what prospective partners should ask their firm

also: what the firm should ask prospective partners.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

this article should be read from the perspective of two different audiences: prospective partners and existing partner groups.

more: what new partners should know about buyouts | comp: what new partners don’t know | there are two kinds of accounting firms | how to get promoted to manager | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm
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  • prospective partners. well before accepting a partnership offer, prospective partners should ask basic, critically important questions to help them judge whether accepting it would be a smart decision.
  • existing partner group. well before extending a partnership offer, the firm should get its house in order to avoid being embarrassed by smart questions posed by partner candidates.

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why firms conduct performance evaluations of partners

woman working at desktop computer5 types of evaluations plus a relentlessly thorough 16-question self-evaluation. feeling confident?

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

the classic purposes of a performance evaluation are:

  • to improve performance
  • to clarify what is expected of the individual and what is needed to advance
  • to provide management with information to use in making promotion and compensation decisions

more: what new partners should know about buyouts | comp: what new partners don’t know | how to get promoted to manager | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm
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the need for performance evaluations applies to partners as well as staff. contrary to what many partners may feel, partners can and must continually improve their performance.
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15 essential skills for managing partners

blank organizational chartwhere do you spend your time? when is something “good enough”?

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

marie kondo is the bestselling author of “the life-changing magic of tidying up.” as a lifelong businessperson who came out of the womb highly organized, i enjoy practicing her methods, but i know they are elusive to many people.

more: the 14 trends crushing today’s accountants | 3 traits of the best managing partners | partner compensation: a potent weapon | how long should it take to make partner? | the managing partner’s role in mergers | five ways to evaluate partners | manage partners with goal setting | overarching authority that managing partners must have
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this article is my version of how business people, especially cpas, can learn to increase their efficiency and productivity by being better organized. beware: as with all self-improvement initiatives, you must start with the right attitude. you must truly want to be an organized person, not just say it or think it. then and only then can you be successful at tidying up.
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critical pieces of your new-partner agreement

businessman signing document as another looks onfirms: have you addressed all these items? be ready.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

what is a partner agreement?

more: what new partners should know about buyouts | comp: what new partners don’t know | there are two kinds of accounting firms | how to get promoted to manager | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm
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according to nolo.com, “a partner agreement spells out the rights and responsibilities of the firm’s owners. without one, firms will be ill-equipped to settle or avoid conflicts because if certain key passages are missing or written improperly, the courts will intervene in ways that the partners may not like.  a partner agreement allows the firm’s partners to structure their business relationships with each other in ways that suit their desires, needs, and preferences.”
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what new partners should know about buyouts

man's hands on pile of moneybonus: 28 main provisions.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

this article summarizes key points that new partners should know about cpa firm partner buyout plans. if you want greater detail, you’re in luck. we devoted an entire book to the subject, cpa firm partner retirement/buyout plans.

more: comp: what new partners don’t know | making partner: 15 steps to the buy-in | drive your profits with only four metrics | how to create a path to partner
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one of the benefits that new partners receive in exchange for their buy-in is that they will receive a buyout when they retire. this amount can be in excess of a million dollars at many firms. receiving a retirement buyout is one of the major reasons becoming a partner is so lucrative.
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the 14 trends crushing today’s accountants

business hand holding hot chart in crystal ballplus: nine fatal flaws in the accounting firm business model.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

one purpose of strategic planning is to address trends taking place in the profession to ensure that the firm isn’t caught flat-footed when major changes or opportunities present themselves.

more: 13 traits of the best managing partners | top issues for millennial managing partners | the managing partner’s secret weapon | how a good managing partner impacts profitability | how a great managing partner impacts firm growth | compensation is no way to manage partners
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believe it or not, most of these trends have not changed much over the past decade or so. and the global pandemic only served to disrupt the status quo and accelerate long-standing trends.
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13 traits of the best managing partners

senior businessman with his team at officethat smile, that teamwork? genuine.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

i have worked with over a thousand cpa firms during my 20-plus years of consulting. i’ve worked closely with hundreds of them. the 80/20 pareto principle certainly applies here: 20 percent shine brightly and are worthy of adulation. (managing partners, please, please, don’t call me to ask if you are in the 20 percent or the 80 percent group. i’ll plead the fifth!)

more: top issues for millennial managing partners | 44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners | how to enforce the partner agreement | the 9 biggest merger pitfalls | 10 ways to hold partners accountable | make sure partners focus on two things
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today, i’ll share with you the traits of those managing partners who, in my opinion, were the best.
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comp: what new partners don’t know

businessman sitting on scales with stack of coins in other traybest practices: top firms use these seven systems for allocating income.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

it would take a book much longer than this post to properly explain the finer points of partner compensation, especially how each of the major compensation systems works.

