People Section -
Ronald J. Baker
VeraSage Institute
P: 707.769.0965
Twitter: @ronaldbaker
www.verasage.com
Mission: “To, once and for all, bury the billable hour and timesheet in the professions”
Ronald J. Baker started his career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco. Today, he is the founder of VeraSage Institute, the leading think tank dedicated to improving the professions for posterity.
As a frequent speaker, writer, and educator, his work takes him around the world. He has been an instructor with the California CPA Education Foundation since 1995 and has authored fifteen courses for them.
He is the author of the best-selling marketing book ever written specifically for the professions, Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing, Sixth Edition, published by CCH (out of print). His book,The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, co-authored with Paul Dunn, was published in April 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and was the 2003 Book of the Year on SmartPros.com and is in its sixth printing. His Intellectual Capitalism Series (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) consists of three books so far: Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value, published in February 2006; Measure What Matters to Customers: Using Key Predictive Indicators, released September 20, 2006; Mind Over Matter: Why Intellectual Capital is the Chief Source of Wealth, published in November 2007; and his latest book published in December 2010, Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms.
Ron has toured the world, spreading his Value Pricing message to over 100,000 professionals. He has been appointed to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s Group of One Hundred, a think tank of leaders to address the future of the profession, named on Accounting Today’s 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Top 100 Most Influential People in the profession, and received the 2003 Award for Instructor Excellence from the California CPA Education Foundation.
He graduated in 1984 from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a minor in economics. He is a graduate of Disney University, Cato University, and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business course: Pricing: Strategy and Tactics. He is a member of the Professional Pricing Society and presently resides in Petaluma, California.
Brendon Harrex
Founder and Principal, Harrex Group
Southland, New Zealand
http://www.harrexgroup.co.nz
Brendon is the Founder and Principal of Harrex Group, an innovative professional services business offering accountancy–led ideas, advice and project management. Based in Southland, New Zealand, Brendon and his team of 20 are changing the world from the bottom of the world.
Brendon was the world’s first ever “Chief Value Officer” (CVO) while working for Ward Wilson Ltd, a 10 Partner, 100 team member firm. He went on to become their youngest ever Chairman before forming Harrex Group in May 2007.
Harrex Group is an innovative business using value based pricing and Brendon has made sure timesheets are not allowed anywhere near his innovative and strategic–thinking team. Brendon is passionate about leading customers and other professionals into business partnerships that create real value for all involved.
Christopher Marston
CEO and Founder, Exemplar Law Partners, LLC
Boston, MA, USA
P: 617.542.7400
www.exemplarlaw.com
Born and raised in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Chris demonstrated at an early age his diverse interests and talents, including music, performing and academics. He began playing the piano at age eight, wrote his first song at age 10, and had his first professionally produced recording by the age of 12. With music as an early-on passion, at age 14 he started his first company, C&C Studios and The DJ Connection, a full service entertainment company for special events. It also allowed Chris to record his own material. Chris attended an exclusive private high school in Michigan where he achieved high honors and further developed his talents.
He received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a dual major of Finance and New Venture Management at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. During his time at NU, Chris took up Competitive Ballroom Dancing, competing for 4 1/2 years, and at the height of his competitive dancing was ranked 27th in the nation. During this time, Chris had developed a particular interest in the options and equity market, and had been trading since he was 18.
During the later part of his undergraduate education, the CEO of JSA Technologies hired Chris as the Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, he restructured the product offering to become a service offering in order to reduce selling costs and produce a reliable cash flow for the company. His internal function was budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and involvement in negotiation. Their first client was Harvard University and JSA was responsible for the online money transfer feature for Harvard’s Crimson Cash Program. Now, more than 50 universities across the nation are customers of JSA.
Chris earned a J.D. and an M.S.F. (Master of Science in Finance) from Suffolk University Law and Business School, where he was awarded the Distinguished Oral Advocate and was the first first-year law student ever admitted to the national trial team. He competed all four years of the dual degree program on the national team, achieving regional semi-finals in the 3rd year and regional finals in his last year. He also won every internal mock trial competition (Junior and Senior Mock Trial Competition), won Best Trial Advocate in Fall 2003, and the Harold B. Goodwin Trial Advocacy Scholarship.
Gifted with a natural entrepreneurial spirit and intellectual curiosity, Chris set out to revolutionize the legal industry moments after graduating with a vision for creating the firm of the future. This firm would abandon traditional law practice and the billable hour, focusing on the value of services provided, rather than the cost of one’s time. After conducting thorough research on the topic of the history of law and the billable hour, and unable to find a law firm with this unique business model, it sparked the idea for a business.
