VeraSage

Brendon Harrex

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.

Daryl Golemb

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

www.sage.com

Ed Kless joined Sage Software 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.

Michelle Golden

President, Golden Marketing Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
P: 314.416.1201

www.goldenmarketinginc.com

Michelle is committed to delivering results and improving operational health in professional service firms. She began consulting in 1999 to provide effective solutions for firms needing tools, guidance, and assistance with planning and implementing their strategic and marketing initiatives.

In Michelle’s 20-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 service firm work, she was an accountant in the corporate headquarters of two public healthcare companies.

Contributing to the advancement of professional services marketing, Michelle’s heavy involvement with the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) includes Volunteer of the Year (2001) and two-terms on AAM’s board of directors. She worked on AAM’s annual conferences for seven years and co-chaired 2003’s memorable, record-breaking event. Michelle also founded AAM’s member list serve that she administered for its first five years.

As a fellow of VeraSage, she influences change in the professions through promotion of value pricing over hourly billing; specialization over 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 the talented knowledge workers that most firms seek.

To educate firms and their marketing professionals on increasing their business development and practice management results, Michelle works directly with firms throughout the United States and internationally. She writes and speaks often and maintains a high-traffic blog called Golden Practices.

She’s spoken repeatedly at Association for Accounting Marketing’s annual conferences, CPA societies, and law and CPA firm associations. She wrote a chapter, “Service Excellence: The Cornerstone of Marketing Success” for the book: The Marketing Advantage: How To Get and Keep the Clients You Want (AICPA, 2006).

Michelle’s work and opinions have also appeared in:

• Journal of Accountancy
• National Law Journal
• Practical Accountant
• Accounting Today
• AccountingWEB
• INSIDE Public Accounting
• CPA Marketing Report
• CCH’s Tax Practice Management
• CPA2Biz
• Lawyer Marketing
• Managing Partner (law marketing publication)
• St. Louis Business Journal
• Recovery Magazine (European publication)
• Syriez Magazine (a Japanese accounting publication)

Michelle is also a board member and US Regional Representative for the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). 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 lives in St. Louis with her husband and children.

Paul Kennedy

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

P: +44 1707 876 876
M: +44 7970 942 267

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 (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’ 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 O’Byrne, FCA is 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 is a keen swimmer, a poor triathlete (Completed the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in 2003) has also climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is 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 has spoken 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 is teasing Ron Baker and thinking about updating his website www.ronbakersucks.com.

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.

Scott Abbott

Scott Abbott was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1974 and now resides in Spanish Fork, Utah with his wife Heidi and their three children, Liam, Sinead and Kieran.

Mr. Abbott’s career started at an early age under the mentorship of his father, Dave Abbott, an entrepreneur. Scott’s first business was in the sport fishing industry, which he started with his father at age 16. Over four years Bass brother Fishing Tackle Distributors would grow to gain customers across Canada and represent several manufacturers in the United States.

At age 20 Mr. Abbott would leave the business in the hands of his family to serve a mission in Brussels Belgium and Northern France. Upon returning from his mission Scott would make the difficult decision to pursue a management degree at the University of Manitoba while working with his father on a concept called World Cup Fishing and subsequently rolling up operations at Bass Brothers.

Over the following four years Scott would play a key role in raising seed capital to fund the development of the intellectual property. Of particular note was Mr. Abbott’s research and subsequent testing of a mathematical system that would fairly and accurately compare 15 species of fish throughout Canada and the United States. It was this engine that would allow sports fisherman from across North America to compete for the first time in an online fishing tournament called World Cup Fishing. Scott and his fathers’ efforts would later be recognized by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Small Business Award by the Canadian Information Productivity Awards.

During his academic career Scott was recognized with numerous awards for his entrepreneurial drive and marketing. Scott traveled across North America competing in business plan competitions representing the University of Manitoba and garnered top awards and prizes resulting in the most successful business plan team put together by the University up to that date. In addition to this Scott was given the prestigious University of Manitoba Young Associates Student Enterprise Award, an award given to an individual of entrepreneurial note.

Never leaving his entrepreneurial heritage behind, Scott has worked with several business owners in raising capital, developing marketing materials, and business planning in the capacity of a business advisor. Almost universally, clients have sought direction in determining price for their products and services. Mr. Abbott is now the president of Five Star Painting, a master franchise in the painting and decorating business in North America. Price is at the heart of this business, being the first painting company to advertise price in all of its literature through a $99/room concept. Since his involvement Five Star has expanded operations from Edmonton, Alberta to include Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Las Vegas, Orem, Provo, St. George, and Salt Lake City. One of Scott’s key roles at Five Star has been to develop a website and software that allows franchise owners to price interior painting jobs without any painting knowledge or experience.

More recently, Mr. Abbott worked as the Regional Business Development Manager at BDO Dunwoody, one of the World’s largest accounting and business advisory firms. During his two years of employment at BDO Scott was responsible for the development and implementation of a revolutionary concept called “the Firm of the Future” authored by Ron Baker. For the first time Partners and Managers at BDO would set prices for their services prior to their being delivered. As a result, accountants would no longer use timesheets to determine price, but the value of their offering to the clients. This has become a key differentiator from competitors in Manitoba.

Presently Scott is completing his executive MBA at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah and continues to work with various companies in North America in bringing their product or service to market.

Tim Williams

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

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.