the partnership

six rules for keeping partners happy and productive

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group of four business people talking to each other during a business meeting, with one man holding an electronic tablet in his hands with graphs and charts on the display

plus the first nine questions they must embrace for optimal profitability.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

“when a corporation says move left, everybody takes a step left. in a partnership, when you say move left, three people go to the bathroom, four people move right and five people leave the firm.” – richard ungaretti, ungaretti & harris

more: why strategic thinking impacts your firm’s future | seven things good firms must do | don’t make firm profitability a goal | top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee | tell potentials what partnership takes | disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in cpa firms, as the partners go, so goes the firm. the partners

  • bring in most of the business,
  • manage most of the client relationships and engagements,
  • develop and mentor the staff and
  • manage the firm.

if the partners don’t perform these functions effectively, it is virtually impossible to be profitable and successful.
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seven things good firms must do

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six people meeting around office conference table

good management gets them there.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

if partners of firms across the country were asked what the key was to the success of legendary fortune 500 companies such as general electric, coca-cola, ibm and countless others, i’m sure that the words “strong management” and “strong leadership” would dominate their responses. yet, ask those same partners to evaluate their own firms’ management, and if they are honest, their responses would not be very flattering.

more: five ways to separate accounting winners from losers | two factors determine firm profitability | five keys in compensating new managing partners | what partners do and don’t deserve | five steps to transition to partnership
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of all of the techniques for improving cpa firm profitability, none is more effective than strong management and leadership. yet, nothing is more elusive. why is this?
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five ways to separate accounting winners from losers

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two women looking at laptop screen

how many of these are you expert in?

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

if cpa firms did everything “right,” they could easily double or triple their income. doing things right includes effectively bringing in clients, charging high billing rates, maintaining strong realization, high leverage of staff to partners and keeping expenses down. it’s the rare firm that does well in all of these categories.

more: two factors determine firm profitability | don’t make firm profitability a goal | top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee |tell potentials what partnership takes | disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the path to profitability is different for every firm. but the truly profitable firms are successful at achieving one or more of the following:
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two factors determine firm profitability

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magnifying glass showing bar charts

you’d think accountants could agree on a common definition. nope.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

if you asked the president of a fortune 500 company or the owner of a restaurant to define profitability, they would be able to give a quick, definitive answer. not so with cpas.

surely, you’ve heard the story, perhaps apocryphal, of the company that was interviewing for a new cpa firm. only one question was asked of each candidate: “how much is two plus two?” the firm that won the bid gave the answer, “how much would you like it to be?”

more: don’t make firm profitability a goal | core values: why your firm needs them | voting on ownership basis? three better methods | fifteen big questions for your next strategy session
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the same can be true of cpa firm profitability. how do we measure it? you would think that the uncontested champions of measuring financial data, cpas, would have this down to a science. but such is not the case.
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core values: why your firm needs them

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plus 12 examples. which work for you?

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

core values are the attitudes and beliefs that define a firm’s culture and a critical ingredient in a successful compensation plan.

more: five keys in compensating new managing partners | top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee | tell potentials what partnership takes | disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

partners talk about the firm’s core values all the time, pointing out instances when someone’s behavior has clearly been impacted by them. these values are incorporated in processes throughout the firm, such as in the development and evaluation process, in the way income is allocated to partners, and in what raises are given to staff.
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top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee

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man, woman, man having serious discussion around conference table

production isn’t all that matters.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

increasingly, cpa firms are adopting the compensation committee system for allocating partner income. firms are finding that systems such as formulas, pay based on ownership percentage or pay-equal no longer work.

more: voting on ownership basis? three better methods | what partners do and don’t deserve | tell potentials what partnership takes | fifteen big questions for your next strategy session | five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if there is one overarching cause for this significant trend, it’s that firms are understanding that their partners need to be something more than production machines. in addition to bringing in business, managing a client base and working billable hours (all of which continue to be important values in a compensation committee), partners need to excel in intangible areas such as helping staff grow and develop, developing specialized expertise and teamwork. the compensation committee is one of the best systems available to cpa firms to allocate income based on this diverse array of performance criteria.
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voting on ownership basis? three better methods

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four people seated around conference table, one with thumb pointed down

maybe one-partner, one-vote isn’t working.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

most firms vote on a one-person, one-vote basis despite varying ownership percentages.

but is that always the best way? here are three better ways.

more: what partners do and don’t deserve | tell potentials what partnership takes | fifteen big questions for your next strategy session | five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

voting done on an ownership percentage basis:

  1. essentially “disenfranchises” the minority owners. their vote doesn’t mean much, and it becomes tantamount to not having a vote at all. when they have no vote, they tend to get disenchanted and cease acting like partners. they may eventually leave.
  2. gives too much power to the majority owners.

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what partners do and don’t deserve

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man wearing suit, pointing one thumb up, one down

yes, there are limits. 

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

partners are entitled to a lot. at some firms, they are virtually royalty. but that’s no way to run a firm these days.

a partner is entitled to:

1. attend partner meetings and retreats.

more: tell potentials what partnership takes | fifteen big questions for your next strategy session | five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
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2. have access to all confidential firm financial data.

3. receive a return on capital; repayment of capital when he/she leaves the firm.
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tell potentials what partnership takes

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senior businessman mentoring two younger workers

bonus: 27 suggestions.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

cpa firm partners keep lots of things secret at their firms that should be open. one of them is a written document stating the firm’s criteria for making partner.

more: fifteen big questions for your next strategy session | five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
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the main explanation we hear for not having such a document is that they are afraid creation of this document will backfire. they are afraid that an underperforming staff will wave this document in front of the managing partner’s face, informing him/her that they have fulfilled all the criteria for making partner and demanding a date for coronation.
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fifteen big questions for your next strategy session

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six people meeting around a table

focus everyone on the big issues.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

most firms spend their time at retreats planning for the future, forming goals and addressing pressing issues and problem areas. the problem areas aren’t day-to-day issues such as purchasing a new copy machine or revising the policy on sick days. the problem areas are more strategic: morale issues, recruiting problems, profitability, etc.

more: five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
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here are some specific examples:
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five steps to transition to partnership

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man pointing at laptop screen as woman looks on

get your senior managers ready.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

how are the duties and responsibilities of a new partner different from those of a manager? this is one of the grayest areas in bringing in new partners.

more: disturb the present to improve the future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

ideally, there should be a gradual transition for new partners from their last two to three years as a manager to the first few years as a partner.
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