My first decision was hardware. A good computer was important to me. I began pricing around and found that my first year budget didn't justify as much as I wanted with a new computer. So I began to look for a less expensive alternative that could get me through the first year. This basically meant refurbished from a store, or a cast off from someone I know. The price on refurbished computers still seemed high. I don't mind buying a refurbished computer, but it needs to be under warranty for a few years if I do. At that point, the pricing got close to $1,000. That was a little more than my budget allowed. Luckily, I found a great option from family. I had a computer that I had given to my Mom. It was a work computer that was phased out a couple years ago. It was six years old, but could do anything I needed it to. My Mom wasn't using it, so it was a perfect fit. I needed to do a few things to get it ready to use. I bought a second video card so I could have two monitors. I also bought a second monitor, and maxed out the RAM. Total cost of my work computer was $200. That worked for my budget. This was my thinking with all other hardware also. I already had a phone that worked fine. I used Google Voice to organize my office phone. I bought a laser printer, the cheapest I could buy, with the realization that I will likely replace it in a year.
My next thought was location. This wasn't as important of a thought for me because I knew my work station would be in my office at my house. The only planning required was for a place to hold client meetings. Again, family helped out a ton. Mark Just was kind enough to allow me to use conference room space in his beautiful building as needed. Someone else offered the opportunity to use office space on the Northwest side of town if needed. I will also be working with Black Swan Brewpub. That will become a great place on the Southwest side of town to meet clients for lunch or dinner. This gives me many great options, allowing me to be very flexible as I grow.
My next decision was software. I have used several software packages over the years. My main goal was to be as technologically advanced as possible. That meant going to the Cloud. I hate this name, but I really don't have a better suggestion, so I guess I'll live with it. The software I will use will allow me to log in anywhere I have an internet connection. It also will allow clients to have a place to get their tax returns whenever they need them. These two pluses were enough to sell me. As mentioned above, with multiple meeting places, being able to connect to my tax planning or preparation software is crucial. I don't have an assistant who can manage the electronic documents. Therefore, if clients need a return, they either need to be able to retrieve it themselves, or I need to email it to them.
Another decision was marketing materials. I am a huge fan of Google. Free and easy to use, what is not to like? I created a website through Google sites. I registered a web address and pointed it to my site through godaddy.com. This was almost free and very easy. This blog is obviously through Google as well. As discussed in my marketing plan, I also needed a pamphlet to hand out. I spent time writing down short blurbs for specific target markets. These are brief and intended to provoke discussion with prospective clients. I also designed business cards and ordered 500 of them. This was easy through a website, and pretty inexpensive. My only goal with the cards was to list my name and contact info. I can update these as business grows.
So, I was now left with the most important decisions I had to make. These decisions were actually made toward the beginning of planning, but they changed all the way up to the jumping off point. They were my name, mission statement and colors. The name was decided fairly quickly. I could have gone with Big Bob's CPAs, or something not linked directly to me like Shake and Bake Advising or Wolfpack Accountants. But these all seemed better fantasy football names than CPA firm names. In the end, I chose a name I am very proud of. My family has always been who I am. My Dad and his sisters and brother are a tough bunch who command life by always keeping a smile on their face. My sister, brother, cousins and I have lived this way as well, and have done all we can to pass this on to our kids. Using my name as my firm name assures that I will do everything with the utmost care, a high quality of ethics, and a smile. Helping clients attain financial stability by creating a simple system to account for current cash flow while budgeting for future cash flow has been my focus since becoming a manager four years ago. Peace of mind is invaluable, and the skill set I have been blessed with makes my purpose helping others attain comfort in their financial position. This comfort better enables the people who's skill set makes them sales people, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, financial planners, engineers, fireman, policeman...you name it...to do their jobs. My motivation is assisting clients in being able to have total focus on their jobs without worrying about an unknown financial position. Hence, the mission statement, "Stability Made Simple." That just leaves the firm colors. Those who know me know how important Purdue is to me. Going there was the greatest decision I didn't make for myself. That being said, black and gold have been with me even longer than that. My middle school's colors were also black and gold. I have a lot of great memories of my years at both schools. Without the experiences I had at both, I would not have the opportunities I have today.
Planning is now done. Time to get to work. I'll write next month how the first month went. Please know that my family, friends, clients and business associates are very appreciated for all they have done for me. I will work as hard as possible to make it all pay off.
And now, I jump off.
No comments:
Post a Comment