Change is Good

Why is it so difficult for people to deal with change? After all isn't change supposed to be good?

Personally I believe change is a must. From a business owners perspective change means life. If your business isn't changing and evolving it will become stale and your customers will find an alternative in a heartbeat. So what about from the personal side?

People are constantly changing, every minute of every day, again that's life. Every minute is a new experience and we take it in, process and react...poof we've changed! So why is it so hard to change the way we do things? Is it lack of leadership, motivation, clarity, validity? I supposed it could be any, all or any combination of those and other items too. A bit ironic don't you think? Change is good but making the change is extremely difficult?

What about all of the newly unemployed? Talk about change! I've found a great resource to pump up the motivation for anyone in the process of thinking about change or in the process of executing a change. It's a short movie called Change is Good.

The source of this move is from a company called Simple Truths, my favorite site for motivational resources. I post some of my favorite movies and books from the company on my site Raendrop. The point to all of this is to educate yourself on how to make change easier. Learn how to motivate the people that are critical to the success of the change. After all, the change is good only if its successful and that is a matter of opinion. Embrace change, instigate change and lead the change, but please educate yourself first then Teach and success will follow.

Good luck, keep the chin up and make a change!

Victor

Share The Knowledge

One of the most important things we can do to help our organizations, associates, employees, and any one else we care about is to share what we know with them.  After all, that is what teaching is.  At R&A we have recently taken this to a new level.  Just this month, our efforts in an international collaboration with other CPA firms went "live".

R&A is a member of an international organization that teaches CPA firms how to provide consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses.  This group provides us with phenomenal training and "best practice" tools and techniques to deliver these services.  With Ran One's

assistance, a group of about 12 CPA firms from across the globe launched a new website to assist business all around the world during the horrific economic crisis.  Please visit the site at http://www.economicrecoveryresourcecenter.com.  The information on this site is as valuable as you can find any where.

Keep the American dream alive, stay focused and use the resources around.  We are all in the same boat, and we all need each other to make it through to better days!

Victor Puchi, CPA

Managing Shareholder

R&A CPAs

www.RandAcpas.com

Happy Holidays

As we rapidly approach the end of another incredible year and the holiday festivities get cranked up I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

Reflecting on my fortunate past comes so easy to me this time of year. Regardless of personal or professional struggles I may have had the super majority of my life has been blessed with loving family and friends and a very successful professional career.  I challenge everyone to put their own lives in perspective this holiday season.  Take a few moments to remember the tragedies that have occurred in our own back yard and around the world.  The victims of 911, the floods in New Orleans and surrounding areas, the fires in California, the thousands of children inflicted with life-ending disease and the millions inflicted with mental/psychological challenges.

Be grateful and appreciative, loving and caring, sensitive and honest.  Give with heart not only with money.  Give with respect not for respect.  Love those that are with you, inspire those that are influenced by you and offer a prayer for those you haven't met.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Victor Puchi, CPA

R&A CPAs

www.RandAcpas.com

   

The New American Dream

The way I always heard the story was that people came to America from around the world to have freedom and financial stability....The American Dream!

Doesn't the word "dream" tell us that it might not always be reality or that the dream may be bigger than life?  Do you think the fat cats of our largest financial institutions or auto companies have lost site of this?  What about our political leaders?  They certainly must always have this in mind, as is it not their responsibility to keep this nation as great and greater than always?

Somebody needs to get all of these "leaders" and send them back to the basics.  Maybe they should all have to run their own businesses using their own money and credit for ten years.  Until they are able to prove they can grow a business and manage money and people they shouldn't be able to take a seat where they are responsible for TRILLIONS of dollars the rest of us spend a lifetime trying to generate. That way sex, color or political party preference would all be the same....Red, White and Blue.

What are we teaching our young "professionals-to-be"?  Go get the best degree you can from the most prestigious school around and latch on to a big company.  Don't disrupt anything, play nice and always make sure nobody knows what you're doing.  Pretty soon you can be the CEO of one our nations pride and joy companies and flush it down the toilet while you become a millionaire.  Don't worry, Congress will make the rest of America pay for it and you can travel the world on your private jet!

By Victor D Puchi, CPA

R&A CPAs

People Care

So I've been pretty quiet on the blog front for quite some time. I was just recently inspired to continue by one of my staff members that said "I miss reading what your thoughts are". If one person is interested, I suspect there are more, so here I am.

In todays market place, the accounting profession is still experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals. This environment causes businesses to be extra efficient and excellent at retention if they are to compete. We've been struggling with this for years now and every day we get better at transforming our young and not so you team from takers to givers.

Last Friday we launched the annual R&A Employee Retreat. For the first time ever, we closed the office and took all employees to a resort for a day of education. The key was that the education had nothing to do with accounting but everything to do with personal development and what R&A CPAs was all about and how or why each individual makes a difference. We had a great guest speaker, Robert Van Arlen, that started the day off and really got things moving in the right direction. For eight straight hours we educated and learned like never before. Sometimes all you have to do is ask and you'll find out where the interests are and even more important you find out where you can help. People really want to do the right thing for the most part and in order to help/teach them you must listen. In this case it helped by asking away from our typical environment in a setting that was built to show we care. We learned that we have a lot of very special people that care too! Everybody there on Friday won a very special prize and we all will benefit.

If anyone out there is in need of a keynote or motivational speaker Robert Van Arlen is your guy! Check him out at www.robertvanarlen.com. I need to make sure I let you all know that I met Robert through Main Corridor, www.maincorridor.com, another great organization you should check out.