I wanted to help my staff blow off some steam this week, so I asked them to come up with some tasks that we can all do while we’re sheltering in place and doing our thing to flatten the curve.

If your kids (or you) are already asking “Are we there yet?” here are some ways to distract them.

Annie’s List

1. Learn a new programming language and utilize what you learn to build something from scratch!
2. Find a new recipe online—if you’re adventurous, try cooking or baking something from a different culture.
3. Enjoy the great outdoors via Animal Crossing: New Horizons—the latest title on the Nintendo Switch.
4. Used to play an instrument back in the day? Now is the perfect time to pull out your instrument and practice.
5. Do a group video call with your friends.
6. Take some online classes on a topic that interests you.
7. Try bullet journaling!
8. Ever heard of the 10- or 12- step Korean skin care routine? Now’s the time to try it out and get your skin in tip-top shape.
9. If you’re stuck at home with your family, why not play some board games or table-top games?
10. Marathon a T.V. series that you haven’t seen. Or maybe one that you have seen and would love to watch again.
11. Plan a trip. You may not be able to go out now, but what’s stopping you from planning a getaway for when things have settled down?
12. If you’re someone who has hundreds to thousands of unread emails sitting in your inbox, maybe it’s time to clear them out (and unsubscribe to any marketing lists you no longer wish to receive emails from, but not ours, of course!).
13. Read a piece of classic literature… or just a good book. Here are a few that I highly recommend: 1984 by George Orwell, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
14. Try an online escape room!
15. Do a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout session and work up a good sweat. DAREBEE has some good ones: https://darebee.com/programs/30-days-of-hiit.html
16. Tired of listening to the same old songs on your playlist? Time to create a brand-new playlist!
17. Be creative—draw a self-portrait, paint a scene, or even design a shirt.
18. TikTok and being stuck at home are the perfect combination for some creative—or disastrous—content ideas.
19. You’ll find a subreddit for pretty much ANYTHING you’re interested in.
20. Reorganize; start with your closet, then expand to your room, and finally, your entire house. Marie Kondo the things that do not “spark joy” in your life.
21. Always buying last minute gifts? Do some online shopping for birthday gifts now that you have time.
22. Is your resume and portfolio up-to-date? If not, now is a great time to update it.
23. Call your loved ones; you might not be able to see them physically, but that doesn’t stop you from calling them and wishing them well.
24. Follow a tutorial on YouTube.
25. If you can’t enjoy one of your hobbies due to self-distancing regulations, why not pick up a new one? Try crocheting or knitting!
26. Try getting into video games; there are many classic puzzle titles available on the PC, like Portal and Portal 2, that are sure to keep you mentally stimulated.
27. Sharpen your chess skills by playing against other players across the globe on Chess.com.
28. Go through your wardrobe and try on different combinations of shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, and accessories. Take selfies to create your own lookbook!

Marjory’s List

29. Join a local Facebook group to connect with people in your community.
30. Check to see if any local restaurants are selling community grocery boxes.
31. With animal shelters closing and needing help, consider fostering a shelter animal.
32. Learn another language.
33. Create an inspirational sign to display in your window that can be seen from the outside.
34. Follow a Bob Ross Painting Video.
35. Be your own radio DJ. Curate your own music playlist for free with Spotify: https://www.spotify.com/.
36. Read a free eBook. Try https://www.gutenberg.org/ or https://manybooks.net/.
37. Try some free online courses. https://www.coursera.org/.
38. Try an online virtual museum tour. Visit the Smithsonian https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/vt3/NMNH/ or the Louvre https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne.
39. Go through your phone and pick your favorite photos for a photobook. You can order them from websites like Shutterfly https://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books .
40. Try a free tv and movie app. Pluto TV https://pluto.tv/live-tv/ Tubi TV https://tubitv.com/ Crackle https://www.crackle.com/
41. Have some family fun and plan a scavenger hunt for the family.
42. Take up calligraphy.
43. Coloring Books aren’t just for kids anymore. Try a stress-relieving coloring books for adults.
44. Become an origami expert.
45. Get artistic and experiment with pet photography.
46. Give life to some old shirts by trying some DIY tie-dye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBadLUHLe6E.
47. Give yourself or a family member a manicure or pedicure.
48. Go online shopping and send a friend or family member a gift.
49. Do some research on palmistry and read your palm.
50. Catch up on some podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to.
51. Amuse yourself by taking an online personality test like the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator or Enneagram.
52. Have a picnic in your backyard.
53. Make a compliment jar for your significant other to show much you appreciate them.

Cutter’s List

54. Pamper yourself! Give yourself a facial, or a fancy manicure/pedicure. Get creative and try a color you don’t usually wear.
55. Stay fit! During all of that binge-watching, every time a character says a fitness-related word (i.e. gym, health, exercise, weights, etc.), do 10 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 push-ups, or 10 sit-ups.
56. Have you been eating more than usual? You’re not alone! To help prevent yourself from gaining weight, every time you enter the kitchen, do 25 jumping jacks. Then, every time you leave the kitchen, do 25 more jumping jacks. (Of course, jumping jacks can be substituted for something else.)
57. Been wanting to try a new hair color? Since you can’t socialize or really leave the house, now’s the perfect chance! Next time you’re at the store, pick a up box of hair dye. Find out if blondes really have more fun!
58. Ever wanted to write the next great American novel? You’ve got the time. Put pencil to paper and get started.
59. No matter how bored you get, DO NOT watch Tiger King on Netflix. Just don’t! Okay . . . Maybe watch the first episode.
60. Finally learn how to tie a tie! It’s not as easy as it looks. Throw out those clip-ons, pull up a You Tube video, and start knotting!
61. Read! Read! Read! If you’re starting to go stir crazy and need an escape, you can travel the world without ever leaving your living room. Simply crack open a book and go on an adventure. Amazon Kindle is offering one month free.
62. Learn how to cook! Have you always wanted to learn how to cook, but never had the time? Now you do! Just one suggestion: If you’re new to cooking, keep the fire extinguisher close by!
63. Create a new board game. Tired of playing Monopoly, Clue, or Candy Land? Put your creative skills to the test and create your own family-friendly game.
64. Miss going out with your friend on a Friday or Saturday night? Stay in and Face Time them! This is even better than going out: The drinks are cheaper and you get to pick the music.
65. Learn how to play an instrument. Of course, this requires having an instrument. If you have a guitar or set of drums lying around collecting dust, clean ‘em off and test your musical skills. (You may need to apologize to your neighbors in advance.)
66. Practice your selfie game. Admit it: You take selfies! We all do. Now you have time to perfect your selfies.
67. Test your willpower! Social media can be a great tool, but it can also be a great distraction. See if you can go 24-hours without getting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
68. Are you a picky eater? Try a new food!
69. When’s the last time you wrote a letter—an actual letter—to a loved one? Don’t send a text or email, write a heartfelt note and mail it.
70. Don’t use any devices for 24-hours. We often rely on technology like a crutch. For one full day, try not using your phone, computer, iPad, or even TV!
71. Rearrange your furniture! The best way to give your home an inexpensive makeover is to move the furniture around.
72. Start—and finish—that painting project. There’s likely a couple of walls in your home that need painted. What are you waiting for? Grab a brush and get started.
73. Clean out your garage! Unfortunately, you won’t be able to have a garage sale, but you will still feel better once you clean and organize the space. Who knows . . . When you’re done, you might even be able to fit your car into it!
74. Now is a great time to clean out your closet. Rule of thumb: If it doesn’t fit or you haven’t worn it in a couple of months, toss it!
75. Write a song! The best way to channel your emotions is to put them down on paper. Consider putting your feelings and thoughts into lyrics.
76. Start a blog or vlog! Have you always wanted to host your own blog or vlog? Now is the perfect time! The best part: You can write or talk about whatever you want! You’re the boss!
77. Due to the Coronavirus, those in nursing homes are no longer allowed to have visitors. Consider writing notes, letters, or cards and dropping them off. These folks need something comforting to look forward to.
78. Learn how to crochet or knit . . . if you have the patience! If not, learning how to make the perfect martini is much easier (and more rewarding!).
79. Bake bread like they’re doing in France! Not a carb lover? Bake something each day that will cause your home to smell wonderful and comforting.
80. How close are your neighbors? Create a sing-a-long, just like they’re doing in Italy. Note: This may work best if you live in an apartment complex.
81. In Germany, DJs are live streaming for virtual parties. Know any DJ friends? If not, start practicing your DJ skills!
82. Have a virtual bake-off with friends and/or family!

Ideas from around the world

83. Aussies may not be able to enjoy camping with their friends and family during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many have improvised and pitched up tents in their backyards and living rooms instead.
84. Australians may be stuck indoors during these times, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying what the great outdoors has to offer! Many Australian zoos, sanctuaries, and parks are offering livestreams of Australian wildlife.
85. COVID-19 may have Australians stuck at home, but many Aussies have been enjoying a classic Australian pastime: backyard cricket!
86. Stuck at home? If you have instant coffee, sugar, milk, and ice, try out South Korea’s newest at-home trend: DIY dalgona coffee.
87. During these uncertain times, many Koreans are sending handwritten thank you notes to the hardworking delivery workers who continue to make deliveries during the crisis.
88. Support your local bakery like the French do, getting their daily baguette from their local bakery which is considered an essential business.
89. Check if your local wine shop is delivering.
90. Want to party at home? Berlin’s ClubCommission has daily livestreamed DJ sets https://en.unitedwestream.berlin/
91. Attend a concert in your living room. Check to see if your favorite artist or band is doing a livestream performance.

Sandi’s List

92. Curate a list of your favorite movies / series / recipes / books and share them with your friends and co-workers.
93. Host a virtual happy hour with your team, friends, or Facebook group pals.
94. Call a single friend. They are probably lonely and could use your company.
95. If you have a treadmill or a stationary bicycle, you are so lucky right now! Take the clothes that are hanging on it off and use it!
96. OK, on a serious note, review your will and especially your advance medical directive and make sure it’s what you still want.
97. Watch a TED talk. https://www.ted.com/
98. Take some time to leave positive reviews for the businesses that you’ve recently been helped by or had a good experience with.
99. Call a relative that you haven’t been in contact with for a while and catch up.
100. Get some sun.
101. Watch a comedy series – One of my favorites: Offspring, a laugh-out-loud Australian show available through Netflix.
102. Buy something you haven’t bought in a while. For me it was a subscription to the San Diego Union Tribune so I can get to know my new neighborhood a little better.
103. Watch movies with your friends using Netflix Party or Twoseven (https://twoseven.xyz/)
104. Lift weights. If you don’t have any, use vegetable cans (easier to grip) or books as a substitute for small weights and move or lift your furniture for heavier weights.
105. Take your relationship to a whole new level: Cut your partner’s hair, and try to be nice to each other while you’re doing it.
106. Work in your garden.
107. Be a leader in your neighborhood by becoming a facilitator and match needs to people who are able to meet them. As an example, find out who is elderly and may need help and who is young and can help, etc.
108. Take a bubble bath.
109. Dust off your last performance review, and take a course in a skill that your boss suggested.
110. Get better at technology. My weakness is my phone, so I’m going to work on that.
111. Ask your grandparents for stories about when they were growing up.
112. Get your taxes done. It will feel great to get them out of the way.
113. Update your emergency contacts list.
114. Train your dog to roll over. Or if you have a cat, try training them, but good luck with that.
115. Dust off all the puzzles, games, and legos you have in your closet and play with them.
116. Make a gratitude list at least once a week, if not every day.  Here’s one of mine: I’m grateful I have a bunch of exercise equipment at home; I’m grateful I didn’t burn down the house when I made French fries without a proper deep fryer; I’m grateful my husband found almond milk at the 7-Eleven last week; I’m grateful I can donate money to our local food bank this week.

