Founder
THRESHOLD
Ronald J. Baker began his CPA career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco. Over time, he shifted his focus from accounting to rethinking how professional firms create and capture value. Today, he is the co-founder of THRESHOLD and co-host of The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy, where he and Ed Kless explore the evolving landscape of business, economics, and professional knowledge firms.
Ron has written eight best-selling books, including The Firm of the Future, Pricing on Purpose, Measure What Matters to Customers, Mind Over Matter, Implementing Value Pricing, The Soul of Enterprise, and his latest, Time’s Up!: The Subscription Business Model for Professional Firms, co-authored with Paul Dunn. His work has challenged conventional wisdom and influenced how firms around the world think about value and pricing.
A sought-after speaker, he has presented to over 450,000 professionals worldwide, advocating for a shift away from cost-plus pricing to more effective, value-based models. His contributions to the profession have earned him a spot on Accounting Today’s Top 100 and Top 10 Most Influential People list multiple times, and induction into the CPA Practice Advisor Hall of Fame in 2018. He also serves as a faculty member of the Professional Pricing Society, helping organizations rethink their pricing strategies.
Ron resides in Petaluma, California, where, when he’s not writing, speaking, or podcasting, he enjoys a fine Sonoma County wine while contemplating the next economic era—The Transformation Economy—which he believes will redefine how businesses create and deliver value, a vision that inspired the founding of THRESHOLD.
Sustainable growth doesn’t happen by accident. This panel discussion will focus on how firms are intentionally aligning pricing models, client strategy, and operational execution to support profitable and scalable growth. Drawing on real firm examples, the discussion will explore how leaders evaluate service mix, standardize and streamline operations, and make disciplined decisions around talent and capacity. Participants will leave with a host of best practices they can use to assess their current growth approach and identify actionable next steps.
The profession is shifting from services to transformations. In this session, you’ll explore why the billable hour and “best practices” are dead—and how value pricing, subscriptions, and timeless best principles can turn customers into lifelong collaborators. Leave with fresh frameworks and the courage to lead the Transformation Economy rather than chase it.