Gusto, a provider of payroll, benefits and HR technology for small businesses, is making a push to sign up more accounting firms as partners and earn its People Advisory Certification.
The San Francisco-based company, formerly known as ZenPayroll, is partnering with CPAacademy.org to provide four CPE credits to accountants who complete its People Advisory Certification. It is also working with top accounting firms like Aprio, which is building a people advisory practice with four accountants who are aiming for revenue growth of $1 million in 12 months. Other partners include Good Cents Bookkeeping in Briarcliff Manor, New York, where owner Justine Lackey had her entire team certified, and Nayo Carter-Gray, owner of 1st Step Accounting in Towson, Maryland.
“Since launching four months ago, we have seen over 1,000 partners complete the program across 600 firms, and we’ve had some incredible success stories come up,” said Jaclyn Anku, Gusto’s head of partner education. “One of our partners, Aprio Cloud, immediately saw the value with People Advisory and launched a dedicated People Advisory practice in the fall. That’s on track to become a $1 million line of business for them. They attribute that success to the foundational knowledge, confidence and skill sets that the team gained from the program because they know better how to advise clients on the people, operations and needs that have helped see them through this past year, everything from securing PPE to onboarding employees as well as providing the guidance to help them build a better business centered around people that will help them survive in the years ahead.”
Gusto believes the skills gained through its People Advisory Certification will enable accountants to support their small business clients through the pandemic and after the pandemic to keep their business afloat.
“We have to think about evolving the way we train ourselves as trusted advisors to address the gaps made by the development of technology or you complement traditionally trained accounting professionals with skills that also still address the gaps within a practice,” said Will Lopez, head of the accounting community at Gusto. “So the People Advisory Certification, now with CPE available, powered by CPAacademy, empowers professionals on both sides of that equation. Gusto is here to support both modern accountants and bookkeepers who want to push the envelope, building new revenue streams in firms that need to fill in the skills gap.”
To gain the certification and CPE credits, accountants would need to join as Gusto partners, but Lopez said it's free to sign up as a partner. For more information,