• Purchase and pay for the webinar course. If you are an Enrolled Agent, enter your PTIN starting with a capital P followed by numbers.
• Join the webinar at the correct time using the unique link you’ve been emailed. This link should be in the name that you want on your CPE certificate.
• Keep the GoToWebinar browser tab open during the webinar.
• Stay logged into the webinar for the required number of minutes. 50 = 1 hour, 105 = 2 hours, 160 = 3 hours. (You can log out and log back in if you have tech trouble; your total number of minutes will be counted.)
• Answer the polling Questions.
• After the webinar is over, wait 2-3 hours. During this time, we’re updating our database with the participants who met the time attendance requirement.
• 2-3 hours after the webinar is over, visit https://accountantsaccelerator.com/cpe-certificates-rules/ and have your attendance words handy.
  • Enter the email address you used to login to the webinar in the field on this page and click Submit.
  • Locate the correct course in the table that displays, and click the “Enter Attendance Checks” button next to the correct course.
  • Enter the attendance check words in the blanks provided. If you missed one, leave it blank. Click Submit.
  • Your certificate should display if you’ve entered the correct number of words (at least 3 for 1 hour, at least 6 for 2 hours, and at least 9 for 3 hours.

If you encounter an error, we may be able to fix it.  What we can’t fix: participant does not have enough minutes attended, participant does not have the attendance check words.  What we can fix: name change, any error on our part. Email support@sandismith.com if you need help.

First, do you plan to listen via your computer speakers/headset or via a telephone line?

In our webinars, you have the choice of either one. Most people listen via their PC, but a few choose to dial in. In either case, you will be muted by an organizer so you can’t talk, but you should always be able to hear.
The GoToWebinar software has two windows for you when you are on a webinar: the one where the presentation is shown and the control panel which is shown to the right. (Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact match – this is an organizer’s view and you won’t have as many sections.)

If you don’t see this window, it could be minimized or under something else. If it’s minimized, it will look like this:

Click the orange arrow to expand it. If you can’t find your control panel window at all, click the icon on your task bar – it’s the blue and white 6-pointed flowery thing – to display the windows.

In the Control Panel window, look for the section labeled Audio. Notice whether your Audio controls are selected for Computer audio or Phone call. This is the first reason why you might not hear anything. Make sure the selection is correct.

The next thing to check for is your volume. There is a speaker icon on the bottom right side of your task bar. Click it to bring up the volume bar. Adjust your volume accordingly.

You can also find this by going to your Start menu, Settings, and Sound.

If you still don’t have pc sound, the next thing to do is log out fo the webinar and log back in. If that doesn’t work, you may need to reboot or you may need to call GoToWebinar support; they will help participants, not just organizers.

First go here: https://support.goto.com/webinar and enter “Why can’t I hear anyone?” There’s a whole page on what to do. If that fails, give them a call.  In rare cases, we’ve seen people who have to uninstall an old version and reinstall a new version of GoToWebinar to get it to work.

Phone
If you want to dial in by phone, be sure to choose the Phone audio radio button choice in the Audio section of the GoToWebinar control panel and dial the number. Be sure the country is set to your own. You’ll need to enter the access code to get on the right webinar. The phone and access code are listed on the control panel right below the Phone radio button selection.

If you get a busy signal, you can get another phone number by clicking the Problem dialing in? link. When you do, you’ll get a web page in your browser that looks like this:

Follow the directions on the screen to dial in using the alternate phone number given.
We hope that solves all of your audio issues. See you on the next webinar!

One of the top challenges for small businesses is managing cash flow effectively. There are times when the most experienced business owner can run short just before payroll day or get into trouble because they didn’t plan for a large expenditure.

Not having enough startup cash causes a significant number of small businesses to fail each year. According to C2FO, three-quarters of small businesses need more cash for increased liquidity, expansion, inventory and equipment purchases, employees, research, and contingency planning.

In a 2016 report from JPMorgan Chase, most small businesses were found to have enough cash to cover only 27 days of expenses. And getting funding is no picnic, as more than a quarter of all businesses that apply for loans are turned down (NSBA).

The good news is there are more than a hundred ways to increase your cash flow, and some of them are very simple to implement. Here’s a list to help you manage your cash flow more effectively in your business.

RECEIVABLES

Let’s start on the receivables side first.

1. Invoice customers promptly. Make sure your invoices go out quickly, right after you’ve performed the service. If you’re waiting until the end of the month to invoice, you’re increasing your DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) and staying with decades-old habits that no longer serve your business.
2. Send your invoices electronically. Invoices sent by email will get there faster and shave days off of the wait to get paid.
3. Use fast payment methods, such as credit cards and ACH. Especially on recurring payments that happen month after month, set up automatic payments so you don’t have to worry about collection.
4. Make deposits faster. If you’re waiting until the end of the week to make all of your deposits, change your practice to daily. You can make deposits with your cell phone now, so take advantage of these newer banking methods to speed up your cash flow.
5. Make your invoices clear as well as fun. Nothing delays a payment more than an invoice that doesn’t have clear instructions on who to make the check out to, where to mail the check, what the bill is for, and what the total amount due is. Look over your invoice format and revise it if it’s not easy to understand.
6. Some customers may have specific invoicing requirements. This especially true for large companies, government agencies, and nonprofits. Meet their requirements so it won’t hold up your payment.
7. Revise your payment terms. Payment terms like due upon receipt or net 30 days are too common. You will actually get paid faster with terms like net 13.
8. Use a variety of payment options so customers can choose. Include popular credit cards such as American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Consider letting clients pay by PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, debit cards, digital wallet, echeck, paper check, ACH, cash, and if you are really adventurous, cryptocurrency.
9. Offer an early pay discount to get paid faster, especially if the invoice is going to government agencies or large corporations. Some have policies that require that they take the discount.
10. Collect the right amount of sales tax on all invoices. If you make an error on sales tax collection, you’ll need to make it up out of your own pocket. Make sure this liability is correctly recorded so you don’t overspend before it is remitted to the state.
11. Pay attention to payments that fail. This includes credit cards that are declined, ACH collections that fail, and credit cards with expiration dates that are about to expire. Put processes in place to get these items corrected quickly.
12. Implement a collection process for payments that are past due. Take action at key points, such as 7 days overdue, 14 days overdue, et cetera. Use your accounting software to re-send unpaid invoices.
13. Run a credit report on any vendor that you plan to give credit to. Grant them credit as appropriate.
14. Cut off services to customers who are past due more than 45 days (or a time frame you choose).
15. Verify and maintain current contact information for all of your customers so invoices are timely received.
16. When clients do pay, apply their payments promptly so they won’t get past due notices.
17. Consider sending monthly statements to customers that have a large number of outstanding invoices.
18. Review your accounts receivable aging report on a weekly basis and take personal action on the accounts that need your focus.

PAYABLES

Here are some things to consider on the payables side.

19. Record your bills in your accounting system so you can track what’s due.
20. Enable credit card bank feeds in your accounting system if you make charges to your credit card.
21. Don’t mix personal and business expenses. Even if you don’t have a business credit card, you can use one personal credit card to make your business expenses and that will keep them separate.
22. Pay credit cards off each month if possible. If not, refinance to a lower interest rate.
23. Make payments on the last day possible to avoid fees and to stretch your cash. You can easily do this with good accounts payable software.
24. Take early pay discounts when offered.
25. Avoid late fees by paying vendors on time.
26. Set up approvals for purchases, even for owners, so that everyone has to think before they spend.
27. Require monthly recurring fees to be re-approved at least once per quarter if not more often.
28. Consider using purchase orders on purchases over a certain amount so that they can be pre-approved.
29. Re-negotiate payment terms with vendors if needed.
30. When paying bills, use three-way matching: the purchase order, the shipping receipt, and the invoice.
31. Pay payroll taxes on time to avoid hefty penalties. Better yet, get a payroll system that makes payments for you and assumes the liability if they are late.
32. Double-check invoices to make sure you made that purchase and to make sure you received the service or product you are being billed for. Many fraudulent bills are sent to unknowing companies.
33. Put in place a process for duplicate bills so they are not paid twice.
34. Track your check numbers to make sure there is no missing stock.
35. Lock up your check stock and make sure only authorized personnel have access.
36. Check with the bank every six months to view the signature card for your bank account. Remove any unauthorized people immediately.
37. Track credit card access and use carefully. Cancel cards and accounts that you can’t account for.
38. Calendar in annual contract renewals that have automatic payment setup 30 days before they renew. You may want to re-negotiate that contract and this is the time for the best leverage.
39. Make charges to credit cards if you can manage them well. Then you’ll be able to dispute any payments that are not legitimate.
40. While you might not get a tax bill, you should make tax projections and pay estimated taxes throughout the year so you don’t have a huge liability and penalties in the spring.
41. Make loan payments timely to avoid late fees.

