Articles by Jennifer Blumer

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Help Wanted: Oh, No! What Do We Do Now?

May 14, 2012 by Jennifer Blumer | No comments

 

Have you ever had to fire a team member? It is truly one of the most miserable parts of a business owner’s job. If you have never had to do it, consider yourself blessed. You may have to fire someone one day, but you can lessen that risk if you hire correctly. Don’t make the hiring mistakes we have made.

 

 

  • Don’t do all the talking! Jason and I love to hear ourselves talk. We can go on and on about how great our firm is, what it means to work in a ROWE, how we are going virtual etc. And while there is a place for that in the hiring process, you need to make sure you spend most of your time listening to your potential team member. If you do all the talking, you may conclude the interview thinking what a genius the other person was, when really, they were just smart enough to let you talk!
  • Don’t wait to hire until you are desperate and overworked. If you know you’ll need help by the fall or by next tax season, start meeting people NOW.
  • Don’t rush the hiring process. We expect to hire two new people in the coming months. We assume we will have several meetings over a period of several weeks or months rather than one or two longer interviews. Each team member will have an opportunity to participate in the process and provide feedback.

Small businesses like most firms in THRIVEal don’t usually need to hire regularly, so they may neglect to create a process for hiring. We did. We’d manage to find someone after making most of the above mistakes and then feel relieved until we needed to hire again. No process at all. We had created a process for vetting new customers, creating barriers to entry so that we would be sure we were a good match once the new customer was onboarded, but we had nothing to guide us as we selected new team members. How foolish! The fact that we have such amazing team members in spite of our sloppiness is a bit of a miracle. (That and we know some great people that referred other great people to us!)

Hiring correctly is so important. Training (and retraining) is costly in terms of time and money. And morale. Frankly, the thought of some of the training I see in my future is exhausting. That is why I will go out of my way to see that we hire correctly next time. Firing people that should never have been hired in the first place hurts your team. It’s discouraging for them to see people they care about lose their jobs, and it can create an air of uncertainty about their own futures.

We are still learning, but we have gotten a basic process down on paper (digital of course). Since we have made so many mistakes in the past, we decided to implement a few ideas from the Entreleadership podcast featuring Clint Smith. We are also seeking out some coaching on this topic from one of our own clients who has an excellent hiring process. If your process is still only in your head, then don’t kid yourself, you don’t really have a process. Our hiring process is brand new and includes at least 4 meetings with several current team members as well as ways to assess how the candidate interacts with technology and his or her writing skills. We expect to update this process each time we hire and as we learn, but it’s a start.

Need help with hiring your next team member? Check out Jay Shepherd’s book Firing at Will and listen to him on the December 2011 episode of the THRIVEcast. Also, be sure to check out the Entreleadership podcast I referenced above, and consider using a few questions from this list as well. What do you do to make sure you get the right people into your organization? Let me know in the comments.

Learning Styles 101

April 15, 2012 by Jennifer Blumer | 4 comments

Labels are tough for me. I know that people are very complex and that we shouldn’t put them into a box. People learn and change and are shaped by experiences, books, other people, etc. Still, I do love having a way to organize people into nice, neat categories. In last month’s article, I even labeled myself as an introvert. The reason that label can be a little tricky is that sometimes I behave like an extrovert and the label just doesn’t work. However, if I have been acting like an extrovert, I was probably out of my comfort zone.

Here come the labels.

People often learn best when they receive the information in a particular way. These are known as learning styles, and most people are dominant in one style: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Why should you care about learning styles? Lots of reasons. On a personal level, knowing your own learning style can help you make great choices for your own learning. I am an auditory learner so I LOVE podcasts and audiobooks. I take in information best by listening and speaking. I work through problems by talking through them. For some of you, being aware of the various learning styles will also be helpful to you as you coach your customers and team members. And if you are presenting information to a group or helping your child with homework, understanding how people learn can be immensely helpful.

