here’s what you’re looking for: marc rosenberg

leadership

six reasons you’ll wish you had a partnership agreement

with 18 key clauses and 24 essential ingredients.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm management & governance

a partnership agreement  contains clearly defined terms and conditions of the firm including, but not limited to, each partners’ responsibilities, their pay and their roles within the business.  it also includes rules and regulations that are to be followed by the partners in the business. it is essential for a cpa firm to have a partnership agreement, regardless of how collegial and friendly the partners are with each other.

more cpa firm management & governance:  how the structure of an accounting firm changes through the years    |    congratulations! your firm needs a human resources director    |    the 19-point marketing director job description    |    checklist: how the best managing partners and firm admins work in concert     |    21 questions for managing the managing partner    |    no partner vote needed: 17 decisions best left to the managing partner alone    |    new rules: 13 items that should be in your managing partner’s job description    |    when is it time to shift your firm from partnership-style to corporate-style governance?    |    not every firm needs a general patton    |

a partnership agreement can prevent potential future disagreements that could occur pertaining to the objectives and responsibilities of the firm.

a number of years ago, i was engaged by the managing partner of a firm to draft their first-ever partnership agreement.  the firm had three partners: the 57 year old founder, who was a dominant, rainmaking managing partner, and two other younger partners who performed at a much lower level than the founder.  read more →

leadership

why good accounting firms make bad decisions

the dysfunctional partner team and three ways to get them back on track.

you’ve tried management by committee. and by now, you know it doesn’t work. in a new analysis of cpa firm management practices, marc rosenberg finds, “management by committee rarely works.”

there must be a better way. and, yes, there are a few. here is a five-point spectrum of approaches that firms use to make decisions. one of them may work for your firm.

read more →

leadership

how the structure of an accounting firm changes through the years

when to re-organize your firm’s management structure.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm management & governance

firms may operate for years without much structure, enjoying happiness and profitability. then, seemingly overnight, the firm “hits the wall.” growth slows or stops. staff turn over. systems become inefficient. profits stagnate. for many firms, the “wall” is at the $6 million to $8 million annual revenue mark, while others don’t experience the slowdown until revenues approach $10 million.

roberto goizueta, ceo of coca cola in the ‘80s and ‘90s, described this perfectly: “challenging the status quo when you have been successful is difficult. if you think you will be successful running your business in the next 10 years the way you did the last 10 years, you’re out of your mind. to succeed, we have to disturb the present.”

the cure for this malady is to get organized.

in this report:

  • five reasons no two firms are exactly alike.
  • nine keys to strong cpa firm organizational structures.
  • how cpa firm governance structures change as firms grow larger.
  • sample cpa firm org charts for three sizes of firm.
  • the 13 forces of departmentalization. read more →
outlook & analysis

non-equity partners: a growing trend

the right way and many wrong ways that firms handle non-equity partner strategies.

a new analysis of data in the current rosenberg map survey shows that the number of firms adopting non-equity partners is surging. some 78% of firms over $20 million now have non-equity partners, as well as 61% of firms from $10 million to $20 million.

 

percentage of firms with non-equity partners
(rosenberg map survey)

 


> $20m

$10–20m

$2–10m

all firms

2012-2013 report

78%

61%

39%

46%

2008-2009 report

47%

33%

37%

in this report by marc rosenberg:

  1. a brief history and current status report on the trend.
  2. how the non-equity partner position is commonly used.
  3. how a non-equity partner becomes an equity partner.
  4. why the non-equity partner concept works.
  5. how the non-equity partner concept can fail.
  6. the 11-point comparison: equity vs. non-equity partners defined.

read more →

management

congratulations! your firm needs a human resources director

now what?

that’s what a lot of successful firms are asking these days.

as more firms grow, merge and consolidate – and as hr and payroll rules and regs proliferate – it’s no small decision.

after studying hundreds of cpa firms and distilling their best practices, marc rosenberg, author of “cpa firm management and governance,” compiled this handy 15-item checklist of responsibilities and duties for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

more strategies for growing firms: 12 best practices for a cpa firm compensation committee   |   the 19-point marketing director job description   |   billable hours for partners: how much is too much?   |   charting the evolution of the firm administrator   |   checklist: how the best managing partners and firm admins work in concert   |   25 managing partners list best profitability ideas in 7 key areas   |   two cpa firm committees that need explaining: management and executive   |   ten-point job description for the firm administrator or coo   |

read more →