By Execupay

Bananas are quite popular these days.

In this case, we don’t mean the sweet yellow fruit that grows on a tree; we mean the innovative baseball team that has generated a sweet amount of buzz and success in a short period of time.

Of course we mean the Savannah Bananas.

With baseball’s opening day approaching, it’s a perfect time to talk about the team from Georgia, and discuss how it is changing the game.

You might wonder what a minor league baseball team has in common with a certified public accountant business. Great question. Let’s take a swing at that.

Other than a focus on numbers, stats and some “umpiring” (i.e., decision-making), baseball and accounting would seem to strike out when it comes to commonality. The two do have their purists though who aren’t at all interested in a change-up.

But times have changed.

Even at the major league level with some dramatic rule changes put in place in the past few years, those changes have nothing on the way Bananas’ baseball is played.

Ripe for Change

The rules of Banana games are much different than the game you grew up watching.

Even casual fans might be surprised to learn that players can steal first base in Bananas games if there’s a passed ball or wild pitch. There are also no walks allowed in the games, so the hitter can keep running around the bases after ball four is thrown; they can keep going until every fielder touches the ball, then they’re on their own on the basepaths. Fans can even record outs for the team if they catch the ball in the stands.

When the people who own the Bananas put their first team on the field in 2016, they struggled to sell tickets. The owners even had to sell their home just to keep the team afloat. Then something magical started happening when they changed the team’s name to the Bananas. Since the new moniker, the team has sold out every home game and is doing its first major tour at big league parks and a few NFL stadiums this summer.

The Bananas realized the game of baseball was ripe for change, so they added a whole lot of fun, dancing and even flips. In turn, they found big-time success.

While there isn’t a whole bunch of flipping in accounting other than maybe pages of documents, there is a great opportunity to flip the script by adding payroll and HR tech to your business.

Stand Out From the Competition

Yes, accounting technology has advanced and tax codes and regulations continue to change, but the accounting field isn’t the first profession you think of when it comes to innovative changes. Around the tax deadline in particular, stress and burnout are a double-play combo that can hurt morale and interest in the field as well.

Today, the pool of accounting graduates is starting to dry up, and many accountants are leaving the field or retiring. That’s why there’s no better time to change the game to help rejuvenate your business.

One thing that the accounting field needs to move past is its “dry and uninteresting” perception, according to CPA Allison Mott.

“Accounting is seen by students as stale and outdated,” she wrote in a recent Kansas City magazine article, “when in fact there is a wave of New Age accountants taking up market share. The next generation needs to be able to see these opportunities and envision a future in accounting. Firms need to update their expectations of staff and create an industry that will attract young professionals while at the same time keeping them engaged.

Adding a little flash? Taking advantage of an opportunity? Sounds a bit like what a certain baseball team does that wears yellow jerseys and sometimes does the splits.

Some Fun in the Sun for CPAs?

CPAs might not be able to call huge stadiums their offices and they might not want to do a dance every time a return is filed, but adding some excitement to what goes on in their digs is definitely worthwhile.

Wearing stilts like the Bananas’ Dakota Albritton is a great way to bring attention to yourself and your business, but there’s a much easier way to generate excitement and revenue for your CPA firm by bringing in payroll and HR services. No need to learn a balancing act.  

Execupay’s payroll and HR solutions offer several competitive advantages, including adding additional revenue opportunities without needing extra resources to manage it on your end (unless you prefer to do it that way) as well as offering a great tool to help you attract and retain talent.

In other words, Execupay’s state-of-the-art, white-labeled tech is an easy add-on to sell to your customers. Your small and medium-sized business clients are already comfortable with your services, so who better to handle their payroll? It’s like bringing in a pitcher who you know is going to close out the game for you every time.

The platform also offers your current employees and job seekers a way to generate additional revenue without adding any stress while setting your business apart from the competition.

When it comes to reimagining your CPA business, perhaps it’s time to think like a Banana. 

Ready to play ball?