CASH MANAGEMENT

In the area of cash management, there are lots of tips:

42. Prepare a cash report daily to track cash in and out to get a better feel for what your company needs. The average small business brings in and takes out about $350 each day.
43. Create an annual budget and stick to it. That way, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to reach your profit goal.
44. At least weekly, review your cash in and out to get a feel for how your balance fluctuates.
45. Know what your bank charges you on a monthly basis. Shop around for better bank fees if yours is too high.
46. Make sure your merchant fees are competitive. If you are paying too much, look for a better merchant services vendor.
47. Does your business have cash expenses? If so, create a petty cash fund, keep the receipts, record the transactions properly, and replenish the fund correctly.
48. If your business is seasonal, prepare for the slow times so you are not caught by surprise.
49. Periodically check your credit score to make sure there is no fraud or identity theft.
50. Stay up to date on your accounting, especially your bank reconciliation, so there are no chances for overdraft and the expensive fees and embarrassment that goes with it.
51. Make sure you have the best accounting system for your business. Too little can cause errors and inadequate data. Too much and your learning curve and time spent are too high.
52. A great cash trick is to hide some of it for a rainy day. This can be done a couple of ways. If your cash balance is $15,000, record it as $10,000 so you have a $5,000 cushion. Never go below the $10,000 with your spending.
53. Do a cash flow projection on a regular basis. If you have a loan, you may be able to pay it off quicker, saving interest fees. Or you may need to borrow more.
54. Just because you have credit doesn’t mean you should use it. Borrowing more than you need causes excess interest expense which reduces profits.
55. Plan for slow times, emergencies, sicknesses, or other disasters by having some cash set aside, enough to cover at least 60 days of expenses.
56. Work with a professional to create a cash flow forecast for several months in the future. This can be done with cash flow software or financial dashboard software. Done well, you’ll be able to see the future of your business. Some software will also let you do what-if analysis so you can plan for large purchases.

REVENUE GENERATION

57. Review your sales reports every month for accurate classification and reasonableness.
58. Compare your actual sales with your sales forecast. Adjust your marketing plan, budget, projections, and forecast as needed.
59. Manage your pipeline of prospects to make sure it is always full. You should always have activity for collections coming in, receivables being billed, customers being serviced, estimates awaiting approval, and prospects calling, making appointments, or visiting the store or office.
60. Offer clients a range of shipping options so they can get their items in the timeframe they need.
61. Make sure sales forecasts are realistic, especially with an eye to seasonal and market fluctuations.
62. Are you spending intelligently when it comes to marketing? Track each campaign and repeat only the ones that are generating a good return on investment for you.
63. Determine the right metrics to track for your business so you can stay on top of your business’s revenue performance and make smart business decisions.

EXPENSE MANAGEMENT

64. Review your income statement expense balances every month for accurate classification and reasonableness.
65. Compare your actual expense balances with your budgeted expenses and manage the differences. Adjust the budget, projections, and forecast as needed.
66. Before purchasing items from a vendor, get three estimates from various vendors. This keeps you from buying in the heat of the moment and becoming vulnerable to an aggressive salesperson.
67. Before you purchase, ask yourself if it’s necessary and if you will really get a return on investment from it.
68. Before you hire, make sure your customer processes are as lean and efficient as possible.
69. When you hire, make sure you’ve planned for the learning curve/training period based on skill set.
70. Don’t forget that employee benefits, raises, vacations, and sick time are all part of the overhead your business must incur. This should all be factored into the pricing you have for your products and services.
71. How much do you pay yourself? If your business is set up as a corporation, you must adhere to the reasonable compensation rules.
72. There are a gazillion ways to improve cash flow through better inventory management. Take inventory frequently so that it is accurately represented on your books.
73. If you have inventory that hasn’t sold in over a year or whatever period is right for your business, consider holding a sale, discontinuing these items, or scrapping them to free up room for more profitable items.
74. Does your inventory get stale or yield scrap parts? Consider selling it or donating it for a write-off that helps your bottom line.
75. Do you frequently sell items that are out of stock? Consider higher re-order points so that you improve customer service and don’t lose the sale.
76. Do you have too much inventory? Excess inventory that doesn’t turn quickly enough can results in higher interest expense, lower cash flow, increased facility expense, and decreased opportunity. Sell it down and lower your re-order points accordingly.
77. Create an inventory forecast and automate your re-order points for the best management approach.
78. Do you have a lot of returns? Track them to see if they are coming from a particular vendor or item so you can troubleshoot the deeper problem.
79. Make sure you have a good process for returns so that your customer service is performed well, the item can be re-sold quickly, and any vendor credit can be processed swiftly.
80. Are you missing out on sales because your space is not big enough? Consider increasing your warehouse.
81. Manage your shipping costs by making sure you are covering them either in your shipping fees or your product prices.
82. Shop frequently for the best deals in shipping costs if you have high enough volume.
83. Evaluate your customers by geographic location and set up your warehouses to minimize distribution and shipping costs.
84. Do you have a lot of unused stuff all over the office? Get on Craigslist or Letgo.com and have a “garage sale” or donate the items to charity. It may not increase your cash flow much, but it will lift your energy.
85. Do you work out of an office and pay a high rent? If you offer services that can be delivered virtually, consider working from home to save rent and utilities.
86. If you need to meet clients face to face, consider renting a shared office space where you have access to a nice meeting area. These virtual shared office spaces are popping up all over the country.
87. If you have to rent an office, cut down on utilities by turning the lights out when you leave a room or close for the day.
88. Watch out for recurring expenses that you might not be using any longer. Magazine subscriptions, networking memberships, club dues, gift clubs, and even software apps can add up. Cancel them if you are not using them.
89. Insurance costs can sneak up on you as an annual bill. Make sure you are covered but not over-insured, and shop around for the best deal.
90. Frequently re-negotiate contracts for cell phones, voip lines, 800 numbers, internet access and other vendors that give better deals to new customers than they do long-time customers. You’ll save a bundle!
91. Create extra approval steps for expensive items such as travel, capital expenditures, new hires, and new loans. These can be very expensive and can disrupt profit and cash flow.
92. Create a travel policy if you have employees that travel for business. They need to limit their expenses to what’s reasonable and necessary for the trip.
93. Plan ahead on travel expenses so flight costs are not so high. Make deals with hotels if you are a frequent guest.
94. Determine the right metrics to track for your business so you can stay on top of your business’s expense performance and make smart spending decisions.

PROFITABILITY

Your profitability has a huge impact on cash. Here are some tips to consider in that area.

95. If your products and services are not priced to cover costs and overhead and profit, then all bets are off for proper cash management. It will just be a matter of time before you go out of business. Make sure your prices and sales volume can cover your expenses by doing frequent price reviews.
96. Do you know your break-even point? That’s how many products and services you need to sell to cover your direct costs and your overhead. Be sure your sales volume is high enough for you to break even and earn a profit for all your troubles.
97. It’s easy to get mixed up and think your cash balance in the bank is the same as your profit. It’s not! Your cash simply reflects one account in your balance sheet and is a small but important part of your business. Profit is the key number to manage to in order to make sure your business is viable and has a future.
98. It’s fun to grow your business quickly, but it can be very difficult to manage cash flow if your business is growing at an out-of-control pace. Get help from a professional who has been there before if your business is on the fast track.
99. If you’ve gotten venture capital funding for your business, it needs to be carefully managed. No team trips to Hawaii should be approved until you have a solid budget and are consistently making your sales goals.
100. Determine the right metrics to track for your business so you can stay on top of your business’s profitability performance and make smart business decisions.
101. If you are pricing by estimating job costs and labor, perform a periodic review of job profitability when the job’s expenses come in. Make changes in the way you estimate the jobs if your profit falls short.
102. If you price by packages, make sure your profit level averages your goal across clients. If not, adjust your package prices.
103. If you have labor overruns in your jobs or manufacturing process, create a process to assess the reason for these overruns. Make the necessary changes that you need in your business to reach the profit goals you’ve set.
104. Run profitability reports by project, job, or product to learn more about how you can best manage your profitability. You should know which items, services or jobs are most profitable, and this can feed into your marketing for more proactive results.
105. Above all, have fun running your business and reward yourself when you do reach your profit and cash goals.

We hope these tips help you manage your cash better in your business. If you have questions about any of these or need further guidance, please reach out.

Our goal is to help you succeed in your business, and we’d love to find out more about you, your business, and your accounting needs.

Give us a call, email us, or schedule a time on our calendar so we can talk.

Download the PDF version of “105 Ways to Speed Up Cash Flow in Your Small Business” here.

While the accounting industry may not have a red-carpet, star-studded awards night like the Grammy Awards or the Oscars, individuals and companies can still achieve recognition of greatness or accomplishment in our profession. And why shouldn’t they be acknowledged for their hard work? After all, we’re the financial backbone of entities throughout the world.

Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the awards and certifications that can be obtained by accounting and tax professionals. Take a look!

1. Top 50 Best of the Best Firms

Inside Public Accounting—IPA, as it’s often referred to as—first began naming the top 50 Best of the Best Firms in the United States back in 1994. This list exclusively focuses on factors that include performances in specific areas of management, growth, and strategic vision.

Fun fact: Firms that make the “Best of the Best” list are often some of the highest-performing public accounting firms in the country. Firms of all sizes are eligible.

Find out more information here:

http://insidepublicaccounting.com/newsletters/ipa-100-ipa-200-ipa-300/

2. The Best Firms to Work For

Accounting Today ranks the “Best Firms to Work For,” which focuses on factors that include the best management practices, HR and benefits policies, firm cultures, and retention strategies. Accounting Today also offers significant insight into what actually makes a firm an employer of choice.

Find out more information here:

https://www.accountingtoday.com/web-seminars/meet-the-2019-best-firms-to-work-for

3. Top 100 Firms

It’s also important to note that Accounting Today ranks the top 100 firms each year, as well, which includes key trends, like firms to watch out for and up-and-coming practices.

Find out more information here:

https://www.accountingtoday.com/data/the-2019-top-100-firms-overview

4. Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting

Each year, Accounting Today releases its roster of thought leaders, change-makers regulators, practitioners, and other leaders who are shaping the profession.

Find out more information here:

https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/the-top-100-most-influential-people-in-accounting

5. 40 Under 40

CPA Practice Advisor is a technology and practice management resource for accounting and tax professionals. The company offers a myriad of awards each year, including “40 Under 40.”

Find out more information here:

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/accounting-audit/article/21106742/the-2019-40-under-40-thought-leaders-and-20-under-40-top-influencers-announced

Other awards offered by CPA Practice Advisor include:

6. 20 Under 40

The accounting industry is a necessity for the success of America’s small businesses. As such, these awards recognize the professionals who are helping lead the industry.

Find out more information here:

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/accounting-audit/article/21106742/the-2019-40-under-40-thought-leaders-and-20-under-40-top-influencers-announced

7. Most Powerful Women in Accounting Awards

This award promotes inclusiveness and creates more opportunities for women in the industry to attain leadership roles.

Find out more information here:

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/awards/news/21113839/nominations-being-accepted-for-the-2020-most-powerful-women-in-accounting-awards

8. Readers’ Choice Awards

These awards give accounting professionals an opportunity to share what systems they use and believe to be most productive and beneficial.

Find out more information here:

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/awards/promotion/12387613/cpa-practice-advisor-2019-readers-choice-awards

9. Innovation Awards

The Tax and Accounting Technology Innovation Awards honor new technologies that assist accounting firms and their small business clients operate more efficiently.