I already referenced the auditory learning style. Auditory learners will also learn visually and kinesthetically, but listening and speaking are how they best take in information. An auditory learner may prefer the phone over email (unless like me, he is also an introvert) or may talk or hum to herself. Sometimes an auditory learner will appear to not be paying attention. Confession: I play games on my iphone during church sometimes. I really am listening, but I don’t need to SEE the preacher to take in the information. I even “watch” TV without looking at it sometimes. As long as I am in earshot and there is enough dialogue, I can follow the plot.

Visual learners may also enjoy audiobooks, music, and podcasts, but they will learn best when they can SEE the information. I am convinced my husband is a visual learner. There is no way he can watch a movie the way I do. He needs to SEE it to know what’s happening. For the client or team members that learn visually, you may want to use drawings, pictures, charts, and graphs. Put information in writing so they can see it. They might not remember what you say. Don’t just tell them information, show it to them! Visual learners may want to take notes so that they can read them later. They will remember what a new acquaintance wore or what they looked like, but not necessarily his or her name (unless they saw it on a nametag!). A visual learner that is bored may find something to watch to keep them entertained. If you know you are talking to a visual learner, creating rich imagery with your words will help them visualize the material.

Kinesthetic learners also learn through sight and sound, but they really like to touch things and move around. These are the people that simply cannot talk without using many gestures. They would rather attend a workshop than a lecture. They may sit near the door so that they can get up and down when they can no longer stand being seated. Kinesthetic learners will remember the part of the presentation where something was passed around the room or they were able to get up and move around. They may use touch to communicate and appreciate a pat on the back.

So what now? Resist the urge to try and figure out what kind of learner each team member or client is. A google search about learning styles will yield numerous articles, assessments, and plenty of criticism as well. Just be aware that there are different learning styles and not everyone will learn the way you do. If you find yourself saying, “I don’t know why he doesn’t get it. I’ve told him a hundred times,” the problem may be with how the information is presented. Try a new approach before writing the guy off as a dud. Use a video or something in writing or even a picture. Experiment until you find what works. We are doing this with some of our clients now. We work with quite a few clients in other parts of the country and while email is great for some brief communications, it isn’t always the best way to explain something new or confusing. So we are changing things up with MailVu and Conceptboard to reach clients in a new ways. It’s a matter of trial and error and putting the client’s needs above our own.

Part of THRIVEal’s why is to provide deeper education for our members. We want you to LEARN. So we do our best to reach you no matter your learning style through the blog, videos, Community Calls, the THRIVEcast, and the Deeper Weekend where all learning styles will be considered. (Kinesthetic learners will love Design Thinking Day at Deeper Weekend.)

Tell us in the comments how you are sharing knowledge in creative ways with your clients and team members.

The Thank You Economy: A Quick Impression

April 2, 2012 by Jennifer Blumer | 2 comments

I just finished reading The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

While I can’t say that I learned anything that’s going to really change the way I do things, Gary Vaynerchuk did confirm to me that we are on the right path.

People care about relationships and with so many connections made via social media, relationships matter in a big way. THRIVEal wouldn’t exist without social media and the relationships formed there.

Big takeaways:
1. The internet has brought the word of mouth effect full circle. Before the big business/franchise era, small mom and pop stores lived and died on word of mouth. Business owners had to treat each customer like the most important customer they had. You never knew what influence they might have if they talked about you to their neighbors and peer groups and business partners.

It’s that way again with social media, except now customers can spread the news to potentially thousands of people all at once.  When I felt we were getting crummy service at the local mechanic, I could have blasted that all over twitter and Facebook. When the local bakery delivered the best cupcakes ever for my daughter’s birthday, I could have spread that news too. Where do people get recommendations for products and services? They ask their friends and family, often on Facebook or twitter. That’s exactly how we found our orthodontist for our daughters, and it turns out our friends knew what they were talking about. He’s great!

