Extr(A)Ordinary Accountant
CurrentI wasn't born an Extr(a)Ordinary accountant, it is a learned behavior, and I love learning. It was one of the main reasons that I decided to start my own CPA firm. I seek to constantly improve and re-calibrate how accounting services are delivered by focusing on client value rather than accountant effort. Technology has made and continues to make a huge impact to the accounting profession. I believe it should be the role of a modern CPA to be on the forefront of that technology revolution and help guide their clients into the new age. Yes it is a scary and sometime counter-intuitive proposition but by embracing automation and technology it creates a win-win for the firms that are committed like mine; by leveraging gains in efficiency and enhancements in data integrity and internal controls we can deliver higher level services to clients at lower rates than ever before.It is a challenge, training your clients and being selective upfront about which clients you take on is important, clients that don't fit what you are trying to do can be very disruptive. Additionally, one of the biggest challenges is effectively communicating your value in an ever increasing intangible world, client's don't get to see you sweating away on April 15th, so being able to create the trust and rapport, and have effective communication with clients is critical and continues to be a top priority - BEING PROACTIVE not reactive, especially if we have access to most of the data needed to make recommendations and help clients avoid mistakes, not with a canned newsletter but with real and personally relevant advice.