As I chose the title for this article I feel I should reply. While we value your contribution, we feel that this is not a situation where we have to ‘defend’ ourselves. The Web 2.0 reference in the title simply referred to the Berk escapade into Second Life. While we appreciate that you are particularly interested in Web 2.0 we have many members who are interested in other forms of marketing and the article tries to provide a broad span of the marketing initiatives one could take. Obviously we will continue to cover Web 2.0 or indeed Web 3.0 and welcome any contributions you would like make.
While we appreciate that you were responding to a comment on this thread, we felt that the thread was veering away from the subject of the article and therefore was no longer relevant. While we encourage debate on the site we felt this comment added nothing to the original debate on the issue of the ICAEW's new logo.
As you may have noticed Richard Murphy’s Practice Tips have been amalgamated into one article for easy reference. But just so you don’t miss out on all the valuable comments posted on the previous ones please find below the postings made on the various articles...
Comments from ‘What to do with your staff in February’:
Frank Bebbington , 22 Feb 2006 @ 16:58 PM Got away I hate to sound smug, but as I work on my own I shut up shop last week and went to Paris for five days! and tomorrow I am taking another day off and going canoeing (yes, it really is a winter sport). I have also spent some time evaluating tax software as my supplier, Objective Tax is changing. This is about the best time of year for a sole practitioner, apart from cash flow. * * *
Stephen Quay , 22 Feb 2006 @ 14:28 PM They Think It's All Over....... You Must Be Joking! I get really fed up keep hearing "1st Feb, Well glad that's all over for another year!" Get in the real world. I'm still working on 2004-05 tax returns that came in during Jan. Same as I did last year and the year before that. Ok so I did the easy ones but most are self employed and require accounts from a shoebox full of records. These can each take a week to complete.
Also in January was the new client with three years returns and accounts to prepare - still plodding through those. Another old client has just sent me his 2004 tax return and accounting records, 2005 will be along later.
Am I complaining? Of course not. This is good regular work without which times would be quieter. Yep! The 31 Jan deadline is great for waking clients up and getting them focussed and for keeping me in steady work until 31 March.
However, I do agree with Richard that if there is a lull, I plan to clear out old client files and anything over six years old. Then in April I shall mail out to all clients the tax return information requests. Then we can start all over again.
* * * Nigel Harris , 20 Feb 2006 @ 12:41 PM Not for all of us! This was certainly the case for us up to a couple of years ago. However, the increasing bunching of tax return work in the post-Christmas period has ensured that we then stay busy in Feb and March doing all the work we didn't do while we were doing tax returns! 31 December corporate year ends keep that side of the practice occupied.
And, of course, training providers have cottoned on to Feb/March being a good time for CPD courses and conferences.
All of which means that there is no longer a 'dead' period when we can install new computer systems, hardware, etc!!
Comments from ‘Are you really suited to going it alone?’:
Richard Murphy , 16 Feb 2006 @ 10:14 AM You're an I and she's an E Neville Almost certainly in Myers Briggs terms you are an I and your wife is an E.
I know the feeling. I'm an I and enjoy working in the way you describe. My wife is an E and enjoys working as part of a team.
Otherwise my wife and I share our Myers Briggs categorisations - but just one difference is significant in the choices people make if they are to really suit them.
* * * Neville Ford , 14 Feb 2006 @ 17:00 PM Horses for Courses Whether you agree with personality testing or not, I agree with Richard in that you have to be the right sort. As a sole practitioner, working from an office on the side of the house, I spend much of my working time alone. I have some staff in the mornings but every afternoon I am alone. I can go for days and not leave the house during the day, fortunately I have very active social and musical interests so I am out most evenings (for those of you starting to think "Sad, Billy no mates"!).
For me this works, I enjoy my own company and I enjoy working in silence. However, I can see for others it would not work. My wife tried to work with me for a short while, when she was fed up of nursing, but it drove both of us mad for opposite reasons. She is now a university lecturer and enjoying every minute and I have my peace and quiet back! She is very much a people person and cannot abide silence.
