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21 issues to consider.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

when considering a merger of sole practitioners, there are numerous critical issues to negotiate. twenty-one, in fact.

more on mergers: merging in smaller: what to ask | 12 reasons to merge in a smaller firm | 3 factors that always affect negotiations | mergers: assessing compatibility | case studies reveal potential loi issues | merger prep: getting to know you | plant seeds to turn up merger candidates | 15 can’t-skip merger terms to decide | mergers 101: when negotiations aren’t really negotiations

1. method/system for splitting the profits. keep in mind that if you devise a system that essentially revolves around making each solo a profit center, as if they still had their own firms, it will tend to discourage the two of you working together as one firm.
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negotiations often are more difficult.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide 

mergers of equals or firms close to equal (some call these sideways mergers) are much less common than mergers in which there is a clear survivor. but they do occur.

more on mergers: merging in smaller: what to ask | thinking ‘downstream’ merger? check these 25 potential problems first | 20 terms to settle when merging up | 13 questions to assess an upward merger | what to discuss at the first merger negotiation meeting | what to ponder before issuing a letter of intent

quite simply, there are two reasons mergers of equals are uncommon:
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33 questions the larger firm should ask smaller firm partners, plus a telephone screening form.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

even though these questions are primarily intended for larger firms to ask smaller firms, some of the questions may be appropriate for the smaller firm to ask larger firms. these are general questions; based on your review of the other firm’s data, you will certainly have specific questions to ask in addition to those below.

more on mergers: thinking ‘downsteam’ merger? check these 25 potential problems first | 18 concerns about merging in smaller firms | what to expect when merging up | 16 reasons merging up causes anxiety | 14 provisions to include in a letter of intent | want to merge? ask for data | the merger process in 21 steps | 13 ways to screw up a merger

an important goal of these interviews is to get open, honest and brutally candid responses. at most firms, this is virtually impossible if you interview two or more partners together. only rarely, where two or three partners appear to be “joined at the hip,” is it acceptable to do group interviews.

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