(oh, did i forget? we wrote such a book, cpa firm partner compensation: the art and science.)

more: making partner: 15 steps to the buy-in | making partner: do the math | a crash course in the business of public accounting | making partner: what managers need to know | nine reasons people are promoted to partner
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as is the case with all of my lists, no one firm incorporates all of these practices in its partner compensation policy.

but i have observed all of the practices below in one or more of the best firms i’ve worked with over 20 years.
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making partner: 15 steps to the buy-in

also: common practices, impact of ownership percentage and alternate buy-in methods.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

let’s go over structuring a new partner buy-in step by step.

more: making partner: do the math | there are two kinds of accounting firms | how to get promoted to manager | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm
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we’ll start by calculating goodwill. and we’ll finish with signatures. read more →

making partner: do the math

man looking at 5 keysfive times when ownership percentages shouldn’t come into play… and alternatives.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

accepting a partnership invitation offers two terrific, lifetime benefits to new partners that, for most people, cannot possibly be matched in any other career pursuit.

more: there are two kinds of accounting firms | drive your profits with only four metrics | a crash course in the business of public accounting | how to get promoted to manager | how to create a path to partner | making partner: what managers need to know | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm | who shouldn’t be a partner? | nine reasons people are promoted to partner | how to make partner?
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if they don’t see this and agree with it, then perhaps it would be unwise for them to accept the partnership offer.

let’s do the math.
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44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners

//m.g005e.com/2021/07/08/advice-from-new-managing-partners/

everything from gaining credibility to where to turn for help.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

the toughest lessons for new managing partners have nothing to do with taxes, accounting, or even textbook management. it’s all about people – such as people issues and handling partners, according to our straw poll survey of a handful of top-flight firm leaders.

we gleaned comments from 10 relatively new managing partners. eight are from firms with revenues from $10 million to $30 million and two are from $5 million to $10 million firms.

more: partner compensation: a potent weapon | the managing partner’s secret weapon | how a good managing partner impacts profitability | how a great managing partner impacts firm growth | clarify partner expectations | exceptional managing partners offer their advice
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we posed three questions to the new managing partners:

  1. what advice would you give a new managing partner?
  2. what were your greatest challenges when you became a managing partner?
  3. if you had to do it over again, would you approach your ascension to the managing partner job differently? in what ways?

their responses tell us as much about how to do the job well as how to fail at it.

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there are two kinds of accounting firms

maze with word "plan" at the centerwhich one is yours? bonus: the 25 best practices of the most successful firms.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

there are two kinds of cpa firms.

the first kind of firm argues that there is not much that needs to be managed at a cpa firm. these cynics might say: “come on. running a cpa firm isn’t rocket science. you hang out your shingle. you get clients. you hire staff. you do the work. bill and collect. what needs to be managed?”

more: drive your profits with only four metrics | a crash course in the business of public accounting | how to get promoted to manager | how to create a path to partner | making partner: what managers need to know | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm | who shouldn’t be a partner? | nine reasons people are promoted to partner | how to make partner?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

unfortunately, many cpa firm partners think this way – maybe not consciously, but it has the same effect.

when firms learn that the lack of commitment to firm management shown by this attitude creates problems, they often hire consultants like me to help them address these types of issues:
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drive your profits with only four metrics

accounting firm econ. 101, including a sample income statement.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

all businesses have economic structures unique to their industries:

  • grocery stores are high volume, low-profit margin.
  • real estate ventures use accelerated depreciation and other tax angles to generate cash flow and healthy rois.
  • professional sports teams focus on increasing the value of the franchise so it can eventually be sold for a gigantic profit.

more: a crash course in the business of public accounting | how to get promoted to manager | how to create a path to partner | making partner: what managers need to know | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm | who shouldn’t be a partner? | nine reasons people are promoted to partner | how to make partner?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the typical cpa firm is a low-volume, high-priced business, with a relatively high-profit margin (generally 30-45 percent of revenue).