Celebrating 30 Years – Past, Present and Future

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Rosenberg Associates, I’ve collected 30 highlights, captivating reads, and inspirational ideas for you, our readers and clients. Some touch on the past, some on the future, and plenty on the present day, but all are here for your enjoyment.

Bits of History

1. In 2011, I left my last job in public accounting to consult with CPA firms. Daunted at first, I couldn’t be happier now using my background to serve the industry as a consultant.
2. In 2015, I was introduced to Marc Rosenberg by Joanne Cleaver of the Accounting Move Project after asking questions about gender disparity in equity partner compensation. She knew he was the guy with the data I needed.
3. In 2024, we’ve grown Rosenberg Associates to a team of nine talented professionals serving independent CPA firms coast to coast.

Client Highlights

4. Marc and I once were on a call with a client (a partner), who said, “I understand this concept of accountability, but accountability doesn’t apply to me.”
5. One of our book customers has bought 45 copies of How CPA Firms Work: The Business of Public Accounting over several years, giving one to each new hire as they join the firm.
6. While we spend most of our time serving clients based in the US, our consultants have traveled for client projects to Canada and Mexico, and we’ve sold books across the globe. Luckily, few of them say things like “accountability doesn’t apply to me.”

Books I Love for Self-Management

7. Free to Focus, by Michael Hyatt: read this if you need to re-prioritize what you should really be doing every day as a firm leader (perhaps things other than email management).
8. Deep Work, by Cal Newport: this book heightened my awareness of the extraordinary value that professionals bring to the table and how we often don’t leverage it. (I don’t need to mention email again, do I?)
9. The Charisma Myth, by Olivia Fox Cabane: this one is for any professional who wants to improve their executive presence but doesn’t feel like they were “born with it.” Filled with great examples and strategies, it’s a must-read for you in your role as a people leader.

Creative Staff Strategies

10. Extend your in-house recruiting bonus to others (e.g. your college-age kids’ friend or your neighbor who knows someone studying accounting).
11. Bring your firm together, including remote team members, at least once a year for an in-person event. Consider including offshore staff committed to your firm.
12. Let your seniors and managers influence client-culling efforts. If clients are a pain to work with, the cost may be the loss of talented team members. Listen to who they are.

My Favorite Quotes

13. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
14. “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
15. “Saying no frees you up to say yes when it matters most.” – Adam Grant

Outstanding Blog Posts/Articles (by others) You Should Read

16. Slicing the Revenue Pie in a Multi-Stakeholder Company, by Carl Erickson, Atomic Object Founder. It is a fresh look at partner compensation dovetailed with valuing employees, owners, community and purpose.
17. How to Run a Meeting, by Michael Lopp, Rands in Repose. More outside of our industry reading, but highly relevant if you’re mired in meeting hell. Another favorite by the same author: Bored People Quit.
18. What Google Learned from Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team, by Charles Duhigg, New York Times. Game-changing research about the benefits of psychological safety in the workplace leads to higher productivity and goal achievement.

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Cheers for Our Team

19. Bethany, Nikita, Ashley and Chrystin: Our rock-star internal team that keeps us on track, on brand, and on board with the smooth functioning of our organization.
20. Matt, Amanda and Jeff: Fellow top-flight consultants who bring success to our clients with expertise, professionalism and fun.
21. Marc: Business partner and mentor extraordinaire! We certainly wouldn’t be here on the 30th anniversary without you.

Notes on the Future for Rosenberg Associates

22. Our plan is to continue to grow and provide valuable consulting services to small- to mid-sized firms across North America. We believe independent firms are here for the long haul and will benefit from advances in the industry brought by new trends like PE and AI.
23. Blog readers, like yourself, influence our plans for what to write about, what information you need to improve your practice. Let us know what you want to hear about in the future. We read every message!
24. One of our clients brought their entire team (each with a guest) to Hawaii one year. This has inspired me to have a similar goal for our group when we hit a revenue milestone. The plan is for it to pan out in the next few years. If you see a bunch of Rosenberg Associates on a plane to Honolulu, you can say you knew us when.

Ways We’ll be Celebrating 30 Years

25. We created a timeline with some key history points about the past 30 years, including a picture of Marc from early in his consulting career.
26. Our annual all-hands trip will be to Nashville this month, complete with a celebratory dinner and lots of BBQ throughout the week.
27. You’ll find 30 more interesting facts and historical moments shared over 30 weeks on LinkedIn. Follow us there for more!

Thank Yous for 30 Years

28. To our CPA firm clients, for giving us interesting people and projects to work with, all aligned on our mission to better the public accounting industry.
29. To the associations and organizations that bring our team in as speakers at your events to share knowledge with the industry and industry colleagues for their camaraderie and connection.
30. To our families for supporting the work we do and the people we are.