CPA Trendlines Podcasts

The Disruptors with Liz FarrGeraldine Carter is on a mission to make accounting more attractive as a profession, and to make accountants more profitable, particularly soloists and small firms.In this episode of The Disruptors with Liz Farr, Carter explains the trouble with "orphan 1040s," how to "level up" your firm, the priceless value of emotional intelligence, and why giving your all is too much (80 percent is enough.)More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/02/14/geraldine-carter/

With accounting talent so scarce, tax and accounting firms may be surprised to find untapped talents within their current staff, according to Tyler Anderson, partner and director of A&A innovation at Accountability Plus tells Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines.More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/01/28/disruptors-tyler-anderson/

With Sarah Dobek and Ty Hendrickson for CPA TrendlinesMore here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/01/17/close-the-sale-getting-across-the-finish-line/ Negotiating the terms of a new engagement can be intimidating and downright scary.However, it’s the most important – and last – step to securing new revenue.When you can learn what you need to have ready for the discussion, know what questions to anticipate, understand common pain points in any agreement so you can address them head-on, and how to show the value of what you’re proposing, closing the deal will become much easier – and lower your anxiety.Negotiating price and/or new business is something everyone seems to struggle with early on in selling. Why is that? (hint…talking money can be uncomfortable, but price is only negotiated when you haven’t built enough value in the sales process).What is ideal to know about your prospect once you make it to the proposal stage with a prospect? (Who is involved, decision making criteria, timeline, potential obstacles, budget)What are some tips to close more business at higher rates? (Hint…build value and take objections throughout the sales process, know who you are selling to and what they value, follow their buying timeline, not your selling timeline, and build trust.Key Take-Aways1. How to negotiate price and/or expanded service offerings.2. What you need to know about your prospect when you make it to the proposal stage.3. Tips to close more business at higher rates.

“Process, process, process” and other lessons in scaling an accounting business.With Liz FarrMore here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/01/13/the-disruptors-new-padgett-coo-amanda-aguillard-explains-how-to-scale/To beat the staffing shortage, tax and accounting firms will need to rank technology skills as important as accounting skills, Padgett COO Amanda Aguillard says in this episode of The Disruptors, a new CPA Trendlines series of conversations between special contributor Liz Farr and leading change-makers in the profession. This is the first of the series.“We will have to be creative about who we hire,” Aguillard says. “Knowledge of accounting is important, but it’s not the only thing… Being tech-curious is just as important.”Take-Aways We will have to be creative about who we hire. Knowledge of accounting is important, but it’s not the only thing. Being tech-curious is just as important. Specialization isn’t just vertical niches, but we can gate a practice around particular services. Building practices around services like outsourced controllership, tax resolution, or monthly accounting can make hiring easier because the candidates don’t have to be good at all of the different things. Process is the key to scale. Build and document processes around the idea that you will scale, even when the firm is just one person. Don’t be the bottleneck. Add technology on top of the process so that when the technology changes, you can find another one to take its place. A key skill for the future will be tracking data flow. Understanding where the data is coming in, and where the data will end up will help with developing processes and choosing technology. Ask for what you’re worth. Clients engage you in a business relationship, so they anticipate having to pay you. This is not charity. What firms are doing now is working well enough, but the people coming behind us aren’t interested in good enough. They want to work to live. They want to work just enough to do the things they love. The next big thing will be high-touch client relationships. We need to stop using technology as a shield, and use it to provide value to our clients. How can we help our clients, shoulder to shoulder? About AguillardAguillardAmanda Aguillard was only 16 years old when she realized she wanted to become a CPA, and she’s used that passion ever since to encourage innovation in the industry she loves. That commitment lives on through her work as the Chief Operating Officer of Padgett Business Services, one of North America’s largest accounting service and business consulting providers.Amanda is responsible for providing operational and logistical guidance for the company’s network of franchisees. This includes identifying and incorporating the latest cloud technologies into the Padgett firm operating model. She also is focused on developing and facilitating the necessary training to ensure these platforms and tools are successfully implemented by Padgett firms.Amanda, who was named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting in 2018 and 2019, is the author of Xero: A Comprehensive Guide for Accountants and Bookkeepers. She was the Xero Evangelist of the Year in 2016 and used her experience as a Xero Certification instructor to co-found Elefant, a continuing education company for accountants and bookkeepers.Prior to joining the executive team at Padgett, she ran Aguillard Accounting LLC, focusing her efforts on providing unparalleled client support service through a cloud-based practice that could be done anywhere in the world. Amanda also is the founder of Accounting Salon, a think tank of cloud accounting experts, and its virtual offshoot, SALON.Amanda, who holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Denver, regularly speaks at state CPA societies and industry technology conferences, including Accountex, Engage, Clio Could Conference, and Xerocon. She also is a Certified Instructional Systems Designer.When she’s not advocating for her industry, she spends her free time cooking for her two children, reading historical fiction, and backcountry hiking.

Matt Solomon interviews Shawn Parikh about the world of Offshoring and Outsourcing in a Covid world and a post-Covid world.

Matt Solomon, for CPA Trendlines, interviews Brian Suthoff of Tally Street, to explore Diving for Dollars with Data. 

Featuring John Shaw interviewed by Steven Sacks for CPA Trendlines.In Blockchain Basics for Business, Steve Sacks interviews Jack Shaw on the elements of the technology, its early beginnings, the industries impacted, and the practical business applications.Key takeaways: Bitcoin is only an application of Blockchain which is the platform Decentralized nodes eliminate the possibility of hacking Blockchain has many business uses in the financial, insurance, media, medical, consumer and supply chain Industries impacted by blockchain include energy, entertainment, manufacturing and transportation Blockchain stores records such as identities, ownership of assets, business transactions and contractual commitments

What do clients really want? Mostly, it’s not what you’re giving them now.Seventy percent of clients are barely aware of the extra services you can provide, and 80 percent want something specific that you, in fact, provide. They just don’t know that they can go to you for help.See the video here

In this interview, Richard Rothstein (Founder of Rothstein Consulting) speaks with Josh Fisher (District Partners) about what recruiting looks for accounting firms in 2021, and how Covid has affected things.This is a little different episode in that we are talking to a recruiting professional about hiring in the accounting world Here Josh talks about his experience in recruiting and recruiting for the accounting community and what has changed. The biggest thing he says is that job hunters are looking out for themselves more and have more opportunities as remote work is allowing them to work for larger firms that previously wouldn’t have been able to reach into their communities.He also tells us about how important the technology arms race is becoming to finding the right talent for your positions.

In this interview, Richard Rothstein (Founder of Rothstein Consulting) speaks with Pasha Malik (Founder and Principal of Thyor) about what recruiting looks for accounting firms in 2020, and how Covid has affected things.Thyor started out virtual so the remote element of this situation hasn’t thrown them at all. They also have a division that works in data science so they can provide actionable information to companies from their financials. Here Pasha talks about how well Twitter and LinkedIn has worked for them in finding talent. Thyor also has a unique structure for their projects that allows for a high level of flexibility in their team members. We also talk about what has changed for them and their team in terms of work/life balance.