Art of Accounting: MAP Books Offer a Treasure Trove of Advice

August 29, 2016, 9:00 a.m. EDT 3 Min Read

IMGCAP(1)]Last week I wrote about benefits of attending practice management programs and gave a suggestion to try to make eight changes a year from each hour of the program. Today I am recommending some MAP books and repeat the suggestion of implementing one idea a year from each book.

I believe the “one idea” is a great way to approach what you get out of MAP courses and books. It is likely you would get over a hundred ideas from each one and, if you are like me, you will get an overwhelming feeling of too much to do. Limiting your growth to just one idea, I believe, provides a doable task. By following my suggestions you would make 60 changes over the next five years—quite impressive.

The following are some books I recommend. Note that some of the books were written by me. Also, there are free downloads of two of my books and an excellent interview I had with Chris Frederiksen.

Further you can get a 25 percent discount off any book CPA Trendlines sells, not just mine, by entering the discount code EdSentMe at www.cpatrendlines.com.

Overall Practice Management
Power Bites by Edward Mendlowitz. This is a free download by clicking here.

101 Questions and Answers for Managing an Accounting Practice by Edward Mendlowitz (CPA Trendlines)

Managing staff and Establishing Processes
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Introducing Clients to a Higher Level of Service and Practicing at a Higher Level
The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm by Jody Padar (CPATrendlines).

Improv Is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results in Leadership and Life by Peter A. Margaritis, CPA.

Remaining Relevant: The Future of the Accounting Profession by Rob Nixon

Accountant’s Flight Plan: Best Practices for Today’s Firms by Brannon Poe, CPA (available at www.accountantsflightplan.com).

Firm Forward: A Journey from the Land of Compliance to a World of Reliance by Edi Osborne

The Art of Client Service, Revised and Updated Edition, 58 Things Every Advertising & Marketing Professional Should Know by Robert Solomon. Yes, I am recommending this to accountants!
Pricing and Billing

Bill What You’re Worth, Third Edition by David W. Cottle (AICPA)

Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms by Ronald J. Baker

Tax Season
Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition by Edward Mendlowitz (AICPA)

How to Review Tax Returns by Edward Mendlowitz and Andrew D. Mendlowitz (CPA Trendlines)

Staff Training
30:30 Training Method by Edward Mendlowitz (CPA Trendlines) Free download by clicking here.

Free Practice Management Interview Download
Interview with Edward Mendlowitz by Chris Frederiksen for 2020 Group USA. A one-hour audio recording and a free download by clicking here.

Note that I have read all of these books and think they are all well worth reading and implementing many of the ideas presented, as I have done. I have many other books I could recommend that are equally as good, but space restricts what I can include here.

I would appreciate any comments you have about these books or any others. I do not think it is too onerous to read one such book every other month, and you will get at a minimum six very positive and profitable changes for your practice during the year. I also know many of the authors, have heard them speak and read their blogs and articles. There is a treasure trove of assistance in the books out there.You just need to pick them up instead of passing them and pushing them aside.

Happy reading!

Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, is partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, CPAs. He is on the Accounting Today Top 100 Influential People List. He is the author of 24 books, including “How to Review Tax Returns,” co-written with Andrew D. Mendlowitz, published by www.CPATrendlines.com and “Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition,” published by the AICPA. Ed also writes a twice-a-week blog addressing issues that clients have at www.partners-network.com. Art of Accounting is a continuing series where Ed shares autobiographical experiences with tips that he hopes can be adopted by his colleagues. Ed welcomes practice management questions and can be reached at (732) 964-9329 or emendlowitz@withum.com.