Find out more information here:

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/awards/article/21088354/2019-innovation-awards-highlight-top-tech-for-accountants

10. Top 50 Women in Accounting

Practice Ignition also does its part to showcase women in the accounting industry with their “Top Women in Accounting” list. The list is composed of—you guessed it—women! These women have all been nominated by colleagues and the sort who find them to be mentors, an inspiration, and have the drive to be the best. The list is planned to be announced annually on International Women’s Day.

Find out more information here:

https://www.practiceignition.com/blog/top-50-women-in-accounting

11. Women in Business

The Stevie® Awards, announced each year, recognizes a wide range of individuals and companies in the business industry, including Women in Business. Other categories include:

• Custer Service
• HR Achievement
• S.-based Organizations
• Executive of the Year
• Company of the Year

Find out more information here:

https://stevieawards.com

12. Marketing Achievement Award

Association for Accounting Marketing, or AAM, annually gives out awards to recognizes the accomplishments of those who have worked hard to market the accounting industry and prove how marketing and business development are necessary in order to drive a firm’s brand and growth. One of their top awards includes the Marketing Achievement Award. Other awards are:

13. Marketer of the Year
14. Volunteer of the Year
15. Rookie of the Year

Find out more information here:

https://www.accountingmarketing.org/awards

16. Top 100

In 2019, TaxBuzz celebrated its 5th annual list of top tax professionals, which included 100 highly-rated independent tax professionals around the country. TaxBuzz works by “matching” taxpayers with highly-rated accountants and tax professionals based on factors that include the type of help needed, geographic location, and other preferences.

Find out more information here:

https://www.taxbuzz.com

17. Top Cloud Accounting Experts

CountingWorks recently celebrated its second annual list of top cloud accounting experts. The list showcased 100 accounting providers who operate outstanding cloud-based practices. Originally launched in 2018, CountingWorks provides a marketplace for clients to find both qualified cloud accounting and virtual finance assistance, such as CPAs, virtual CFOs, bookkeepers, and other accounting professionals.

Find out more information here:

https://www.countingworks.com

20. 20. 18. Outstanding Accounting Educator Award

Each year, the American Accounting Association releases a list of individuals recognized for their hard work and dedication to the industry. The AAA offers a long list of winners for a range of categories, including Outstanding Service Award, Lifetime Service Award, and Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award.

Find out more information here, as well as a complete list of categories:

https://aaahq.org/Education/Awards/Press-Release/2019

20. 20. 19. Certified Fraud Examiner of the Year

This award is presented annually by the Association of Certified Fraud Examines (ACFE) to a CFE who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fraud examination. Other awards presented each year by the ACFE include:

20. 20. 20. Educator of the Year
        21. Chapter of the Year
        22. Chapter Website of the Year
        23. Achievement in Outreach/Community Service

Find out more information here, as well as easily nominate individuals who qualify:

https://www.acfe.com/2019-awards-nomination.aspx

20. 20. 24. Top 100 ProAdvisors

Insightful Accountant runs this awards program for accounting professionals who are active in the QuickBooks world. They recently expanded their awards to include domestic and international categories.  They also choose a top ten based on ten categories:

20. 20. 25. QuickBooks Desktop
        26. QuickBooks Online
        27. Niche Practice
        28. Business Outsourcing
        29. Trainer/Writer
        30. Integrations – Desktop
        31. Up-and-Comer
        32. QBO – Appologist
        33. Social Media
        34. Canada
        35. Best of the Best

Find out more here: https://www.intuitiveaccountant.com/top-100

20. 20. 36. AICPA Honorary Gold Medal

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants in the United States. Each year, they award and single out individuals who have achieved or demonstrated greatness. For example, the AICPA Honorary Gold Medal Award was originally established in 1980 and recognized an individual who is not a CPA and whose work has had a significant impact on the profession.

Other awards offered by the AICPA include:

20. 20. 37. Public Service Award*
        38. Special Recognition Award
        39. Gold Medal Award of Distinction
        40. Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education Award
        41. Joint AICPA/AAA Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award
        42. Outstanding CPA in Government Award
        43. AICPA Outstanding Young CPA Award
        44. AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award

Find out more information here:

https://www.aicpa.org/volunteer/memberawards.html

It’s important to honor the professionals who have not only already achieved greatness in the accounting industry, but also those who continue and strive to make positive and impactful changes. If that’s you or someone you know, consider taking some time to nominate yourself or a colleague.

And if we left out your award, send us a note and we’ll get yours added.

Related: Getting certifications is an honor too.  For a list of 34 professional certifications you can get in accounting, tax, audit, and more, click here:

https://accountantsaccelerator.com/34-professional-certifications-accounting-tax-audit/

A lot has changed since 2011. For one thing, there are a lot more webinars, probably thousands available now in any one year. But there are still some people who have never been on one, and that’s who this article is for.

It’s time. Not only is it more time-effective to get CPE this way, it’s also more cost-effective too. Almost every topic is available via webinars, and most of my introverted accounting friends with virtual solo practices love being able to learn at home in the comfort of their sweatpants.

If you’ve never joined a webinar before or had issues in the past, this is the guide for you. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you’d like step-by-step guidance, then you’ll find it in this post.

So you’ve found a webinar you want to watch? Here’s what happens next.

What to Do BEFORE a Webinar

Once you’ve found a webinar you want to attend, there will be some type of sign-up process online. If there is a cost to the webinar, you will probably need to pay via a shopping cart. For our paid webinars, our shopping cart sends webinar purchasers a receipt and a welcome email with instructions.

In the above step, you’ve paid for the webinar, but you may not have registered for it.  Some vendors have automation like we do, and people who paid for a webinar will next get another email from customercare@gotowebinar.com that looks like this:

Keep this email in a safe place until 15 minutes before the webinar starts. PLEASE NOTE: The webinar link in this email is unique to you. If you want the CPE certificate to be in a different name from the one you used to purchase your webinar, you probably need to contact customer support and give them a heads up.

In our case, the welcome email contains an alternate way to register. You can also register using the registration link provided:

Here’s an example of what that will look like.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/963578291393715715
Webinar ID: 410-390-563

Click on the above link, and you’ll go to a screen that looks like this:

Enter your name as you want it on the CPE certificate, your email address, check the consent box, and click the Register button.

You’ll get another email like the one we showed you at the beginning.  Use this link to join the webinar.

So, in summary, there are two ways to register – some vendors will register for you and all you have to do is look for the email, and some give you the link, and then you have to enter your info and again, look for that email.

You’re ready, but is your computer?  You can run a system check to make sure your hardware is ready for the webinar: https://support.logmeininc.com/gotowebinar/system-check-attendee

You can see the full system requirements here: https://support.logmeininc.com/gotowebinar/help/system-requirements-for-attendees-g2w010003

But be careful! Don’t join by phone if you want CPE credit; you won’t be recorded on the attendance log and the polling questions won’t work on a phone.

It’s Time for the Webinar; Now What Do I Do?

Fifteen minutes before a webinar starts, locate your registration email (show again below):

Click the big blue Join Webinar button.  Your default browser will open a new tab and you’ll see a pop-up asking Open GoToOpener?

Click the blue Open GoTo Opener button. Keep the GoToWebinar tab open during the entire webinar. You’ll then see one of two screens:
1) If the Organizer hasn’t arrived, you’ll see this screen:

2) If the Organizer has arrived but the webinar hasn’t started, you’ll see two windows:

On the left is the presentation window. When the webinar starts, the slides will be shown in this window. You can re-size this window any way you want.

On the right is the GoToWebinar Control Panel. It auto-hides, so all you might see is an orange arrow with a few other icons.

Before we move on, there are two other ways you can join a webinar in case you lose your registration email.

1) If you know the webinar number, you can visit https://gotowebinar.com.

Webinar ID: 410-390-563

Click Join a Webinar.

Enter the Webinar ID and your email address and click the Join Button. You’re then on your way to joining the webinar.

• A second way is to re-register if you have the registration link:

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/963578291393715715
Webinar ID: 410-390-563

Click on the above link, and you’ll go to a screen that looks like this:

Enter your name as you want it on the CPE certificate, your email address, check the consent box, and click the Register button. You’ll then join the webinar in progress.

Audio

Once you’re on, the most common question about a webinar is about the audio.  You have two ways you can listen to the webinar: by phone and by computer audio.  In the Control panel of GoToWebinar, you can toggle between phone and computer audio. It’s your choice.

If you want to listen by phone, you will be given dial-in numbers in the registration email as well as right after you log in.  Just dial in following the directions, and you’re set.

If you want to listen by computer audio, your computer will need speakers and you’ll need to be slightly familiar with your volume command of your computer.  If your computer is muted or turned down too low, you won’t be able to hear the webinar.  You do not need a microphone.

Check out this guide if you have more questions. https://support.logmeininc.com/gotowebinar/help/audio-help-and-faqs-g2w060006

Troubleshooting

If you have issues, the best thing to do is contact GoToWebinar support. Here is their support page for attendees  https://support.logmeininc.com/gotowebinar Or you can call in United States and Canada Toll-free: (877) 582-7011 or Long Distance: +1 805 617 7370.

You Did It!

You now know exactly how to register for and join a webinar.  In the next article, we’ll explain the commands you might want to know about while you’re on the webinar.

Software certifications serve a couple major purposes: they help educate accountants on the software they use, and they can help clients determine which accountants have invested time in training and passed a certain level of knowledge.

There are dozens of accounting software certifications to choose from, depending on your job or client requirements. We’ve listed all of the ones we know below and grouped them into two major areas: core accounting systems and all others.

Accounting software certifications (Core systems)

1. Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor
2. Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor
3. Certified QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor
4. Advanced Certified QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor
5. Certified QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor
6. Certified QuickBooks Point of Sale ProAdvisor

Intuit offers several software certifications for its QuickBooks product line of software applications. For its two main QuickBooks options, Online and Desktop, it offers certifications at two levels, including Advanced.  Free training in many forms – self-study videos, webinars, and live classroom training in selected cities —  is provided for all certifications. Each certification requires an 80% pass rate on an exam.