2. Shock and Awe. I have some ideas that were solidified as I read this section of the book. Little gestures of caring are great, but sometimes it’s even better to just blow peoples’ minds. Not gonna say too much about this, or my ideas won’t be very shocking when I make them happen.

Overall, I thought the book was just an okay read. It was pretty basic. It did further my resolve to put people first, both in THRIVEal and at Blumer CPAs. However, I thought it was full of common sense rather than real strategies or new ideas for those already regularly using social media. If for some reason, you still need convincing that social media is a worthwhile way to build your brand, Vaynerchuck can definitely make you rethink that.

Social Media: An Introvert’s BFF

March 15, 2012 by Jennifer Blumer | 5 comments

My youngest child Betsie is one of those loud-at-home-but-very-shy-anywhere-else kids. It takes an enormous amount of encouragement to get her to talk to adults that ask her about school or how old she is or what she wants for Christmas. I once offered her money if she ordered her own food at a restaurant. (Bingo! Encouragement that works!) I expect Betsie to grow in her social skills as she gets older, and I have already seen growth in this area, and yet I expect she will always be a little quiet with new people.

A few months ago, I came across an article that a friend shared on Facebook about introverts. I was fascinated because I felt like I was reading an article about myself and Betsie. (And my oldest child Rachel too) I’m not rude, but small talk can be kind of exhausting if it’s not going anywhere. I like to be alone, but I also love to spend time with people in small groups. I am not a thrill seeker or the life of the party, but I enjoy meaningful relationships and conversations. Introverts love to talk. We just talk a lot to a few special people instead of to everyone we run into at the grocery store.

As an introvert, I think it is so cool to live in the age of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and the THRIVEal Yammer group allow me to take my time and think before I speak. In a real life group setting, I may miss the moment to add my two cents because I am not as quick to speak up as my extroverted friends. But social media allows me to participate on my own terms and in my own time, just as fully as anyone else. I can ignore the conversations that aren’t interesting or relevant to me, and I can jump into the ones that I enjoy.

I started participating in online forums back in 2000. Back then I was a newish mom and found some forums dealing with family issues and then eventually homeschooling. A little later I started a blog. (I’ve had a few over the years.) I slacked off on my blog once I joined Facebook. And over the last year and a half, I have been using social media for THRIVEal and Blumer & Associates, CPAs. One point that I have found particularly interesting about relationships developed via social media is that so much of the small talk can happen there. Then when I see my friends from Facebook or Twitter in real life, the relationship is easier and comes more naturally because we already know a little about each other. In other words, I have found social media is a tool to aid in building face to face relationships.

Fellow introverts, I want to let you know once and for all, your personality type is NOT a weakness. But you may want to make some adjustments in your networking strategy. If traditional networking events are torture, make connections online first or go with a friend. Or skip traditional networking altogether. Extroverts, if you have introverts on your team or in your customers base, try connecting with them in new ways. And for crying out loud, do not limit their use of social media in the workplace. You may be taking away one of their greatest tools.

Oh, and by the way, you can connect with me on twitter at @jenniferblumer.

What’s So Great about THRIVE Tribes? Tribe Members Weigh In!

January 21, 2012 by Jennifer Blumer | 2 comments

After an exciting first year in THRIVEal, several members recently decided to go a little deeper by joining a THRIVE Tribe. While we had all enjoyed some pretty lively discussions in the THRIVEal LinkedIn group, it became clear that we needed a better platform to be able to share files, photos, recordings of meetings, etc. We wanted to do more than just chat. We wanted more collaboration. That is where THRIVE Tribes and Yammer come in to play.

For the members that have chosen to participate at the Tribe level, access is given to our Yammer account. This is where the real magic happens. As Kevin McCoy put it, “Meeting people that are going through the same crap you are and figuring out how to deal with it – that’s worth the price of admission, in my opinion. Knowing you are not alone and having a small group supporting you in failure and celebrating successes is pretty cool.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now THRIVEal members can use Yammer to create events, upload recordings from their GoToMeetings, share photos, create pages that are searchable and taggable, create groups and subgroups for specific discussions topics, and really get down to the nitty gritty of helping each other become better CPAs for their clients. Joe Manzelli explains, “THRIVEal utilizing Yammer has made it easier to follow my fellow THRIVEal CPAs. Being able to share ideas in a network without any outside chatter allows for a true exchange of ideas with no judgements.The tool, Yammer, is addicting and has been a great addition to what THRIVEal has been doing.”

