Firms of the future

Posted by RONALDBAKER on Jul 16 2009 22615 printer friendly

VeraSage Institute is the most revolutionary think tank for professional knowledge firms-we challenge the professions to break free of practice methods that hurt the professions, undermine their purposes, and fail their clients. Among our quests: burying the billable hour and archaic timesheets; pricing on purpose; recognizing that professionals are knowledge workers, not machines; and improving the professions for posterity.

Latest posts

Mar

Pricing Risk and Uncertainty

We often discuss the fact that profits originate from risk, which is a supply-side viewpoint.

Feb

Agnotology: As Knowledge Expands, Ignorance Increases

Science historian at Stanford, Robert Proctor, has made this profound observation, as reported in the February 2009 issue of Wired magazine:

Jan

Incentives Matter

Even ardent supporters of hourly billing will admit that there exists, right from the start, a conflict between the professional's interest and the customer's.

Dec

Book Review: The Management Myth

The schism between management theory and economics is profound, and one of the reasons is the study of management theory is relatively young compared to its older sibling economics, which dates back hundreds of years.

Nov

A Rabbi argues for effectiveness over efficiency

Those who know me know I listen religiously to Rabbi Daniel Lapin on KSFO 560AM every Sunday from 1-4 pm.

Jun

A Real Revolutionary

What would you think of a company that had the following characteristics and beliefs?No official structure, organization chart, no business plan, or company strategy; no mission statement, long-term budget, fixed CEO or human resource

Jun

Trailblazer Brains on Fire: Interview on Trashing Timesheets

On May 22, I-along with my father-had the pleasure of visiting Trailblazer Brains on Fire in Greenville, South Carolina.This is an amazing agency, which as of Janu

Jun

Deloitte advocates companies hire a Chief Value Officer

Thanks to Chris Jones of PA Consulting Group in Great Britain for passing this along.Apparently, Deloitte has a newsletter, The Value Habit.

Jun

Journal of Accountancy Publishes Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm

The June 2009 issue of the Journal of Accountancy has published ou

Jun

I wish I had a Nickel...

One of the problems with the billable hour is it provides zero knowledge in terms of how to improve pricing.How do we know? Because we hear stories like the following I received earlier this week from a CPA colleague.

Featured blogs

View from a Tea Cup

Steve Knowles has spent 25 years in business and practice in the UK, but he also worked in the states and the years haven't dulled his way of seeing an alternative view to everyone else, and every day is a new adventure.

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Ungar Cover

Joel M. Ungar, CPA is a lifelong resident of the Detroit area and a graduate of The University of Michigan. He is a principal with Silberstein Ungar, PLLC, a Top 15 auditor of SEC public reporting companies.

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Truth be told about business development

Allan Boress, CPA, with over 25 years as a practitioner and consultant to the accounting profession. Mr. Boress is the author of 12 published books in 6 different languages, including a best-seller, The "I-Hate-Selling" Book.

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Today's World of Audits

Larry Perry, CPA, CPA Firm Support Services, LLC, is the author of accounting and auditing manuals, author and presenter of live staff training seminars, and author of webcast and self-study CPE programs. He blogs about small audits, reviews, and compilations.

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The Talent Advantage

Sandra Wiley, COO and Shareholder, is ranked by Accounting Today as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting as a result of her prominent role as an industry expert on HR and training as well as influence as a management and planning consultant. She is also a founding member of The CPA Consultant's Alliance. Sandra is a certified Kolbe™ trainer who advises firms on building balanced teams, managing employee conflict and hiring staff.

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The HR Connection

Maria Calabrese, CIR, Human Resources manager for Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC in Cranford, New Jersey, Maria's topics revolve around the world of: Mentoring, Performance management, and The "Y Generation," a.k.a. "The whY generation".

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The Barefoot Accountant

William Brighenti is a CPA, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and Certified [Business] Valuation Analyst, operating an accounting, tax, and QuickBooks consulting firm in Hartford, Connecticut, Accountants CPA Hartford.

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TechWise

Ken Garen, CPA, is the co-founder and President of Universal Business Computing Company (www.ubcc.com), a software development firm of high-volume, high-productivity accounting and payroll technology.

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Talk to TaxMama

Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA, is the publisher of TaxMama.com, and author of the weekly syndicated Ask TaxMama column. She provides answers to tax questions from taxpayers and tax professionals worldwide.

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Success in the Cloud

Amy Vetter, CPA, CITP is the CPA Programs Leader for Intacct Corporation responsible for leading the CPA/BPO Partners nationally.

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State and Local Tax 360˚

My name is Brian Strahle and I hope you find this blog informative and useful. I am a multistate tax consultant and I serve clients across the U.S. from my office in Washington D.C. For more info, visit my website: www.leveragestateandlocaltax.com

67989

PR Matters

Scott H. Cytron, ABC, is president of Cytron and Company, known for helping companies and organizations improve their bottom line through a hybrid of strategic public relations, communications, marketing programs and top-notch client service. An accredited consultant, Scott works with companies, organizations and individuals in professional services (accounting, finance, medical, legal, engineering), high-tech and B2B/B2C product/service sales.

3819

Possibilities For CPA Firm Management

Rita Keller is a nationally known CPA firm management consultant, speaker, author, mentor and blogger. She has over 30 years hands-on experience in CPA firm management, marketing, technology and administrative operations.

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Pajama Work: QuickBooks, Technology & the Cloud

Stacy Kildal is the mom of two fantastic kids, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Certified Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor, Sleeter Group Certified Consultant, a nationally recognized member of the Intuit Trainer and Writer Network, and co-host of RadioFree QuickBooks.

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Michael Alter's Dollars and Sense

Michael Alter's blog specializes in providing practical advice to those who seek greater profitability and practice management tactics that enhance deeper client relationships.

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Marketing Today and Tomorrow

Sally Glick, CMO, Principal, Marketer of the Year in 2003 and AAM Hall of Famer in 2007, leads a lively discussion of the constantly expanding roles of marketing and the professional marketers that drive this initiative in accounting firms of all sizes.

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IMA Young Accounting Pros

The IMA Young Professionals Blog features the insights of IMA’s Young Professionals Committee. Committee members share advice and experiences on careers, continuing education, work/life balance, and other issues affecting young accounting and finance professionals.

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Gail Perry - Voice of the Editor

Gail Perry is Publisher at Sift Media US, Inc. and oversees the content on the Sift websites, AccountingWEB.com and GoingConcern.com. She has been the editor-in-chief at Sift Media US since 2007, overseeing the content on AccountingWEB.

40817

FEI

FEI Financial Reporting Blog provides highlights from SEC, PCAOB, FASB, IASB, and other regulatory news, including reporting under Sarbanes-Oxley Sect 404. It is written by Edith Orenstein, Director of Technical Policy Analysis at FEI.

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Continuing Education

Sue Anderson has 30 years of experience in continuing education for accountants. Currently she is the program director for online CPE provider CPE Link.

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CentsLess: Wise CPA Firm Spending

Jim Fahey is COO of Apple Growth Partners, a regional CPA firm in Ohio. His focus is on the effective and efficient use of technology within the firm by all team members.

18735

Auditing Yellow Book Style: Government Auditors Unite!

Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA, CGFM, and CGAP is the author of "The Yellow Book Interpreted" and owner of Yellowbook-CPE.com a website devoted to training for governmental auditors.

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Across the Pond

AccountingWEB is more than just a U.S. team of journalists and financial and technology experts - we have an international side, too! Members of our British team who publish AccountingWEB.co.uk share their ideas, insights, and perspectives from across the pond.

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