Q. How do you balance
running a business and
working in the community?
Of course, your efforts in the
office and your operation must
be primary — that effort to
make your enterprise as fine as
or better than your competitors.
It’s all a question of prioritizing your time and being organized with your time.
That is essential because at
the same time, you want to
have a very successful business. At the same time, you’re
creating an image in your community and among your business associates and among
your customers and clients.
The only way you can go at
that pace and do and be successful in everything you do
and still maintain the balance
is to prioritize your work and
your social and your philanthropic commitments and, at
the same time, keep a good,
strong, healthy environment.
Q. What are the benefits
from a client standpoint in
doing philanthropic work?
By building that good will,
people, if they have their choices, will support you rather than
your competitor because that’s
an extra service that you’re
doing besides giving a client a
product or service. Besides giving a conscientious effort,
you’re doing something extra by
helping the community.
The benefits are, one,
you’re going to meet a lot of
people that are also conscientious, also philanthropic,
generally the type of clientele that you’re going to be
able to get business from
and the type of clientele you
want to do business with.
Besides meeting these people, you will gain respect
from them. You will pick up
clients from that. Then the
word gets around that you’re
working for these organizations, and the accountants
say, ‘Gee, maybe we should
do business with them.’
The better the business
you’re doing, the more clients
you have, the more work for
your employee base.
I don’t see how you can
offend a customer by any
philanthropic work. They
may be working for a different church, they may be
working for a different hospital, but they will certainly
respect what you do for the
institutions and the organizations you’re working for.
HOW TO REACH: Gerson, Preston, Robinson & Co. PA. (305) 868-3600 or www.gprco-cpa.com