Discussion:How did you get here?

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(Well, I'm a spli)
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{{ForumReplyPost|UserID=JR1|Date=April 17, 2009|Text=Well, I'm a split personality, was in sales for ten years for my prior company, and when the pc's started getting to the small biz world, they wanted nothing to do with them. Since they only wanted a certain type of job/client, they gave me permission to take the rest. Yes. My practice doubled in size every year for five years, at which point I separated and never looked back. I do not have a retail op, I work out of my home, specializing the small biz sector. So I'm 99.99% referral, tho' a few always seem to find their way thru the Kevin fence I have up.... :). As for credentials, I went to Notre Dame and work in the Chicago area. That's worth more than a doctorate around here. Otherwise, I would have wrapped up my CPA, which became irrelevant when I got involved in small biz stuff. KNowing what I do now, I'd go for the EA, which is relevant. Sorry my CPA friends, but that one is not. It has nothing to do with tax or small biz, so to the public it sounds good, but we know how they vote, too. }} {{ForumReplyPost|UserID=JR1|Date=April 17, 2009|Text=Well, I'm a split personality, was in sales for ten years for my prior company, and when the pc's started getting to the small biz world, they wanted nothing to do with them. Since they only wanted a certain type of job/client, they gave me permission to take the rest. Yes. My practice doubled in size every year for five years, at which point I separated and never looked back. I do not have a retail op, I work out of my home, specializing the small biz sector. So I'm 99.99% referral, tho' a few always seem to find their way thru the Kevin fence I have up.... :). As for credentials, I went to Notre Dame and work in the Chicago area. That's worth more than a doctorate around here. Otherwise, I would have wrapped up my CPA, which became irrelevant when I got involved in small biz stuff. KNowing what I do now, I'd go for the EA, which is relevant. Sorry my CPA friends, but that one is not. It has nothing to do with tax or small biz, so to the public it sounds good, but we know how they vote, too. }}
 +
 +{{ForumReplyPost|UserID=Lalva|Date=18 April 2009|Text=I worked in HR Block for two years, and this is my 4th year in my own business. I started with merely a handful of friends, and this year I did around 40 returns. Compared to other posts I am growing really slowly, but it's OK, because I am very picky with my clients :-) And I have to say that I LOVE my clients, they are great. If I don't like someone I get rid of him/her before s/he becomes a client. My husband is supporting my family, so I can be picky now.
 +
 +I am home-based and do no marketing other than a line in my email signature where I say that "I consider a referral the highest compliment, please tell your family and friends about the professional services I provide". I got that from a realtor, and I thought that if people know I want referrals maybe they'll send some, and they do.
 +
 +But the big motor of my practice are a couple of clients. I put a lot of time and effort to solve some problems that they had, and didn't charge that much for that (they were underwater) and they tell everyone that care to listen about me, so I am getting new people from them every year.
 +
 +I am looking forward to hear what other people have to say. Good luck!}}

Revision as of 04:45, 18 April 2009

Discussion Forum Index --> Business Growth Community --> How did you get here?

Brock And Associates (talk|edits) said:

17 April 2009
Okay, how did you all get where you are today?


1) What's the story of your practice and what single idea, practice, or change made the single biggest impact on your client base growth?


2) For you full-timers, is it the retail establishment that brings most of your clients in or is it word of mouth referrals? How much would you say having the brick and mortar shop affected client base?


Now that tax season is over, I am studying my options. Jobs are very tenuous at best these days so there is probably an equal chance of losing mine verses keeping it...the whale that swallowed my old, very stable company is constantly pruning. Since being acquired, there have been almost bi-weekly layoffs of a person here and a person there. They do it this way to avoid the notification processes and it appears to be a way of life. So I am preparing for the eventual fact that I may lose this job and if I do, I am going out on my own. Never again will I deal with this corporate nonsense....a merger or acquisition a year is too much to take.


So I am looking hard at taking the EA exam this Summer/Fall as a fail safe and to increase my knowledge and clout. Avoiding the EA was never the plan, I felt that having a few years experience under my belt would help me.


However, I am trying to gauge how much of a client base difference having a good retail establishment will make. It makes no sense to throw up a shingle if the client base effect is minimal and rent bills start coming due.


Thanks,

Michael

Smokeytax (talk|edits) said:

17 April 2009
Michael -

As most did, I started by working as a seasonal subcontractor for local CPA firms while at the same time building my practice.

The single biggest impact on my practice was networking with other CPA's and doing everything I could to help them, since I had some free time. I was a little ahead of the curve in terms of electronic research and forms products in the early 1990's, so I became the one to call for forms and research printouts.

Then, over the next 10 years, three of the part time sole practitioners I had helped closed their practices and referred all of their clients to me, without asking for anything in return other than someone they could trust to take on the work!

I don't know about retail establishments since I work out of my home.

Good luck with your job situation. I don't know a single person who isn't severely impacted by the current economic turmoil.

Kevinh5 (talk|edits) said:

17 April 2009
don't go out on your own unless your spouse makes enough to support the family or you have 1 year's worth of expenses saved up.

Lmcdon9822 (talk|edits) said:

17 April 2009
I worked 7 years with a tax firm before I started my own and learned alot. I just completed my 3rd tax year on my own. I still have my full time job while building my tax practice on the side. I also offer financial services (investments, life insurance and mortgages) and I am starting to offer bookkeeping services to sole proprietors and small business for income after tax season. The financial services side of my business is very slow do to the market. My practice has grown slowly but steady of the past 3 years, starting from 21 to 35 to 48 clients.

JR1 (talk|edits) said:

April 17, 2009
Well, I'm a split personality, was in sales for ten years for my prior company, and when the pc's started getting to the small biz world, they wanted nothing to do with them. Since they only wanted a certain type of job/client, they gave me permission to take the rest. Yes. My practice doubled in size every year for five years, at which point I separated and never looked back. I do not have a retail op, I work out of my home, specializing the small biz sector. So I'm 99.99% referral, tho' a few always seem to find their way thru the Kevin fence I have up.... :). As for credentials, I went to Notre Dame and work in the Chicago area. That's worth more than a doctorate around here. Otherwise, I would have wrapped up my CPA, which became irrelevant when I got involved in small biz stuff. KNowing what I do now, I'd go for the EA, which is relevant. Sorry my CPA friends, but that one is not. It has nothing to do with tax or small biz, so to the public it sounds good, but we know how they vote, too.

Lalva (talk|edits) said:

18 April 2009
I worked in HR Block for two years, and this is my 4th year in my own business. I started with merely a handful of friends, and this year I did around 40 returns. Compared to other posts I am growing really slowly, but it's OK, because I am very picky with my clients :-) And I have to say that I LOVE my clients, they are great. If I don't like someone I get rid of him/her before s/he becomes a client. My husband is supporting my family, so I can be picky now.

I am home-based and do no marketing other than a line in my email signature where I say that "I consider a referral the highest compliment, please tell your family and friends about the professional services I provide". I got that from a realtor, and I thought that if people know I want referrals maybe they'll send some, and they do.

But the big motor of my practice are a couple of clients. I put a lot of time and effort to solve some problems that they had, and didn't charge that much for that (they were underwater) and they tell everyone that care to listen about me, so I am getting new people from them every year.

I am looking forward to hear what other people have to say. Good luck!

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