Firm operations

TOPICS / FIRM PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

October 24, 2016

Don’t fall victim to the newest phishing scam

Scam perpetrators can mine crucial information from executives’ public profiles on social media.

October 1, 2016

Use standard terms to build a liability shield

Firms should add standard terms and conditions to all engagement letters.

August 1, 2016

Controlling your data

CPA firms can be a treasure-trove of information for cybercriminals. Here are tips on how to protect your firm.

July 1, 2016

Making workflows work

These best practices can lead to better productivity and improved client satisfaction and retention.

July 1, 2016

The unexpected risks of trustee services

CPAs who agree to perform trustee services have to take more into account than just helping a client.

June 20, 2016

Money isn’t everything: Nonfinancial rewards that retain the best workers

Today’s professionals desire—and require—much more than money to stay satisfied, engaged, and loyal.

April 25, 2016

How to prevent workers from wasting time on tech troubles

Many minutes, hours, and sometimes days can be wasted on IT-related issues, costing both time and money.

April 4, 2016

Want to make more money? Focus on revenue-producing behaviors

In the pursuit of revenue growth, many firms make the mistake of overemphasizing the billing measures of chargeability and utilization.

March 7, 2016

How CPA firms can counteract unconscious bias

Though we like to think we’re impartial in our decision-making, it’s often the case that our unconscious beliefs affect our choices.

March 7, 2016

Consulting services can grow your firm—if managed properly

Firm leaders increasingly see the potential of consulting services to provide additional value to clients.

January 20, 2016

Millennials can play a role in move to value pricing

If your firm is looking at making the switch, consider asking them to serve on a value council—or even as the “chief value officer.”

January 19, 2016

Improve your business by working less

Owners’ hours directly impact the value of a practice: If all other things are equal, buyers prefer to buy an accounting practice with fewer owner hours.

January 11, 2016

These steps can help you embrace an exciting retirement

This column seeks to dispel four fears that retirees have and share a six-step strategy for creating a life after work.

January 11, 2016

How to manage underperformers

In order to ensure that you are engaging the best and the brightest employees in the firm, you must learn to handle and manage the underperformer.

January 4, 2016

Retiring the billable hour as a measure of performance

Measuring employee performance based on the number of charge hours worked is a practice that can create multiple problems for firms.

January 1, 2016

Q&A: How to present your prices to customers

Talking about price with clients isn’t as simple as saying, “That’ll be $19.99, please.” Here are the best practices to employ when using value pricing.

December 7, 2015

Heading off into the sunset? Avoid these 5 retirement pitfalls

This column outlines five important retirement mistakes for CPAs to avoid.

December 1, 2015

How to admit new partners: A fresh approach

Accounting firms seeking long-term viability must infuse the partnership ranks with fresh blood when the time and terms are right. A method called AAV can help with this process.

December 1, 2015

CPAs do a masterful job of taking care of their clients’ business, but they also need to make sure they look out for their own. Practice-continuation agreements can minimize the chaos in the transfer of a CPA practice to a successor.

November 1, 2015

The dangers of dabbling

Undertaking new, unfamiliar service offerings can elevate the risk of errors and professional liability claims.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

4 ways solo practitioners can stand out

Five years ago, a grieving Angel Zhen started his own CPA firm with no clients and no revenue. Today, he has 300 clients, $600,000 in revenue and 12 weeks of annual vacation. In this JofA article, he shares how he set up his firm and how you could do the same.