avoid these fifteen merger deal breakers

man tearing a piece of paper in half

plus: the proper process in 21 steps.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

it’s important to understand the flow of the entire merger process.

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every merger has its unique aspects. it’s impossible to choreograph, from a to z, exactly how the process for all mergers will work. the steps in the process listed below appear in the order of how they commonly occur.

but again, because all mergers are different, the flow of the steps might vary from merger to merger.

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how to attract the best merger candidates

man's hand sowing wheat

never stop looking.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

firms that are serious about merging in smaller firms on a regular basis understand that doing mergers is all about planting seeds. a buyer has to have this attitude:

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every day of every year, at least one firm decides to test the merger waters. if our efforts to identify sellers are made continuously throughout the year, every year, sooner or later, we will find at least one interested merger candidate and probably more than one.

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four steps to finding a seller

businessman stacking coins

bonus: a sample letter to send.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

in all areas of mergers and acquisitions, it’s always much more difficult to find sellers than buyers. this is certainly true in the case of cpa firms.

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cpa firm merger consultants and brokers can do a great job finding buyers, but they are limited in their ability to dig up sellers. this is because the vast majority of all mergers and sales take place when buyers or sellers who “know each other” get together on their own without the help of a consultant.

one way to identify sellers is to do a snail mail solicitation. here’s the four-step process:
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thirteen reasons why accounting firms merge

executive woman and man in business meeting

check your motivation, then create your strategy.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

why do firms merge?

whether you’re looking to acquire a smaller firm, merge upward into a larger one or join forces with an equal, answering this basic question honestly and objectively is key to laying the groundwork for a successful merger.

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in the chart below, the main reasons that firms seek mergers are listed. some of these objectives will benefit all parties across the board, while others provide the greatest advantage to one or the other of the merger partners based on their unique situation.
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six questions for assessing a merger

two men shaking hands as woman stands with one

and three reasons that firms hesitate.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

as a generation of aging baby boomer partners marches towards retirement, thousands of firms are seeking the only exit strategy available to them – merge into another firm. thus has a voracious appetite for mergers been created at all size levels, particularly:

  • sellers who are sole practitioners and multipartner firms under $2 million
  • buyers with annual revenues of $3 million and larger

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do mergers work?

ask a partner from a smaller firm that merged upward whether the match has proven successful, and the likelihood is you’ll get a less than enthusiastic response. why isn’t this partner jumping for joy? is it because the merger didn’t work? usually not.
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considering a merger? be smart about it

view from below of four people, each holding a jigsaw puzzle piece and matching it to the others

plus 10 tips for buyers.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm mergers: your complete guide

“alone we can do so little but together we can do so much.” – helen keller

“when you look at a deal and its structure looks like an octopus or a spider, just don’t do it.” – timothy sloan cfo wells fargo

all businesses boost their top and bottom lines with mergers. it’s a common strategy for growth and strong performance.

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cpa firms largely failed to recognize this until the start of the century. today, firms clearly understand that mergers can and should be a major contributor to growth, profitability and success.
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ten benchmarks of firm profitability

young woman seated at laptop counting money

plus four reasons you should want to follow them.

by marc rosenberg
what really makes cpa firms profitable?

“rich people stay rich by living like they are broke. broke people stay broke by living like they’re rich.” – mark cuban

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to state the obvious, the goal of a cpa firm’s management is to achieve the firm’s desired profit level. no one disputes this. but where the rubber meets the road is achieving those profits. this post explains how to do this.
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twelve keys to strategic planning

businessman turning compass labeled "strategy" like a steering wheel

what do you want it to do for you?

by marc rosenberg
strategic planning and goal setting for results

“no one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” – p. t. barnum

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to begin strategic planning, partners must first address and agree on several critical decisions. do they want:

  • a firm that is committed to strategic planning being the pillar of the firm’s future success? or are you in the school that says “yeah, strategic planning is nice, and we should do it, but it’s secondary to partner productivity and performance”?

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nineteen thoughts on recruiting cpa firm staff

two businesswomen seated across desk from each other

plus six training and 11 leadership development best practices.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

“treat people as they are, and they will remain as they are. treat people as they can be and should be and they will become as they can and should be.” – goethe

“you see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up, such as dressing and the proper way of speaking and so on, the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated. i shall always be a flower girl to professor higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl. but i know i can be a lady to you, colonel pickering, because you always treat me as a lady and always will.” – eliza doolittle in “my fair lady”

there are three big keys to cpa firm success. the first two keys are:

  1. strong firm management and leadership. management, which includes the entire management team, makes everything important in a cpa firm work, from having a great staff, great clients, growth, profitability, partner productivity and accountability, strategy, succession planning and more.
  1. attracting new clients, retaining them, helping them grow and providing world-class service.

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the third key is the focus of this article: staff.
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