Episode 3 - Building an Exceptional Company Culture with Ron Harris

Traversing Entrepreneurship

Ron Harris is the Founder and Managing Partner of Harris Group CPAs, a full-service accounting firm dedicated to providing businesses and individuals with quality and innovative accounting, tax, and financial services. Ron completed his degree in Accounting at Central Michigan University and has more than 20 years of experience as a business owner. Together with his team at Harris Group CPAs, Ron believes in supporting their clients’ prosperity and peace of mind by expertly managing their financial affairs.

Ron joins me today to discuss what makes a successful business. He explains how he pre-qualifies his clients and describes the steps he takes when communication lapses between the client and the company. He outlines how Harris Group CPAs help their clients bounce back from a financial setback and how digitalization helped his company prepare for COVID-19. He also shares his advice for growing CPA firms and highlights why he prioritizes hiring for personality and cultural fit.

“Culture shouldn’t fit a person. The person should fit the culture.” - Ron Harris

This week on Traversing Entrepreneurship:

• Ron’s background and his path to building Harris Group CPAs
• What Ron enjoys the most about being a CPA and owning a firm
• What separates successful businesses from the ones that struggle
• How the Harris Group helps businesses understand their financial statements
• The importance of solid communication between a company and its clients
• How budgeting can help businesses recover from financial setbacks
• The top budget killers that put business owners above their means
• The growth and evolution of Harris Group CPAs
• When to hire for your business and how to evaluate an applicant’s fit
• Utilizing technology versus hiring new staff and how Harris Group CPAs evaluates software
• The ‘Finder, Minder, Grinder’ hiring philosophy
• Using Slack, Zoom, and other apps to ensure that everyone in the company is connected personally
• Ron’s advice to CPA firms about hiring their next key person
• Harris Group CPAs’ digitalization and how the company has adapted and thrived through COVID-19
• Quantitative and qualitative metrics & KPIs in Harris Group CPAs

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “We’re inundated with various software and AI every week; it’ll be interesting to see when everything starts to talk to each other seamlessly without having to worry about APIs.” - Derek Dall’Olmo
• “Everybody needs to have their own KPIs, whether you’re the owner, manager, staff person - everybody needs to have some metric to be measured against.” - Derek Dall’Olmo
• “Successful businesses are the ones that are in tune with their financial statements and what those financial statements mean.” - Ron Harris

Connect with Ron Harris:

• Harris Group CPAs
• Email: [e-mail]
• Harris Group CPAs on LinkedIn
• Harris Group CPAs on Facebook
• Harris Group CPAs on Twitter
• Ron Harris on LinkedIn

About TreMonte Tax Solutions and Traversing Entrepreneurship Podcast

Traversing Entrepreneurship is a show for and about business owners in Traverse City, Michigan and beyond. In each episode, host Derek Dall’Olmo sits down with local business ownerships and the professionals who serve them to talk about business building, life, money, taxes, family — and all the ups and downs that come with doing something different. Join us to hear their stories and lessons learned — and to get inspired about what might be possible in your own business.

Derek Dall’Olmo is the founder of TreMonte Tax Solutions, a tax planning firm that serves business owners and entrepreneurs. This show is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for investment decisions.

Email Derek Dall’Olmo at [e-mail] with questions, comments, and to schedule a one-on-one conversation.

Follow Derek on LinkedIn.

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