Discipline is another aspect that some cannot cope with. If you find it difficult to get down to work without doing the washing up, walking the dog, putting the washing in the machine, etc and have to keep nipping off to check teletext or whatever then it's probably not for you. Personally, apart from about 5 years of my working life I have effectively been self-employed so it's not something I think about.
* * * John Newth , 14 Feb 2006 @ 13:14 PM Make sure you are suitable I agree about Myers Briggs (I am an ENFJ), and also consider vocational guidance to be worthwhile. I did the VGA tests, which indicated strongly that I should go into publishing. It took 15 years to happen, as I was already a practising ACA, but has proved to be absolutely correct.
* * * Alastair Harris , 31 Jan 2006 @ 08:59 AM manage them out I worked for one chap who had a five point scale. He had a few 1's - lots of referrals and very good records; but no 5's - he claimed to manage them out or improve them!
Alastair Harris , 31 Jan 2006 @ 08:59 AM manage them out I worked for one chap who had a five point scale. He had a few 1's - lots of referrals and very good records; but no 5's - he claimed to manage them out or improve them!
* * * Richard Murphy , 30 Jan 2006 @ 20:55 PM Fair point! I agree Alistair Some will never manage anything - decide if you want them.
Some produce such perfect books its uncanny.
So maybe 5 is enough - but most are 2, 3 or 4.
* * * Alastair Harris , 30 Jan 2006 @ 10:57 AM exactly right but don't forget point 5! Clients have differing levels of bookkeeping skill. Some are more than capable of dealing with the complexities of asset depreciation, HP or lease, quarterly utility bills, properly analysing costs, etc, and some are not. So grade your clients, and factor in the extra costs of analysis you will have to perform at the year end. A five point scale is more than adequate.
My answers
Re: Links
Sorry about that Simon, the links have now been fixed.
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content Manager
AccountingWEB.co.uk
In response...
Hi David
As I chose the title for this article I feel I should reply. While we value your contribution, we feel that this is not a situation where we have to ‘defend’ ourselves. The Web 2.0 reference in the title simply referred to the Berk escapade into Second Life. While we appreciate that you are particularly interested in Web 2.0 we have many members who are interested in other forms of marketing and the article tries to provide a broad span of the marketing initiatives one could take. Obviously we will continue to cover Web 2.0 or indeed Web 3.0 and welcome any contributions you would like make.
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content manager
AccountingWEB
Re: Links at the bottom of the article
Dear Mr Kavanagh
I have now updated this article to include links to the previous articles (please see above).
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content manager
AccountingWEB
Re: Comment removal
Dear Fred
While we appreciate that you were responding to a comment on this thread, we felt that the thread was veering away from the subject of the article and therefore was no longer relevant. While we encourage debate on the site we felt this comment added nothing to the original debate on the issue of the ICAEW's new logo.
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content Manager
AccountingWEB
Broken link
Dear Michael
There was a problem with the code for this link which has now been fixed.
I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content Manager
Sudoku solutions
The solution for Sudoku: AccountingWEB Challenge No 33 will be available on the Humour & Puzzles page this time next week.
If you can't wait that long please let me know and I can e-mail you a copy.
Kind Regards
Kate Phelon
Content Manager
AccountingWEB
New look Practice Tips
Dear Members
As you may have noticed Richard Murphy’s Practice Tips have been amalgamated into one article for easy reference. But just so you don’t miss out on all the valuable comments posted on the previous ones please find below the postings made on the various articles...
Comments from ‘What to do with your staff in February’:
Frank Bebbington , 22 Feb 2006 @ 16:58 PM
Got away
I hate to sound smug, but as I work on my own I shut up shop last week and went to Paris for five days! and tomorrow I am taking another day off and going canoeing (yes, it really is a winter sport).
I have also spent some time evaluating tax software as my supplier, Objective Tax is changing. This is about the best time of year for a sole practitioner, apart from cash flow.
* * *
Stephen Quay , 22 Feb 2006 @ 14:28 PM
They Think It's All Over....... You Must Be Joking!
I get really fed up keep hearing "1st Feb, Well glad that's all over for another year!"
Get in the real world. I'm still working on 2004-05 tax returns that came in during Jan. Same as I did last year and the year before that. Ok so I did the easy ones but most are self employed and require accounts from a shoebox full of records. These can each take a week to complete.
