Kristin Murray & Jennifer Wilson: Best People Practices for Smail Firms | Gear Up For Growth

Balancing growth, profits, culture, and staff retention.

Gear Up for Growth.
With Jean Caragher.
For CPA Trendlines.

“Probably no surprise, the greatest challenge to growth in this industry is attracting and retaining talent,” said Kristin Murray, managing partner of Weinstein Spira. “Without that, there is no growth, and given the landscape of our industry right now, that's everybody's biggest challenge. If it's not, I'd be amazed.”

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“Kristin was the person in her firm who stuck her neck out and took the risk back when she was a tax partner leading the HR and culture initiatives for the firm,”  says Jennifer Wilson, partner and co-founder of Convergence Coaching.

Differentiating Weinstein Spira’s environment to appeal to candidates is a key strategy. “One of the things that we've done on the tax side is to implement these positions called tax preparation coordinators,” explains Murray. “These individuals aren't necessarily accounting-degreed but are skilled with computers and organization. They handle preliminary tax preparation tasks, easing the workload of the accounting staff."

Additionally, Weinstein Spira has created client service rep roles to manage client communications, removing administrative burdens from senior accountants. This change allows their more experienced staff to focus on complex tasks, increasing productivity.

Wilson says Murray "had the guts to say, ‘Hey, guys, we have to be more flexible. We can't have standing office hours and force people to stay through dinner and come in on Saturdays.’ So, she abolished all of that."

More highlights:

– The six big themes from the National Pipeline Advisory Group and what firms need to do with this information.

– Why Weinstein Spira has succeeded in providing time and resources for the firm’s CPA candidates to prepare for the CPA exam.

– The real story behind Weinstein Spira’s Fun Brigade.

– How Weinstein Spira’s efforts have impacted the firm’s employee retention.

More about Kristin Murray: Kristin Murray has served as Weinstein Spira’s managing shareholder since 2018. Her clients include manufacturing, real estate, professional services companies, owner-managed businesses, and high-net-worth individuals. Weinstein Spira is a member of AGN International. She can be reached at km@weinsteinspira.com.

More about Jennifer Wilson: Jennifer Wilson is a co-founder and partner with ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, a national consulting firm for CPAs. She has been named to Accounting Today’s Top 10 and Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting list, IPA's Top 10 Most Recommended Consultants and CPA Practice Advisor's Top 25 Thought Leaders and the Most Powerful Women in Accounting lists. She can be reached at jen@convergencecoaching.com. More Jennifer Wilson at CPA Trendlines here.