Chris began to imagine the possibilities of beginning a law firm that offered fixed pricing, valued a work-life balance and placed customer service at the forefront. He envisioned the company would operate more like a traditional business, with a capacity-first business model where key management personnel are involved more as firm partners, timesheets do not exist and key functions like marketing, operations, human capital and customer relations are critical to its success.
Chris realized the firm of the future could be created with vision and leadership, the guts to forge a new path in an industry that is crying out for a reform, and a marketplace that would support such a departure. Not yet entrenched in traditional legal methods, and wanting to solve a problem greater than himself alone, Chris realized bringing this business model to market would not only change his life, but also impact and change the lives of attorneys, consumers, and the marketplace—ultimately how the law is practiced and consumed.
After months of research, Exemplar Law Partners was born in April 2005. A constantly evolving work in progress, Chris is leading a management team in shaping the business model to attract and retain talented attorneys and support staff that support his vision and want to make Exemplar Law Partners the iconic firm of the legal future.
Daniel D. Morris
VeraSage Institute
Morris + D’Angelo
1011 W. Taylor Street
San Jose, CA 95126
P: 408.292.2892
F: 408.793.2832
www.cpadudes.com
Mission: “To elevate CPA services to the ‘WOW’”
Daniel D. Morris started his accounting career in 1984 Ernst & Young in San Jose, California. Today, he is a founder of VeraSage Institute, a think tank dedicated to promulgating and teaching Value Pricing, Customer Economics, and Human Capital Development to professionals and businesses around the world. Additionally, Dan is one of the founding partners of the Silicon Valley based CPA firm Morris + D’Angelo.
As a frequent speaker at conferences, leadership development events, CPA seminars and conferences, and a consultant to professional service firms on implementing Total Quality Service and Value Pricing, his work takes him around the world. He has been an instructor with the California CPA Education Foundation since 1998 and has authored and instructed over a dozen courses for them, including: Mining Your Assets: Implementing the Concierge Service Model; Everyday Ethics: Doing Well by Doing Good (with Ronald J. Baker); You Are What You Charge For: Success in Today’s Emerging Experience Economy (with Ronald J. Baker); Developing Today’s and Tomorrow’s Firm and Community Leaders; and Trashing the Timesheet: A Declaration of Independence (with Ronald J. Baker and Justin H. Barnett of the VeraSage Institute).
Dan presents frequently at national and regional conferences including, the Professional Pricing Society, International Cemetery and Funeral Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Association of Accounting Marketing Executives, Principa Alliance, Midwest MAP (Management of Accounting Practice) Conference, IOMA, and various state CPA society educational organizations (Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana).
Dan received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon and started his career at Ernst & Young in San Jose. Dan is active with the California Society of CPAs and has held various leadership positions including president of the Silicon Valley San Jose chapter, marketing committee chair, MAP committee chair, and was a charter member of the State marketing committee. Dan serves on the CalCPA Council and is an active member in the Communications Advisory Committee. Additionally, Dan is a member of the AICPA “Group of One Hundred”, a think tank of leaders to address the future of the profession. Dan was a founding member of CPAs Reforming our Profession (http://www.cpas4reform.com) and served on its executive committee. Dan is regularly interviewed and quoted by the San Jose Mercury News and has published articles in California CPA and the Journal of Accountancy. A leading commentary on the value of Dan’s articles is that they are regularly republished by other state CPA societies.
Dan is a graduate of Community Leadership San Jose and served as the President of the leadership alumni organization and was instrumental in creating a leadership development program for San Jose high school students. He is active in community issues and enjoys a good policy discussion anytime.
Dan is responsible for his firm’s marketing efforts and specializes in tax litigation/audit issues, AMT tax planning for high net-worth individuals, foreign sales tax planning, and strategic management consulting for closely held businesses.
For more information on the dates and locations of the events, conferences and CPE seminars presented by the VeraSage Institute, please visit our upcoming speaking events.
Daryl Golemb
Golemb CPAs
San Diego, California USA
www.golembcpas.com
Daryl started his accounting career with Coopers & Lybrand as an intern in college. In 1987, he founded Daryl B. Golemb, An Accountancy Corporation, and has been a pioneer in providing his customers with Total Quality Service. Today, Daryl has focused his practice on advising his customers on how to achieve greater success not only in business but also quality of life. Business coaching has become one of his specialties and passions.
In 1996, Daryl met Ron Baker and became one of the first sole proprietors in the country to embrace the concepts of Value Pricing. He innovated one of the early menu pricing strategies, as well as the “perpetual Fixed Price Agreement,” ideas that many other firms have emulated around the world.
