marc rosenberg, author at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 - page 29 of 43

every retreat needs a leader, but who?

there are 3 options.

when you have a retreat, someone needs to lead it. this goes beyond organizing the logistics of the retreat. in this context, i’m referring to the person who runs the sessions, keeps everyone on task, gets participation from attendees, changes topics, monitors the time schedule for breaks, lunch, etc.

more on retreats: retreats are no place for clowns | who should participate in a retreat? | retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

the person who leads the retreat should function as a facilitator, not as a boss. a facilitator is someone who makes it easy and convenient for the participants to communicate with one another and address the issues raised. a good facilitator doesn’t “manage” the retreat, arbitrate disputes or engage in too much lecturing.

mergers & acquisitions

one times fees is a steal!

the math might surprise you.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

partners in accounting firms are familiar with the rule of thumb that a cpa firm’s goodwill is worth one times fees; however, like many “rules of thumb,” this notion is often incorrect.

when buyers begin to think about how much they will pay for a smaller firm, they often have this one-times-fees notion in the back of their minds. then, when sellers are bold enough to ask for a price in excess of one times fees, buyers often balk because they feel that the asking price is too rich.

more on mergers: the merger process in 21 steps | plant seeds to turn up merger candidates | looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 13 ways to screw up a merger | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

the purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate that buying a small firm for one times fees is a steal (for the buyer). in fact, it’s still an outstanding investment at a premium price, say, as high as 1.3 times fees. let me illustrate.

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retreats are no place for clowns

four bad attitudes that kill a partner meeting. plus notes on location and scheduling.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

the success of any retreat depends upon active participation by the majority of the participants.

more on retreats: who should participate in a retreat? | retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

participants will be less willing to speak up in any of these situations:

participants see the meeting as being primarily for the benefit of the one who leads it.
participants are intimidated by the way the leader conducts the sessions.
certain participants dominate discussions, using up a greatly disproportionate percentage of the “air time” of the group.
participants are intimidated because one or two partners, usually power partners, are always negative, repeatedly telling people “that will never work” or “we tried that years ago and it failed.”

all participants should be advised: “if you keep on being negative or insisting that ideas won’t work, then suggest a better way or shut up.”

mergers & acquisitions

the merger process in 21 steps

plus: 15 potential deal breakers and non-negotiables.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

it’s important to understand the flow of the entire merger process.

every merger has its unique aspects. it’s impossible to choreograph, from a to z, exactly how the process for all mergers will work. the steps in the process listed below appear in the order of how they commonly occur.

more on mergers: plant seeds to turn up merger candidates | looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 13 ways to screw up a merger | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

but again, because all mergers are different, the flow of the steps might vary from merger to merger.

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who should participate in a retreat?

include the relevant folks – but no more than 15 unless you plan on breakout groups.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

what to discuss at a retreat is important, but so is who will be doing that discussing.

firms naturally tend to limit participation to key people – the partners, plus professional staff such as the coo, firm administrator, marketing director and hr director – so that sensitive and confidential issues are more easily discussed. also, keeping the group small lends itself to better group participation and more fruitful discussions.

more on retreats: retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

on the other hand, there are benefits to involving others in the firm beyond the key people… if the objectives include five key items:
read more →

mergers & acquisitions

how savvy growth firms attract the best merger candidates

you need to be on the lookout year round.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

firms that are serious about merging in smaller firms on a regular basis understand that doing mergers is all about planting seeds. a buyer has to have this attitude:

more on mergers: looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps | 13 ways to screw up a merger | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

every day of every year, at least one firm decides to test the merger waters. if our efforts to identify sellers are made continuously throughout the year, every year, sooner or later, we will find at least one interested merger candidate and probably more than one.

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retreat logistics: how long, what kind?

how often you gather plays a role.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

the great majority of retreats i have facilitated over a period of 20 years have been one-and-a-half to two days long.

more on retreats:what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

consider these six factors when deciding the length of your retreat:

1. timing. resist the temptation to convene the retreat beyond a 9:00-5:30 or 8:00-5:30 work schedule. even though you may work many more hours than this back at the office, a retreat is different. most adults are not used to sitting in a classroom all day, and many find it quite draining. participants should be able to spend every minute of the retreat refreshed, sharp and engaged. so in planning your retreat, don’t count on more than 7.5 or 8 meeting hours per day. be sure to provide for an hour for lunch and two 15-minute breaks.

featured

looking to grow your firm? how to find a seller in four steps

bonus: a sample letter to send prospective sellers.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

in all areas of mergers and acquisitions, it’s always much more difficult to find sellers than buyers. this is certainly true in the case of cpa firms.

cpa firm merger consultants and brokers can do a great job finding buyers, but they are limited in their ability to dig up sellers. this is because the vast majority of all mergers and sales take place when buyers or sellers who “know each other” get together on their own without the help of a consultant.

more on mergers: 13 ways to screw up a merger | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

one way to identify sellers is to do a snail mail solicitation. here’s the four-step process:
read more →

growth strategies

what should cpa firms discuss at retreats?

bonuses: 15-item checklist to help set an agenda. and a participant questionnaire to learn what they believe should be discussed.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

most firms spend their time at retreats planning for the future, forming goals and addressing pressing issues and problem areas.

ideally the discussions won’t concern day-to-day issues such as purchasing a new copy machine or revising the policy on sick days.

the topics considered are strategic: morale issues, recruiting problems, profitability, etc. here are 15 specific examples:
read more →

mergers & acquisitions

11 merger tips from managing partners

sometimes the best voice is experience.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

as you might suspect, in 20 years of consulting to cpa firms, several dozen mergers of my clients have taken place. from time to time, i meet with the managing partner of the firm that was my client and ask them how the merger went, what they would do differently and what advice they would give to firms contemplating a merger.

more on mergers: 13 ways to screw up a merger | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | 14 keys to a successful merger | 13 reasons accounting firms merge | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations | 5 steps to take before merging

here are some choice morsels.

pro member exclusive

why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

team building is great, but the benefits don’t have to end there.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

management retreats are one of the best ways to accomplish the wonderful things that the so-called management gurus tell us our firms should be doing:

communicating
planning/thinking
empowering
focusing on objectives
problem solving
shifting our paradigms
doing first things first
being proactive
changing with the times

… all designed to achieve success in our organizations, whether success is defined by profits, growth, survival, happiness, challenge or all of the above.

but what are the benefits of partner retreats?

mergers & acquisitions