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Partnering with Accountants
Your definitive guide to the ultimate referral destination
Partnering with Financial Planners
A guide to growth for accounting firms
Your Professional Headspace
Achieving career success and personal fulfilment as a professional in practice.
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Introducing the Where are they now? series

In business, it’s always exciting to get immediate improvements. See a problem, devise a solution, implement effectively and review the outcome. In virtually every business there are opportunities which constitute “low hanging fruit” where there are quick benefits to be obtained. When implemented, these changes provide great momentum – profits are improved, efficiency increased and the team members are encouraged.

Achieving long term success on the other hand is more complex and requires a different mindset. After all, applying the same thought processes and approaches to a situation will by and large produce the same outcomes.

It’s here where the focus must be directed to the leaders of the enterprise. In small businesses and especially in professional practices this is the working owner(s).

The philosophy behind Scott’s approach to coaching is To create a better business, one must become a better business person. 

Typically the owners that Scott works with are great at the technical side– investment advice, accounting, quality assurance, physiotherapy etc. Through the coaching process, these owners learn more about the business aspects of their firm. They come to appreciate that the time they invest working on their business is just as important as the time they devote to clients. 

Alongside this is being more purposeful with respect to getting away from the business. Recharging the batteries by being more active in family life and being able to devote more time to pleasurable leisure activities helps these owners stay the course and in the process, build more valuable businesses.

What does it take to become a better business person? Certainly, the coaching approach must take into account that each person is different in their stage of life, learning style, readiness to change and learn, together with their desired outcomes. Yet at the same time there are universal aspects that must be learned and embraced – core knowledge, good habits and remaining focused.  For those that embark upon this journey, the outcomes can be profound.

In this series, various owners who have worked with Scott at a critical stage of their business careers have kindly shared aspects of their journey to success.
 

John Fitzgerald and Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy


John_Fitzgerald_case_study.pdf


Stu Varidel and Heart Financial Advisers


Stu_Varidel_case_study.pdf



 

Steve Bakker and New Age Solutions


Steve_Bakker_case_study.pdf


 

1. The most value that gets added to a professional services firm is when the owner is “In the Zone”. What a shame so little time is invested there.
 
 
2. The more days you as a major revenue earner of the firm invest with clients the more revenue the firm will earn.


3. You can't be in the sweet spot by trying to be all things to all comers. Focus on work you enjoy and are good at.


4. Don't try to be something you're not. For example, if keeping up to date with the latest tax changes is crushingly onerous or incredibly tedious then don’t masquerade as a taxation specialist.





 
5. Get real – do you have genuine management talent or would you be happier and more productive working with clients?



6. Let go. Jot down six tasks/professional responsibilities that you don’t enjoy. Come up with a plan to minimise your involvement with these areas and yet still get the job done. Better yet, find ways to engineer these out of your life. Do this today and repeat at regular intervals.


7. Specialise. Find a service niche which enables you to work more and more in areas that fascinate you. Aim to be the best in the world in this niche. Seek out other experts in this field. Subscribe and contribute to relevant publications focusing on this area.

8. Be passionate. It’s great to be really enthused about a subject. For some, this has proved to be a lifelong cause. Your passion will attract others and sustain you.


9. Articulate. Tell others about your talent. There are lots of great ways to do this - presentations, websites, blogs, articles, newsletters, e-mail, personal referral, business networks etc.


10. Look for opportunities to utilise your skills. Interestingly, the more you focus on developing your professional interests, the more opportunities open up to you in these areas.


11. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Work with others who have complementary talents to your own. This will enable you to focus on what you are good at. 


12. Become more effective. Find ways to get more done in less time. The more you can achieve whilst you are "in the zone", the more discretionary time you will have.


 

13. People who are physically fit create a much better first impression. Prospects become clients, candidates become team members and audiences pay more attention when you exude the Zing! which comes from feeling terrific.


14. Periodically review your career, present role and current level of satisfaction. Are you on track or is action required?


15. Rarely are there winners in deteriorating partnership dissolutions. Cut the best deal possible under the circumstances quickly, gather up every bit of positive energy you can muster and move on. 
 

16. It’s hard to be in the right professional headspace if your personal financial affairs are in a mess.





 
17. No one else has your unique combination of core purpose, skills and experiences. No one else is responsible for what you to choose to do with these. No one else is putting limitations on what you can achieve.

18. It's easier to maintain your current level of fitness than to regain it after a period of inactivity. Aim to do something active every day.

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PO Box 6020 | Fairfield Gardens QLD 4103