In addition to running his firm, Daryl is a passionate advocate of the VeraSage Institute’s Quest of burying the billable hour and trashing timesheets. He frequently teaches courses with his VeraSage colleagues around the country, contributing his wealth of knowledge and experience in operating an accounting firm along Firm of the Future principles.
Daryl is a devoted father of two great sons, serves on the board of Business Volunteer for the Arts, enjoys skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, canoeing, traveling, music, wine tasting, and resides in San Diego, California.
Ed Kless
Director, Partner Development and Recruitment
Sage Software
P: 972.390.0902
Twitter: @edkless
www.sagenorthamerica.com
Ed Kless joined Sage North America in July of 2003 and is currently the director of partner development and recruitment for the mid-market division. He facilitates the Sage Leadership Academy, Sage Consulting Academy and the Leadership Alumni Association.
Prior to joining Sage Software, Ed worked with Tipping Point Advisors, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of software implementation companies. Before that, he co-founded Third Wave Business Systems, a Microsoft Business Solutions Partner, in 1996, which grew to 20 team members and 5 million in revenue. At Third Wave, Ed developed the implementation methodology and managed the front and back office consulting teams.
Ed is a frequent contributor to industry publications and has spoken at many conferences worldwide.
Greg Kyte
Provo, Utah, USA
(801) 722-4662
http://www.gregkyte.com
Greg was born in Akron, Ohio, in the shadow of the Firestone tire factory. He began to swim competitively when he was eight, swimming for the Mountlake Terrace Lemmings. He graduated in 1995 from the University of Washington with a math degree. He chose math for the ladies.
After serving ten-years as an 8th grade math teacher, he decided it was time for a career change mainly because he “couldn’t stand those little bastards.” He began his accounting career with a local CPA firm in Orem, Utah, where he consistently failed the QuickBooks ProAdvisor advanced certification exam.
Greg currently works as the controller for the Utah Valley Physicians Plaza. He lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and two kids. He enjoys smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, and swearing.
Jay Shepherd
Founder, Prefix LLC
CEO, Attorney, Shepherd Law Group, P.C.
+01 617.213.0067
Twitter www.twitter.com/jayshep
Jay Shepherd is on a mission to save the world from lawyers, and to save lawyers (and other professionals) from themselves. He runs the Boston employment-law boutique Shepherd Law Group, which made headlines when it abandoned the billable hour and timesheets in 2006. As an employment litigator, he has been protecting employers in and out of court for the past 17 years. He specializes in noncompetes, trade secrets, and social-media law.
Jay also founded Prefix, LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to pricing professional knowledge. Prefix helps professionals like lawyers, accountants, and consultants value and price their services, and helps clients get more value from their professionals.
Jay is a prolific blogger. He writes the workplace blog ”Gruntled Employees,” which Human Resource Executive magazine called the best HR-law site. The American Bar Association named his other blog, ”The Client Revolution,” to its Blawg 100 list of the top lawyer blogs. “The Client Revolution” focuses on reinventing the business of law. Jay is also a columnist for ”Above the Law,” America’s leading law blog. Law and Politics magazine named Jay one of the top 100 lawyers in New England.
He lives outside of Boston with his wife (also an employment lawyer) and two young daughters (not employment lawyers).
John Chisholm
John Chisholm Consulting
Victoria, Australia
M +61 0 419 763 391
B +61 3 9578 3500
www.chisconsult.com
My life changed when he met the late-and great-Paul O’Byrne in Sydney in 2005.
Until then, I had always struggled with the concept of billing clients in 6 minute increments even though, as Managing Partner and CEO of large law firms in Australia, this was for all intents and purposes a pretty successful business model which I embraced.
When I left mainstream law firms in 2004 and set up my consultancy practice I was determined not to price my services by time (perhaps I was just too lazy/too old to record time in my own consulting practice?) but really had no idea how I would price myself. That is until I met Paul.
The rest as they say is history. Initially through Paul and then Ron Baker and the whole Verasage family I have become an advocate, zealot and many of my colleagues would say a terrorist for the destruction of time based billing in professional firms in Australasia.
Viva la revolution!
Background:
John Chisholm was previously a partner and Managing Partner at Maddocks, Chief Executive of Middletons and Executive Chairman Melbourne PKF Chartered Accountants.
John established his own consultancy, John Chisholm Consulting, in 2005 to share his expertise and experience with professional service firms in Australia, New Zealand and worldwide who look to maximise their business performance. He now speaks, trains, facilitates, coaches and consults.
As a practising lawyer, managing partner and chief executive John was well placed to experience first hand both the benefits but also the drawbacks of the profession pricing their services solely by reference to time. He now works with many professional service firms (and their clients) around Australasia assisting them with both a mindset change, and the practical implementation and application of, moving towards value based pricing.
