3 Pillars of Professional Services: HR, Marketing, and Opera

The CPA Small Practitioners’ Forum was created to offer an inviting, semi-causal, and easygoing professional development weekend that provides substantial professional development value to small practitioners. All profit earned by the CPA Small Practitioners’ Forum is donated to the Alberta CPA Education Foundation, so you are helping young people in Canada get scholarships for university. All these courses are reviewed by the delegates at the Forum in Banff annually so we have a great lineup that is adjusted every year to keep things relevant to small practitioners. If you work at a public accounting firm in Canada with employees of 1-50 people, you are our target demographic and you should find this course useful.

Laurie offers money and tax expertise to late-career professionals with layered business and investment interests, people like engineers, architects, and accountants who are nearing or in retirement and want to make thoughtful, informed financial decisions. Her practice is intentionally small to prioritize close client relationships. Her clients are more than capable of managing their finances, but they have better things to do with their time. Laurie provides real-time data and insights so they can see the impact of decisions before they make them. Laurie began her career with a decade at one of Canada’s largest accounting firms, working closely with private business owners. In 2007, she established her own firm to build deeper relationships with clients and create space to raise her two children. Today, she balances client work with reading, camping trips, and walks with the family’s rescue mutt. Laurie is always open to connecting with fellow practitioners for referral partnerships or shared learning.

Dil obtained his CA/CPA with Deloitte and also spent time working as a Management Consultant. He uses that experience to help clients develop growth strategies for their own businesses. Dil received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. In his spare time, he enjoys playing checkers and hanging out with his family.

Erik Solbakken is a CPA, Speaker, Business Advisor, and Creator of the Accountant Success Formula™. He worked in public practice for over 26 years, providing accounting, tax, and advisory services to incorporated business owners and their families. He discovered strategies that were so effective that they allowed him to triple his revenues and create a successful accounting practice, which he later sold for a multiple of billings. He now shares these strategies with other accountants around the world in his proven system, showing them how to maximize profits, attract the best clients, and get the time and freedom they deserve. A thought leader in his field, Erik’s system of approaching an accounting practice will show you how to: Maximize Profit: Stop chasing the money and maximize your profits in a fully leveraged way. Charge what you’re worth and make abundant income. Attract Ideal Clients: Attract the best clients who value you and will gladly pay premium prices for your services. You’ll get to selectively choose the clients you engage with and spend time on only the business activities you enjoy. Create a Life of Freedom: Grow a profitable practice while creating a work/life balance that supports your health and happiness. Work fewer hours and enjoy life more. You’ll have time for hobbies, travel, and being with your loved ones.

As Senior Partner at GNA LLP Chartered Professional Accountants, Ghalib Abdulla leads a distinguished team of professionals to provide exceptional, customized accounting, tax planning, and consulting services to a diverse clientele from a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, environmental, real estate, and manufacturing, as well as privately owned companies, medical and dental professionals, non-profit organizations, individuals, and families. Ghalib earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary. He acquired his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA/CA) designation over three decades ago. Ghalib co-founded the Canadian Federation for Citizenship, which is focused on homegrown leadership. He is a Member of the Accounting Advisory Council at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business and is Past President of the Entrepreneurial Chartered Professional Accountants of Calgary.