Practice Management

How I Will Become a Firm of the Future in 2018

Written by Susan Tinel, EA
Modified Sep 14, 2018
2 min read

One of my resolutions for the new year is to be Firm of the Future. 2018 is the year. Since I started this journey, everything I’ve done has led me toward this end goal: to be a tax firm that excels above the rest.

I have invested time in evaluating pricing, systems and processes, upgrading, optimizing integrations, placing my team around me, and equipping my team with what they need. I have reached out to my community of QuickBooks ProAdvisors® and learned what I could from them. Everything is at my fingertips and ready to go.

So, this year, I resolve to push past the ceiling … and soar. I will use the resources available to me that I have so painstakingly reviewed and put into action. I truly want to have a Firm of the Future. Being a ProAdvisor has lead to tremendous growth in my firm, and I must evolve to master it. I started in this profession as a solo practitioner five years ago, and now, I am a part of a team of five.

I am a trusted tax advisor to my clients, and together, we can continue to grow. But, we can only accomplish this if I am centered and focused, leading the technology and my team to the benefit us all.

My resolution for 2017 was to take and pass the enrolled agent (EA) exam. I did it! With focus and determination, I studied for, and passed, all three parts in about two months. That taught me a valuable lesson; 2017 was not the first year I had made that resolution, sad to say. However, 2017 was the year I chose to use the resources I had around me to make me stronger. I studied with a fellow ProAdvisor who I met at a QuickBooks® Online Accountant live training event. We studied with an EA study app we both purchased. By making me stronger, she also become stronger – and together, we did it. With that momentum, how can I not meet my 2018 resolution?

If you would like to follow me in this journey, I will be posting regularly about my exploits on my own website. I expect it to be an interesting tax season, especially with the recent passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. I look forward to sharing with you the pleasure of speaking with my clients about what really matters to them.

Editor’s note: Read Susan’s ProAdvisor Profile for more insight into how she built her tax practice and how she relies on Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax Online and QuickBooks Online Accountant to serve her clients.

Susan Tinel, EA, heads up April 15 Taxes, Inc., a full-service, cloud-based firm offering services in tax, accounting and entity filings. Based in San Diego, Calif. – and armed with her Blackberry – she works with more than 150 clients across the country, in Canada and the United Kingdom, 75 percent of which are small businesses. Susan is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor® and certified in QuickBooks® Online; she also uses Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax Online, Intuit Link, QuickBooks Online Accountant and Intuit Online Payroll. Follow Susan on Twitter @April15Taxes. More from Susan Tinel, EA