the partnership

rate managing partners in six areas

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blue pencil on survey formincluded: six tables to help you do just that.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

according to marc rosenberg, managing partners should focus on the following six areas:

  • leadership
  • profitability
  • strategic planning
  • team building
  • learning/training
  • asset protection

more: eight ways managing partners make a real difference | ten steps to a new managing partner | what managing partners must be doing | do your partners pay their own way? | how to create firm accountability
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each of these areas is important and worthy of further discussion. the size of your firm, number of partners/owners and the existing management team will influence the areas of importance. the following rating scale applies:
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four philosophies for managing a cpa firm

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closeup of businesswoman writing on a flipchartbonuses: org charts for small, medium and large firms, plus 25 best practices.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

when we discuss how cpa firms are managed, there are two kinds of firms.

more: how partner and staff actions impact profits | the business side of cpa firms | it shouldn’t take so long to make partner | three types of skills you need to become a partner | seventeen basic expectations of partners | nine ways to woo a prospective partner
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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?”
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eight ways managing partners make a real difference

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friendly business team looking at tablet in office lobbywant to play at the peak of your game?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

so, what do the truly successful managing partners do that differentiates them from their peers? in this short post i will quickly summarize the results of my research, which entailed interviewing 150 practicing and managing partners in a cross-section of consulting, accounting and law firms across europe and the u.s., before focusing on the things great managing partners did to ensure they were always at the top of their game.

more: ten steps to a new managing partner | five ways to keep your edge as a leader | managing partner: the toughest job in the world | why partners need written goals | eight criteria for partnership | how you can get partners to change
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the model

this model of what successful managing partners do is adapted from the leadership model in “when professionals have to lead,” which rob lees co-authored with tom delong and jack gabarro. i have used the same overarching dimensions of direction, commitment, execution and personal example and added context to reflect its impact on what firm leaders need to do.
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ten steps to a new managing partner

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three people standing, smiling and talking in an office walkwayhow to execute a smooth, graceful transition.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

one of the most difficult events that a firm faces is the transition of power from one managing partner to another, especially when it’s the first time. knowing when to pass the baton and how to pass it are critical decisions every firm will have to make.

more: five ways to keep your edge as a leader | five reasons that leaders fail | eleven things partners must do | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to achieve partner unity | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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the most important thing you can do at this point is to plan, plan and plan some more for the transition. the sooner you lay out your plan, the easier it will be for you to achieve it.
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how partner and staff actions impact profits

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seniorbusinessman5others_a-31774-629six specific examples, plus benchmarking norms.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

these four metrics are key to any analysis of cpa firm profitability.

  1. fees per equity partner. the firm’s billings divided by the number of equity partners. this is one of the ways we measure leverage. the more billings each partner can manage, the higher the firm’s profit margin.

more: the business side of cpa firms | public accounting as a business, 101 | 16 steps to creating a partnership path | six ways new partners differ from managers | the four essentials for every new partner

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on average, partners do 10-15 percent of all work performed for clients; the remaining 85-90 percent is performed by staff under the partners’ supervision. the higher the percentage of client work the partners perform, the harder it is for them to find the time to build their client base and help the firm achieve a high fees-per-partner ratio. to manage a large client base properly, partners need to delegate as much of the client work as possible to staff.

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the business side of cpa firms

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four ways to increase revenue. four reasons that employees should care.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

future cpa firm leaders must have an understanding of how their firm operates as a business, including how it makes money and what holds back profitability. with this knowledge, team members will make better decisions about how they spend their time and perform their work.

more: public accounting as a business, 101 | nuts and bolts of mentoring staff | nine ways to measure staff performance on the path to partner | sixteen duties of a partner | five people to keep out of partnership
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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.

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

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do you have these habits of highly ineffective ceos?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

several years ago there was an interesting article in fortune magazine. it dealt with the topic of why ceos fail. for example, “chainsaw al” dunlap was let go by sunbeam after two years of dismal performance and questionable conduct.

more: what managing partners must be doing | managing partner: the toughest job in the world | eleven things partners must do | do your partners pay their own way? | why partners need written goals | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to create firm accountability | eight criteria for partnership | how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what do cpa firm managing partners have to learn from corporate america?
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public accounting as a business, 101

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two men at whiteboardknow your profession.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

“engaging your employees – involving them in the business – can drive revenue growth. an educated workforce can also make better decisions, work more efficiently and seize opportunities faster. teaching your employees to be smart businesspeople can be a big investment, but it’s one that can have a significant return.” – keith lamb, inc. magazine

more: nuts and bolts of mentoring staff | it shouldn’t take so long to make partner | three types of skills you need to become a partner | seventeen basic expectations of partners
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personnel in any organization, from widget manufacturers to hospitals to baseball teams to charities, work with more enthusiasm and commitment when they genuinely feel part of the organization. when people understand how they fit into the overall scheme and what their role is and grasp the essentials of how the organization operates, they produce higher quality work and are more energized. cpa firms are no exception to this rule.
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nuts and bolts of mentoring staff

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three people: woman between two men pointing at desktop computer screen in explanationfour keys to being a great mentor. ten skill areas to develop. eight training best practices.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

firms have two levels of expectations of new partners. many firms aren’t consciously aware of these alternatives, but they exist nonetheless, and they are quite different from each other.

more: it shouldn’t take so long to make partner | 16 steps to creating a partnership path | six ways new partners differ from managers | the four essentials for every new partner | tell potential partners what it takes
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expectation 1: the new partner is qualified for the job.

new partners must drive the firm by

  • increasing revenue by bringing in new clients.
  • retaining clients and expanding services to them.
  • developing staff, helping them learn and grow.
  • providing proactive, world-class service to clients.
  • having the leadership skills to take over the firm from existing partners.

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what managing partners must be doing

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young man facing image of himselfbonus: questions for self-evaluation.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

the responsibilities of a managing partner can be captured in the following two paragraphs:

general responsibilities include reporting directly to the governing committee and the firm, being responsible for the firm’s overall management and practice, supervising the overall marketing and business development effort, managing the professional staff and providing guidance for the support staff.

more: managing partner: the toughest job in the world | eleven things partners must do | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to achieve partner unity
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specific responsibilities include coordinating the firm’s practices among the different offices and departments, implementing the partnership agreement, appointing heads of various committees, representing the firm in community and professional organizations, supervising the functioning of the governing committee, overseeing the functioning of standing and ad hoc committees, providing guidance on financial policies and working with the governing committee to develop personal and administrative policies.

these are without doubt good areas, but are they the ones managing partners should focus on?
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it shouldn’t take so long to make partner

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group of four young professionalsbonus: a 15-point checklist for the path.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

not too long ago, accounting today published a very interesting piece of research titled “the long path to partner.” the polling question: how many years does it take to make partner at your firm?

more: 16 steps to creating a partnership path | nine ways to measure staff performance on the path to partner | five people to keep out of partnership
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the results:

  • less than 5 years: 9%
  • 5-7 years: 12%
  • 8-9 years: 12%
  • 10-13 years: 30%
  • more than 13 years: 17%
  • don’t know: 20%

why does it take so long?

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