19 ways to improve accounting firm profitability

 only 19?

by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of “what really makes cpa firms profitable?”

partners are generally paid a lot more than firm administrators. for good reasons.

the marketplace has determined that doing what a partner does (bringing in business, possessing high levels of technical expertise, managing client relationships and managing the firm) commands a higher level of compensation than doing what a firm administrator does.

related: de-bunking the myth about niche marketing for tax and accounting firms • practice development is no longer an optional activity • 10 good ways the achieve partner accountabilitypick your partners right to begin with  •  the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability  • profitability and the value of strategic thinking  • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firmthe seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firmcompensation issues for the new managing partner  •

therefore, it makes no sense to pay a partner to do an administrator’s work. besides, most partners aren’t as good at administration as trained, experienced administrators are.

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measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners

“knowledge gap” method uses a client-centric approach.

ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, withumsmith+brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers.

more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members: what do you think you’re doing?  | can you teach judgment?  |  clients’ calls at home  | what you need to know before expanding into business valuation | asking an attorney for a referral fee  |  are partner retreats really worth the cost? | audit reports without doing the work? | should i really spend the time making checklists? | what’s a tax practice worth today? |

question: i suspect that my partner has “maxed out” and cannot grow further which will retard our growth.  what can i do or how can i deal with this?

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10 good ways to achieve partner accountability

remember: strong levels of partner accountability lead directly to higher levels of firm profitability.

by marc rosenberg, cpa

accountability. a word that strikes fear (unnecessarily, i might add) in the hearts of partners.

we see this constantly in the free-agent age of professional sports. athletes sign a lucrative, long-term contract, and promptly start producing less. partners in firms are no different.

marc rosenberg
marc rosenberg

more marc: pick your partners right to begin with  •  the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability  • profitability and the value of strategic thinking  • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firmthe seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firmcompensation issues for the new managing partner  • 20 decisions for your firm’s new partner compensation committee  • three ways to break partner gridlock in an accounting firm  • what partners are entitled to, and what they’re not entitled to | how to make partner?  • why accounting firm partners are “popping prozac like m&m’s”

here are 10 good ways to achieve partner accountability. every one of these measures is time-tested and works well. some work better for some firms than for others. the key is not simply to provide for the accountability measure, but to do it well. read more →

what do you think you’re doing?

effective management doesn’t just happen.

here at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, withumsmith+brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. we’re happy to have him at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. send your questions for ed here, or chime in with comments below.

browse more from ed here: are partner retreats really worth the cost? | audit reports without doing the work? | should i really spend the time making checklists? | what’s a tax practice worth today? | preparing to sell your practice in a few years? 13 things you need to know today | 10 questions to ask yourself before you decide to add financial services to your practice | why selling your practice is not a retirement strategy | congratulations! you bought a tax practice. now what? | how accountants can keep the business when a client wants to sell theirs | 10 reasons clients don’t pay, and what to do about it | 13 reasons timesheets will never die

question: sometimes i get stuck doing work that the client did not ask me to do, that is not chargeable and simply a waste of time, but i get trapped (by myself). any words of wisdom to avoid this? read more →

when is it best for partners to stay together and when is it best to part?

making the partnership work seven ways to sunday.

by marc rosenberg, cpa

sometimes a parting of ways is best because the partners are simply incompatible. people change. their values change. their priorities change. when these changes become so huge as to produce constant conflict, it may be best to shake hands and part ways.

more marc: pick your partners right to begin with  •  the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability  • profitability and the value of strategic thinking  • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firmthe seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firmcompensation issues for the new managing partner  • 20 decisions for your firm’s new partner compensation committee  • three ways to break partner gridlock in an accounting firm  • what partners are entitled to, and what they’re not entitled to | how to make partner?  • why accounting firm partners are “popping prozac like m&m’s”

what does it take for partners to stay together?

here are seven critical requirements: read more →