Just in time for tax season, Intuit is gearing up its Accountant Work Exchange (AWE).  Intuit just sent me this story, which does a wonderful job illustrating just how useful this service can be.  Not just for those who need temporary help, but also for those looking for temporary work.  I already had another blog post planned for today, which will now be tomorrow's, but I just couldn't resist sending this out now because I just love this story!

Diane Krause runs a very successful accounting and consulting service called Krause Accounting and Consulting Services, LLC in a town called Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.  Diane and her team have delighted their customers by helping them with all the details of their accounting work so they can focus on making their own business successful – and they are referring business to Diane.  Here’s the problem:  Fort Atkinson is a town with a population of a little over 12,000 people so there is not a large pool of people for Diane to find qualified help to support her growing business.

AnneMarie (Mimi) Robinson, a Certified ProAdvisor, has over 15 years of experience with QuickBooks and is a Certified Tax Preparer experienced in ProSeries.  Mimi’s husband retired and they moved to a small town in Northern California.  In this small town, it’s hard to find much accounting work for Mimi to do.

This dual problem – successful professional with too much work and successful professional with capacity to help – plays out over thousands of big cities and small towns in America.  And it’s painful:  Diane’s company is successful but the lack of qualified help limits her ability to grow, and Mimi is competent and experienced but can’t find work where she is.

They both heard about Intuit’s new Accountant Work Exchange (AWE), a site designed to help those with too much work to find, qualify, and work with professionals who have capacity to help.  Diane posted a project on AWE and Mimi applied for it.  Diane was able to see in Mimi’s profile that she was a Certified ProAdvisor and even had experience with ProSeries, so Diane contacted Mimi and tried her out on a small client accounting engagement.  Mimi proved her ability by completing the project on time and with high quality, and Diane extended a contract offer to Mimi for the duration of tax season.  Problems solved!  

Diane says:  “It’s so hard to find qualified help in our area that we’re looking for creative ways to deliver for our clients.  Using the Accountant Work Exchange, I found a Certified ProAdvisor here in the U.S. quickly and easily.”  Now Diane has unlimited growth potential for her company.

Mimi says:  “I applied for a project posted by a professional in another state, and it turned into a profitable contract that will last through to next year. I would not have found that work without Intuit’s AWE.”  Now Mimi has a way to make money for her considerable skills, regardless of where she lives.

Intuit used to just make great software to make accountants more productive – now with the Work Exchange it can transform the way accountants do their work by removing long-standing barriers to growth.  Anyone interested in that?  You can go to AWE and register for free.

Written by +Ruth Perryman, CMA, CFE, CFM, MBA

Ruth has provided QuickBooks help to thousands of businesses around the world since 1996. She is an Intuit Solutions Provider, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network. She is also certified in QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.


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