BJ Schaknowski — 33

Professional Associations/Memberships: McKinsey SMB Tech panelist, Intuit Military Network Co-Founder

Civic Involvement: Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, USO
Toys for Tots, Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity

Hobbies: Ironman Triathlons, Marathon & Ultra-Marathon Running, Mountaineering, Golf, Reading

Cell phone: I carry a BlackBerry Bold.

 

What is an “old school” business practice or process you’d like to see changed in the next five years and why? I’ll go big here: I would love to see analysts and “The Street” move away from their increasingly focused bias on short-term earnings vs. long-term corporate result and sustainability. There are some great ideas out there (new valuation formulas, Pepper & Rodger’s Return on Customer, etc.) that reward firms for making the right long-term trade-offs. Given the changes in executive compensation and the increased transparency into corporate accounting and operations, it would stand to reason that The Street gets in line with recognizing longer term, sustained business results.

Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook) as a marketing tool for your practice/business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? Have you gained any clients or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? I use Facebook for personal use and LinkedIn to help maintain my professional contacts and relationships. I also participate in Yahoo! Groups and our own Intuit Community, where our customers regularly post suggestions, comments and ask questions. These professional outlets help me stay connected to what our customers are thinking and provide insight into how we can make our company better.

What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? The mingling of social and professional contacts and activities are a recipe for disaster. From my own point of view, if you use social networking sites (FB, LinkedIn), you need to go all professional or all personal. I got burned on this one and have since made LinkedIn my professional outlet and use FB for personal use only.

Do you embrace cloud computing? I absolutely embrace cloud computing. In our Solution Provider Channel, we manage all partner activities and processes in QuickBase, one of Intuit’s SaaS applications. Additionally, Intuit has an array of online offerings that we resell.

How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? With cloud computing, anyone in the professional services industry, including accounting, can offer their services to clients located anywhere. This functionality provides great growth opportunities when a potential client base expands beyond one’s own city or town. Accounting professionals are no longer strapped to the office to service clients. Whether it is doing payroll or filing tax extensions, SaaS applications work the same — inside or outside the office — and therefore can service clients equally. As for security, I am not concerned. Just as you wouldn’t leave your wallet in an unlocked car, you take certain precautions with doing business online. If you apply common sense, you should have no problems.

Do you foresee the majority of firms still implementing servers for the majority of their computing in their offices five years from now or do you think they will be outsourcing this component to vendors who specialize in this area? Right now, I think there is a generational divide between those who adopt outsourcing of computing and those who don’t. Gen X and Gen Y essentially are growing up with cloud computing in their personal lives — think Internet banking (some haven’t written an actual check in their lives) and smartphones (they can text faster than many of us can type). They are comfortable using technology in their daily lives and are more apt to adopt new technologies. As a result, those in these two generations are more prone to outsource rack space. Those who are older are more motivated by costs yet not as embracing or trusting of technology. However, if the total costs of outsourced computing continue to decrease, it will accelerate the adoption by those who before were more reticent to outsource.

Do you subscribe to a magazine and/or local newspaper? I subscribe to The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, CRN and The CPA Technology Advisor. These publications keep me up to date on the latest and greatest in management principles and keep me connected to the business world inside and outside of the accounting and small business industries.

How many monitors on your desk? Two.

What operating system and version of Microsoft Office is installed on your work computer? I have XP and Office 2007 installed on my work computer.

What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? For me, it’s a tie between my BlackBerry and laptop. I spend about 30 weeks a year on the road so I need to stay connected.

NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? I admire Ford. In the last three years, they have created and are executing against an extraordinary turn-around strategy. They have sold non-relevant assets, improved products and restored their brand. I admire them so much, I gave them my ultimate compliment — I bought and now recommend their product.

How many hours of the day are you plugged in and responsive to client needs? And what tools/products make it possible for you to have flexibility? My BlackBerry definitely helps me stay plugged into our customers’ needs and gives me the flexibility to respond to those needs in a timely manner even when I am away from the office, which is a lot. I am on the road for nearly 30 weeks a year so staying connected is important, no matter where I am physically.

Do you listen to podcasts? No

What are some ways your firm/business has gone “paperless” and/or “green” in the last two years? To help decrease the amount of trash in our landfills, Intuit launched Freecycle@Work, a free tool that lets Intuit employees exchange personal and workplace supplies no longer being used instead of simply throwing them away. You can find everything from cooking supplies to CDs, pictures frames and printers. The company has also focused on decreasing its energy and natural gas consumption. To accomplish this, Intuit over the last two years, has upgraded buildings to more efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems.

What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? I don’t miss college basketball’s March Madness, The Master’s and the Ironman World Championship. I also am glued to any game that involves Syracuse basketball, Georgia football and Atlanta Braves baseball.

What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites and TV shows? My favorite books are “Atlas Shrugged”, “Fountainhead”, “Gates of Fire” and “Beyond Band of Brothers.” I enjoy Sinatra and regularly visit www.athlinks.com and www.ironman.com.