Peerview Data Insights

Consulting is the best way to get your CPA firm out of the tax-services-only rut. It not only has the ability to make you more of an asset to your clients, but it can propel both of you forward in terms of performance and growth. Because you already have an established relationship handling a company's finances, you're in the great position to apply your expertise to help them achieve their goals.

Before you start, however, here are some tips on how the be the best consultant:

When you went to school you graduated after earning your degree in the profession you wanted to go into and have been in for some years now: accounting. Your clients are happy, business has been steady, and you're living the dream one busy season at a time.

But as CPA services continually evolve with the development of AI to become more consulting-based practices, it’s important that you and your firm evolve too.

Over Easter weekend my thirteen year old niece was over at my home with the rest of our family for lunch. I tried talking to her about her life, finding myself asking her all the questions I used to hate when I was her age (how's school, how're sports going, do you have a crush, what's his name, how's your best friend doing?). Her answers were brief, as 13-year-old answers often are, and she spent a majority of her time on her phone. She was constantly pulling up videos to show us, taking pictures of her food and herself, and even fixed a glitch on my phone that I'd been struggling with forever like it was nothing. 

I was over at a friend's home for game night last weekend and we ordered food through a delivery app for dinner. Complaints ensued when the food was fifteen minutes late even though picking up the food ourselves is something we could have done twenty minutes ago to avoid waiting. One of our friends voiced this, only to have their point countered with the blatant statement: 

In a recent article from Entrepreneur, Gene Marks provokes CPAs and business owners alike to think about their tax services in the context of "Now that tax season is over... should I fire my accountant?"