John has studied and works with professional firms in UK, US and Australia who no longer bill their clients in 6 minute increments of time. He has written numerous articles on value pricing and has presented and spoken to over a 1000 lawyers and accountants in the past three years on this topic. He is regularly invited as a key note or guest speaker at legal industry events including for the Law Council of Australia, Australian Legal Practice Management Association, Law Institute of Victoria, Law Society of Queensland, CPA Australia and Leo Cussen Institute.
John F. Shaver
Owner, Aries Technology
Knoxville, Tennessee USA
Web: http://www.ariestech.com
Blog: http://www.ariestechblog.com
I fell into technology and business management software almost by accident. Back in the mid 1980s I was working for a CPA firm in Myrtle Beach, SC. During that time, the partners at the firm decided to move into the 20th century from a technology perspective. The question, however, was who in the firm would take on that task. So, being young and eager to prove myself, I raised my hand and volunteered for the job.
After working for a few years in both the public and private sectors of accounting and finance (yes, I have been an end-user of MAS 90 so I look at software from a user’s perspective), I decided to jump into the entrepreneurial world. My father had owned his own businesses for many years and he gave me the inspiration to take the risk.
We were quite content for a while from helping customers troubleshoot technical issues, write reports, installing upgrades and teaching customers how to get the most out of the software. The whole time we were filling out timesheets and billing based on our time because that was just the way it had always been done.
Over the years, we began to notice quite a bit of negativity in the industry, both for our customers and for us. Our customers asked us questions that we couldn’t answer which frustrated us and made us wonder what was wrong. The questions were not technical; rather they were focused on who bears the responsibility for software and on why there are so many unknowns about the price of projects and support.
Here are some examples:
- Why should I get a bill every time my software breaks? I didn’t break it. Should I have to pay for something I didn’t break?
- Why is it that every time we have you install an upgrade or write a report, we never know how much it will cost? I don’t care how long it takes you, just get it done.
- I like you guys but I’ve told my employees not to call for support or anything software related unless it is a dire emergency. The problem is that I don’t know if I’ll get a bill for $100 or $10,000. How do I budget for that?
My belief is these are the types of issues that have always driven a wedge between customer and software partner over the years. It creates unnecessary stress on both sides. Since our passion and mission is to help customers use their systems to the greatest effect, it bothered us that customers perceived the software and the software partner to be a necessary evils and as unknown costs to be avoided. We knew for an absolute fact that applying our knowledge and experience to our customers’ businesses provided great value.
The question was: how do we price that knowledge so our customers can clearly see the value?
Inspiration struck in the form of very forward thinking and encouragement from two people at Sage. Bill Hammer, who had been our partner manager at Sage for many years, understood that we were looking for ways to eliminate the negative aspects of the customer/software vendor relationship. He told me that I needed to meet Ed Kless, the partner development manager at Sage, and that I needed to attend one of Ed’s conferences.
Ed’s message was incredibly simple and incredibly enlightening: Customers hate billable time, get rid of it! Give them guarantees on everything. So we did and it has been the most positive part of our business since we opened our doors in 1996.
What a concept, a software and consulting company who actually talks with all of their customers about how the customer wants to do business with us. Everything we do for a customer is custom tailored for their business.
Justin Barnett
VeraSage Institute
P: 415.927.7114
F: 415.927.7154
www.verasage.com
Justin H. Barnett started his career in 1980 at Arthur Andersen in Houston, Texas. Today, he is one of the Founders of the VeraSage Institute, a think tank dedicated to teaching Value Pricing to professionals around the world, and burying the billable hour.
As a practicing accountant for the last twenty years, Justin has pioneered with his former partner Ron Baker the practice of public accounting centered on the combined disciplines of Total Quality Service and Value Pricing. He has trashed his timesheets and now co-instructs this course for those accountants who also want to be free of them: Trashing the Timesheet: A Declaration of Independence (with Ron Baker & Dan Morris).
He was quoted and used as an example in the best-selling management book ever written specifically for the accounting profession, Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing, Sixth Edition, authored by Ronald J. Baker, published by CCH. The book has been ranked #1 on amazon.com in Australia and New Zealand and has sold over 35,000 copies.
Justin speaks across the United States spreading the Value Pricing message to thousands of professionals.
He graduated in 1979 from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a minor in finance. He is the father of three and presently resides in San Rafael, California.
Kirk Bowman
Visionary of Value, MightyData
Allen, TX USA
972-390-8600 x101
http://www.mightydata.com
Kirk Bowman grew up in Arkansas on the family farm with his father and grandfather. His first job was driving a tractor in the rice and soybean fields during summer vacations. This experience taught him a strong work ethic and his instinct to create his own business.
