We rolled our file cabinets and chairs across the street to a different building, and that’s how Anders and Minkler was born. Our new office was 1,100 sq ft and rent was $325 per month. We had two partners at first, Jim and me, one executive secretary, one full-time accountant and one part-time accountant. That first year we generated $63,000 in revenue. Onward and Upward
We focused on tax and audit during the early years. We prepared all our tax returns by hand and typed all our audit reports. In 1969, we bought our first Xerox copier. In 1975, we bought our first computer and used it to prepare tax returns. I didn’t know much about technology, but I knew we needed to use it. As we grew the firm, it was important to not only keep up with the change in commu- nication and technology, but ultimately our vision was to challenge ourselves to embrace our entrepreneurial spirit, spearhead change, and be the advisory firm of choice. This is not something that happened organically, we had to be intentional about our culture. I never considered myself any different than anybody else who worked here, and even as the firm grew larger, I always kept that mindset. We created a family-type culture where everybody’s treated the same, and we have an open-door policy. We always emphasize “we, us, ours” not “I, me, mine.” We treat the newest staff member with as much respect as the oldest partner. It takes everyone pulling together to have a successful firm. It’s called family.
I’m almost 85-years-old, and I still come into the office every day. That’s all I’ve ever done, and I love it. But whenever I do decide to officially retire, I want the culture that we’ve created to continue.”
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