Also in January was the new client with three years returns and accounts to prepare - still plodding through those. Another old client has just sent me his 2004 tax return and accounting records, 2005 will be along later.
Am I complaining? Of course not. This is good regular work without which times would be quieter. Yep! The 31 Jan deadline is great for waking clients up and getting them focussed and for keeping me in steady work until 31 March.
However, I do agree with Richard that if there is a lull, I plan to clear out old client files and anything over six years old. Then in April I shall mail out to all clients the tax return information requests. Then we can start all over again.
* * *
Nigel Harris , 20 Feb 2006 @ 12:41 PM
Not for all of us!
This was certainly the case for us up to a couple of years ago. However, the increasing bunching of tax return work in the post-Christmas period has ensured that we then stay busy in Feb and March doing all the work we didn't do while we were doing tax returns!
31 December corporate year ends keep that side of the practice occupied.
And, of course, training providers have cottoned on to Feb/March being a good time for CPD courses and conferences.
All of which means that there is no longer a 'dead' period when we can install new computer systems, hardware, etc!!
Comments from ‘Are you really suited to going it alone?’:
Richard Murphy , 16 Feb 2006 @ 10:14 AM
You're an I and she's an E
Neville
Almost certainly in Myers Briggs terms you are an I and your wife is an E.
I know the feeling. I'm an I and enjoy working in the way you describe. My wife is an E and enjoys working as part of a team.
Otherwise my wife and I share our Myers Briggs categorisations - but just one difference is significant in the choices people make if they are to really suit them.
* * *
Neville Ford , 14 Feb 2006 @ 17:00 PM
Horses for Courses
Whether you agree with personality testing or not, I agree with Richard in that you have to be the right sort.
As a sole practitioner, working from an office on the side of the house, I spend much of my working time alone. I have some staff in the mornings but every afternoon I am alone. I can go for days and not leave the house during the day, fortunately I have very active social and musical interests so I am out most evenings (for those of you starting to think "Sad, Billy no mates"!).
For me this works, I enjoy my own company and I enjoy working in silence. However, I can see for others it would not work. My wife tried to work with me for a short while, when she was fed up of nursing, but it drove both of us mad for opposite reasons. She is now a university lecturer and enjoying every minute and I have my peace and quiet back! She is very much a people person and cannot abide silence.
Discipline is another aspect that some cannot cope with. If you find it difficult to get down to work without doing the washing up, walking the dog, putting the washing in the machine, etc and have to keep nipping off to check teletext or whatever then it's probably not for you. Personally, apart from about 5 years of my working life I have effectively been self-employed so it's not something I think about.
* * *
John Newth , 14 Feb 2006 @ 13:14 PM
Make sure you are suitable
I agree about Myers Briggs (I am an ENFJ), and also consider vocational guidance to be worthwhile. I did the VGA tests, which indicated strongly that I should go into publishing. It took 15 years to happen, as I was already a practising ACA, but has proved to be absolutely correct.
* * *
Alastair Harris , 31 Jan 2006 @ 08:59 AM
manage them out
I worked for one chap who had a five point scale. He had a few 1's - lots of referrals and very good records; but no 5's - he claimed to manage them out or improve them!
Comments from ‘Accounting for Hooch’:
Alastair Harris , 31 Jan 2006 @ 08:59 AM
manage them out
I worked for one chap who had a five point scale. He had a few 1's - lots of referrals and very good records; but no 5's - he claimed to manage them out or improve them!
* * *
Richard Murphy , 30 Jan 2006 @ 20:55 PM
Fair point!
I agree Alistair
Some will never manage anything - decide if you want them.
Some produce such perfect books its uncanny.
So maybe 5 is enough - but most are 2, 3 or 4.
* * *
Alastair Harris , 30 Jan 2006 @ 10:57 AM
exactly right
but don't forget point 5! Clients have differing levels of bookkeeping skill. Some are more than capable of dealing with the complexities of asset depreciation, HP or lease, quarterly utility bills, properly analysing costs, etc, and some are not. So grade your clients, and factor in the extra costs of analysis you will have to perform at the year end. A five point scale is more than adequate.