Register Here
My next Dinner Circle Meeting was originally planned for 18th June, but a scheduling issue at Oliver & Bonacini has resulted in us meeting a week later, on 25th instead.
This meeting was going to cover the topic of ‘Finding & Keeping Great People’ a topic near and dear to all of us. However, I have managed to get a special guest over from Calgary, Steven Walker, CA of Businessworks Chartered Accountants.
So, the ‘Finding & Keeping Great People’ session will happen on 23rd July 2012 instead. 25th June will be a very lively session with Steven.
‘How did a sole practitioner move his clients from compliance to reliance, totally re-engineer his practice, make more money and have a lot of fun doing it?’
Steven Walker will tell his story of how he turned his back on the traditional accounting world and totally re-invented his practice and himself.
Steven operates a very different type of accounting practice. For years he ran a typical firm, offering year-end financial statements and tax preparation services to owner-managed businesses in the Calgary area.
He made a decent living doing this, but there was a problem. He was bored out of his brains.
Steven was also frustrated at having a wealth of business experience gained over the years working with a wide variety of businesses in various industries and of varying size, but never being asked to use it.
He had seen many different problems that his clients had experienced – from cash flow crises to inventory stockpiling, from management conflicts to succession issues and wanted to capture the value he saw in this. So what did he do?
He followed the example set by the Vikings - he burned his boats on the shore, by disposing of his compliance clients, forcing him to make a success of his consulting practice!
It was a good move – but not without its challenges. Come along and meet Steven and discover how he navigated his way to success.
Some of the things we will cover include:
- Tired of being taken for granted by your clients?
- Want to add a new dimension to your firm?
- Want to add new services that generate serious fees?
- Want to be truly appreciated by your clients by adding value?
- Pricing your services for maximum impact and profit!
- and much more.
Since making these dramatric changes, Steven has won the ‘Bottom Line’ marketing awards and was featured both in an article featuring his external CFO service in ’The Bottom Line’ and also in a major article nationally by the Globe & Mail.
Mr. Walker created the Profit Improvement Program and CFO & Business Advisory services and he will talk about his experiences over the years, the mistakes he made and lesson learned.
He will share with you his views on the public accounting profession and what he feels it needs to do to face the challenges ahead, and how to position yourself as a true Business Mentor to your clients, no matter what size your firm is (remember, Steven is a SOLE practitioner!).
Steven has worked with Steve McIntyre-Smith for around 10 years, and this year sees them join forces as co-founders of a national network of independent CANADIAN accounting firms, The Business Mentors Network. This network will offer you and your firm some of the tools and methodologies devised by Steven Walker that have helped him to be so successful.
Last month we talked about adding a business planning tool to your arsenal, and this is a natural follow-up to the last meeting.
—————————————————————————————–
23rd July 2012…
‘Finding & Keeping Great People’
You may have ‘grown up’ working in a firm where your value was determined by the number of hours you put in. I certainly did. We had to ‘earn our stripes’ so to speak. But today’s employees have a very different mindset.
For some, they want it all and they want it now. For others, it’s all about lifestyle and they only come to work to make a living, not because they’re passionate about what they do!
Now, let’s not get too negative, there are still great people out there in our profession, but how does one find them?
What are they looking for that will capture their imagination and get them excited about joining your firm?
How can you position yourself as the employer of choice?
Well, my friends, it’s not easy, but there are many things even the smallest of firms and the sole practitioner can do that don’t even cost you money to do, that can set you apart from your competitors and help you find that elusive talent.
Come along on June 25th and join in the conversation. Bring your ‘war stories’ and share your experiences with your peers.
Some of the things we will cover include:
- Looking for talent? Go where the talent is!
- The job description – liven it up!
- Your website, is it helping or hindering?
- Social networks – Are you Linked-In or not?
- It’s no longer just about the money!
- Of course, the money helps!
- Creating a long-term career path
- Identifying and retaining ‘Superstar’ employees
- and much more.
Seats are strictly allocated on a first come, first served basis, so please register now to avoid missing out. Pre-payment using this form is the ONLY way for you to reserve your places. The last few meetings quickly sold-out.
It’s a pay-as-you-go system, with no joining fee and no annual membership, simply pay for the session you want to join, and come along and enjoy an after-dinner talk with your peers and a guest speaker from time to time.
For just $79 plus taxes (Total $89.27) per session – gratuities included* – you can join our exclusive, inter-active and friendly club where you can talk openly with peers about the joys (and troubles!) of being a sole practitioner or a partner in a public accounting firm and hear our guest speakers.
* Drinks not included – A cash bar will be in operation on the night.