QuickBooks Online certifications are here:  https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accountants/training-certification/

QuickBooks Desktop certifications are here: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/accountants/desktop-training-certification/

7. Xero Certified Advisor
8. Xero Payroll Certification
9. Xero Migration Certification

Xero offers three certifications on its software.  The first one is the core certification which covers skills in the main product.  A Payroll certification is offered covering the payroll product, and the Migration certification demonstrates expertise in choosing the right conversion tools and methods to bring new clients onto Xero from another software.
https://www.xero.com/us/partner-programs/partners/partner-education/certifications/

10. Zoho Books Advisor

Zoho Books Advisor program is tied in with being a reseller for them. Find out more about Zoho Books Advisor here: https://www.zoho.com/us/books/accountant/

11. Sage 50 Accounting—Canadian Edition Certifications
12. Sage 50—U.S. Edition Certifications
13. Sage 50cloud Accounts Certification
14. And dozens more

Sage not only has certifications for each of its products, it also has multiple levels of certifications for each one, ranging from level 1 – User to Level 4 – Application Specialist.  In addition, some of the more complex packages have several specialist certifications available.

http://sageu.com/en-us/home.html

15. Intacct Accounting Specialist
16. Intacct Implementation Specialist

Sage Intacct software provides two certifications.  They are only available to Sage Intacct partners.
https://www.sageintacct.com/become-partner

17. NetSuite Administrator Certifications
18. NetSuite User Certifications

Oracle NetSuite offers five certifications for NetSuite Administrators and two certifications for Users.
http://www.netsuite.com/portal/services/training/suite-training/certification.shtml

19. SAP Certifications

SAP offers several certifications for its software components, including ERP and finance software certifications.  This page shows all SAP certifications, some of which are not relevant for accounting. https://www.sap.com/training-certification/certificate.html

20. Deltek Certifications

Deltek offers a couple of certifications for its ERP software, but there wasn’t much information about them on their site. I suspect you need the software license first; then you will have access to the certification and training.
https://www.deltek.com/en/learn/blogs/talent-management/2017/08/3-minute-read-validating-product-expertise-through-certification

Did I miss any other core accounting software?  Let me know in the comments below.

Accounting software certifications (Apps)

21. Bill.com Expert Certification
22. Bill.com Guru Certification

The Bill.com Expert Certification is seven hours of software training with CPE. The Bill.com Guru Certification is available to Bill.com Accountant Program Members and has you focus more on the practice management side of offering Bill.com with planning and marketing content.
https://www.bill.com/for-accountants/training/

23. Certified Associate – Expense Administrator
24. Certified Professional – Expense Configuration
SAP Concur offers two levels of certification for Concur users.  You can find out more here.

http://www.concurtraining.com/certification

25. Certified Receipt Bank Partner

For accountants using Receipt Bank, there is training that leads to a certification.

26. Hubdoc Advanced Certification
27. Hubdoc ProAdvisor Certification
28. Hubdoc-Xero Partner Certification
29. Hubdoc-Bill.com Guru
30. Hubdoc QBO MasterClass

Hubdoc offers five certifications depending on how you use their technology.  Each one consists of videos and exams and takes less than one hour to complete.  Sign up here:

https://learn.hubdoc.com/

31. TSheets Certified PRO

TSheets provides accountants with a TSheets PRO designation. The course is a series of videos and short exams that you can do on your own time.
https://blog.tsheets.com/2018/accountants-bookkeepers/certified-tsheetspro

32. Certified A/R Automation Advisor 

InvoiceSherpa offers the above certification after you join their partner program.
https://www.invoicesherpa.com/partner.html

33. Expert Advisor Live Plan

Live Plan offers an Expert Advisor certification. In addition to watching webinars and competing an exam, it also requires you to set the software and renew your certification annually.  Expert Advisors get listed in a directory, so there are marketing benefits too.
https://www.liveplan.com/strategic-advisors/certification

34. CashFlowTool Certification

Finagraph offers the FCA which test on both the software and a knowledge of financial ratios and what action to take based on their values.  There is a study guide, videos, and a 20-questions exam.
https://www.cashflowtool.com/training

35. Acctivate Consulting Partner Program and Certification

Members of the Acctivate Consulting Partner Program are certified by means of a multi-tier educational program. This certification process is administered using several delivery methods: remote training, live training, and “hands-on” practical experience. Acctivate is an inventory management system.
https://help.acctivate.com/start/planning/

36. Certified Customization Consultant

Method CRM is a CRM system that connects with QuickBooks as well as an engine that can be customized and integrated with other systems.  You have to become a Method Partner before you can get certified.
https://www.method.me/partners/program-details/

37. Plooto Certified Pro

Plooto, which is a payment system, offers the Plooto Certified Pro, a 30-minute online training.
https://www.plooto.com/promotion/certified-pro

38. Basic User Certification
39. Guru Certification

AeroWorkflow offers two levels of certifications.  The first one takes 2-3 hours and the second one takes 5-6 hours.  AeroWorkflow is a practice management system.
https://www.aerocertify.me/

40. ProfitCents University Certified Advisor

Sageworks offers the ProfitCents product which is a benchmarking and financial dashboard tool.  Their ProfitCents University offers a Certified Advisor designation.

https://www.sageworks.com/business-advising/ProfitCents-University/

41. Funding Gates Certification

Finding Gates is an A/R collections app.  Certification is 4 hours with CPE and the only one I saw a price tag on of a whopping $899.
https://www.fundinggates.com/partners/certification/

42. Clio Certified Consultant

Clio is practice management software for law firms.  You must be part of their partner program before attaining the certification.
https://www.clio.com/partnerships/certified-consultants/

43. CosmoLex Accounting Partners
44. CosmoLex Certified Consultants
45. CosmoLex Migration Partners

CosmoLex is a practice management system for attorney and law firms.  They offer the above listed partnerships and certifications.

https://www.cosmolex.com/partners/cosmolex-certified-consultants

I’m sure there are more certification courses available.  Feel free to let me know the ones you know about in the comments below.

Which ones do you have?  Which ones are your favorites?  Which ones are on your list to achieve?

Certifications help to assure clients of a level of expertise achieved in a certain area. They build credibility, some more than others of course. They also provide accountants with a structure approach to building expertise in a particular area.

There are many categories of certifications, and for this article, we’ll focus on two major categories: certifications that demonstrate core technical accounting, audit, or tax expertise, and certifications that demonstrate specialized knowledge in accounting, tax, and finance.

General certifications for technical accounting knowledge

1. Certified Public Accountant
We simply have to start with the CPA. The CPA is not only a certification with a grueling exam, college hours, experience, ethics, and a stringent application process, it’s in effect a state license too. Each state in the US has rules on how a CPA can maintain their license to practice with the state’s governing body.

Each CPA firm also requires a firm license along with peer review requirements.

California: http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/applicants/index.shtml

Illinois: https://www.ilboe.org/

New York: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/cpa/cpalic.htm

Texas: https://www.tsbpa.texas.gov/examindex.html

I’m guessing there are about half a million CPAs in the U.S.

Outside the U.S., there are equivalent designations. For example, in Canada, CPA stands for Chartered Professional Accountant, and in the UK and Australia, it’s CA: Chartered Accountant.

2. Certified Management Accountant
The CMA is a certification most often earned by professional working in industry or government. It’s administered by the Institute of Management Accountants, who has more than 100,000 members worldwide.

https://www.imanet.org/cma-certification

3. Chartered Global Management Accountant

CGMA is a management accounting designation with more than 150,000 designees worldwide. It can be earned through the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

https://www.cgma.org/becomeacgma.html

4. Certified Bookkeeper
CB is offered by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.  It’s a really great way to distinguish yourself from other bookkeepers.

https://www.aipb.org/certification_program.htm

5. Certified Internal Auditor

The Institute of Internal Auditors is well known for its Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification, but it also has several other certifications for auditors to earn: CGAP – 6. Certified Government Auditing Professional, CFSA – 7. Certified Financial Services Auditor, CCSA – 8. Certification in Control Self-Assessment, CRMA – 9. Certification in Risk Management Assurance, QIAL – 10. Qualification in Internal Audit Leadership, and BEAC – 11. Certifications for Environmental, Health, and Safety Auditors.

https://na.theiia.org/certification/CIA-Certification/Pages/CIA-Certification.aspx

12. Enrolled Agent

The EA is a great designation for serious US tax professionals. It’s administered by the IRS.

https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/enrolled-agents/become-an-enrolled-agent

Specialized professional certifications

13. Certified Financial Planner

CFPs have knowledge in budgeting, planning for retirement, saving for education, managing taxes and insurance coverage, and investing.

https://www.cfp.net/get-certified

14. Personal Financial Specialist

The AICPA offers a personal financial planning credential which demonstrates your expertise and financial planning insight to prospective clients and employers.

https://www.aicpa.org/membership/join/credentials.html?tab-1=3#tab-2

15. Chartered Financial Analyst

The CFA credential is held by over 150,000 professionals around the world. The charter gives a strong understanding of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills. https://www.cfainstitute.org/

16. Certified Fraud Examiner

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, with nearly 850,000 members, offers the CFE, a credential that demonstrates expertise in fraud prevention, detection and deterrence.

http://www.acfe.com/cfe-credential.aspx

17. Certified in Financial Forensics 

The AICPA offers the CFF which measures forensic accounting skills in bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization; computer forensic analysis; economic damages calculations; fraud prevention; and valuations.

https://www.aicpa.org/membership/join/credentials.html?tab-1=2#tab-2

18. Accredited Senior Appraiser

The ASA credential demonstrates expertise in valuation and is offered by the American Society of Appraisers.

http://www.appraisers.org/credentials/am-asa

19. Accredited in Business Valuation

The AICPA offers the ABV designation for business valuation professionals.

https://www.aicpa.org/membership/join/credentials.html

20. Certified in Entity and Intangible Valuations

The CEIV is offered by the AICPA for professionals involved in fair value measurements.

https://www.aicpa.org/membership/join/credentials.html?tab-1=5#tab-5

21. Certified Valuation Analyst and Accredited Valuation Analyst

The CVA and AVA credentials are offered by the National Association of Valuation Analysts.

https://www.nacva.com/certifications

22. Certified Information Technology Professional

The CITP is offered by the AICPA to information technology consultants and experts.

https://www.aicpa.org/membership/join/credentials.html?tab-1=4#tab-4

23. Certified Information Systems Auditor

ISACA (which now only goes by the acronym that previously stood for Information Systems Audit and Control Association) offers the CISA as well as several other certifications:  24. Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), 25. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), 26. Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), and 27. Cybersecurity Nexus – CSX Certificate and CSXP Certification.

http://www.isaca.org/CERTIFICATION/Pages/default.aspx

28. Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis

Once you’re a CMA, you can reach for the specialty designation, CSCA, Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis.  https://www.imanet.org/csca-credential

29. Registered Social Security Analyst

The RSSA is offered by the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts for professionals who help clients optimize their social security benefits and retirement cash flow.

https://www.narssa.org/

30. Certified Business Profit Consultant

The CBPC is offered by my company (Sandra L. Leyva, Inc.).  It provides basic training and tools in four advisory areas: revenue growth, cash flow, profitability, and pricing, and it’s designed for the small firm owner who wants to take the first step to adding a service line beyond compliance work to their business.

https://acceleratesmallbiz.com/

31. Certified Profit First Professional

The Profit First Professionals organization offers the CPFC. It’s training and a methodology that you license to use with your clients.

https://www.profitfirstprofessionals.com/is-profit-first-professionals-right-for-you/

32. Certified Tax Coach

Certified Tax Coach, LLC, a non-profit organization, provides training and certification to become a CTC. There is a a licensing requirement which includes active licensure as a CPA, EA, or attorney in good standing.

