More of America’s CPA firms are choosing externally hosted email systems over internal exchange servers, according to the Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey from NMGI and Insight Research Group.
Between 2014 and 2015, the number of firms using their own exchange server for emails dropped significantly from 47 percent to 38.3 percent.
In a parallel shift, the hosting of email outside the office increased from 53 percent to 61.7 percent. READ MORE →
But the handling of issues related to death – for all parties concerned – are more straightforward, both personally and financially, than in the case of a disability. READ MORE →
Even when the relationship is strictly business focused, it can be the subject of rumors, gossip and speculation among coworkers, and it can arouse feelings of jealousy and resentment in the sponsor’s wife.
The growth of legal marijuana businesses, from growing to retailing, has opened a new niche—or really a bunch of niches—for CPAs.
Among them are bookkeeping, internal control, tax accounting and preparation, management, holding companies, and general business council. The opportunities are born of the complexities behind them.
One of the opportunities is the valuation of these brave, new businesses as aggressive investors flood the market with fresh cash. “You’ve heard of the Gold Rush of the 1800’s,” one industry insider tells CPA Trendlines. “Well, this is the ‘Green Rush.’”
“Legal marijuana is a very good business,” says Ron Seigneur, MBA, CPA/ABV, ASA, CVA, CFF, and a well-known advocate for CPAs in the art and science of business valuation. Seigneur, of Denver-based Seigneur Gustafson LLP, writes the introduction to the report. CPA Jim Marty of Bridge West CPAs, also Denver-based, authors much of the report. Marty has quickly emerged as one of a handful of nationally recognized accountants in the business.
Several factors contribute to the opportunities of valuation. And several other factors contribute to the complications. In all, CPA Trendlines finds dozens of points that shouldn’t go overlooked. Some are germane in any valuation engagement. Others are peculiar to the cannabis business. All require especially careful review in this fast-changing legal and regulatory environment.
Getting the right mix of mobility is critical for firms today. The professional’s Rule of Thumb is that everyone who works out of the office one day per week or more and needs to be self-contained should have a laptop as their only machine.
The obvious exception to this is for tax or administrative personnel who would never work from remote client sites, but have a computer at home that they can use to connect to the firm via a secure remote access solution.
The string of natural disasters over the past decade and the transition to more cloud-based applications has led to some firms making the decision that ALL professional staff will utilize a laptop as their only workstation.
QUESTION: I always feel awkward telling clients they need additional services that I should perform for them. Can you tell something that could “rev” me up for this?
ANSWER: Actually, by suggesting additional services you are doing the client a favor and a good deed. Also, you are in business and the easiest way to generate additional revenues is to cross-sell services to present clients.
Three key insights for accountants on how to inspire staff, wow clients and convey appreciation.
Hitendra Patil, left, meets management guru Chester Elton
Called the “Apostle of Appreciation,” Chester Elton is co-author of several successful leadership books.
After analyzing the results of 850,000 interviews, Elton’s team found that those who are happiest and most successful are engaged in work that aligns with what motivates them. His latest book, “What Motivates Me,” offers an extensively tested method to help business people identify their core motivators and figure out the disconnects between their passions and their current work.
Hitendra Patil, Pransform COO and CPA Trendlines contributor, met Elton and asked him three important questions about CPA firm leadership – motivating staff, satisfying clients and showing appreciation. READ MORE →
Networking issues: Women tend to have a limited appreciation of how their networks can help them get ahead professionally. Developing strong business networks is critical for career advancement. Because a leader operates through others, her value and effectiveness are largely tied to the power of her network.
Yet women are reluctant to cultivate potential sponsors through their networks, while men willingly use patronage and networks to open doors and provide opportunities that cannot be accessed through normal channels. Men attribute their promotions to personal connections as a matter of pride, not embarrassment, because it means that influential people see them as leaders and reward them accordingly. As a result, men benefit from the political processes that go on all around them while women lose out.
