Rosenberg Associates Blog
Kristen Rampe, CPAOriginally published in Accounting Today. Partners at firms that have chosen to remain independent are now asking whether a firm’s internal buyout multiple should be adjusted. Some believe the multiple should be increased to reflect the additional value that could be captured by selling externally to private equity (PE) or through a traditional sale to…
It’s no secret that our industry needs leadership talent, successors who want to be CPA firm partner-level contributors. There’s a big group of them right at the doorstep, but we continue to struggle to bring the number of women leaders in accounting organizations anywhere near parity with the number in the profession. According to the…
You’ve been there, or you’re in the middle of it now: a challenge with one particular partner (or maybe more than one) that’s making partner relations, progress, profitability, or all three difficult. We polled CPA firm leaders to find out what the most pervasive issues are, how long they’ve been around (or how long they persisted, if resolved), and…
Marc Rosenberg, CPAQUESTION FROM A READER: I am looking for information on how second-generation firms select a successor managing partner. I’m also interested how this process plays out when a firm has multiple MP candidates. What role should the current MP play in the process? What if there is no obvious successor? ROSENBERG RESPONSE: What criteria…
Matt RampeOriginally featured in Accounting Today. Many CPA firms struggle to raise pricing and remove problematic clients. It may get brushed off as “no big deal,” but ignoring pricing and client mix harms the firm in significant ways: less revenue equals less growth and lower ability to pay staff well, lower profits for partners or capital…
A reader wrote to me recently: “Matt, I feel stuck in my practice. My partners are all hardworking team players, but we’re too busy with client work to find good staff, let alone upgrade our tech stack or think outside the box. Our clients love us, but many are long-term clients who take a lot…
As featured in AccountingToday. The basics of running a CPA firm are indisputable: clients need to be served, billings and collections completed. For most accounting professionals, these activities are top of mind and top of the priority list, like a football team running plays in a game. But what sets outstanding firms — ones that achieve…
One of my favorite words is “apocryphal.” An apocryphal statement is one that probably didn’t happen, but it’s so believable that it’s wildly believed to be true. Here’s one of my favorite examples. Clark Clifford was a super-lawyer and a cabinet-level advisor to four presidents in the 20th century. Fortune 500 companies pleaded with him…
To non-sports people, forgive me for telling a sports story I heard on a radio program. Our local basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, have a player named Zach Levine, who has been an all-star and is in the prime of his career. But he missed a month due to injury. Prior to his injury, the Bulls…
Well-intentioned and passionate partners have a lot to say about matters at your CPA firm. Often, these contributions are critical to leadership and strategic direction. Your firm wouldn’t be where it is today without hearing the perspectives from those who lead and run your practice. And, sometimes, your partners get stuck on a less important…
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