Sean M. Duncan
Accounting Advisory Aficionado
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Sean M. Duncan, CPA is the president of SMD Consulting & Accounting and founder of Chief Proactive Advisors, LLC. built his reputation as a thought leader in the accounting industry by focusing on advising, teaching, and helping clients with proactive strategy and planning.
CPAs across the United States possess so much valuable knowledge about business, finances, AND taxes; but all too often they shy away from sharing their wisdom in a timely and actionable manner. Over the last 25+ years, Sean has accumulated a diverse and unique set of credentials and knowledge that he shares through speaking at conferences and events, in private seminars, one-on-one with clients, and with his very talented team at SMD.
A recognized expert on comprehensive financial and business strategy, Sean M. Duncan, CPA has been a speaker at accounting events, financial advisor conferences, real estate investor conferences, Texas Bar Association events, medical forums, and many other conferences, webinars, and podcasts. e has contributed to Intuit’s Accountant blog and is a frequent contributor to articles in The Dallas Morning News, Insightful Accountant, and other publications. Sean has also made numerous appearances as a TV, radio, and podcast guest across the United States.
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Area of Expertise
Training the Next Generation of Owners
Succession Planning is more than just promoting someone to partner.
You have built an amazing firm with an amazing team, and you are starting to wonder what the next chapter of your life looks like. Whether or not you retire fully or just step back a little, you will need someone (or multiple someones) to step up and run the firm in your place.
However, most firm owners don’t have a formal process for training new owners. While there are all kinds of systems in place to teach staff how to review the work of junior employees, skilling up their own talents, and a variety of other methods for getting better at DOING the work; most employees lack any formal training on what it means to actually BE an owner. In fact, you might have even had to just “figure it out” on your own along the way yourself.
Do you REALLY want your team to “figure it out” along the way with the company you spent all this time building?
This session is focused on discussing many of the important considerations necessary for preparing the next generation of owners.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify 8 areas frequently overlooked in traditional firms when preparing the next generation of owners.
2. Discuss tips, tricks, and tools used by the presenter when preparing his own succession plan.
3. Provide the attendees with greater insight into those things that they take for granted because they are already owners that their team won't inherently know.
How to Build a REAL Business Plan (for your firm or clients)
We have all seen the “off the shelf” business plan kits that give you a lot of homework with little actual actionable outcomes beyond a neat little binder of “stuff”. Firm owners and clients need more personalized and relevant tools than a generic templates. Our goals in this session are to help accountants not only learn how to build more relevant and efficient plans that help them achieve more professional and personal success, but also provide them with the tools to start generating more revenue by advising their clients on the same methods they are using for themselves.
Learning Objectives:
1. Differentiate between the “boiler plate” business plan and an actionable plan.
2. Learn a customized methodology for building a business plan that is actually useful to a business owner
3. Obtain tools and templates to support the create of the business plan
Choosing the Right Client for your Accounting Firm
How would it feel to work with only those clients you actually enjoy working with, that want the services you offer, that you have an organic rapport with, and that refer you to more people like them? You've heard presenters tell you to fire clients a million times, but firing clients doesn't help if you don't actually know what types of clients you should work to attract and keep. It shouldn't be a "gut instinct" thing. You should have a definition and process for understanding the ideal client so you can build that firm of your dreams around the clients of your dreams.
Your presenter will share how to go about defining the ideal client for your firm, provide templates he uses in his own firm, and give you tips and tricks that have allowed him to successfully build a thriving firm based on the right clients.
Learning Objectives:
1. Define the traits of your dream clients.
2. Discuss best practices for shifting your current client mix to this new bundle of clients.
3. Reconcile the clients needs with your own
How to Build a Profitable Advisory Service Practice in 6 Steps
In this session you’ll learn the 6 key steps for starting an advisory practice that will thrive. Your presenter will provide you with his personal methodology for planning for and implementing advisory services into a firm. He’ll provide conceptual, practical, and actual considerations that are essential to anyone considering a complete transition to advisory or as additional revenue to an existing practice.
www.chiefproactiveadvisors.com
1. Differentiate between the “boiler plate” business plan and an actionable plan.
2. Learn a customized methodology for building a business plan that is actually useful to a business owner
3. Obtain tools and templates to support the create of the business plan
Stop Resisting Change and Start Controlling It
Embark on a journey to explore the foundational principles of change management tailored specifically for the accounting profession. This session will delve into the frequent challenges and roadblocks that professionals encounter when initiating change within their firms and with clients. By analyzing real-world case studies and fostering thoughtful discussions, participants will walk away equipped with a comprehensive understanding of change management essentials and their practical application in accounting scenarios.
Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate a comprehensive grasp of the fundamental aspects of change management theory contextualized for the accounting field
2. Recognize and analyze the typical challenges and hindrances that occur during change implementation in accounting along with actionable solutions to overcome them
3. Identify a robust set of methods and strategies designed to facilitate effective change management within accounting frameworks
The Imposter Syndrome and Advisory Services
Not only does an accounting professional have to get over the hurdles of figuring out what the heck Advisory Services even are, how to price them, how to sell them, and how to find people that want them; the final hurdle feeling like we aren’t even qualified to provide advice stops way too many of us in our tracks when we should be leaping toward success.
The imposter syndrome is real and it plagues our industry. We have so much knowledge, talent, and passion for what we do, and we cannot let this very real barrier hold us back from better lives for ourselves and our clients.
Don’t let this false narrative hold you back from bigger and better things in your firm and your life.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand why the Imposter Syndrome is so rampant in our profession.
2. Analyze the value of Advisory Services and why it’s worth getting past the disruptive mindset of the Imposter Syndrome.
3. Discuss how to start breaking through the Imposter Syndrome for yourself and the good of your firm/ career.
What the Heck IS Advisory? (Tips from the Trenches of an Advisory Firm)
Your presenter has years of experience providing both fixed fee project and subscription based Advisory Services to his clients. In this session, he will not only share with you valuable practice management best practices but also share with you multiple examples of the types of services you can offer to your clients (with pricing) as soon as you return to your office. Our goal is to get you information that can create immediate profit while you decide if you want to build out a more comprehensive offering over time.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn useful and actionable best practices to help you successfully implement Advisory Services into your practice
2. Obtain real world examples (WITH PRICING) of types of Advisory Services you can implement as soon as you get back to your office.
3. Obtain additional resources that will bring value to your firm and your clients.
Work on the Business Days: How to Achieve Your Highest Goals
The Work On the Business Day is a trademarked concept and methodology that your presenter wants to share with you. If there was ONE secret to your presenter's success it's the Work On the Business Day. Michael Gerber repeatedly asserts that successful business owners need to work ON their business and not IN their business. Your presenter has built a process and tools to take this brilliant idea from concept to reality with processes and templates for you to use in your firm.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn what a Work On the Business Day is and why you need them
2. Discuss the steps for successfully executing a Work On the Business Day
3. Walk away with various best practice worksheets and templates to help you move your practice forward
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