In public school, Kirk discovered his talent for music and learned to play several instruments including the saxophone, guitar and piano. This passion became the foundation for his college studies. In only five years, he earned dual degrees from Harding University in Music and Business Management.
After graduation, he started a business in the Dallas metroplex playing saxophone and teaching private lessons in public schools. To manage the details of his business, he developed a custom database with FileMaker Pro. With his propensity for math and logic, he soon began to create small databases for business owners.
Following this early success, Kirk founded MightyData in October 1996 to provide Macintosh consulting services. In less than two years, his business grew to specialize in custom software development and web applications. Over the next decade, MightyData thrived and became a Platinum Member of the FileMaker Business Alliance.
In August 2009 at the FileMaker Developer Conference, Kirk joined a panel discussion of estimating and billing practices as an advocate for hourly billing. Another panelist, Jonathan Stark, made a compelling case for focusing on the customer, offering fixed prices and generating higher profits through value pricing. The impact of the discussion was profound. Panel Discussion Audio: Part 1, Part 2
After the conference, Kirk began extensive research into value pricing. He retained Jonathan as a consultant to help him learn the principles of value pricing. Three months later during a podcast, Kirk made a public commitment to transition his business to value pricing within a year. This was the turning point for MightyData. Podcast Audio
In February 2010, Kirk was preparing to speak on value pricing at the Pause On Error (POE) un-conference and found the VeraSage web site. Shortly before POE, he contacted Senior Fellow Ed Kless. Their first lunch meeting was the start of a mentorship and friendship. Subsequently, the video of Kirk’s POE session was featured in Ed’s blog and mentioned in Implementing Value Pricing by Ron Baker. POE Video
In January 2011, Kirk was honored to receive an invitation to the VeraSage conference in California. He spent three days discussing the practices of the professional knowledge firm with the VeraSage fellows and friends. At the conclusion of the conference, he was distinguished for his advocacy and accomplishment with value pricing and appointed a Practicing Fellow at the VeraSage Institute.
Kirk continues to practice and innovate the value pricing business model at MightyData, where he leads an extraordinary team of consultants who are very happy to focus on the customer and not submit a timesheet.
Mark A. Bailey
Managing Partner, Mark Bailey & Company, Ltd.
Reno, NV USA
775-332-4200
Mark Bailey & Co. Website
Innovative Practice Management Blog
Gray Matters Blog
Mark founded Mark Bailey and Company in 1984 after relocating from Central California where he was a partner in a two-office public accounting firm. Previously he worked for Arthur Young and Company in Los Angeles where he recognized the ineffectiveness of accounting practice management and the corresponding lost opportunities.
As the managing partner of a small public accounting firm, Mark is passionate about delivering the highest level of quality service to his customers to enable their success. Convinced that the conventional business model for professional knowledge firms was outdated and ineffective he explored many alternatives until he met Ron Baker. In 2004 MBC became a ‘trailblazing firm’ adopting the principles outlined in The Firm of the Future.
Mark built the firm around his belief in the development, nurturing, and respect of people as knowledge workers. Living this core value has resulted in the firm becoming a magnet for gifted, talented people seeking fulfillment from their career in contrast to the grind-mentality of most CPA firms. The innovative spirit that drives Mark in his business carries over to into the advice and counsel given to each customer.
Mark completed his degree at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California after completing his military service as an officer in 1971. He and his wife Janice live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains outside of Reno, Nevada.
Mark A. Chinn
Chinn & Associates, PLLC
Jackson, Mississippi USA
(601) 366-4410
http://www.chinnandassociates.com
Mark has been married to Cathy for over thirty years, and they have four daughters, Courtney, Casey, Carly, and Conley.
He is the author of three ABA books, How to Build and Manage a Family Law Practice, published by the Family Law Section and Law Practice Management Sections and The Constructive Divorce, published by the GP/Solo Division and Forms, Checklists and Procedures for the Family Lawyer, published by the ABA Family Law Section in 2010. He is also author of chapters entitled, “Marketing is Not a Dirty Word,” in How to Capture and Keep Clients, and “The Exit Interview” in 101 Practical Solutions for the Family Lawyer, both published by the ABA.
Mark is a frequent contributor in periodicals such as the American Journal of Family Law, The Family Advocate, Small Firm Profit Report and Fair Share on the subjects of client relations, service and law practice management.
Mark has been featured in the National Lawyer’s Weekly Magazine for delivering world-class service. He has been a frequent speaker for the American Bar Association Family Law Section, The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, The Iowa and Indiana Bar Associations, and the Mississippi Bar on issues of family law practice management and delivering world-class service.
