Product Tips
Keeping Your Job FreshBy: Sandi Smith, CPA
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Situation
Do you experience times when you feel a little stagnated in your accounting job? You might have your own company or are an employee for an accounting firm and feel the need to freshen up your job or career for a change. Whether you've been in your job for 30 months or 30 years, burnout can sneak up on you.
Response
Here are some unique ways to attack burnout and keep your work fresh.
- Choose Your Clients to Fit Your Personal Needs
Instead of saying yes to every prospect, self-employed accountants who love their work have carefully selected the people they want to do business with. Mary Kefalas, CPA and joint owner of Seacoast Solutions for Business in Exeter, NH, prefers "a varied client base of businesses in many different industries." She loves learning about clients' businesses and helping them accomplish their goals.
John Furge, a CPA in Plano, Texas, and sole proprietor prefers homogeneity in his client base. "I like to work with people who think like I do," he says. "When I advocate for their cause and win, it's exalting." He makes similar choices when hiring employees, choosing people who have the same value system that he does.
John Danehy, a CPA and sole proprietor in Hingham, Massachusetts, has downsized his practice and rarely takes new clients. When he does, they have to "meet two basic criteria," he says. "First, we must personally like them, and second, there must be uniqueness in the account that piques our interest."
- Learn Something New that Will Improve Your Business
Dexter Morse, a CPA in New York, NY, says starting TaxPro Financial Network Inc. "has been the best move I could have made for my accounting career and to reenergize my life and focus." To stay fresh, he plans to study and sit for the CFP exam in 2005.
Mary, who is also a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor®, says, "I set an annual goal for myself to improve one piece of my business every year. One year, it was to provide classroom training which helped me improve my speaking skills. This year, we are adding QuickBooks POS to our services."
- Rest Your Brain Cells
About every six weeks, Lucinda Lintz, a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and owner of Abundance in Business in Phoenix, Arizona, schedules a diversion, such as a movie, a trip to the Midwest, or a day off to rest. "I like to go where the pace is much slower and I am away from my desk and clients. I love giving my brain cells a rest," Lucinda says.
- Prevent or Delegate Unpleasant Tasks
John Danehy lets clients know that it's their responsibility to make their deadlines. "Much effort is expended to inform the client base of the importance of their deadlines, not ours. I set time requirements on them well in advance of tax filing and financial statement issuance deadlines. Failure to meet these are their problem; not ours."
Lucinda works with subcontractors in order to leverage her business. "This is a direction that I am taking more and more to grow my business and give me some breathing room." she explains.
- Personalize Your Workspace
You can turn your office into a place of comfort by adding pictures of people you love, tacking up favorite cartoons, and posting inspirational sayings. John Furge enjoys "having the ability to bring pets to the (home) office." These additions help to keep you energized and thinking positively.
When you're ready to be revitalized on the job, give some of these ideas a try.
Sandi Smith, CPA, coaches CPAs and other accounting professionals to succeed in business. She is a frequent contributor to Intuit® ProConnection®. Her web site is http://www.BrainWaysTraining.com.
Last Updated: 08/10/2009
