Surviving Vs. Thriving

What commercial awareness really means. Plus 5 reasons firms don’t thrive … and how to solve them.

By Martin Bissett
Passport to Partnership

A big concern in recent years has been how the incoming partners will purchase equity or fund the capital account and exit of a retiring partner.

MORE ON THE PASSPORT TO PARTNERSHIP: It’s Not the Challenge, It’s Your Response | Why Hitting Your Numbers Isn’t Enough | What Do Your True Colors Say About Your Commitment? | How to Build Your Pipeline | 6 Keys to the Perfect Proposal | Communication Can’t Be Overrated | How to Read Your Firm’s Cultural Blueprint | 12 Ways to Determine Your Competence | Passport to Partnership: New Research Shows Wide Gap between Partners and Partners-To-Be

Much has been written that examines the mathematical complexities of this topic but the bottom line is simple. Would-be partners in the age demographic of 28-42 are part of a generation who are already heavily borrowed in the form of credit card debt, mortgage debt and other forms of personal loans.

Posted on March 3, 2016

Martin Bissett

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Winning Your First Client,
Passport to Partnership, and
Meet Your New Best Client

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He is the founder of The Upward Spiral Partnership Ltd., the UK-based consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of professional selling and leadership skills in the next generation of accounting professionals.

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Previously, Martin served ten years on the board of directors of the UK’s leading provider of high-quality new business appointments for accountancy firms. There, he held the responsibility for the nurture and organic growth of the organization’s new client base, including six of the UK’s top 30 firms of accountants.

Martin became fascinated by the apparent juxtaposition of partners not vocalizing what they were looking for in terms of an accomplished skill set from their potential future partners and their managers not asking to discover what that skill set included, despite wanting to reach that very position. In a profession with a supposed “Succession Crisis” on the horizon, this apparent stand-off struck him as curious.

This has led Upward Spiral Partnership to personally interview several hundred partners and managers in the US and UK to learn what partners are looking for and how the managers see their own future in the firm. There are, of course, firms that have addressed this issue already, and their initiatives have also been captured.

The results of the research, including both the consensus and the exceptions to the general opinion, is called “Passport to Partnership.” This study provides the highlights of each factor that the majority of partners interviewed use as their criteria when evaluating whether someone in their organization can make it to the top.

As a result of the combination of his experience, intellectual property, and this proprietary research, Martin now consults with accounting firms in the UK, Europe, and the USA to support them in their transition through to the next stage of their development and growth.

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