Two more certifications you can get after CTC include Certified Tax Planner (3 years active practice as a planner and tax planning experience requirement) and Certified Tax Strategist (3 years active practice as a planner and tax planning experience requirement).

https://certifiedtaxcoach.org/get-certified/

33. Certified Tax Representation Consultant

Tax Rep, LLC offers this certification which focuses on the area of tax resolution expertise. It requires 20 hours of self-study, a CPA, EA, or attorney in good standing, and a re-certification every three years.

https://taxrepllc.com/become-a-certified-tax-representation-consultant/

34. Fundamental Payroll Certification

The American Payroll Association offers the FPC for payroll beginners and service and support professionals in positions requiring payroll knowledge.

https://www.americanpayroll.org/education-certification/certification/overview

35. Certified Payroll Professional

The American Payroll Association also offers the CPP, which requires payroll experience, an exam, and a rigorous application process.

https://www.americanpayroll.org/education-certification/certification/certified-payroll-professional-(cpp)

As you can see, it would be quite ambitious to earn all 34 designations.  The hardest part is to choose the ones that you feel will give you the skills you need as well as a satisfying career.

If you know of any certifications that should be added to the above list, please leave a comment below.

A whitelist is a list of email addresses that you can create. Placing an email address on a whitelist tells the computer that you want to receive emails from those email addresses.  Think of the whitelist as being the opposite of a blacklist where people are being excluded.  Whitelisting an email address gives it a “green light” on your computer or smartphone.

The instructions for whitelisting an email address vary depending on the type of email software you’re using.  We’ve listed the most common email software below.

Apple iPhone

In your email program, select the email that is from the email address you want to whitelist. Click on the person’s name. You’ll get a new screen that gives you a choice to Create New Contact. Click that, then click Done. The contact is now added to your Address Book.

Gmail or G-Suite

There are two steps you can take to whitelist an email address in Gmail. One way is to click on an existing email and click the drop down arrow next to the Reply button on the right side of the email body. You’ll see the choice “Add ___ to Contacts list.” Choosing this will add the person and email address to your Contacts and Gmail typically delivers those emails to your inbox.

If that doesn’t work, you can also go into Settings by clicking the gear icon at the top right and selecting Settings from the drop-down menu. Choose the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Click on Create a New Filter.

Enter the email address in the From field and click the link at the bottom right labeled “Create filter with this search.”

Check the box next to “Never send it to Spam.” You also have the option to Star the message, mark it as important, move it to another folder, and more. Click the Create Filter button.

Outlook

There are many versions of Outlook, and the instructions are similar in all versions. Locate the email message and select it. From the menu, locate the Junk icon and click the arrow to the right. The drop down menu will include “Never Block Sender;” select it. You can also choose “Never Block Sender’s Domain.”

A similar way to whitelist an email address is to select the email message and right click. Mouse over the Junk option in the drop down and click “Never Block Sender” or “Never Block Sender’s Domain.”

Other Email Apps

If you don’t use the three most common solutions above, you can find other instructions for Android, Yahoo!, AOL, and others on this page: https://help.aweber.com/hc/en-us/articles/204029246

When we think about the word “advisory,” we accountants might think of financial ratios. Advisory is so much more than that. It’s, in effect, everything we do for our clients that is not compliance work – work required due to government regulations and deadlines.

Here is a comprehensive list of advisory services to consider adding to the compliance services and other services you already offer.  Each one represents a potential new revenue stream for your business.

You can use this list in a couple of ways. Take a quick look through the list to see where your skills and interests match your own so you can add even more value to your clients.  Or use this list as a reference that you can refer to often whenever you want to develop a new revenue stream for yourself.

1. Budgeting

One of the simplest ways to get started with advisory services is to help clients prepare a budget for their business or even personal use.  On an ongoing basis, you can generate new budget to actual reports and conduct review sessions with your client to go over the numbers.

2. Cash flow help

More businesses need cash flow help than almost any other advisory services. There are even dozens of cash flow apps to help accountants deliver this service.

3. Industry expertise

Knowing the ins and outs of a specific industry allows accountants to provide clients with deeper insights and a faster success trajectory. There are dozens of industries to specialize in, such as dentists or medical practices in general, legal, food manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, field service, retail, e-commerce, construction, real estate and property management, family office, cannabis, and so many more.

4. Advanced reporting

Generating reports beyond the traditional monthly financial report package is a form of advisory services.

5. Financial dashboards

Providing financial dashboards to your client is a popular advisory add-on. There are several apps that integrate with the accounting system and automate the process.

6. Debt consulting

Similar to cash flow advisory work, debt consulting is useful if the client needs capital or is trying to reduce their debt. This could also include monitoring bank-required debt covenants.

7. Loan package preparation

If a client is applying for a loan, the accountant can work with the client to prepare a package for the bank or lending authority.  While there is some audit and compliance work involved, there is an advisory aspect to it.

8. Revenue growth

If the client wants to grow, accountants can help the client identify opportunities as well as analyze the effectiveness of marketing methods with analytics and metrics.

9. Accounting workflow

Many accountants are also technology savvy and can help a client save money in their accounting department by redesigning and automating processes. There are hundreds of apps to automate data entry, reporting, A/P and A/R processing, payroll, and much more.

10. Fraud consulting

An accountant is the first person a client turns to when they suspect fraud.

11. Accounting system selection and installation

Accountants can help clients get on the right accounting system for their business.

12. Accounting system customization

While there are many areas to customize when first installing an accounting system, accountants should not overlook the opportunity to create a custom Chart of Accounts, classes or tracking codes, and geographical categories for clients so they can see their data in a more meaningful way.

13. Job costing

Job costing is a specialty area needed by many different industries.

14. Inventory

Helping a client manage their inventory better is a huge area that’s in demand.

15. Business valuation

When a client wants to sell their business, this advisory service will come in handy.

16. Cost segregation

This advisory service has sprung up entire companies that do this one thing.

17. Social security

Fairly new, this advisory service helps clients maximize their payout. The field is quite complex, a perfect opportunity for tax professionals to step in and educate clients in this area.

18. Mergers and acquisitions work

With so many baby boomers in their retirement years, mergers and acquisitions are booming.

19. KPIs

Helping business owners determine and track KPIs – key performance indicators – is perfect for accountants. Dashboard apps can help to automate the process.

20. Medical billing

There are companies that offer this one service for clients in the medical industry.

21. Staffing

Some accounting firms have been asked by clients to facilitate or vet candidates for accounting positions.

22. Financial planners

A huge field of advisors focus on financial planning for clients.

23. Technology consulting

Tech-savvy accountants are offering help to clients in their IT departments. There is even a certification for it offered by the AICPA: CITP – Certified Information Technology Professional.

24. Tax planning

Enough said.

25. SALT advisory

While SALT – state and local taxes – is mostly compliance work, there can be an advisory aspect to it when it comes to proactive planning and risk management.

26. Financial literacy training

A number of accountants provide clients with financial education to boost their skills in simple tasks such as reading and understanding their monthly reports.

27. Profitability

While there should be an underlying thread of profitability in every advisory service, I still wanted to list it separately to emphasize it.  Profitability consulting at its simplest is helping a client reduce costs, increase revenue, and/or improve margins.

28. Pricing

Many clients need additional help understanding their pricing decisions.

29. Benefits consulting

Many accountants, especially financial planners, have expertise in helping clients select and setup employee benefits.

30. HR

A few accountants have developed skills in human resources and provide services to clients to improve their HR departments.

31. Elder care

Elder care financial services is a specialized niche with complex issues. Accountants can combine compliance work with advisory services to serve this segment of the population best.

32. Nonprofit

Advising nonprofits is another specialized area where advisory services can come in a multitude of shapes and sizes.

33. Big data

Some accountants, especially those in industry, are providing advisory services related to big data aggregation, mining, and analysis.

34. Data security

Although somewhat tied to IT, information security is a large enough specialty advisory area to mention, especially in fields such as banking.

35. Disaster recovery

Many accountants have pitched in to help clients through the many storms, floods, and catastrophes we’ve experienced in recent years.

36. Profiles

A few accountants and consultants in the accounting space offer profile testing and assessments to help with performance review, hiring, and leadership development.

37. Business consulting

This one is general, but it should be listed for the sake of completeness.

38. Six Sigma

Some accountants have become certified in this area and provide it and other certifications that businesses seek.

39. Project management

Many accountants are great project managers, and this is an advisory field in and of itself.

That’s the list.

Did I miss any?  What’s your favorite? Which ones do you like best for your clients?  Add your comments to our blog below; I’d love to hear what you think about this list.

In the accounting industry, cloud accounting is a hot topic. Accountants and bookkeepers are moving their clients off of desktop software and onto cloud accounting applications to reap the many benefits of productivity, security, and collaboration that these tools offer. This trend goes hand in hand with one that’s been around a while in accounting: the paperless office. Modern accounting firms and bookkeeping businesses have abandoned their stacks of paper and bulky binders for digital assets.

In short, modern accountants are on board with both the paperless office concept and cloud accounting: embracing them, implementing them, and benefiting from them. But there is a disconnect in most accounting firms in one area, and that’s marketing. Why are some firms still stuck in the 1970s when it comes to marketing? This drags down the reputation, culture, and perception of the entire firm.

Online Marketing

The concept of digital marketing or online marketing or even cloud marketing is easy to grasp when we compare it to cloud accounting; it’s simply the use of online marketing channels to enable lead generation and client acquisition.  Yet, when most accountants think about marketing today, they revert to the 1970s methods of direct mail and cold calling. And when they implement those methods, they don’t realize that they risk ruining their hard-earned modern reputation, not to mention paying more for low-quality results.

When today’s clients look for a new accountant or bookkeeper, part if not all of their search occurs online. And that’s where accounting firms and bookkeeping businesses need to be too.

Approaching Prospects

Attracting new clients to your business is a lot like making friends or even dating. It doesn’t happen in one connection; it can take a couple of meetings before you both trust each other enough to commit to building a relationship.  Here are two steps you’ll need to take before you go looking for new clients:

1. Figure out and narrow down who you are looking for.

This means creating a description of your ideal client. While you could get away with marketing to everyone ten or fifteen years ago, it doesn’t work today. Just like you won’t want to be friends with just anyone, you shouldn’t want to take on just anyone as a client.

Today, smart marketers and business owners stop and learn why someone wants or needs what they have to offer. They determine the benefits or solutions the prospect is looking for and use that to create a persona or avatar of a category of clients they are looking for.

