After years in the workforce, I decided to return to school to get my accounting degree. I liked accounting and the personal touch of working with clients. When I graduated, I opened my own CPA practice from scratch. Excited, the future looked bright. Little did I know the challenges that were ahead of me.

When it came to managing the office, I thought only I could talk to clients, do the billing, and so on. As a result, I wound up doing everything myself except answering the phones. My unwillingness to delegate was reinforced by the lack of accountability of my staff. I had two accounting staff who liked to do the “easy part” of their work and pass the rest to me. At the time, I didn’t know that I should expect more; I just accepted their incomplete tasks and finished them.

I barely survived tax seasons which were very hectic and stressful. When I wasn’t sleeping, I was working. When I was sleeping, I was dreaming about working. I would go home at night and relive every conversation I had. After every tax season, I thought about selling the practice because I didn’t think I could face another year.

Although I made money, it was not enough to pay the bills. I worked very long hours for little return. Because I worked so hard, I worried about taking on new clients as it might affect the quality of my work. Stuck, I was unable to grow.

I knew an acquaintance who owned her own CPA practice which I had watched grow. One day, I called and asked her how she was doing so well. I discovered that she was a Sterling client. She filled me in on their consulting program and I requested a copy of their management DVD. Watching the DVD, there were different points which hit home, such as why a practice owner is overworked and underpaid, and how to deal with staff and clients. After receiving a no-charge consultation, I signed up for the full Sterling program.

I went to Sterling to do my management courses and begin my consulting. I learned the principles and tools of management not offered by other consulting companies. I discovered what my duties and responsibilities were as the CEO of my practice. I learned about organizing and efficiency, the importance of being a leader and the key to managing staff. I was introduced to statistical management which enabled me to gauge the performance of each employee and the practice itself.

I also met with my consultant who was very experienced with CPA firms. She drafted a customized plan for me which addressed the issues unique to my practice. I was becoming revitalized again about having my own CPA practice.

After returning home, I asked Sterling to come out to my offices and help further on implementation. They sent a specialty consultant who instituted the program basics and trained the staff. When the consultant was done, we were all on the same page with a smoother-running practice.

Sterling taught me what qualities to look for in staff and how to manage the staff to be accountable for their work. With the help of my consultant and Sterling’s personnel testing, I was able to find the right staff and match them to the right job. With a higher quality of staff, I was able to let go and delegate more.

My consultant and I reworked my bonus plan. Previously, I would randomly hand out bonuses at the end of tax season. As I learned from Sterling, that is not the best way to increase production. Instead, we made a monthly bonus plan based on each staff member’s productivity which I measured using statistics. Staff knew beforehand what was expected and could increase their bonuses by increasing their job performance. Now everybody watches the numbers and I never have to say a word.

The consistency of the custom consulting has been very valuable to me. In the beginning, I spoke to my consultant once per month. Knowing I had someone looking over my shoulder was very effective. I knew I had better get my “homework” done. I also spoke to my consultant when needed. For instance, if I had a troublesome client, I would go over the situation with my consultant. Before the call I would be all tangled up, and after the call, I would have a simple 3- or 4-step plan. It’s wonderful having that kind of help available—it’s like having a private consultant on the payroll.

Sterling is like an outside business partner who helped me build my business. Since starting their program 11 years ago, sales have increased by 316% and net profit by 604%.

Most importantly, I have a life again. The stress is greatly reduced. Since my staff are able to run the practice, my husband and I have been able to travel to China, Italy and Quebec while my practice continued to reach its income goals. I no longer think about selling my practice after every tax season. Even though Sterling helped me build a much more valuable practice for my retirement, I am not as interested in retiring now. I enjoy my own practice and I enjoy my life.