VeraSage

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.”

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.