Sandra is a visionary leader who is gifted with the ability to tackle emerging as well as future challenges. She works with a sense of adventure, preferring to focus upon the most essential facts in order to grasp a "big picture" view of any situation. Sandra relies upon her creativity and inspiration to cut through complexity and devise timely solutions while following her instincts to "keep the ship moving" at all times (and improvising with precision when necessary to make sure that happens.)

Sandra is a naturally gifted public speaker who is noted for the energy and excitement she brings to an audience. At the same time, she adds a personal touch that leaves individuals in the crowd with a sense that she is your friend. This ability to build relationships and project warmth makes Sandra especially effective at building great teams. She is a team player in her own right, offering her multi-tasking skills and a realistic viewpoint that can keep an agenda on track and people focused on the tasks at hand.

Sandra directs Boomer Consulting, Inc.'s annual Human Capital and Learning Symposium™ and offers her services as co-director of the Performance3™ Management Program. She has been in the Strategic Coach Entrepreneurial Team Program™ for 10 years and is responsible for communicating its concepts to clients and the Boomer staff.

Sandra is regularly invited to speak at national conferences where she empowers audiences with new ideas and a sense of humor.

She is a popular author who is frequently published by many trade journals including CPA Practice Management Report, Accounting Today, Accounting Web, The CPA Practice Management Forum, The CPA Report of South Carolina, Lagniappe of Louisiana and The Asset of Missouri Societies. She also contributes a regular column covering human resources to the Boomer Bulletin™ and penned an award winning marketing plan, Rebuilding the Community Bank, published by the Bank Marketing Association.

On Dustin: 

"The pioneer and industry expert in applying Lean Six Sigma, Project Management and Constraint Management principles within public accounting firms.

Providing expert Master Black Belt consultation to professional service and transactional processes as well as to small and mid-size manufacturers. I focus on applying practical concepts with a plan that is uniquely customized to each organization. Real process change happens when you have a combination of the right tools, with the right faciliation and team leadership, utilizing practical improvement ideas. This helps to ensure more complete and timely buy in within the business to process changes.

Specialties:Uniquely applying the concepts of Lean Six Sigma, Project Management and Constraint Management within professional service organizations. I help public accounting firms and other professional service organizations go beyond traditional productivity initiatives to drive real and lasting process changes to the organization. The innovative approach of Flowtivity helps free you from sub-optimal process changes in the past."

From Mike's Linkedin::: 

A CPA and CVA (Certified Valuation Analyst) who specializes in the area of dental and other healthcare entities.

I work primarily with privately owned practices and individuals and strive to become their most trusted financial advisor. We take a long-term approach to dealing with clients by billing them a flat monthly rate and often investing time over and above our agreements when clients need big things accomplished. We have the flexibility that many of our larger competitors don't have.

Carrie is a founding shareholder and President of The Whetstone Group, Inc. Since 2000 Whetstone has provided growth consulting services to hundreds of CPA firms, professional service firms, and companies in business-to-business markets nationwide. She has nearly 20 years of professional services marketing experience.

Carrie helps clients:

• Determine how to best organize for growth and build a sustainable growth culture.
• Develop comprehensive growth plans, providing ongoing support and consultation.
• Establish accountability for business development and meet their revenue goals.
• Implement follow-up strategies to help manage the sales process with prospective clients and maximize their ROI on marketing.

She is also a skilled trainer and provides group sales training as well as one-on-one coaching that enables attendees to better understand the sales cycle and develop the personal skills necessary to close sales. Firm leaders, practitioners, marketing professionals benefit from her knowledge and dynamic approach.

Before joining Whetstone, Carrie was an in-house marketing director in the national marketing office of RSM McGladrey, Inc.

Speaking/Writing
Carrie has presented for the AICPA, the Association for Accounting Marketing's (AAM) Annual Summit, the Indiana CPA Society, DFK USA's Annual Growth Summit, Moore Stephens North America, MSI Global Alliance's International Managing Partner Conference, BKR's Annual Marketing Meeting, PKF North America and The International Group of Accounting Firms (IGAF). She has been published in the AAM's MarkeTrends, The Journal of Accounting Marketing and the CPA Practice Management Forum.

Leadership
Carrie is also a member of the CPA Consultants' Alliance (CPACA), a working group of thought leaders united in their efforts to further leadership within the CPA profession. Through collaboration, the CPACA offers deliverables and solutions CPA firms can use to advance leadership in their firm. She has also served on the AAM's Board of Directors as well as Chair of AAM's Education Committee.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success.

