff. if you\u2019re using admin staff to their full capabilities, you\u2019ll need at least two for tax season. i\u2019m guessing two and a part-time third person.<\/p>\n

let\u2019s review the planning process that you, as ceo, should undertake each fall before tax season.<\/p>\n