august2021 - 23

THE MILLENNIAL ADVISOR
Back to the Basics
GARRETT WAGNER, CPA
CEO/Founder, C3 Evolution Group
garrett.wagner@cpapracticeadvisor.com
These headlines and more are
just a few examples of what seems to
be a never-ending list of challenges
and problems accountants have
faced over the past year. We all have
felt, without a doubt, the pain and
struggles of the past year, given the
constant challenges and immense
difficulties. That, however, is why
now is a great time for a change - it
is a great opportunity to triumph in
the face of turbulence. Now is the
ideal time to shift our focus away
from the major changes at the macro
levels that don't seem to be going
away anytime soon, and instead
focus on the changes that are more
personal, and most importantly,
more impactful.
Before the world changed in
March of 2020, one of our goals was
to become the most trusted professional
advisor for our clients. At the
even more basic level, we sought to
make an impact in our client's lives
with the hope of helping in ways
beyond getting the tax return done
in time. That help is something different
for each client, but when we
were able to help them, it was highly
rewarding. Let us look forward, and
instead think about focusing on how
we can make a difference for just one
client in one moment in time. Bring
back a little happiness, and a little
bit of ease for them, even if just for a
moment. That sounds easy enough,
doesn't it?
After everything we have been
through, doing a little good will
make us feel even better than before.
" Drastic Changes In The Accounting Profession! "
" Continued Turmoil For Accountants! "
" Increased Talent Shortage Hits All Time High! "
SHIFTING FOCUS
The first step in the process, hasn't
changed from before. Frankly, every
firm should have a huge poster
hanging in the office and at everyone's
home office, which simply says
" It's about more than taxes!!! " That is
the first step if you want to make a
difference - you have to understand
that making a real difference in
someone's life is not about a tax
return. It is about figuring out what
that person is really struggling with,
and what is holding him or her back.
Each person, entity, organization,
and client has something, we can
help our clients clarify direction
and figure out what that one thing
is. There is a whole person behind
the documents submitted for taxes
- your job is to figure out who that is
and what he or she needs help with,
but that starts with caring enough
to focus on the client.
TEAM APPROACH
Once you look daily at your fancy
new sign and accept that it is not just
about the taxes, the next moment of
realization is to understand that you
can't do it all alone. That is right, we
need to admit that we, as powerful
as we accountants are, cannot do it
all by ourselves.
We can do a lot, don't get me wrong,
but simply not everything. That
is why we need to bring in a high
quality team around us. We are
the center of the team, helping
our client, driving the solution,
but we must bring in the right
team members around us to help
achieve those goals. This is why
virtual family office solutions have
become the go-to solution
for accounting firms.
With the team of the
right people both around
you both internally and
externally, not only can
we help our clients identify
the main challenges
they are faced with, but
we can also work to help
them solve their problems
at the same time. Best of
all, by having the power
of a bigger team, with
a variety of individuals focused
in niche specialties, you won't
become overwhelmed trying to do
everything yourself.
FINISHING IT
Have you ever started a project, but
not finished it? Of course you have.
No matter how much you wanted
to finish that project, for some
" unknown " reason, it just never got
finished. We are all used to this at
the personal level, but this level
of project fatigue extends to the
organizational level as well.
Again, this is where our role as
trusted professionals is about more
than just tax returns. At this point,
you have already clarified the client's
direction to best understand his or her
major roadblock, you've brought in the
right people on the team to solve the
problem, and you are heading towards
the finish line. But then something
happens - another fire drill.
You are left confused: why
would the client not want to finish
this project? You know that it will
provide the client with not just what
he or she really wants, but what the
client really needs. The reason: the
challenges of everyday life get in the
way. We all know how that goes, and
this is where we can come in at the
end and really make our mark. This
is where we can help our clients stay
on track, help them stay focused,
and help them finish this project,
whatever it may be.
Executing this plan is harder
than it sounds, but the reward is
remarkable. Seeing the look on your
client's face when you make a real
difference is not only financially
rewarding, but personally rewarding
as well.
So go out, get your " It is about
more than taxes!!! " banners printed,
bring on the team, and help get your
clients over the finish line! This is
why we do what we do, and this is
what can make our profession so
remarkable. We CAN make a difference
in someone's life. If you are
lucky enough to have experienced
this before for yourself, you know
what I'm talking about. If you still
have not, don't lose hope - the path
is waiting for you: Go get started! ■
AUGUST 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
23
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
august2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of august2021