Bonnie quite literally wrote the book on online marketing for accounting firms, Take Your Marketing Online: Proven Ways to Grow Your Firm in the Digital Age, at the request of the AICPA. Prior to this feat, she was recognized for two years in a row as one ofAccounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People and is in great demand as a consultant, speaker and leader at various industry events. She is a founding member of the Atlanta Independent Women’s Network and is the Atlanta chapter president of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She is also a regular contributor to a variety of websites, including Social Media Today, Accounting Today and other industry-related publications and has been quoted in Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, CPA Practice Advisor, and others.

Darren successfully created a highly efficient and effective CPA firm in Bloomington, Indiana. As a result of his successes in building and managing his CPA firm he has become a sought after speaker at many national conferences. Darren created an organization called RootWorks LLC to help other accounting firms around the country move their firms into what he calls the "Next Generation Accounting Firm". As a technology enthusiast, he likes all things that relate to technology. Darren recently authored The Intentional Accountant: Your Guide to Building A Next Generation Accounting Firm. Darren is the co-author of The E-Myth Accountant with famed author of The E-Myth Michael E Gerber and Youtility for Accountants with New York Times best-selling author Jay Baer. 

Over the next few years Darren plans on continuing to manage and grow his CPA Firm while working to grow and expand RootWorks to serve other accounting firms around the country.

Sarah Johnson Dobek's Profile

Thank you for wanting to learn more about me! I am passionate about helping accounting firms, state CPA societies and vendors to the accounting profession grow. Through my experience as a former accounting firm marketing and hr director as well as through my role as an advisor to CPA firm leaders, I have learned that for firms to grow they have to do two things well- bring in new business while retaining current business AND they must retain the right talent. I am lucky enough to be in a position to help accounting firms do just this. 

I help our clients achieve their growth goals through a few key areas:

Marketing that drives growth
I work with local and regional firms around the country to help them develop and implement their roadmap to growth- a plan that aligns their growth goals with practical strategies to spur and maintain their growth. 

Social Media 
I help accounting firm use social media effectively and help them understand the value social media can bring to their organization. I also provide training and coaching on social media use and implementation, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs and more. We also help firm's determine how social media will be integrated into their marketing efforts or elevate their current efforts to drive more results.

Content Marketing
We work closely with firms to help them develop content marketing strategies or better leverage their existing content for improved results.

Author & Speaker 
I am a speaker and author on marketing topics, social media-including LinkedIn and Facebook, client service and retention, recruitment marketing and more. 

Sandi Smith Leyva, CPA, CMA, MBA, and founder of Accountant’s Accelerator, has helped thousands of accountants earn more, work less, and serve their clients better through her innovative coaching and training services.

Sandi was named one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders for 2014 by CPA Practice Advisor, one of the 2013 “Ones to Watch” of Accounting Today’s “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” and was a 2013 Community Choice Honoree of the Small Business Influencer Awards held by Small Business Trends. She won a 2013 Stevie Award for “Maverick of the Year,” and her work has also been noted by CBS News, PBS, Dallas Morning News, San Jose Mercury News, Accounting Today, Journal of Accountancy, Today’s CPA, and The Practical Accountant. She is a regular contributor to CPA Trendlines.

From Mike Michalowicz's Linkedin: 

I am the author of 'Profit First', 'The Pumpkin Plan' and 'The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur'. BusinessWeek called Toilet Paper Entrepreneur a business cult classic. My books have been translated into 10 languages.

I am also the founder of Profit First Professionals. The Profit First Professional organization is designed to support accountants, bookkeepers and other financial professionals to substantially differentiate themselves in the market - so they can dictate a premium for their services and attract more clients. How do we do it? By introducing a significant service differentiator - the tools and techniques to maximize the profitability of your clients. If you own a bookkeeping or accounting business, and you want to distinguish yourself from your competitors... consider applying to be a Profit First Professional.

I am a co-founder of Provendus Group, a business growth consultancy. I have founded, built and sold two technology service based companies. My second company, PG Lewis & Associates, was sold in a public transaction in 2006. My first company was acquired by private equity.

I enjoy entrepreneurialism and gladly share experiences and advice with first time entrepreneurs. I am regularly invited to sit on both formal and informal advisory boards and have relationships with the angel and early-stage investment community.

