Outlook 2023: The Unstoppable Forces behind M&A

Is it the pot size or the players?

By Gary Adamson

The people challenges will intensify with firms looking more to offshoring and beefing up their campus recruiting efforts to chase fewer graduates. Remote work is here to stay – the focus will be on doing it better in terms of work management and people expectations/management.

MORE: OUTLOOK 2023: Top Five Trends | OUTLOOK 2023: Compensation Gets Creative | OUTLOOK 2023: The Office Is Over | 2023 OUTLOOK: Private Equity Comes for Accounting Firms
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Firms will be evaluating how to “keep our culture” in the face of a remote work environment or perhaps the question is what does our new culture look like. M&A is off to the races with pent-up demand because of COVID-19 and the private equity money entering the market. The people portion of the deal will be more important than the client portion.
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What’s the Why?

How do you view the answers of others?

By Gary Adamson

The very human tendency to assume that others think as we do can lead to great misunderstanding. In truth, the things that drive individuals – what makes it all worth it – vary widely. Discovering what makes each team member tick and what he or she most desires and values is an important step toward creating a cohesive partnership and bridging the gap, not just between generations but among all members of the firm.

MORE: Three Strategies to Keep Emerging Leaders Energized | Marketing: Not Just for Partners Anymore | Leadership Growth Is a Two-Way Street | Each Generation Must Change
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As firms wrestle with Baby Boomer succession, the differences in attitudes, thinking and motivators between current and future leaders can sometimes be great. More often than not those differences or gaps are major contributors to the absence of future leaders who are on deck and ready to step into the shoes of the retiring partners.
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SURVEY: We Adapted to Remote Work… Now What?

Woman sitting outside with laptop and smartphonePLUS: PPP loans helped firms in multiple ways.

By Gary Adamson

It looks like 2020 will be a good year for almost all small to midsized firms.

MORE: SURVEY: 2020’s Disruptions Are Only the Beginning | COVID Brought Us More and Better Client Communication
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Revenues will be flat to up with the PPP application and forgiveness revenue helping out, plus most firms will recognize their own PPP loan as additional income. The big question is what will 2021 look like for us and how deep will the economic damage for our clients be when the economy finally opens back up?

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2019: Shift to Consulting May Be Bumpy

Tech changes are coming. But stymie many.

By Gary Adamson
The Rosenberg MAP Survey

CPA firms are experiencing a squeeze in profitability. Revenues are rising but at an organic growth rate that is not close to where most firms were pre-recession.

MORE FROM THE MAP SURVEY: 2019: NextGen Realities | 2019: When CPAs Go Extinct | 2019: The Biggest Tech Changes Yet | 2019: Three New Trends to Watch | 2019: Client Service Moves to Fore | 2019: Shifts in Hiring & Office Space
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Will Staffing Challenges Change the Definition of Partner?

Businessman looking at question mark sketch on the wallRecruiting is only getting tougher.

By Gary Adamson
Rosenberg MAP Survey

Most of my clients experienced one of their best years in 2016.

MORE FROM THE MAP SURVEY: Be a Consultant or Be Left Behind | Succession Issues Stalling Some M&A | Technology Playing Center Stage in CPA Profession
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Profitability was at an all-time high and organic growth was better for most as compared with 2015.
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What’s Your Why? And Why Should Anyone Care?

Businessman pole vaulting toward his goalUnderstanding the drivers of others in the firm will make succession planning easier.

By Gary Adamson
Bridging the Gap

The very human tendency to assume that others think as we do can lead to great misunderstanding.

MORE: 6 Tips for Fostering Leadership in Your Organization | 3 Ways to Keep Your Team Members Connected, Engaged and Energized | Growing, Developing Future Leaders Is a Two-Way Street | A Winning Culture Is an Intentional Culture
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In truth, the things that drive individuals – what makes it all worth it – vary widely. Discovering what makes each team member tick and what he or she most desires and values is an important step toward creating a cohesive partnership and bridging the gap, not just between generations but among all members of the firm.
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SURVEY FINDINGS: Talent Wars, M&A Frenzy Continue

Man and two women talking in officePlus a suggestion for renaming the MP.

By Gary Adamson
The Rosenberg MAP Survey

Organic growth continued to be slow and nowhere near pre-recession levels. In fact, this survey and others showed a lower 2015 growth rate than 2014.

MORE FROM THE SURVEY: Next-Gen Leaders Getting Restless | Mergers Keep Racing Forward  | Do You Have a Firm or a Co-op? | Accountability, Equity, Compensation Are Concerns | MAP Survey Top 10 Findings | CPA Firm Revenues Rise a Hefty 8%
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The talent wars are back with a vengeance and firms are generally not finding success in hiring their way out of long-standing succession issues.
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2016 Outlook: No End to Mergers in Sight

2016-ROUNDTABLE-OUTLOOK-FOR-ROSENBERG-MAP-COMMENTARY-VF-240x219A buyer’s market is on the horizon.

They say “past results are no indication of future performance.” Maybe. Maybe not. But if anyone should know, it’s our panel of experts, their comments drawn from the new edition of The Rosenberg MAP Survey. These are their bullet points and comments, verbatim, looking back at the last 12 months and looking ahead to 2016. – Rick Telberg, CEO

By Gary Adamson
Adamson Advisory

Lessons from 2015:

Merger mania continued over the last year for several reasons:

  • continued slow post-recession organic growth,
  • thousands of baby boomers with no internal succession plans in place and
  • competition heating up for middle-market clients (the big firms want our biggest and best clients!).

MORE FROM THE ROSENBERG MAP SURVEY: Why Outsourcing Beats Unicorn Hunting | 2016 Battleground: Aging Leaders vs. Emerging Leaders | Private Clouds on the Rise | Firms Growing, Still Face Talent Challenges | Outlook 2016: Another Economic Storm Coming? | How Succession Issues Are Driving Desperation Mergers | Outlook 2016: Change Catches Up with Auditors | Strategic Plans Undermined by Out-of-Control Partners | Growth, Succession Plans Critical for Firms | Talent Wars Go from White Gloves to Boxing Gloves | Trend Outlook 2016: Change Agents Needed

Firms are improving profitability with per-partner income rising while the talent wars that we saw pre-recession are returning.
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