One of the topics that often comes up is the challenge of prioritising anything (non-billable) you might think you...
Strategy Articles
7 survival skills for sole practitioner accountants
Many of the sole practitioners who contact me are feeling isolated, frustrated and/or overwhelmed. During our initial...
Is your complacency costing you peace of mind?
Over the years, my conversations with sole practitioner accountants reveal that many are "happy enough" once their practice is generating sufficient income for them. They have reached the stage where they feel comfortable, some might say, complacent. ‘Happy enough’...
10 New Year Resolutions for Ambitious Accountants
As 2023 dawns here are 10 New Year resolutions that I would encourage you to consider. Where possible you will also find links to earlier posts I have previously written about the topic. 1. Reducing the January rush Although I want to blame my clients for ignoring...
12 ways you could make more money in your accounting practice
Most of the accountants who approach me start by talking about their problems and what appears to be an immediate challenge. As the conversations progress I am typically able to help them consider the real issues that are causing the challenge that prompted their...
Why are you not as profitable as you want to be?
Not all of my clients want to discuss profitability issues with me. So I don’t always know how profitable they are. If it doesn’t come up during our conversations then I assume they are happy enough with their current level of profitability. Or perhaps they are...
Debunked: The ‘one thing’ you MUST do. There are 5 if you really want to be successful
A popular approach to getting your attention (and often your money) is to tell you that there is ‘one thing’ you must do to achieve your ambitions and succeed. I see this all over the place, in blogs, articles, videos and social media posts. Those who suggest there...
Where are you based? Home, garden, garage, or high street?
In the past I believe that a majority of established accountants ran their offices from commercial premises. But is that still true or even necessary? The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly to support those who are happy with their current choice. And...
How to overcome the distraction of D-grade clients
You are not alone if you get frustrated by some of your clients. In fact, it's very rare for me to hear from accountants who love ALL of their clients. If you do, this isn't the blog post for you. It's more for those who have one or more clients who are valued only...
The 5 key issues to consider re your competition
In this blog post I explain five key issues in the context of your competition as an accountant. I have discussed them many times with clients during mentoring sessions. Often I find an accountant's perception as to who is their competition is blinkered and...
Ten things the most successful accountants do
Over the years I have worked with hundreds of accountants. I have also judged hundreds of entires for multiple accountancy awards. Having completed the judging process for a recent competition I reflected on what it takes to win and to be successful generally. Let...
What does it mean to provide advisory services?
We have all heard the projections that compliance work is dying and that accountants must move into advisory services. This is not a new phenomenon. It started long before the pandemic. I first debunked the hype in 2009 so it really isn't new. What has changed...
3 ways to avoid time wasters
This relates to another question I was asked recently by an accountant who gets lots of leads but finds that he doesn’t want all of them as clients. Too many are time wasters. He wanted to know how he could weed them out - or even better, avoid having to spend any...
Ten Resolutions for Accountants in February
Now that January 2021 is behind us, perhaps it is time to consider any resolutions or promises you might want to make to yourself. Certainly you should have more time now than you might have done at the turn of the year. Here are ten resolutions that I think many...
Strategic planning tips for accountants in 2021
This time last year I set out some predictions as to how different things will be for accountants and tax advisers by 2030. Some of the changes i thought would take a few years Long before the world changed as result of the pandemic I suggested that: Given the pace...
Three and a half questions to help you in 2021
This week leads us into the second half of the first month of this third decade in the 21st century. Wow! I would suggest that now is the time to identify and reflect on what worked and what didn't work for you in 2020 and what you want from 2021. This should help...
What’s the future for Gen X accountants?
Attitudes to work life balance are changing. So are the needs of firms when it comes to offering long-term career prospects. How will this affect your firm and your prospects? Last year I wrote a piece in which I suggested that 'Generation X' accountants (born in...