Latest Articles
Observations on AI and RPA in accounting firms
As an accounting firm coach, consultant and mentor I interact with a lot of accounting firm owners and managers. Two of the hot topics of discussion for some time now have been Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). In many ways there has...
Time to ditch some clients?
As an accounting firm coach, consultant and mentor I interact with a lot of accounting firm owners and managers. One of the common themes during 2024 in most firms is that there is no shortage of work. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Most firms I speak to say there...
Succession via an external sale – some things to keep in mind
Earlier this year I wrote an article with a focus on succession via internal means. Observations about succession in accounting firms - Planet Consulting I promised I’d write on the option to achieve succession through an external sale. Whether you go down an...
Using Generative AI Note takers in your meetings
I’m seeing an increasing use of generative AI tools for note taking in meetings. So I thought it would be useful to summarise some pros and cons of these tools and identify some of the popular tools being used. Let me start by listing in alphabetical order the four...
Observations from travel in Vietnam, Cambodia and The Cook Islands
Many of you would be aware that I love to explore other countries with my partner Kate. In fact I love travel nearly as much as I love accounting firms! I get asked regularly to share some observations from my travels. Nothing to do with running a better accounting...
Do you do these four types of training in your accounting firm?
As an accounting firm coach, mentor and consultant I get to see inside a lot of accounting firms. I get to see a lot of stuff that works and a lot that does not. In the area of learning and development, or training as some may call it, I’ve concluded that there are...
Observations about succession in 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. Those owners could be inside the...
Inspiration for accountants from the 2024 Australian of the Year Awards
(image credit: Australian of the Year Awards) The Australian of the Year awards first started in 1960 and like many Australians I watched the announcement of the winners on the ABC TV on the 25th of January. If you are curious about the process go to the website to...
Observations from my time in Greece, Sardinia, Corsica and San Francisco
I know this is a newsletter about running a better accounting firm but some people have said they’d like to hear a little about the second trip Kate and I did in Europe this year, so I’ve added this as a bonus article. This trip kicked off on 8 September and would see...
Lessons in customer service for accountants from Hotels in Sicily
As an accounting firm coach, consultant and mentor I often look at my experiences through the eyes of an accounting firm owner or manager and look for ideas that can be applied. My trip to Sicily was no exception. Example 1 Lipari Hotel The first place we went in...
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