Customer Reviews

The Enrolled Agent Tax Consulting Practice Guide: Learn How to Develop, Market, and Operate a Profitable Tax and IRS Representation Practice

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have 25 years of experience running my own successful tax oriented CPA firm. I bought this book not to help me start a new business, but rather to see if I could pick up any tips for improving my business.

I found that the advice in the book is right on target and totally consistent with what I have learned over the years (often the hard way).

Plus, the book is formatted in such a way that it is extremely easy to read and comprehend, which is a breath of fresh air after having to deal with the Internal Revenue Code on a daily basis. The real life examples of successful tax practices, complete with photos of the owners, gave life to the concepts being explained.

It was well worth the time and I picked up a number of tips that will stay with me.

Although it includes the generic "business startup" type info you can get from any such book, it does have enough Enrolled Agent specific information to make the book worthwhile. The interviews are very insightful. They provide both marketing and niche development advice and they help you to (re)consider your own business model to see if you are positioning yourself correctly. Recommended.

[...]

Edit: February 2011

I had this book for almost a year and initially I didn't rate this book very high because I didn't find specific answers to the questions I had. But over the course of the year I found myself going back and re-reading some of the information as new (and my first) tax seasons was approaching fast.

This past year I also joined online tax community where Christy participates daily and helps anyone even "old dogs" and those are the one who ask tough questions. If I ever have specific question she is always one of the first to provide help, her assistance goes way beyond this book and I really appreciate it. Thank you, Christy Pinheiro.

I recently aquired this book and find it to be very informative and an easy read.It has many suggestions and I particlarly liked the fact the author gave several tax programs for a professional .When someone is starting out it can be costly to do a "try it and see" when it comes to programs.If the programs are not up to speed you can lose your clients and they will certainly not recommend you to friends and family
The authors use a common sense approach well mixed with their tried and true methods that worked well for them,and will for you if you follow them.
I would like a little more indepth developement ideas but the book is well worth the selling price.I am certain if you follow the principals and add some of your own ideas,knowledge and personality you will have a successful business.The book can not,and does not,promise you will have a thriving busness,only you can achive that with hard work and knowledge of your profession but it most certainly can help put you on the fast track.

Good basic information with a few new ideas sprinkled in. It is a good book to keep on hand just to reread on occasion to get the practice growth ideas flowing. A good reminder not all clients are not (profitable) good clients.

Christy lays out a number of "best practices" that can benefit any practitioner in the small business accounting, tax or bookkeeping profession. The book is an easy read and you'll likely find yourself referring to it for tips as you grow your practice. Her sound advice could be incorporated with success into most consulting businesses.

The Enrolled Agent Tax Consulting Guide: Learn How To Develop, Market, and Operate a Profitable Tax and IRS Representation Practice is a book long overdue for Enrolled Agents (EA). We are the true tax experts, but we have to deal with how to separate ourselves from others who attempt to do the same thing we do, but not as professionally or knowledgeably as we do. The book touches on how to further develop our practices, market ourselves better and gain additional income throughout the year. In the end, this book teaches us how to gain more profitability and I recommend it to anyone who already is an EA or planning to become one in the future.

I got this book from Amazon.com as I'm a tax consultant for Military One-Source (MOS) where you not only have to know WHERE the numbers go on the tax return, but you also HAVE to know "HOW TO THINK QUICKLY on your feet in any given tax situation." In my job and profession... you never know what question you will be asked... and YOU HAD BETTER KNOW THE ANSWER out of Publication 17 without looking! The audience can be quite demanding at times & have unique tax situations that most tax preparers out there never normally encounter. I've already seen first-hand more than one tax preparer (so-called consultant) quit that job because they... "didn't know tax law as good as they thought!"

I've read Christy's book with both editorial scrutiny, practical application, and a critical eye (if you will). I'm also a published author and am very careful to scrutinize (eliminate the "fluff"... if you will). To say I was both pleased and pleasantly satisfied with what she has produced on the written pages... would be an understatement! I've already started building a solid bookkeeping and tax practice BY DOING what she says to do...

Whenever I need help getting new clients or dealing with present tax clients and their unique situations, Christy Pinheiro's book "The Enrolled Agent Tax Consulting Practice Guide" is THE FIRST PLACE I turn to. Most books out there present some things they've learned from others in the field or what they've learned through traditional means.

Not so with this author!

This author "gets down and dirty" in explaining WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE! I can tell you after reading the books and.. "from practical experience having both worked in two bookkeeping firms and one CPA firm..." that this author knows her stuff and "spills the beans" on what you need to do to have a successful practice. I've carefully observed and witnessed first-hand what some successful, AND SOME NOT-SO-SUCCESSFUL tax consultants and tax preparers do. I've seen some businesses "go south" AND TANK... all because of the economy, and have also seen some firms thrive SOLELY BECAUSE OF THEIR PROVEN marketing practices.

Christy's principles outlined in this book WILL MAKE YOUR PRACTICE SUCCESSFUL!!!

Most folks say... "Accept whatever client comes through the door" and that's often standard practice in the field. Christy very skillfully and thoroughly answers why you (the tax professional) should NOT follow this advice. She is VERY THOROUGH and detailed both in her answers and practical in her approach. Written in plain english that most folks could understand, she covers more material than most other professionals cover in a 300 page practice-building manual that gives theory... NOT practical application!!!

I gave her 5 stars because I've been to Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, and other places to help me build my already successful practice. I have yet to see an author beat this one!!!

I gave this author a glowing response. Why? ...BECAUSE SHE "EARNED" IT!

Cheers Christy!!! :)

Sincerely,
John Kidd (USN,Ret.)
Certified Professional Consultant (CPC)
Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB)
Military One-Source Tax Consultant
1040 Tax Specialist

This was basic information. All the same old marketing cliches. So if you want to consult just figure out what prices you want to charge because there is no help in the book with pricing. Then start marketing to other tax preparers and professionals who dont do representation and ask for clients. Now you can skip the book.