Are you nimble, like jack?

I read an article in Accounting Today that was very interesting titled The agile CPA Firm, by Rebecca Ryan.  I realized as I  read it, the information could really apply to many types of companies, so I would like to give you the jist of it here..

Agile firms are....  more profitable -because they are obsessed with the client experience, and the ability to turn their knowledge into a value added propostion for their  clients. 

Agile firms are...nimble- they can adapt quickly to market changes because of tighter reponse cycles. They regularly round up and discuss information gleaned from clients to find out what they want.

Agile firms are.. lean- they aren't bogged down with unnecessary overhead, staff structures and regularly 'cheap out' on perks. They don't pay the most, but their employees are loyal because they feel they have a say in the business. They run like a bootstrapping start up from day one forward.

Agile firms are... obessed with improvement and innovation- they mine the processes and markets for new ideas. They use the lean process to eliminate waste and tools like analytics to weigh everything they do.

Agile firms are.. IT adoptees- they are already on FB, Linked In, and are finding niche softwares that others don't pay attention to. They are the front end of new happenings, not the followers.

Agile firms are... open and transparent- clients can see their information and measure progress, they have a commitment that information should be shared. They trust both employees and clients.

Agile firms are... value-added, not time centric- they offer flat fee pricing when possible, and see themselves as a partner in their clients business, not just a vendor.

You can read the whole article here...