Latest Articles
More client experience lessons for accountants from my travels
I’ve started travelling again! I live in Brisbane and in the space of two weeks I’ve been to Canberra, Newcastle and Sydney (twice). Along the way I’ve had some experiences I want to share which are a reminder of the importance of the client experience, being easy to...
Reflections on 2020 with accounting firms in mind
Oh 2020, we held such high hopes for you, but you really have not performed as expected! Although many people would like to forget 2020, no doubt it will be talked about for many years to come. As we approach the end of 2020, which has been dominated by a pandemic,...
Lessons for accountants from the local bike shop and a hotel
Accountants, lawyers, engineers, architects and other firms are collectively referred to as professional service or services firms. Note the word “service” here and consider what that means to you. Or more particularly what it means to your clients. I want to share...
Why does an accounting firm need an office?
A few of my clients have recently commented that as a result of the pandemic they are thinking about their office space differently. It was also one of the topics I talked about in a vodcast I produced (See it here here. ) One firm owner in one of my groups noted that...
Making the most of the lead up to the end of the year
The end of the calendar year is rapidly approaching and for many it probably can’t come soon enough. I’ve been turning my mind to some things accounting firm owners and managers could benefit from thinking about at this time. In my experience December and January can...
What does succession look like inside accounting firms?
Succession could be defined as the process by which the current owner/s of a firm transition and handover ownership to new owner/s. When I say handover I don’t mean for free! The usual situation will be a sale of equity to new owners, often on a stepped basis over a...
What accountants can learn about referrals from Steve the pool guy
There are many ways an accounting firm (and other businesses) can win new clients. Today I want to focus on referrals - why they are important and what my experience with Steve the pool guy demonstrates in a powerful way. Let me tell you about Steve the pool guy. When...
Are you fully meeting the needs of your clients?
In considering this I want to break those needs into four categories: Needs the client has identified and is having met by you (Example – annual accounts and tax returns) Needs the client has identified and is having met by another provider (Example – bookkeeping or...
The value of a shareholder agreement for a multi owner accounting firm and 11 key things to put in it
I’ve been working in and with accounting firms for thirty plus years and one of the things I’ve observed is just how important having a good shareholder agreement is. For some firms this will be known as a partnership agreement because they operate as a partnership,...
When and who to hire next in your accounting firm
Recently I’ve had quite a few conversations with clients about when to hire the next person into their accounting firm and what role it should be. I hold the view that as a business owner you should always know what role your next hire will be and roughly when that...
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