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

marketing & sales

staff likes and dislikes about the accounting profession

three young businesspeople talkingplus 28 facilitator questions before discussing staff issues at a retreat.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

while everyone has their own thoughts, what staff like the most and least about their jobs have some common threads.

more on partner retreats for pro members: 25 ways to turn good firms into great firms | partner buyout 101 | 27 tough questions every firm needs to address | make more money | system vs. system: partner compensation best practices | 10 benchmarking missteps | how to address partner compensation at a retreat | partner accountability: how and for what? | 18 essential management questions to cover at a retreat | how to decide who decides what | management styles: partnership vs. corporate | 30 marketing and growth questions to cover at a retreat | how marketing for cpa firms is different | why create a marketing plan? | thinking of merging? discuss it at a retreat | how to take action after a retreat | 12 simple rules for a retreat

what staff like the most read more →

pay & compensation

3 non-performance-based comp systems

businessman sitting on scales with stack of coins in other trayhint: they don’t eliminate arguments.

by marc rosenberg
partner comp: art & science

the common thread to non-performance-based systems is that partners’ compensation is not based on their performance, but on other factors that have nothing to do with performance. there are three main systems of this type:

more on partner compensation: the 3 best partner compensation formulas | why firms use partner comp formulas | 3 tiers of compensation | partner compensation 101| what partners earn and how they earn it | partner compensation: an art, not a science | how partners view compensation: it’s not all about the money | why most partner comp systems are performance-based

  • ownership percentage
  • pay all partners equally, or nearly so
  • seniority

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mergers & acquisitions

13 questions between merger equals

overhead view of 4 hands putting together 4 puzzle piecesnegotiations 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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marketing & sales

20 questions to benchmark profitability

businessman looking at question mark sketch on the wallwarning: some of your answers may be subjective.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

before formally beginning the discussion part of any retreat session, it’s always a good idea to begin by asking the participants what they want to cover. as issues are suggested, the facilitator should write them down on a flip chart.

more on retreats: 25 ways to turn good firms into great firms | partner buyout 101 | system vs. system: partner compensation best practices | partner accountability: how and for what? | management styles: partnership vs. corporate | why create a marketing plan? | 12 simple rules for a retreat

1. why is this topic on our retreat agenda?

2. are there specific aspects of this topic that the firm is struggling with? read more →

mergers & acquisitions

merging in smaller: what to ask

businesswoman talking on phone33 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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