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THIS CPA GOT HIS EYES OPENED

Lots of CPAs have never run a “real” business. I was able to gain a completely different perspective when I had to deal with the other side of the coin. I can’t think of any one thing that has impacted me more (in a positive way) when it comes to understanding clients and being able to see things from their perspective. In my opinion, there are very few CPAs who can say that…not because they are not smart, but because they have never had the opportunity to be out there in the “real world” running a “real” business.

Let’s face it, most CPAs have little to no experience negotiating large, complicated leases with the huge malls in Los Angeles. Most CPAs have never had to deal head-on with labor laws as they impact 120 employees! I also had to centralize and improve our purchasing system, saving the company over $490,000 the first year. I had to computerize the entire business and develop sophisticated tracking software so we could monitor the performance of each employee and office. This same software monitored our response rates from the various advertising media and allowed us to better allocate the $750,000 we spent annually. Our rate of return for our advertising dollars went up over 200%. I also had to take and coordinate the physical inventory counts in all the offices…quarterly (that took 8 hours per office for 2 people….long, hard, pain-in-the-rear hours)…as a “CPA” in a CPA firm, I only had to deal with the inventory on paper! Believe me when I tell you that I can really help a small business understand the importance of taking an inventory regularly…and can go even further because, unlike most CPAs, I have actually had to do the hard work!

Now, bear with me here. I realize that I am “tooting my own horn”. I apologize if it sounds arrogant or conceited. That is not my intention. I only want to give you a glimpse into the kind of experience I have had because it is what makes me able to say that my firm is definitely “Not Your Basic Bean Counter”.

AS OF 2008 I AM NOW A RECOGNIZED NATIONAL SEMINAR SPEAKER

In 2008 I joined the ranks of 30 tax professionals who, at various times during the year, travel around the country teaching tax seminars to thousands of attendees. It was a great honor to be chosen for this position. The company (called Gear Up) that puts on the seminars has been around for decades and puts on the most successful seminars in the states.
Doing that keeps me very up-to-date on the tax laws and what is happening around the country with tax matters, IRS issues, and lots more.
But it also allows me to keep my staff fully up-to-date with in-house tax training sessions.
As you know, tax rules are complex and, despite Congress telling us that they will “simplify the tax laws”, the average American simply cannot keep up with all the rules. It would take hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to keep up on an annual basis. Well, at my firm, WE ACTUALLY SPEND HUNDREDS OF HOURS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EACH YEAR on tax seminars and research materials!
You want to be with a firm that commits that many resources toward knowing all the ins and outs of tax laws and dealing with the IRS. As part of our family, you have that peace of mind.

“Not Your Basic Bean Counter”….not just a slogan.
A brilliant marketer once said “If all you do is what everyone else in your industry does, then you’ll never be any better than the rest of your industry.” Those words found a home in my heart. We pride ourselves on NOT being like everyone else. We listen. We return phone calls. We actually care…a LOT….about our clients. We treat our clients like family. We communicate regularly with our clients (and vice-versa). When we mess up (and, yes, it does happen!) we cheerfully fix it.

TIME TO GO NORTH

In August 1990, after 6 years in Los Angeles, my family and I moved up here to the Bay Area. My wife is a local gal….we got married in 1975. Many of you know her because she is a famous baker. Her name is Rhoda Gordon (maiden name is Davison). She came from a large family. As a matter of fact, some of you may have had her father, Don Davison, as your woodshop teacher at Marshfield High School.
I absolutely love this area and am thrilled to be able to live in such a beautiful place.