Jeff Borschowa is the founder of Business Evolution Consulting Inc.  He is an author, educator, and curator of all things related to accounting efficiency and technology.  Jeff first joined the accounting world in 1991 and has spent the bulk of his career working with and advising small to medium-sized enterprises.  Jeff has experience working in all sizes of accounting firms, from sole proprietorship to international firm.  The focus in Jeff’s career has been to find new and better ways to integrate innovation and technology to enhance the customer experience and improve efficiency in the accounting process.

Jeff’s journey has been unique in that he has met some very innovative accountants and mentors in his career. Jeff has been very fortunate to be in a position to learn from them, compare their ideas, and to truly choose the best of the best.

Jeff would like nothing more than to free bookkeepers and accountants from the stress created by high volume commodity work, allowing them the freedom to pursue work that is rewarding personally and professionally.

Jeff’s overall goal is to reduce the hours worked by accounting professionals and increase overall profitability.  In Jeff’s experience, almost every bookkeeper or accountant can tell you how much their gross revenue is, but very few  know what their actual costs are.  Jeff challenges you to learn more about your business so that you can bid on the right kinds of projects and earn what you are worth – your education should be your most valued possession.

About Me!
Jody Padar, CPA, has emerged as a “feeling leader.” That is, a leader driven by a passion to foster real change in the accounting profession. Jody represents the next generation of accounting professionals and is in the vanguard of the new movement of “digital CPAs.” She has joined with other future-thinking leaders and vendors to spread the word and educate the profession on its natural evolution into the digital age. Embracing the Cloud, social media, and other highly advanced technologies and practices, Jody is out to alter the way CPAs think about firm culture and serving their clients via speaking engagements, podcasts, published articles, and 'screaming it from the rooftop'. A true change agent, Jody continues to initiate conversations and encourage open collaboration between the profession and vendors in order to support the movement toward a newer, better, and more innovative CPA firm culture.

Jody earned her BBA from Saint Mary’s College and MST from Northern Illinois University. Jody is also an adjunct professor at Oakton Community College and a contributing member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network.

Chad is a partner at LiveCA

LIVECA LLP is a 13 person firm committed to providing a progressive approach to accounting with a focus on entrepreneurs and technology professionals. Our concept is to allow greater accessibility to information and advice by connecting clients online directly to a chartered accountant from the comfort of your home or office. 

With the wide range of online tools available in today’s marketplace, our goal is to help clients shift their accounting towards an online platform - reducing the need to search through piles of paper documents and spending more time on value-added work.

Our team designs customized digital workflows and are familiar with a large number of applications that can help solve many issues experienced by entrepreneurs (timely financial advice, cash flow forecasting, systems integrations, etc). 

We work completely online with no desktop systems in a paperless environment. Practicing what we preach is really important to us. 

Whether you are setting out with a new idea or are already an established entrepreneur, we would love to speak to you about bringing your business online and taking care of your accounting and tax needs.

Randy Johnston is a nationally recognized educator, consultant, and writer with over 30 years experience in Strategic Technology Planning, Accounting Software Selection, Paperless, Systems and Network Integration, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Business Development and Management, Process Engineering and outsourced managed services.

In this interview, we help CPA Firm owners, accounting professioanls, and bookkeepers navigate the technological jungle of finding the right software for your firm or practice. 

LIVECA is committed to providing a progressive approach to accounting with a focus on forward thinking entrepreneurs. The concept is to allow greater accessibility to information and advice by connecting clients online directly to a chartered accountant from the comfort of your home or office. With the wide range of online tools available in today’s marketplace, our goal is to help clients shift their accounting towards a digital platform - reducing the need to search through piles of paper documents and spending more time on value-added work.

Whether you are setting out with a new idea or an already established entrepreneur, we would love to speak to you about your business.

Check us out at www.liveca.ca.

Or, just email me at josh@liveca.ca to schedule a free online consultation at your convenience.

LiveCA provides a comprehensive range of accounting services from a qualified chartered accountant for small and medium sized businesses.

Specialties:
Corporate Taxation, Self-Employed Individuals, Accounting software setup, Trusts, Joint Ventures.

Ed Kless joined Sage in July of 2003 and is currently the senior director of partner development and strategy. He develops and delivers curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting including the Sage Consulting Academy, Business Strategy and Customer Experience Workshops. He also serves as the liaison to the Sage Leadership Association.

Prior to joining Sage, Ed worked with Tipping Point Advisors, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of software implementation partners. In 1996, he co-founded Third Wave Business Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner that grew to 20 team members and $5 million in revenue. At Third Wave, Ed developed the implementation methodology and led the CRM and ERP consulting teams.

