here’s what you’re looking for: marc rosenberg

management

the 10 biggest mistakes in reading map statistics

don’t focus on what’s average. be exceptional.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg survey

i have never ceased to be amazed at the lack of understanding that partners – including managing partners – have about reading a map survey and computing map statistics. these difficulties prevent partners from properly using a map survey for the purpose for which it was intended: to improve firm performance. here are some of he biggest mistakes i see again and again:

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outlook & analysis

rosenberg survey 2011: cpa firms on rebound

at the typical cpa firm: “the bleeding has stopped.”

revenues at the typical cpa firm are up 1.7%, a slight improvement from the 1.4% increase in the year before, according to the 2011 rosenberg map survey.

still, when the impact of mergers is taken out, the growth rate was only 0.8%. the rosenberg map survey, founded 13 years ago by nationally known practice consultant marc rosenberg, reports on the results of 408 firms, most of which range from $2 million to $20 million in annual fees. nearly 100 metrics are collected and compared.

though the revenue increase is small, the authors say it’s noteworthy because — for the first time in two years — the growth rate increased from the prior year instead of decreasing. “the bleeding has stopped,” they say.

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leadership

marc rosenberg: slow learners need not apply

what little league umpires can teach us about succeeding in today’s competitive market.

to thrive in today’s tough and fast-changing market, accounting firms must become more agile and adaptable than ever before. but what are the characteristics of an agile, adaptable, quick-learning cpa firm?  and how do you get that way?

marc rosenberg
the rosenberg associates

my initial, somewhat amusing (probably just to me) thought was the credo for little league umpires (who in many communities are 14-18 years old):

be mobile.

be assertive.

be loud

it may have more relevance to what follows than either of us might initially think.

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management

annual rosenberg survey: cpa firms feel recession’s chill

six-year culture of abundance ends with a thud, firms re-group, restructure and re-learn how to operate in a culture of recession.

via news release

the cpa profession opened 2008 on the heels of several years of extraordinary growth and profits, hopeful that the economic slowdown would not morph into a recession.  cpa firms ended the year with results most industries would have been happy with.  the full effect of the recession didn’t have a big impact on cpa firms in 2008 because by the time the economic woes surfaced in the 4th quarter, most firms’ revenues were collected, invoiced or booked.  firms with annual net fees over $2 million (referred to as the “over $2m group”) posted the following 2008 results:

  • annual net fee growth was 8.2%, down from 10.8% in 2007. this marks the end of a remarkable six-year run for the cpa profession, triggered by the scandals of enron and others in 2002 and fueled by the multi-billion dollar market created by legislation that followed.
  • average income per partner declined slightly to $365,000 compared to $369,000 the year before. but larger firms’ (over $10 million in annual fees) earnings were down 8% from 2007 due to a drop-off in sarbanes-oxley and internal audit work. however, medium sized firms’ ($2-10 million) profits were up almost 1%.

changes hit the cpa profession like a ton of bricks

“the cpa profession had a great run for these past six years,” said marc rosenberg, creator of the rosenberg survey. “the post-enron climate created a huge surge in demand for cpa firm services, allowing firms to virtually become order takers.  throttled by a historically low supply of experienced staff, partners worked harder than ever before, and the benefits showed up in their paychecks:  income per partner rose 50% since 2003.”

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