2. Determine how you will attract the attention of the ideal client you are seeking.

The solution to this is to develop content that catches your prospects’ eyes. The topic of the content should be something that helps the client solve a problem they’re having related to the services you offer.  This can be an accounting problem, a QuickBooks® problem, a payroll problem, a tax problem, or a financial problem. Great content will allow you to get their attention, demonstrate your expertise, and make an initial connection between you and the prospect.

Where to Look for New Clients

Here is a fairly comprehensive list of 71 ways you can attract prospects for your accounting firm or bookkeeping business.

Maintain a killer LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn is the top B2B social media platform. Your LinkedIn profile should be optimized to communicate what you offer and who you want to attract into your network. As you connect with people you can build your network which increases the amount of people you can reach out to.

There are entire courses on how to best utilize LinkedIn, but here are a couple of the most important things:

1. Keep your photo current, businesslike, and high-quality.
2. Your headline and summary are probably the most important parts of your profile. Use them wisely to demonstrate expertise as well as to clarify your services.
3. Post content that demonstrates your expertise and educates your prospects.
4. Research your prospects on LinkedIn so you can discover what they’re working on and what their needs are.

While you’re at it, connect with me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandismith/

Optimize your website to rank in Google search results.

The best thing about Google search is that when people are using it, many of them are looking for a solution to a problem. Some of them are ready to buy. People who search for things like “income tax return preparation services” or “QuickBooks consultant” are ready right now to get help. They will act faster than other leads who are not actively looking for solutions.

Getting your site to rank in Google search is part art and part science.  There are a lot of moving parts, and no one truly knows the algorithm Google uses to rank sites except a few select Google employees. To be successful here, get someone who has expertise in both SEO and the accounting industry to optimize your site. (And if we can help you with your SEO needs, please reach out.)

Get certified in QuickBooks or Xero and optimize your partner profile.

Becoming a Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor or a Xero Certified Advisor enables you to display your profile on the Find-an-Advisor website. Make sure you optimize that profile because that is another place where prospects are likely looking to buy immediately.  Go here for the QuickBooks program: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accountants/proadvisor/ and here for Xero: https://www.xero.com/us/partner-programs/partners/partner-program/

Claim your Google for Business listing.

It’s free to claim your business listing on Google. If you google your business name or find your business on Google Maps, you can claim your business or set it up here: https://www.google.com/business/

Your Google business listing will appear in search, especially if your business name or your name is entered. Update your profile as completely as possible, including adding photos, your business hours, a description, and your contact info.

“It’s free to claim your business listing on Google for Business.”

Collect email addresses of people who come to your site.

While some prospects are ready to buy right now, others need to be nurtured, and one of the best ways to do that is to collect email addresses so you can stay in touch with them. You’ll probably need to offer some content, such as a complimentary report, white paper, or online newsletter, in exchange for people giving up their personal information.

We recommend Constant Contact as the best tool for accountants to send newsletters. As Constant Contact Partners, we can help you with your setup.  Get started here (this is an affiliate link): http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=accountantsaccelerator

Set up your Facebook business page.

Facebook, with over 2 billion users, is by far the largest social media platform. With its privacy features, you can easily separate business from personal if that’s a concern. Create a business page where you can set up a comprehensive profile, invite clients to like the page, garner reviews, promote events, and much more.

Visit our page to see a sample: https://www.facebook.com/sandismithleyva

Get listed in Yelp.

If a large part of your business is preparing 1040s for individuals, Yelp is a great place to be listed. The directory appears prominently in Google searches for accountants and bookkeepers, so it’s another way gain search exposure. Be wary of the aggressive sales team at Yelp who will want you to purchase an ad. Yelp is free, so you don’t have to ever pay them money, but many accountants seem to give in to their pitches. As of this writing, three accountants in the Plano area where I live were running ads on Yelp, which allows you to rank higher in their site search.

Get started at https://yelp.com



Create a YouTube channel.

If you love teaching, YouTube is a great way to display your how-to videos which show your expertise. Your videos do not have to be long; two to six minutes is about as long as anyone’s attention spam lasts these days. Just keep each learning point in a separate video and it can be done. Your smartphone’s camera in video mode or screen capture software in video mode will get you started.

Check out and subscribe to our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/sandismithleyva

Update and distribute your business card.

Does your business card include your website URL? If so, distributing it is an offline method to encourage people to visit you online.

Buy Google AdWords.

A great way to expand the volume of leads from search traffic is to run Google Ads. They’re easy in that you don’t need graphics like you do with Facebook ads. And Google’s simple platform, AdWords Express, is a nice improvement over the bulkier AdWords platform.  Get started here with AdWords Express or if you prefer for us to set up and manage the process for you, check out our Paid Search Ad Packages here..

List in Bing.

Bing (actually Microsoft sites) handled 22.8 percent of the search queries in the U.S. in 2017, according to Statista.com.  (Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/267161/market-share-of-search-engines-in-the-united-states/) That’s too much market share to ignore. Get started building your profile at https://www.bingplaces.com/.

Join Thumbtack.

Thumbtack matches professionals with customers who are looking for the services you offer. It’s free to join as a business. To be matched with customers, you buy credits that can be used to purchase the privilege to quote a job. You can set your monthly budget which decides how many quotes or prospects you want access to.  You only pay to quote; there is no commission or subscription fee. Get started with Thumbtack here: https://www.thumbtack.com/pro

Set up a Twitter account.

Twitter is another social media platform that enables you to gain brand exposure and stay top of mind with clients. Its 280-character (up recently from 140) post format is perfect for sharing time-sensitive news such as an accounting software sale price deadline.

It’s also great for exposure for you when you’re attending an event such as an accounting conference. Most conferences assign a hashtag (such as #QBConnect for Intuit’s annual conference) that you can use in the post to connect with other attendees.

Get started here: https://twitter.com . And once you’re setup, follow us here: https://twitter.com/CPAAccelerator/

Promote your website in your email signature.

Every time you send an email, it’s a marketing opportunity that should not be missed. Add your website URL in your email signature to make it easy for people to click and visit your site.

Start or manage a Facebook group.

Building a community can be a big commitment, but it can also yield significant rewards.  By starting a Facebook group and inviting people to join, you are creating a place where people can ask questions, share successes, and make friends. There are a few options here:

1. Start a group that all your clients can join. They should all have something in common besides you, such as living in the same local area. Your focus here will be local news.
2. Start a group for your peers to gain professional referrals. Invite fellow accounting professionals to join your group, share common client issues, and ask and answer technical accounting and software questions.
3. Manage an existing group or start a group based around one of your natural networks, such as church, a professional association chapter, a women’s group, or a nonprofit group. Becoming the moderator will increase your post rate and visibility which will foster top of mind.



Check out Craigslist.

Many small businesses post ads in Craigslist when they need a bookkeeper, tax help, or QuickBooks support. Answering these ads has generated lots of work for many of my clients (and not just the ones starting their businesses).

Apply for BBB Accreditation.

Yes, it’s expensive and a little old school, but the Better Business Bureau is still a trusted brand for many consumers. It’s not only a possible source of search traffic but also a way to build trust faster with prospects.  Start here: https://whybbb.org/apply.php

Get listed on Yahoo.

Yahoo has partnered with Yext, so getting your site listed on Yahoo for free is a little tricky but can be worth it. Go here: http://www.yext.com/pl/yahoo-claims/index.html and get set up, but when they present the paid options, look for a link that says “Claim your basic listing only on Yahoo.” You may get upsell pitches from Yext.

Appear on MapQuest.

Many people search by maps, and Google Maps is not the only game in town. Find MapQuest here: https://www.mapquest.com/

Start a LinkedIn group.

LinkedIn is a great B2B platform to start a group. Like a Facebook group, it does require time to moderate and build the community. One perk of starting a group is that you can email the entire group. As an example, join our group, Accountant’s Accelerator, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5159616 and then start your own.

Run paid Facebook ads.

Facebook ads are the hottest paid ad online right now. They are cheaper than Google ads, and the goals will be different too. On Facebook, people want to have fun and connect, not be sold to, so it requires a different approach.  Login to Facebook and find the arrow on the top right side to expand your menu. Click create ads to get started. Or go here: https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads

Get listed on Angie’s List.

If you’re looking for more consumer tax work, Angie’s List is a place where some people will be looking. I personally use it to find subcontractors for a house remodel, but I do know of tax preparers who have gotten business this way. According to a Google snippet the price for a business listing can vary from $20 to $2,000 per month depending on the reach you want. Start here: https://www.angieslist.com/



Join Pinterest.

Another social media platform, Pinterest’s demographic of mostly women and visual requirements are not for everyone. It does generate traffic though and is a wonderful way to express your firm’s culture and fun side. Get employees to contribute and manage the boards and pins.  Start here: https://www.pinterest.com and follow us here: https://www.pinterest.com/sandileyva/

Buy a placement on Bookkeepinghelp.com.

Jim and Cheryl Berry have done a really nice job optimizing their directory listing site for the search engines, and they have actually gotten more traffic with fewer listings in prior years than Intuit’s Find-a-ProAdvisor site, so your odds of getting a lead are better.  They charge about $300 per year, so all you need to do is get one piece of business per year for it to pay off. Start here: http://www.bookkeepinghelp.com/services.asp and if you’re an Accelerator Library https://acceleratorlibrary.com/ member, get $50 off in the Resources forum.

List your slideshows on SlideShare.

SlideShare is a social media platform where you can share your PowerPoint or other slides. You may need to modify your existing decks so that they stand alone without narration. You could potentially use SlideShare as a download portal or handout portal for when you are holding classes.

SlideShare is a LinkedIn property, which is owned by Microsoft. Get started here or within LinkedIn: https://www.slideshare.net/ and follow us here: https://www.slideshare.net/sandismith

Get listed on TaskRabbit.

TaskRabbit is another matching service where consumers can look for help with accounting and other chores. TaskRabbit charges the accountant or tasker 30 percent of the invoice that is paid by the consumer. You can choose the jobs you want. Start here by setting up a free profile: https://www.taskrabbit.com/

Create a LinkedIn company page.

A page, different from a group, is a profile of your business. In LinkedIn, you can set up a page for your business and connect job ads, employees, and other content to it. Start by logging into your LinkedIn profile and under the Work menu, look for Business services and Create a company page. Check out ours here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountant’s-accelerator/

Set up push notifications.

Push notifications won’t bring you brand new traffic, but it is a subtle way to stay in touch with people who have visited your website at least once. You may have seen sites that have a small popup window at top left that asks for your location or for permission to send you notifications. The choice is “allow” or “block,” and the user does not have to give up any personal information. The user’s site is cookied, and you, the web owner, can send short notices to that visitor if they choose allow. The notifications appear on the bottom left. You’ve probably seen them from Facebook, your anti-virus software, and others.