Each tribe has up to 10 members, including a leader, and has its own private Yammer subgroup where they can discuss the online meetings they have each month. Michael Wall is already seeing the value of being in a tribe, “Being a part of a tribe allows each of us from different regions and backgrounds to collaborate in order to enhance our professional experience and provide our clients with value to help their businesses thrive.” Carol LeBlanc agrees, “I love being able to post a question or share something on Yammer and get a quick answer or support from the group. We are so much stronger together. The generosity and knowledge in THRIVEal amazes me daily. I love having my own Tribe with a specific focus because we have our own place within Yammer where we can learn and grow together in the area we are most interested.”

THRIVEal members are free to create their own pages and interest groups for more specific discussions, and Joy Lizotte is loving it. “Members are sharing very detailed real-life information. It’s not the basic info you’d get off a website or out of a book!! I’ve read how other members are pricing, hiring, firing, what they’re reading, software and hardware to use and not use….and on and on!! It doesn’t get anymore real than this!” Magen Smith has been active in several discussions on pricing. She commented, “ I have been schooled on providing value, called out on being a wimpy pricer, and encouraged that I can do this. Yammer is my lifeline and support system for growing my firm. I could not do any of this without THRIVEal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our tribes is for those who are considering leaving employment to start their own firms. We call them Cliff Jumpers in THRIVEal because they are about to take a very scary but exciting step. Barrett Young, in the process of jumping now, said “I would not be going out on my own without such a great support net.”

Bottom line: Tribes are the heartbeat of the THRIVEal community, and Yammer is the tool we are using to achieve our why, which is to engage, empower, and encourage current or prospective CPA firm owners towards disruptive innovations, meaningful education, and deeper relationships with their customers. Wanna join us?

Overwhelmed and Thankful; My Reaction to Firm of the Future

October 31, 2011 by Jennifer Blumer | 1 comment

When Jason first told me he wanted to invite Ron Baker and Ed Kless to Greenville to teach Firm of the Future to THRIVEal members, I reacted in typical Jennifer-like fashion, which was to try and appear like the always supportive wife while actually turning over a hundred questions in my head. Will Ron and Ed even want to come? Will THRIVEal members want to come? How much will this cost? How much work is your great idea going to be for me? Jason started throwing out ideas like LIVE PODCAST and BIRTHDAY PARTY and SCOOTERS (that one didn’t happen). I was overwhelmed.

Now that the event is in the past, I am still overwhelmed. But this time it’s not because I am anxious. This time it’s because I am grateful. I am not a CPA, but I find myself so thankful that a bunch of CPAs let me tag along in their community. I feel honored that I got to learn from two of the greatest teachers in YOUR profession. I feel excited that I get a front row seat to watch THRIVEal members put their customers’ needs high on the priority list and throw off the old ways that often actually harm their customers.

I don’t think I can summarize the excellent content. For that, you might want to check out the twitter stream from #THRIVEalFOF. Look to Greg Kyte to be highly amused and Joey Brannon for clear summaries of complex ideas. The other attendees tweeted with enthusiasm too.

What surprised me about the weekend are the ideas that I have for how I can bring value to our firm, even as a non-technical worker. I know that I can do more than just answer the phone or order pizza for the THRIVEal birthday party. Like everyone else in attendance though, I am still processing all I learned.

Thanks to everyone who came. You came with such energy and eagerness to learn. (And to have FUN!) I am thankful for the efforts you made to get here, and even more thankful to have met you in person. To quote my husband, “You guys freakin’ rock!”