Leading Strategic Growth

You know it’s a good roundtable discussion when you come away feeling that you’ve learned as much as you’ve shared. That was my takeaway from the virtual sessions I recently participated in along with Angie Grissom and Allan Koltin. We were joined by hundreds of managing partners and firm leaders.

Charles Darwin may not have lived through a pandemic, but he certainly knew a thing or two about adaptation. “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive,” wrote Darwin, “but those who can best manage change.”

Gale Crosley, Allan Koltin and Angie Grissom join forces to discuss strategies for firm leaders Thanks to popular demand, our first live video for managing partners and other leaders is completely full. Join us for a second roundtable on May 7. Grab a cup of coffee and join leading industry consultants Allan Koltin, Angie Grissom…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today Because the Current Market Needs Analysts More than Historians Major upheavals in economic conditions present an opportunity for significant growth. For firms prepared to embrace this concept, it’s go time for new service innovations that clients and prospects want, need and are willing to pay for. With so many…

During these times, send an important message to your clients. An email from the managing partner should include a “right brain” message communicating calm, compassion, and confidence that the firm will support them through the business and personal impact of the crisis. It should reflect your own voice and come across as warm and human. …

As I stood in the shower one morning earlier this week the words, “This feels like war” came to mind. Not that I’ve been in one. But I’m experienced enough to recognize the panic, uncertainty and vulnerability.  Moments later, with coffee in hand in front of the TV, I listened as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated, “This is a war. We have to treat it like a war.”

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today.  “The first step is to establish that something is possible, then probability will occur.” The tech and business giant Elon Musk may not have been talking about leveraging large client relationships when he made this observation, but it resonates beautifully. Not only is it possible and probable to boost…

Michelle Golden River, CPF President of Fore, LLC How do you know if your firm is ready to stop billing for time and start pricing in advance? Though nearly everyone perks up at the idea of escaping the downward-fee-pressure spiral the CPA profession has gotten itself into, rationale for a change this big isn’t so…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today. From the outside it might appear that public accounting is much the same as it has always been. CPAs pursue traditional activities such as tax, audit, and consulting services. To build their business, they lunch with lawyers and attend after-hours cocktail receptions. Yet beneath this familiar scenario, our profession…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started,” Mark Twain sagely advised. But where to start, and how, when your goal is driving revenue? I tweak this Twainism by advising firms to start with an understanding of which clients are contributing the most revenue, then developing a program focused…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today.  If you ever visited a Disney park in years past, you’re probably familiar with the ride, It’s a Small World. Created as a tribute to UNICEF during the 1964 New York World’s Fair, it featured hundreds of dancing dolls in traditional costumes from across the world. The lyrics, written…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today.               The next time you’re in a Starbucks, conduct an informal survey of the Millennials sitting and sipping around you. Ask their college major, or the field they’re working in currently. I’d wager that in the time it takes you to order and consume a Grande Iced…

It’s been a long slog, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel known as the Great Recession. Both job creation and the gross domestic product are robust. Interest rates remain low and the stock market is showing solid gains. While these bright spots are welcome, I urge firm leaders…

Reprinted with permission from Accounting Today. From the outside it might appear that public accounting is much the same as it has always been. CPAs pursue traditional activities such as tax, audit, and consulting services. To build their business, they lunch with lawyers and attend after-hours cocktail receptions. Yet beneath this familiar scenario, our profession…