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Gale's Cornerstone Book
Gale’s book, At the Crossroads: The Remarkable CPA Firm That Nearly Crashed, Then Soared is a delightful parable about a sleepy, uninspired CPA firm that transforms into an accounting powerhouse.
Meet managing partner Joe Abriola who has just learned that his partners are on the verge of mutiny. How does the firm recover and thrive? Spoiler alert—Gale’s growth model swoops in to save the day! The book is an instructive tale that’s filled with valuable insight on achieving growth despite the odds.
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Reprinted with permission from CPA Practice Management Forum. Teamwork is trending in business these days. From auto repair shops to Fortune 100 boardrooms—everybody is part of a team. I have long championed the idea of collaboration as a growth strategy for CPA firms. Frankly, it’s a hard concept to oppose. But, how do you take…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. When CPA Jody Padar joined her father in his practice after eight years in a traditional mid-market firm, she assumed that his clients would become theirs. But Jody’s dad had a different idea. He believed his daughter should learn how to build a client base, not just serve an…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. Business guru and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch wisely advises, “Change before you have to.” Adapting proactively to shifts in the marketplace is one of the most effective ways to grow your practice. Today’s markets are undergoing dramatic realignment. Understanding the powerful elements at work is essential to…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. Ever run a race and immediately sense that you got off to an exceptionally fast start? It’s a good feeling but if your goal is to beat out the competition there’s really only one way to know for sure how you’re doing. And that’s by marking your progress toward…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from the Association for Accounting Marketing’s Growth Strategies. In part one of this article I wrote about the Research Call℠, the power-packed maneuver that gives you insight into an industry or niche you wish to dominate. I described how a well-executed Research Call℠ informs the three elements of strategic growth –…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from the Association for Accounting Marketing’s Growth Strategies. I love getting feedback on the articles I write. Sometimes it’s kind praise; other times constructive criticism. When I wrote recently about the Strategic Foundation of Strategic Growth for AccountingToday I got questions – lots of questions. In the article I laid out…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from International Accounting Bulletin. One of the hottest firm topics these days is succession planning. In a nutshell the issue is this: As your key leaders retire, who’s in line to take their place? Firms are keenly aware they need to identify the next generation of leaders and ensure that they will…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from International Accounting Bulletin Part one of this article focused on strategic growth as a critical imperative for accounting firms around the world. I noted the profession’s historic hesitation to jump on the growth bandwagon and the impact of that decision. The article also noted factors that are changing the profession. In…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. Admit it. You’re good at what you do. Your clients trust your proven ability to help improve their businesses. Perhaps it’s time to take the step of enlarging your vision of yourself from accountant to consultant. Most good CPAs intuitively move beyond tax returns and financial statements, offering insight…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. Practice growth occurs at the intersection of services, targeted buyers and channels of distribution. The channel is how and where you and your buyer find one another. (In dating terms it’s the party, coffee shop or mutual friend that brings you and your date together). Our profession has traditionally…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. I see it all the time. Well-intentioned accounting firms do what they believe are the right things. They sponsor events. They publish articles. They meet and greet. But they don’t grow. At most firms growth is an individual contributor activity. Lone ranger partners do their own thing, attracting…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from CPA Practice Management Forum. Practice growth is a delicate balance of art, science, intuition and diligence. One thing it isn’t, however, is marketing. Marketing can be a powerful lever to fuel business expansion. But alone, it will not take you where you want to go. Marketing helps till the soil…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from CPA Practice Management Forum. In the October issue of CPA Practice Management Forum, my article on the importance of financial analysis to firm growth left some readers less than totally convinced. One partner responded, “Gale, I read what you wrote about using financial analysis to develop our growth strategy. Quite frankly,…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from CPA Practice Management Forum. No matter how good your kid is at soccer it’s still an extracurricular activity as long as she’s in school and nobody’s paying her to play, right? Helping her see that school comes first is part of your job as a parent. Part of your job as…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. A niche, the dictionary tells us, is an ornamental recess, usually in a wall, that holds a statue or other decorative object. But in recent years niche has taken on a more generic meaning as a suitable place for someone or something. In accounting, niche has become synonymous…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. Billy Crystal said it best, “Change is such hard work.” But oh how satisfying it is when the change you make leads to the success you seek. One of the most profound changes firms can make is in the way they look at the market. Historically accountants develop an…
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today. How big is too big? I’m frequently asked this question by firms that have successfully grown a particular niche. “Can we expect the needle to continue to rise, or are we relegated to low growth and thin margins?” they wonder. My answer is unequivocal. “You bet that Cat can…
Learn MoreIf your goal is to grow your firm and you haven’t considered a qualified business developer, you’ve tied one hand firmly behind your back. A business developer (BD) is a professional salesperson hired to sell your firm’s services.
Learn MoreDeveloping and closing an opportunity is difficult, even in the best of times. The added challenge of today’s highly competitive (and slightly skittish) marketplace underscores the importance of vigorously and purposefully qualifying leads.
Learn MoreReprinted with permission from Accounting Today Sometimes it’s not what we’re thinking, but how we’re thinking that keeps us from the success we deserve. In this case I’m referring to the limits we impose on ourselves, which I call thought borders. While not necessarily geographical, they constrain our forward movement much as the absence of…
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