Mark has received distinction from the following publications:
o Top 50 Lawyers in Mississippi for 2010, Mississippi Business Journal
o Mid-South Super Lawyers
o The Best Lawyers in America and
o Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
He is one of the one hundred attorneys that were selected from Mississippi for membership into the Outstanding Lawyers of America.
Mark was the recipient in 1996 of the Award of Merit for distinguished service to the Bar and the public and was enrolled as a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation in 1997. Mark is also certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Mark has been Chairman of the Family Law Section of the Mississippi Bar twice and a member of the governing council of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association for two terms. His other work with the Mississippi Bar has included: Chairman in 1995-96 of the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee, and past service on the Ethics, Client Relations, Women in the Profession, and Fee Dispute Resolution Committees.
Mark was Chairman of the Lamar Order of the University of Mississippi School of Law Alumni Association in 2002. He was President of the Hinds County Bar Association for 1998-99 and is a Master of the Bench in the Charles Clark American Inn of Court.
He was elected Vice Chair of the Supreme Court’s Gender Fairness Task Force and was appointed by the Governor of Mississippi to the Children’s Justice Task Force.
Community activities include: Chairman of the Jackson Urban League Board of Directors (1995-2000); Chairman of the Tenth Jubilee! Jam in May 1996 which featured the Olympic Torch; Jubilee! Jam Foundation Board, Arts Alliance Board, Opera Board and Leadership Jackson.
Black belt in Karate and kick boxing and a veteran of the 20 years of Rugby, Mark is also a private pilot and enjoys golf and weightlifting.
Mark received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University in 1975 and his Law Degree from the University of Mississippi in 1978. He is admitted to practice in all courts in Mississippi, the Fifth and Seventh Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.
Michelle Golden, CPF
President, Golden Practices Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
P: 314.416.1201
Twitter: @michellegolden
Blog: www.goldenpractices.com
Website: www.goldenpracticesinc.com
Michelle delivers marketing results and improved operational health in professional firms. She began consulting in 1999 for firms needing tools and guidance with planning and implementing their strategic and marketing initiatives. She works with firms throughout the United States and internationally.
In Michelle’s 25-year career, she led the marketing departments of an 80-person CPA firm and a 400-person law firm. For ten years prior to her professional firm work, she was an accountant in the corporate headquarters of two public healthcare companies.
As a senior fellow of VeraSage Institute, she influences change through promoting the practice of pricing in advance versus hourly billing; specializing versus generalist practices; replacing pursuit and tracking of lagging metrics such as productive hours and realization with more meaningful predictive metrics; and educating about effective methods of attracting and retaining talent. For her thought-leadership, she’s named one of Ten Most Powerful Women in Accounting in Accounting Today & WebCPA (Oct, 2009) and is one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today (Sep, 2010).
She speaks frequently for organizations including AICPA, Association for Accounting Marketing, state CPA societies, and law and CPA firm associations. In 2010, she was commissioned by the AICPA to develop a Social Media Toolkit for their PCPS members, and she authored her first book Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms published by John Wiley & Sons in 2010.
Michelle’s work and opinions appear in publications around the globe including: Journal of Accountancy, National Law Journal, Accounting Today, Recovery Magazine (UK publication), and Syriez Magazine (a Japanese accounting publication).
Michelle is a former board member and US Regional Representative for the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). She also served several terms on the board of Association for Accounting Marketing. She grew up in Orange County, California and relocated to Missouri in 1990. She attended Santa Ana College, Irvine Valley College, and Columbia College majoring in Business with a dual emphasis in Marketing and Management. She is mother of four and “gramma” of one. Her eldest serves in the US Army.
Paul Kennedy
O’Byrne & Kennedy
Goffs Oak, UK
P: +44 1707 876 876
M: +44 7973 540 274
www.obk.co.uk
Paul Kennedy and Paul O’Byrne have experienced just about every practice management course put on in the UK and are graduates of the Accountants Boot Camp, and many Ron Baker seminars.
In their two-partner, ten-person practice in just outside London, England, they have implemented many of the lessons Ron Baker teaches and can explain what they have adapted, abandoned and benefited from. They are candid about the traumas faced in abandoning timesheets and introducing fixed price agreements for all clients – and why they are so glad they did!
Since meeting Ron Baker in March 2000, Paul and Paul have challenged and argued with Ron’s views until they found it easier to go along with (most of) it. Since then they have preached – and practiced what they preached – the lessons in The Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future. They come with first-hand experience and examples of how the message can be explained in a practice setting and the effects it has within the firm, to clients and prospects, and to fellow professionals. They have a core competency in sacking clients, having disposed of 80% of their clients between 1997 and 1999. Their story of this and trashing timesheets are included in two of Ron’s books for the ACCA and in this website in the Trailblazers case studies.
