We (my brother, sister and I—partners of Feldmann & Company CPAs, PC) went out together for Sterling’s training in October of last year. While we were doing the training, we wanted to get everything we learned implemented right then. We were anxious to implement all the good things we learned. We’ve discovered since then that it is a process – it doesn’t happen overnight. But it IS happening and we are very pleased with it.
This last tax season was very strange. I got sick in the middle of January and I didn’t work for almost four weeks. It was a mess. If we had not had the Sterling training, the office would have fallen apart. But it didn’t. As a matter of fact, our stats are at a much higher level than the previous year, even though I wasn’t there. Isn’t that terrible! Things went well, even though I wasn’t there. Isn’t that terrible! I could actually be replaced!
It’s not that they wanted to replace me, but there was no choice. We had to hire some temporary help. The staff pulled together and worked as a team and it just went really well. So our statistics are up by about 30% to 40% over last year, and of course, a lot of that goes to our bottom line profits.
We have direction now, where we didn’t before. We used to operate on a day-by-day basis and we dealt with what came up when it came up. Now we have goals and we know where we want to go and we know how to get there. And we are getting there. We would all like things to be accomplished sooner, but it takes some time. We are undertaking a big expansion now—doubling our office size and bringing a few more people on board. We’re looking at adding another CPA and another para-professional (bookkeeper).
The great thing about the Sterling training is that it is not just about your business—a lot of the training carries over into your personal life, too. To make a long story very short, I have a 15-year old son who has been very difficult to live with his whole life. I used to take the blame from him for a lot of things. With the Sterling training, I’ve come to realize that, although we need to get help for his problems, HIS problems are not MY problems. The way I handle him now makes for a much happier household. My eyes have been opened. The things that have gone on in the past and the way they made me feel – well, I feel now like a giant load has been lifted from my shoulders. I’ve gone from having daily stress headaches to not having any!
Carol Shields, CPA
