The kind of firm top talent talks about
Plus: Stop ghosting your clients | Accountant to life coach?
Ready to turn down the chaos and turn up the strategy? This issue hits all the right notes, from how to keep your focus when every client and their cousin wants your attention to how to get top talent talking about your firm. Plus, you'll learn how one CPA turned a common client complaint into a differentiation strategy.
But first, check out these three simple ways service businesses can make more money. You might want to steal a few ideas for your firm.
Focus, please: Five ways to keep your attention from wandering in the midst of client calls and email pings.
Feelings and finance: Accountants are morphing into life coaches to help clients build wealth and well-being.
Lock it down: Cyber threats get sneakier by the day. These must-know security strategies keep your client data (and reputation) under lock and key.
Tariffs on trial: Breaking down Trump's tariff policy as it heads to the Supreme Court, and your clients' supply costs might hang in the balance.
Make your firm the one everyone's gossiping about (in a good way)
Wouldn't it be nice to be the firm people actually brag about working for? To get there, you need to start with the basics: pay fairly, lead honestly and give your team work that feels like it matters. Accountants aren't signing up for burnout or mystery promotions anymore. They want transparency, mentorship and a culture that doesn't just talk about balance but actually lives it. The firms that get this right don't wait for culture to happen. They build it, one meaningful policy (and one less all-nighter) at a time.
Why this matters: Great clients follow great talent. You can't grow either without investing in your people. (Journal of Accountancy)
Accounting conferences: Not just for CPE and stale coffee
Want your firm to grow? Of course you do. So you've got to get out from behind the desk once in a while. Accounting conferences aren't just about racking up CPE. They're where firm leaders trade ideas, spot new tech and rediscover what they love about the profession. Logan Graf, CPA, pokes fun at the clichés (yes, there will be lanyards and lukewarm coffee) while showing how conferences can actually spark innovation, motivation and connection. Lean in and you might just find your next big idea between sessions.
Why this matters: Networking is a strategy. Conferences help you see what's next for your firm and who's already building it. (Logan Graf)
29%
of Americans feel their financial situation is worse than it was the previous year (USAFacts)
- Chasing "lights out accounting" makes your finance systems faster and smarter, even if it's a pipe dream
- PwC bets big on AI to build the audit of tomorrow
- KPMG will rate employees on how well they embrace AI
- New GENIUS Act brings order, oversight and opportunity to stablecoins
- Could a professional doctorate be the practical fix for the accounting professor shortage?
Stop ghosting your clients (and their tax planning)
Shimmy Klein, CPA, doesn't mince words on LinkedIn, and a recent post might hit a little too close to home for some accountants. He says 90% of his new clients complain their old CPAs only call once a year, usually in January and only to file the return. No strategy, no check-ins and no real planning. His firm takes a different approach: midyear and fall meetings to review numbers, forecast takes and make smart moves before December 31st. One client was staring down a $45,000 tax bill until a few timely tweaks cut it to $12,000. That's proactive client service.
Why this matters: Tax planning shouldn't feel like damage control. Staying in touch year-round builds client trust, reduces nasty surprises and sets you apart from the competition. (Shimmy Klein, CPA)
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The Net Gains is curated and written by Janet Berry-Johnson and edited by Bianca Prieto.