Their firm now has one-third of its growing income from compliance work, and negative lock-up (work in progress and debtors). Both partners’ work in the firm is almost entirely consulting, advising, coaching, training and speaking. They have authored eight courses on subjects ranging from practical personal finance to mind mapping.
Taking the lesson of intellectual capital, in 2003 they created the “GOBS MBA” course. This is a year-long ten three-hour session course of modules that O’Byrne and Kennedy clients (owner-managers of businesses) should have been taught if only they’d been taught it.
Paul Kennedy, ACA is a British Chartered Accountant and an essayist. He wrote the Essay on timesheets in Value Pricing 6th edition beginning “I write as reformed sinner…”
A proud father of two and still a keen soccer player, Paul is married to a fitness instructor and won’t have that slice of cake, thank you. He has enjoyed traveling to New York and New Zealand as well as old Australia speaking on VeraSage matters and has initiated course on accountant to consultant as well as designing the VeraTrak software for a professional firm to operate in a timesheet-free zone.
Paul O’Byrne
O’Byrne & Kennedy
Goffs Oak, UK
This page remains in memory of our beloved and respected colleague and friend. Paul lost his battle with cancer in November, 2008. But his work lives on…
Paul Kennedy and Paul O’Byrne have experienced just about every practice management course put on in the UK and are graduates of the Accountants Boot Camp, and many Ron Baker seminars.
In their two-partner, ten-person practice in just outside London, England, they have implemented many of the lessons Ron Baker teaches and can explain what they have adapted, abandoned and benefited from. They are candid about the traumas faced in abandoning timesheets and introducing fixed price agreements for all clients – and why they are so glad they did!
Since meeting Ron Baker in March 2000, Paul and Paul have challenged and argued with Ron’s views until they found it easier to go along with (most of) it. Since then they have preached – and practiced what they preached – the lessons in The Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future. They come with first-hand experience and examples of how the message can be explained in a practice setting and the effects it has within the firm, to clients and prospects, and to fellow professionals.
They have a core competency in sacking clients, having disposed of 80% of their clients between 1997 and 1999. Their story of this and trashing timesheets are included in two of Ron’s books for the ACCA (stories found in the Trailblazers section.
Their firm now has one-third of its growing income from compliance work, and negative lock-up (work in progress and debtors). Both partners’ worked in the firm almost entirely consulting, advising, coaching, training and speaking. They authored eight courses on subjects ranging from practical personal finance to mind mapping.
Taking the lesson of intellectual capital, in 2003 they created the “GOBS MBA” course. This is a year-long ten three-hour session course of modules that O’Byrne and Kennedy clients (owner-managers of businesses) should have been taught if only they’d been taught it.
Paul O’Byrne, FCA was a British Chartered Accountant and speaker. He likes nothing better than to preach the VeraSage gospel, ideally in somewhere warm and/or exciting (ie, outside England).
Paul O was a keen swimmer, a poor triathlete (Completed the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in 2003) has also climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a father of four, married to an English teacher (u in harbour, please)! He has taught two one-day classes for the California Society of CPAs, Mind Mapping, an accountant’s mind unleashed. Paul spoke in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand as well as Europe to lawyers and accountants on all matters VeraSage as well as the O’Byrne and Kennedy application of the Boot Camp principles. His main hobby was teasing Ron Baker and thinking about updating his website ronbakersucks.com (no longer active).
People
VeraSage Institute was founded by Ron Baker, Dan Morris, and Justin Barnett, as a think tank dedicated to promulgating and teaching Value Pricing, Customer Economics, and Human Capital Development to professionals and businesses around the world. Now VeraSage includes several Senior Fellows and Practice Fellows.
In keeping with our mantra “think with us, not like us”, our think tank eagerly invites dialogue with those who disagree with our ideas: Skeptics and Dissenters are welcome enter into the fray (see Community) because having our views challenged helps us all (you and us) improve or alter our thinking.
Peter Byers
VeraSage Australasia
Auckland City, Auckland, New Zealand
P: 0508 473 784
Peter Byers holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Auckland University New Zealand and is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries. Peter has many years experience in providing practical advice and solutions to professional service organisations including legal and accounting firms.
Peter is the founder of VeraSage Australasia and is a member of the VeraSage think tank which is devoted to developing Value Pricing for Professionals and introducing Total Quality Service into the culture of firms who have traditionally sold “their time”.
