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Platform Thinking

April 24, 2012 by thriveal | 8 comments

Platform thinking – that phrase was in the title of a recent blog post and podcast on the Duct Tape Marketing blog.  John Jantsch interviewed Phil Simon, author of The Age of the Platform on how businesses are changing to a community mindset and sharing collaboratively with others to get better business done.

Fascinating.

Simon mentions the big four in the marketplace now who are building Platforms like crazy: Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook.  These four companies have expanded far greater than what they originally intended to be.  They have become Platforms.

Let’s take Google for example.  Remember they started as a freakin’ search engine online.  Well, we use Google Apps now as our firm’s calendaring/email systems in the cloud, among many other things.  Here is a screenshot of my Google email dashboard:

Here are some of the most heavily used cloud products I use on a daily basis, found right in my Google dashboard:

-Google+
-My email
-My calendar
-My Docs (where I use spreadsheets, a drawing program, a word processor, & a presentation app)
-Batchbook, our firm’s CRM
-Bill.com, our firm’s A/P and A/R management system
-Echosign, a cloud-based paperless signature capture system
-Mailchimp, our firm’s email marketing system
-Shoeboxed.com, a digitized paper accounting workflow system
-Xero.com, an accounting product we use with our customers
-Boomerang, a Google email scheduler (send emails in the future, or on certain dates)
-Rapportive, a socially aware plugin so we know who we are talking to over email

And there are more coming all the time!  It’s pretty exciting.

For sure, Google has become a platform – a platform I rely on to get my work done every day.  You can bug me about security all day long, and tell me that Google is reading my emails, but I now rely on the Google Platform to get work done.  Our team serves faster and our customers get better support when we use Google as a platform, instead of as a stand-alone email or online search system.

THRIVEal seems to be turning into a platform of sorts.  We don’t have apps, but we do have a community with serious needs for being together, collaborating together and learning together.  We’re already using online educational platforms to build out our PNF coaching courses, are managing a very robust and active community in Yammer, are creating intense live Learning Gatherings and have started the beginnings of a media outlet with our popular podcast.

Pretty freakin’ sweet.

How Do You Create a Platform?
We didn’t really know this until recently, but for THRIVEal, the platform came out of the need for a Community.  So we start with the needs of the community.  And we have tapped into a community that definitely has some serious needs (as mentioned above).  The platform must now grow to meet the needs of the community and allow them to grow as a group.  The minute the platform is NOT about the community, then the community will go elsewhere.

We’ve always run our THRIVEal ‘Platform’ on a WordPress blog at http://THRIVEal.com.  Well, this blog no longer meets the need of the platform, so we are looking to change that this year.  It is going to be a big undertaking, which will involve hiring an agency to do this for us.  But when it is done (at least phase one), the main purpose will be to highlight members of the community.  And then we plan to build out the platform from there and continue the process of integration, where we bring the other parts of THRIVEal (media, learning, apps, etc.) into the platform.

We have no idea what we are doing.  But with the help and support of our awesome community, we hope to build a platform that can lift up the THRIVEal members to the small business community and offer themselves as the servants and coaches of a new way to get better business done in the future.  We’re pretty pumped right now. Once we can get this first phase of our Platform built, the members of our community will be poised for real recognition, which they deserve.  And that in turn will benefit our profession and those we serve.

Are you building a community around your business offerings?  Do you see a Platform in your future?

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.

The Profession Says It Wants Leaders. I Call BS.

March 5, 2012 by Greg Kyte | 10 comments

Every year, we see articles and surveys that indicate the need for CPA firms to attract and retain top talent—articles and surveys that express managing partners’ concern that there are not enough skilled potential employees in the labor pool. And one thing that firms say they are looking for is leadership skills. BS.

I will be the first to say that the accounting profession desperately needs leaders. My son, Grady, has BO. He’s seven. Twelve hours after a bath, he smells like a wrestling mat. He desperately needs something that’s strong enough for a [homeless] man, but made for a seven-year-old. But he’s afraid of my Speed Stick by Mennon. (You sang the “by Mennon” part in your head. I know. Me too.) He’s even more afraid of my Axe deodorant body spray. Arguably, my wife should be afraid of him using any Axe product because—according to commercials—it will turn Mrs. Taylor, his first grade teacher, into a skank. But Grady is afraid of where deodorant might take him. He’s afraid of change and afraid of the unknown.

CPA firms have a similar problem. CPA firms need leaders, but they don’t really want leaders. They say they want leaders, but they’re afraid of where real leaders might take them. And I’m going to say this is true for all CPA firms, not because it’s true but because it’s inflammatory.

