The "ADD" Accountant

Communication....21st century style

With the iphone, netbooks, blackberries, google and every other whatsit there is really no data we can not have at the snap of our fingers.  On a recent trip I had this HUGE lighbulb go off above my head when a client needed a change to a financial statement before providing it on to the bank.  I was driving back from Indianapolis, in the middle of absolutely nowhere when I received the call.  The client needed a changed financial quicker than asap as they were finalizing the paperwork with the bank for a significant capital infusion into their business.  For a microsecond I thought I will be back in Memphis by about 9:00pm and should be able to whip it out within an hour.  But reality soon set in.  I pulled off the side of the road, whipped out my netbook, connected via my wireless aircard, remoted into my office, and made the necessary changes all while sitting on the side of the road, emailed them the financial statement (secured for those pesky online thiefs) and hopped back on the road.  All within about 35 minutes or so...How long ago would this not have even been possible? What does it do to your expectations from your accountant, attorney, banker, that they can or can not do this in today world.  What are your expectations to get your information when you need it?  What are expectations of being able to ask a question and have the ability to look at the same information?  All of these are more than possible, and should be your reality not your wish...

Rootworks-Next Generation CPA Firm

I am really excited about joining this group.  I am hoping it continues the direction that our practice has been heading in since we joined PASBA in April 2008.  RootWorks Leadership Community.  It will touch both of my interests Technology and Firm Management.  Man am I a geek......

Small Business is the Golden Goose: Don't Kill It - Jim Blasingame

I love reading Jim Blasingame.  Here is a great article on small business and the tax consequences on raising the rates for people making more than a theoretical $250K

Small Business is the Golden Goose: Don't Kill It - Jim Blasingame.

New Year...New Goals???

With the start of a New Year if you are like me it is a time of reflection, goal setting, re-commitment, and optimism. 

This year with the economy being what it is, the pessimism passed on by every major new organization, and the new President coming in on the 20th I feel it is a time to really look at where we want to go in 2009.

At my firm we always have a year end planning meeting for ourselves where we reflect on where we have been, where we are going, and how we can measure how we are going to get there and how we are doing....

This past week we spent New Year's Eve doing just this.  We have now established our goals for the practice, re-evaluated our best practices, and "tweaked" our leading indicators.

If you have not done so yet, it is not too late. 

The keys to setting goals is to make them S.M.A.R.T goals.   You should also look at your metrics on how you plan on getting there.  I am a big believer in Leading indicators.  Metrics should be something you can measure and control today that affects the future.  They should not be a reflection of where you have been.  It is good to keep a dashboard of past results, but they do not help change where you are going they only tell you where you have been.

If you are interested in learning more about leading indicators, I would HIGHLY recommend reading any of Ron Baker's books.  Particularly

It is an awesome book and a true guide of my practice.

Oh ya, One of my goals....writing in my blog more than once every 3 months......Happy New Year!