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Achieving Better Leverage in Your Firm

April 27, 2022

We all know the secret to success is to work smarter. Yet we still get stuck in the day-to-day emails, client queries, file reviews, and activities that are highly important to others, but not necessarily to ourselves. Working smarter becomes a pipe dream as we can’t see the wood for the trees.

What's your revised definition of success?

September 29, 2021

Accountants and bookkeepers have been busier than ever since the pandemic. Burnout aside, they've been fortunate to have the hugely important role of guiding their business clients through tough times. 

If there’s one positive to take from the Covid disruption, it’s the opportunity to consider what is important in life. Let’s call that our revised definition of success. For those of us in...

What's your money story?

March 19, 2021

What you believe about money and how you relate and interact with it affects every aspect of your life and business.

A belief is simply a story that you’ve told yourself so many times that you think it’s the truth. So, for us all to live a vital, vibrant and thriving life, the story we are telling ourselves and choosing to believe about money needs to be uncovered, understood, and possibly...

What does being more commercial look like...

January 25, 2021

Most accountants are not trained in how to run a better practice. Instead, we’re schooled in accounting theory, tax, economics, and finance. 

I remember in my first job at a big six accounting firm (I’m showing my age now), they told me on my first day "forget everything you learned at university, we’re going to teach you how to do accounting properly". Again, I was not taught how to run a...

Is your business's Organisation Structure...

December 2, 2020

 

 

The accounting industry is rapidly changing. 

From technology advancements and changes in clients' and team members' expectations to a new playing field for marketing and selling services via digital channels, our industry is constantly evolving. The traditional model of working partners with their ‘book of clients’ and their employees either happily grinding out sets of financials for life...

The Power of Drawing

February 21, 2019

A picture paints a thousand words. So why don't we draw more?

My old excuse ( below the line thinking) was that I'm an accountant and therefore I can't draw.  Too bad if you're a visual learner, you'll just have to listen to what I say or read my words.  Worse still, I'll subject you to death by PowerPoint.  Does this sound familiar? Those of you who've worked with me will know, as bad as my...

Value add services - delivered on demand or...

June 7, 2018

 

True story

An accounting firm relayed this scene to me this week.  One of the firm’s partners, Dan, was at a rugby game with a few of his clients.  They’d had a few beers and the banter was flowing.

Out of the blue one of Dan’s clients (his name is also Dan, which is confusing, but this is a true story, so I’m sticking to the facts.  Let’s call the accountant Dan One and the client Dan Two) ...

8 Questions for Effective New Client...

June 7, 2018

Screening potential clients sounds rather clinical, a bit like screening for a disease.

Truth be told, D clients are like parasites.  They can be painful, demand attention, drain your energy, query your bills and if they refer you work - breed more parasites.  Most significantly, they’ll damage your brand, morale and culture.

Unlike the parasite and host relationship, accountants should partner...

The Evolution of the Accountant

June 7, 2018

 

There is no doubt accountants need to evolve.

The accounting industry is going through a massive change in response to compliance automation, tax simplification, and increasing demand from clients for more proactive services.  Contrary to popular opinion (or fake news), I am not of the view that we are talking about a revolution here - the modern accountant will not become redundant; they...