Ed is a frequent contributor to industry publications, including the Journal of Accountancy, Harvard Business Review and HR.com, and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers. He is also active in the Information Technology Alliance (ITA). He lives north of Dallas with his wife and two children and ran for Texas State Senate in 2010 and 2012 as a Libertarian.

Adrian G. Simmons is a CPA innovating ways to put money in its place. His first debit was made in the classrooms of Loyola University Maryland, where he completed his studies in 2000, and then launched out as an auditor with KPMG Baltimore. He was relieved to have passed the CPA exam in one sitting so he could avoid more studying, but was surprised to learn that it came with an Elijah Watts Sells Silver medal. In 2002, he left KPMG to join his father in public practice, and began the work of serving small businesses, individuals, and non-profits. Since that time, the practice has grown to now four individuals, and the team works together to help customers become financially strong, so that they can focus on what truly matters in life. Adrian likes tech, uses a fountain pen, prefers dark over milk chocolate, and is happy to say he recently survived a half-marathon. His faith is very important to him, and he teaches Sunday school at his local parish. He also likes the out-of-doors, always keeping an eye out for ways to walk, hike, bike, ski, scuba, camp, swim, and others — one he’d really like to do soon is whitewater rafting. In the world of accounting, his interests lie in finding ways to make business more human, in keeping numbers secondary as a support to life aspirations, and in molding technology to enable creative expression. He is excited to be a part of the network of Thrivealists who share this passion, and are pioneering a new future for the profession.

Angie serves as President of The Rainmaker Companies and previously served as the Director of Consulting for The Rainmaker Companies for several years. 
Consistently named by Accounting Today Magazine as “one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” and listed as a 40 Under 40 in the Accounting Industry by CPA Practice Advisor, Grissom is a frequent presenter at national conferences, Angie is renowned for her influence in and passion for the industry. She brings all this to her role at The Rainmaker Companies, striving to share her proven knowledge and know-how to transform the lives of clients through consulting, coaching, training and developing accountability within accounting firms.

Mission: “To, once and for all, bury the billable hour and timesheet in the professions”

Ronald J. Baker started his CPA career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco. Today, he is the founder of VeraSage Institute—the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals internationally—and a radio talk-show host on the www.VoiceAmerica.com show: The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy.

As a frequent speaker, writer, and educator, his work takes him around the world. He has been an instructor with the California CPA Education Foundation since 1995 and has authored fifteen courses for them, including: You Are What You Charge For: Success in Today’s Emerging Experience Economy (with Daniel Morris); Alternatives to the Federal Income Tax; Trashing the Timesheet: A Declaration of Independence; Everyday Economics; Everyday Ethics: Doing Well by Doing Good; The Best Business Books You Should Read; Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value; Measure What Matters to Customers; and Innovating Your Business Model.

He is the author of six best-selling books, including: Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing; The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, co-authored with Paul Dunn; Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value; Measure What Matters to Customers: Using Key Predictive Indicators; and Mind Over Matter: Why Intellectual Capital is the Chief Source of Wealth; and his latest book, Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms.

Ron has toured the world, spreading his value-pricing message to over 120,000 professionals. He has been appointed to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s Group of One Hundred, a think tank of leaders to address the future of the profession; named on Accounting Today’s 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Top 100 Most Influential People in the profession; voted number six and nine of the Top ten Most Influential People in the profession in 2012 and 2013; selected as one of LinkedIn’s Influencer Bloggers; and received the 2003 Award for Instructor Excellence from the California CPA Education Foundation. He graduated in 1984, from San Francisco State University, with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a minor in economics. He is a graduate of Disney University and Cato University, and is a faculty member of the Professional Pricing Society. He resides in Petaluma, California.

This week we’re excited to have Mark Wickersham

1. Why the 70% capacity milestone was destroying Mark’s profitability
2. Why working on your practice is (more) important than working in it (systems, strategy, and the team)
3. Why the billable hour was trapping Mark’s growth
4. His approach to creating systems inside of his accounting firm
5. His #1 mistake (he was too cheap!)
6. How to create a new client pipeline
7. His model for creating and implementing value based pricing

And much more…

Just because our jobs are boring doesn't mean our CPE has to be. Greg Kyte - who was included in Accounting Today's list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession - combines his expertise as a CPA with his 12 years of experience as a stand up comedian to turn CPE on its head. He's created a unique and entertaining CPE experience that does not compromise on content. It's NASBA certified, it feels like a comedy club, and the information sticks to your brain.