We use OneSignal (https://onesignal.com/ ) and a free account and setup is included in our Platinum website packages. https://acceleratorwebsites.com/pricing/website-packages/

Set up an account on Instagram.

Instagram is one of the hottest social platforms there is in 2018. I have a hard time believing this statistic by SproutSocial and repeated by SmartInsights (Source: https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/instagram-marketing/instagram-statistics/) but they say 70.7 percent of U.S. businesses are on Instagram.  Nearly 60 percent of Instagram users are under 30, but with 800 million on the platform now, you will get traffic.

Instagram, owned by Facebook, is best used when you have visual content, which can mean text graphics for CPAs. Use at least one and up to ten hashtags and go local for best results. Roughly a quarter of a million users post and watch stories, which are very short videos. That’s more than Snapchat.



Get listed on yp.com.

The Yellow Pages still matter to Google, so this directory is important to be on. You don’t have to pay them to be listed. Claim your listing and keep it updated for best results.

Help a reporter out.

HARO brings public relations to the masses by matching reporters who need subject matter experts and well, subject matter experts like accountants. With the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you’re bound to get some publicity, furthering the reach of your brand. Subscriptions range from free to $149/month; sign up here: https://www.helpareporter.com/subscriptions/

Publicize your website in flyers and brochures.

If you print any marketing materials, don’t forget to include your digital links, including your website URL, email address, and social profile links so people who receive the flyers can visit you online.

Pay for LinkedIn ads.

If you’re savvy about the LinkedIn platform, running ads is an option. The cool thing about LinkedIn is if you want to access members in a group, you can target them with ads, while that feature is not available in Facebook groups. You have numerous targeting options when it comes to audience and the standard online ad payments options when it comes to your marketing goals.  Start here: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/ads

Claim your free listing on Superpages.

Superpages appears very high on many search listings, so it’s worth claiming your free listing.  You can also run ads to promote your listing.  Start here: https://www.superpages.com/

Join the QuickBooks community.

Accountants and small business owners have a place to connect and learn on Intuit’s community platform. When you answer questions of business owners, you have a chance to connect with them further. This method is time-intensive, but once you become well-known on the platform, you pretty much own it.  Go here: https://qbcommunity.com/

Get a free website at WordPress.com.

Expand your web exposure by setting up a website at wordpress.com. WordPress.com varies from WordPress.org, which is a content management system used by 27 percent of all websites online. Start here: https://wordpress.com/ and visit us here: https://accountantsaccelerator.wordpress.com/

Use Facebook events.

If you host events, such as classes, webinars, get-togethers, open houses, parties, or other events, you can promote attendance on Facebook using events. If you have a business page in Facebook, create your event from there so that your business page “owns” the event. You can set up registration links, photos, and descriptions of the event. Best, you can invite your friends and people who like your page.



Try Upwork.

Upwork, which was renamed when Elance and ODesk combined, is a way for professionals to connect with people who need them. Upwork charges a sliding service fee from 20 percent to 5 percent of revenues earned. Start here: https://www.upwork.com/i/how-it-works/freelancer/

Get on Foursquare.

You can get a free profile on Foursquare, the local mobile search platform, and you can also enhance that profile with paid features. If you’re all over walk-in traffic, Foursquare is a must. Start here: http://business.foursquare.com/

Write and post articles on sites where your clients frequent.

If you’re a writer or want to tell future clients something, then write an article and get it posted online. In addition to your own blog, you can submit it to sites who will publish it. There are too many sites to list that will take your articles, and often, having connections helps too. To find sites that will take your articles, you’ll need to do some research about submission guidelines and locate the correct editor.

Some sites allow you to become part of an exclusive community of writers for a fee that you pay, and others, less frequently, will pay you to post your article. Start with the online version of your local newspaper, and then branch out from there.

Get listed in the Yellow Pages.

A little old school, yes. But if you are looking for older clients, the yellow pages might work. It does not come up in search as much as it did five years ago, but there are accountants still listed there, and some of them pay to boost their ads.  Start here: https://www.yellowpages.com/

Run an ad on Bing.

With 22 percent of search, Bing has far less ad competition than Google, so promoting your profile might make sense. I ran ads with great success on the Microsoft network for web clients over a decade ago before Bing was “born.” Sign up here: https://secure.bingads.microsoft.com/

Send a digital press release.

Sending a digital press release allows you to get news impressions for your brand. In the past, I’ve used prnewswire.com and prweb.com, now owned by Cision Ltd, the same people who own HARO (see #31). See the pricing here: http://service.prweb.com/pricing/

Ask people to link to your site.

It’s the digital version of referrals; when a web page includes your website URL on their page and someone clicks, you get a digital referral. And the more, the merrier. Link building is also a huge component of search engine optimization and ranking higher organically (or naturally, without paying for ads) in search. Encourage your friends and peers to link to your site, and if you write for a website, make sure your profile includes your website URL.

Join Startup Nation.

Startup Nation is a great site for small business owners to connect. You can get an account and join in on comments to get known within the community.  Go here: https://community.startupnation.com/

Pay for display ads.

Most owners of small businesses have not dabbled in display ads, so that is an opportunity for you. Display ads are ads that appear on major news and media sites. You can get them through Google display ads here: https://adwords.google.com/home/how-it-works/display-ads/

Get a free website though Wix.

Yet another way to grab some free digital real estate is through Wix.com. Start here: https://www.wix.com/

Get accounting gigs through Freelancer.

If you’re a solo bookkeeper or CPA, Freelancer matches you with people who need your services. Freelancers charges fees on both sides of the equation. Your fee to work is 10 percent of the job, and the employer or hiring person is charged three percent. Additional fees to post a quote are available. Start here: https://www.freelancer.com/jobs/1/

Get a free page via About.me.

Just more digital real estate. Get you free profile page here: https://about.me and view ours here: https://about.me/sandismithleyva .

Run ads on Twitter.

In Twitter, you can promote a post, feature your profile, or sponsor a hashtag, all designed to get you more traffic. Start your Twitter ad campaign here: https://ads.twitter.com

Try TaxBuzz.

TaxBuzz is a directory especially for tax professionals. It’s run by one of my accounting website provider competitors, ClientWhys. The cost ranges from free to $500 per year; expect to be upsold. Go here: https://www.taxbuzz.com/

Get listed on Apple Maps.

A best-kept secret is that Apple powers most of the map technology on mobile phones, Macs, and Apple watches that use the OS operating system.  Start here: https://mapsconnect.apple.com/



Outsource your directory listing management to us.

Feel overwhelmed about adding your business to all the directories listed above? Well, I haven’t even listed a tenth of them. We partner with Yext to help our clients get listed in the major directories. You can read more here: https://acceleratorwebsites.com/directory-listings/

Join American Express Open’s small business community.

Meet owners of small and mid-sized businesses in the American Express Open community. Engage, comment, and post content to attract prospects here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/explore

Add “forward to a friend” to your newsletters.

While sending email newsletters will generate repeat traffic and top-of-mind share with current clients, it won’t generate new traffic, unless you encourage people to forward the email to their friends. Look in your email list management software for a button, or simply add a sentence that encourages people to forward your newsletter.

Run Instagram ads.

If Instagram is an important platform for you, you can buy ads via Facebook (who owns Instagram).

Find jobs on Guru.com.

Get matched with people looking for booking and tax help on Guru.com. Pricing for freelancers includes a monthly fee which ranges from free to $40 per month and a percentage of the sales, ranging from nine percent to five percent depending on job volume. Start here: https://www.guru.com/d/jobs/

Get listed on local.com.

Local.com is yet another directory that you can claim a free listing on as well as promote your listing via ads. Start here: https://www.local.com/

Get job leads on Bark.

Bookkeeping services is one thing people can look for on Bark, which is running Google ads to rank in search results in certain cities. Bookkeepers who sign up get free job leads and can buy credits to bid on jobs they select. Go here: https://www.bark.com/en/us/sellers/create/

List on Hotfrog.

Hotfrog is another directory to get listed in. Add your business here: https://www.hotfrog.com/AddYourBusinessSingle.aspx



Get a free site on Weebly.

Weebly is another option where you can get a free website. They also have packages up to $25 per month. Start building here: https://www.weebly.com/

Buy YouTube ads.

Ads in YouTube can vary from video ads (go here: https://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/index.html ) to placements within Google AdWords (https://adwords.google.com ). IF your audience watches a lot of videos, running YouTube ads makes sense.

Use retargeting.

Bring one-time website visitors back via retargeting, which is when ads for websites you visited appear on other websites you visit afterwards. You can set this up in a number of platforms, including Facebook, Google, and any of the major ad display networks.

Get listed on Accountant-Finder.

This index is run by another one of my website competitors, CPA Site Solutions. I don’t see this one coming up in search any more, but it might be worth it to get listed. Expect a sales call if you go here: http://accountant-finder.com/getlisted.php

Add your company to Manta.

Manta is the small business directory. You can add your company for free: https://www.manta.com/add-your-company

Pay to play on GoodAccountants.com.

For higher stakes and a far higher price tag than any of these other solutions, try Good Accountants. The price tag is $5,000 to be listed, and the service look to target larger businesses and larger jobs. Try it here: https://goodaccountants.com/ .

Join your local Chamber.

With most Chambers of Commerce, your business gets a profile listing. Often Chamber members do business with other Chamber members when possible.

For CPAs, verify your Board listing.

If you’re a CPA, the state board that your license is registered with will have a directory listing. Super-savvy clients will check you out, and you’ll want to make sure there is no error in your license status. CPA Verify is a cool site that links to all the states. Try it here to save time: https://cpaverify.org/



Buy Pinterest ads.

If your target client spends time on Pinterest, then an ad will be a good investment. Go here: https://ads.pinterest.com/

Get added to ThumbTack.

With ThumbTack, you only pay when a lead contacts you. You can list your business, and we have several clients getting tax jobs from there. https://www.thumbtack.com/pro

Apply for jobs.

Many entrepreneurs hold part-time jobs while they build their client base. For this approach, posting a resume and applying for jobs will get you some fast steady cash. The most common job sites include https://www.indeed.com/ , https://www.careerbuilder.com/ , and https://www.monster.com/.

Accounting Traffic Cornucopia

Well, as you can see, you have a lot of places to find new clients online and to build the right amount of lead generation traffic you need. My goal was to be comprehensive, but also current. I left off several directories, especially ones specific to CPAs, because they look abandoned or haven’t come up in search for any of the cities that I have clients in.

Now all you need to do is select which places or methods are best for the type of person you want to do business with. It’s a numbers game, and as accountants, we rock at numbers. So you’ve GOT this!

If you do need help or want to outsource your traffic needs, we can help. Just reach out to us anytime.