Consulting

I found out many years ago that I cannot spend my clients’ money.

Accounting firm management expert Gary Shamis is departing BDO USA LLP to found his own consultancy, Winding River Consulting, in Cleveland.

Nonprofit software developer Blackbaud is predicting record donations on “#GivingTuesday,” the global day of giving that takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Guess what, accountants? Americans really like you.

Acquisitions of consulting firms skyrocketed last year, particularly in North America and with many of the deals done by technology consultancies and Big Four firms, according to a new report.

Joel Curry of Validis discusses in this video the changing relationship between auditors and their clients and how it can move to consulting and business advisory services.

Maureen Schwartz, executive director of the accounting association BKR International, and some of her colleagues describe 10 ways that firms can turn even the newest accountant into a better consultant.

By my reckoning there are about 42,000 accounting firms in the United States, and 41,600 might be considered to be small.

According to recent news it appears advisory firms have started to increase their hiring efforts for seasoned restructuring professionals. This may signal a coming potential increase in bankruptcy filings. If so, fresh start reporting may once again become a critical issue.

The CPA Consultants’ Alliance has appointed Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk of bbr marketing as the group’s new Marketing Chair and Carrie Steffen of the Whetstone Group as the new Deliverables Chair.

I attend Management of Accounting Practice (MAP) CPE programs. In many instances these do not qualify toward the mandatory CPE requirements. Who cares?

If you walked into a Mercedes automobile dealership and the sales person greeted you by asking, “What kind of Kia do you want to buy today?” you just might be a little perturbed. This is how many of our clients see us.

In last week’s column, I described various specializations for accountants. In this week’s column, we’ll talk about gaining the necessary expertise.

As value-based pricing is typically presented, the first steps for transitioning a firm from hourly billing to a value based model are hard to find. Below I’ve outlined a process that will help your firm travel to this strange new place.

I was not a specialist. In some respects, I am the last of the “expert generalists” and generalists are fast becoming extinct.

It's not exactly as addictive as the first season of NPR's "Serial," but that's OK. Sageworks has premiered a three-part podcast series on how to grow an accounting firm.

I have a client who owns considerable real estate that her son manages. The son actually does a very good job maintaining the property, growing rents, and keeping vacancies to a minimum.

How some women leaders have guided CPA firms toward growing meaningful programs.

CohnReznick has opened a high-tech “Innovation Lab” in its New York office, providing clients with access to the latest visualization and collaboration technology where they can brainstorm with the firm on solutions to their business problems.

Have you been evaluating firm profitability and how to more effectively price the services you offer? If so, consider changing your pricing method from the standard billable hour to value pricing. Why? Price chases value, and by creating more value, you will be able to “capture more price.”