As a member of the VeraSage team Peter works with individual groups and firms to assist them in burying the billable hour and “trashing their time sheets”. Peter also provides e-mail and telephone support to individuals and firms who are seeking to provide a new level of professional service to their customers and also works in an advisory capacity to firms who are seeking to improve the quality of their advice and service delivery as well as developing their customer base to have ‘customers of the type that you want’.
The Verasage team provides in-house seminars and tutorials on Value Pricing and Total Quality Service as well as a follow up service to assist with the practical implementation of VP and TQS into firms. Peter and his team also provide one-on-one instruction on ‘the art of pricing’ and developing pricing strategies as well as facilitating planning days for principals and team members.
Tim McKey
McKey Business Group
Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA
www.vistabmo.com
Tim McKey was born and grew up in rural south Mississippi. The majority of his time was spent in various sports venues or working in his Dad’s grocery store. After high school Tim attended Mississippi State University where he graduated cum laude in 1982 with a Bachelors of Professional Accountancy.
Upon graduation Tim accepted a position with Deloitte Haskins and Sells (now Deloitte and Touche) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tim still resides in Baton Rouge but now is an owner, along with his partner, Sandy O’Brien, of a “boutique” CPA/consultancy firm (Burris, McKey & O’Brien CPAs/Vista Consulting, Inc.).
The first 20+ years of his professional life was spent in traditional, compliance CPA matters such as tax return and financial statement preparation/presentation. He feels the remainder of his professional career will be dedicated to “actually helping businesses and business owners become successful” by their definition of success. In other words, “our firm attempts to bring real value, not just “necessary evil” professional services.”
Tim and his partner Sandy are graduates of the Accountants Boot Camp and are fans of Michael Gerber’s “Working ON not IN” business philosophy. Since 1999 Tim and Sandy have converted their traditional practice to a consultative, value priced operation that has outlawed time sheets and time based billing. They have embraced the “knowledge worker” role.
“We take the time now to listen to our customers and understand their needs and desires before designing a work plan to help them achieve their goals. We then price the services commensurate with the value perceived by the customer. This is an art! Of course we still perform the traditional services of tax prep and financial statement presentation, but only for our consultation customers. We have been able to drastically reduce the number of customers served while increasing gross firm revenues. It is not that we want to be elitist but, this type service is not right for everyone. For those it is right for, however, we have been successful in assisting them in increasing overall business value, profitability, and operating effectiveness.”
Tim is the father of two, Sarah (21), and Caroline (13), and husband of one, Jodi.
His hobbies are spending time with his wife and children, tennis, reading, public speaking, learning about “anything I don’t understand…which is a lot,” and working with a “faith based” not-for-profit organization, United Methodist HOPE Ministries. He hopes to become even more involved with the VeraSage mission and assist in “spreading the VeraSage word.”
Tim Williams
Founder and President, Ignition Consulting Group
Salt Lake City, Utah USA
www.ignitiongroup.com
Tim Williams is founder and president of Ignition Consulting Group, a consultancy that helps firms in the creative services industry transform their business model to become more relevant and valuable to clients.
Before forming Ignition, Tim was president of nationally–ranked R&R Partners (the advertising agency behind the “What happens here, stays here” campaign for Las Vegas) and was also co–founder of his own agency, Williams & Rockwood, now known as Richter 7. He spent his early career in New York and Houston working at advertising firms including Ogilvy & Mather and Marsteller, and has led efforts for a variety of well-known brands such as Compaq, CBS, American Express, IBM, National Public Radio, and Novell.
During his career as an agency CEO and consultant, Tim has been featured and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Advertising Age, Adweek, Brandweek, Print, and Creativity. He has been a contributor to major business and trade publications including Advertising Age, Communication Arts, The Advertiser (Association of National Advertisers), Admap, Marketing News, and served as a regular columnist for Ad Age Insider.
Tim is a regular speaker and presenter for industry associations, agency networks, universities, and business conferences for such organizations as the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the American Advertising Federation, CBS Television, National Public Radio, and many others.
As a recognized thought leader in the advertising and marketing business, Tim is the recipient of the American Advertising Federation’s highest honor, the Silver Medal Award for lifetime achievement.
In addition to writing regularly for both online and offline industry publications, Tim is also the author of the book, “Take a Stand for Your Brand: Building a Great Agency Brand from the Inside Out,” available at www.amazon.com.
Yan Zhu
VeraSage Australasia
New Zealand
www.verasage.co.nz
Yan Zhu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the Qingdao TV University, China, and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Accounting from Massey University in New Zealand. Yan is a naturalised New Zealander and is a foundation member of the VeraSage Institute in Australasia and a member of the VeraSage think tank.
Yan is actively involved in the provision of seminars and tutorials in all aspects of Value pricing and Total Quality Service together with management and advisory services to VeraSage customers in Australasia.