What CPA firms really want is not leaders but exemplary followers. An exemplary follower is someone to whom partners can point and tell others, “Why can’t you be more like Holly?” And then Holly is hailed as a “leader” not because she has led anyone anywhere, but because she hes perfected following. Brilliant. An exemplary follower is someone who leads only by example. An exemplary follower tells other followers how to follow better. An exemplary follower internalizes the message and vision of the actual leaders and will cough it back up to those further down the organizational chart.

What is the big difference between a leader and an exemplary follower? Leaders take risks. Exemplary followers have a Skinnerian desire to make their leaders happy (Look it up, intern). They know how to get a Scooby Snack. Leaders have vision and passion. They want to change the world. They want to try new things and go new places. Fred A. Manske said, “The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.” No one knows who Fred A. Manske is. It’s not important. Wussies are afraid of hiring leaders because if they get a good one, they might get surpassed. Actually, they’re not afraid of hiring them; they’re afraid of leaders emerging once they are in the firm, and they will whack the moles of leadership until they forge the leader into an exemplary follower.

So what are you? Are you really a leader? If so, the profession desperately needs you. Or are you really just an exemplary follower? If so, employers really want you, but you will only help bring the profession to a better place if you align yourself with a visionary leader.

 

Greg was born in Akron, Ohio, in the shadow of the Firestone tire factory. He began to swim competitively when he was eight, swimming for the Mountlake Terrace Lemmings. He graduated in 1995 from the University of Washington with a math degree. He chose math for the ladies.  After serving ten-years as an 8th grade math teacher, he decided it was time for a career change, mainly because he “couldn’t stand those little bastards.” He began his accounting career with a local CPA firm in Orem, Utah, where he consistently failed the QuickBooks ProAdvisor advanced certification exam.  Greg currently works as the Controller for the Utah Valley Physicians Plaza. He lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and two kids. He enjoys eating maple bars, drinking Diet Pepsi, and swearing.

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Firms, Part 1 of 7

February 22, 2012 by thriveal | No comments

XCM Solutions, Inc. (a robust workflow product we use in our firm) conducted a research project last year to identify the differentiating factors between high and low performing firms.  Some of the findings are amazing and support the things THRIVEal firms have been doing all along.  We’ll check them out over the next 7 posts.  Click the image to the left to download a copy of the full report.

 

Habit #1: High Performers Embrace Change

One difference between high performing and low performing firms is that they embrace change.  They are not only early adopters, but they find change to be a positive part of their lives.  These firms actually encourage innovation and put their team members in a place where they can truly innovate and embrace change without the fear of failure.

Failures will happen.  They are part of life.  Will they make you stronger as a firm or paralyze you with fear?

 

 

Sharra Chan Presented with Innovative Opportunities Award sponsored by THRIVEal

February 17, 2012 by thriveal | No comments

Listen to what went down in Chicago on February 8th and 9th:

 


 

IC Opportunities was an awesome experience. THRIVEal had a cool part to play by sponsoring the first ever Innovative Opportunities Award, which was presented to Sharra Chan of Orange Door, Inc. Orange Door is working hard to develop a true (not hosted!) online tax application. Changing a profession or any industry is hard work.  It takes commitment to a vision that you truly believe in.  It takes eyes to see opportunities that others have possibly overlooked.  It takes individuals and companies that are not scared to innovate and try new things.  This award recognizes that individual or company that has done hard things and truly made a difference in the profession of public accountancy.  With it, we say ‘Thank You’ for having the courage to blaze a trail that our profession can now follow.

 

Jody Padar, Sharra Chan, and Jason Blumer

Running a Firm is A Family Affair: Special Community Call for Tribe Members and Their Better Halves

January 26, 2012 by thriveal | No comments

Hey THRIVE Tribe Members, there has been a lot of chatter about how to meet the needs of our spouses as we move into firm ownership. They live with the consequences of our choices. Let’s bring them into the conversation!

The registration link can be found in the Events section of Yammer, or just let Jennifer know if you need it.

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?

Wanna Know More About Family Meeting, Vision 2.0?

December 8, 2011 by thriveal | No comments

Hey THRIVEal members! You’ve been hearing about the Family Meeting for a while. Wanna know what to expect? Just watch the video of Jason and then register at the link below. See you at the Family Meeting!

Register here!

The New THRIVEcast is Out! Woot!

November 22, 2011 by thriveal | 2 comments

We had a blast recording the THRIVEcast with an audience in Greenville, SC! Ron Baker and Ed Kless were fantastic guests, and the energy of the THRIVEal members was incredible! Listen in to the newest episode to hear about the demoralizing effects of timesheets and the billable hour. Also hear how THRIVEal has been impacting members for the past year.

Huge thanks to our CoCreators, the CloudSolutions Alliance as well as the sponsor for this episode of the THRIVEcast, Right Networks.

Listen on iTunes or on our website.

Co-hosts Jason Blumer and Greg Kyte

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