A few weeks ago, while on a conference call with a group of practitioners engaged in the development and delivery of non-traditional services, I stumbled upon an accidental consultant. You know the scenario. You've been to a training program on "How to be a Consultant." You are inspired by the possibility of being and doing more for your clients. As you leave the training, something takes hold, you're flush in the cheeks, light headed, maybe even delirious, you start speaking a foreign language to your staff and clients.

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Are you ready for Trusted Advisor 2.0? I know you are thinking, but wait; I haven't quite mastered Trusted Advisor 1.0. And, by the way, what is the difference, you ask? Before we can answer that question it's important to set a context. The context is that we are already operating at Business 2.0, and the recent recession/depression has served to accelerate business owner needs from expectations to demands. What used to be considered discretionary service offerings that only Maverick CPAs pursued are no longer optional.

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Does your brain need a vacation? I'm not talking about just any vacation where you sit by the pool with a drink in hand. What is different about this type of vacation is that it is designed for brain uptime not downtime. For me, pushing my artistic right brain seems to make my whole-brain function better. To that end, each year, I take a week to immerse myself in learning about art. This year, I took a master's class in textile arts. It was stimulating and challenging. I learned a lot about perspective, composition, visual perception, and so much more. What is even more stimulating is thinking about all the ways I can apply this new knowledge to what I do every day. Read more...