Nuanced Tips for the Best Office Etiquette

Nuanced Tips for the Best Office Etiquette

April 4, 2020

Office etiquette is a subject that has been discussed and debated in depth for some time. The recommendations are typically the same: be punctual, avoid gossip, keep your devices silenced, and be aware of your lunch mess. However, there are some subtler aspects of practicing office etiquette that you may not be aware of. Make an effort to include excluded coworkers Cliques are the bane of any workplace.  Making an effort to include excluded coworkers in conversation inside the workplace, at workplace functions, and even at office happy hours will create a more positive environment for all employees. In order
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Help Employees to Be Less Stressed

Help Employees to Be Less Stressed

March 3, 2020

There are a number of reasons why employees can become stressed, including workload, lack of control over the process of decision making, inefficient time management, uncertain performance expectations, and a failure to take holidays or set clear boundaries between work and home. Management can assist their employees to deal with stress in a number of ways. One of the most important things managers can do is simply to pay attention to staff members and see if they seem agitated, anxious or overwhelmed, and if there have been any changes in their overall behavior and demeanor. If an employee seems continually
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Grow Your Brand and Your Business With a Great LinkedIn Profile

Grow Your Brand and Your Business With a Great LinkedIn Profile

December 3, 2019

LinkedIn is the world’s largest business network. Prospective clients and vendors check out LinkedIn profiles to see who they are preparing to do business with. Clients, especially, want to feel confident in and comfortable with the accountant and trusted advisor they are going to begin working with. Your profile matters, especially if you want it to act as your 24/7/365 sales contact point. Most LinkedIn profiles are like everyone else’s profile, mainly because most people copy them from the others, or because they gear them towards basic facts rather than towards helping to market you and your business, and its
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Creating A Positive Attitude

Creating A Positive Attitude

October 15, 2019

Winston Churchill once said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” You could actually take this statement one step further and say “Attitude is the little thing that makes all the difference”. Think about your last setback or your last bad day. Did it seem like everything went wrong all day? How did your attitude change over the day? Chances are that once you perceived that something went wrong, you started seeing everything going wrong, and saw only the bad things. You have also probably had at least one or two “perfect” days, where absolutely nothing could
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3 Tips to Simplify the Hiring Process for Accounting Firms

3 Tips to Simplify the Hiring Process for Accounting Firms

September 24, 2019

Hiring someone can be an arduous process. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might know of someone who will be just right for the position. Maybe that person is among your circle of friends or a friend of a friend who is doing a similar job at another company. But this kind of situation only occurs once in a while. Most of the time, you need to go into your hiring process blind. You’ll need to post a job listing, scan resumes, interview candidates, negotiate salaries etc. Here are some tips to help you do so:  Job Listings Nowadays, most people
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Don’t Let Your Mind Ruin Your Mood

Don’t Let Your Mind Ruin Your Mood

August 27, 2019

Planning, starting and running your own accounting firm is like playing whack-a-mole: you solve one problem, only for another to appear. Given the challenges all businesses (and business owners) experience, it’s important to cultivate your ability to develop and maintain a positive attitude. Here are some simple ways to strengthen your positive attitude muscles: Remember to breathe. Taking slow, calm, deep breaths helps reduce stress and promotes relaxation. As your body becomes less stressed and more relaxed, you’ll find it easier to be more positive and motivated. Meditate daily. You can find simple non-denominational techniques on the internet. The more
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Be Considerate Of Team Members’ Opinions

Be Considerate Of Team Members’ Opinions

July 23, 2019

Everything you do at your business should reinforce good customer service, including how you handle complaints. I’m not talking exclusively about complaints from clients. Welcome feedback from your team members and respond if there is a way you can make it easier for them to be providers of good customer service.  Examine the systems you have in place and scrutinize your procedures to determine if there are ways to streamline and make things smoother for your team members. Sometimes the smallest changes can make a difference. If they are entering information into a database, do they really need to hit
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Know Your No. 1 Asset

Know Your No. 1 Asset

July 16, 2019

Have you ever stopped to consider what is your company’s greatest asset and biggest liability? The answer to both is people.  Having the right people on your team gives you the best chance at success. Having the wrong people on your team hurts your business more than any competitor. Nearly every business has some competition at a national, chain level. Your business is competing against big buying power, discount prices, internet presence and name recognition.  The good news is you can crush the competition in the area where it matters most. The No. 1 reason clients go elsewhere is because
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Which is Worth More: Client Satisfaction or Client Loyalty?

Which is Worth More: Client Satisfaction or Client Loyalty?

June 25, 2019

Which is Worth More: Client Satisfaction or Client Loyalty? A happy, loyal client might find a lower price elsewhere, but they are more likely to stay with you than a client who is merely satisfied.  A loyal client will drive the extra miles when a competitor opens closer to home. They’ll be willing to work virtually or some other way. A loyal client knows that when you make a mistake, it’s not typical. Loyal clients are more likely to tell you when they’re unhappy and allow you the chance to make things right. If your goal is to satisfy clients,
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Get More Done by Hiring the Right People to Help

Get More Done by Hiring the Right People to Help

June 25, 2019

Get More Done by Hiring the Right People to Help No matter how good a leader you are, you can’t do everything yourself. You can get more done with the right help from the right members of your workforce.  Follow these three steps:  Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Get feedback from those around you to find out where to put your energy productively. Determine what fuels your passion. Where do you excel? What is your brilliance? Then work these strengths and delegate the rest of it. Recruit and retain people who complement your weaknesses. Find employees with the natural strengths
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