Compensation

How to Price, Measure and Fund a Firm Built to Last

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Business hand holding hot chart in crystal ball

There are four numbers worth calculating before you decide anything.

By Hitendra Patil

There is a version of the independence story in which the independent firm is the more affordable alternative to the larger private equity-backed firm. That story is worth examining carefully because, in my experience, it rarely ends the way the firm owner hoped.

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Competing on price against firms with institutional capital is a long game you cannot win. PE-backed platforms can subsidize below-market pricing during a growth phase in ways that an independent firm’s income statement cannot absorb. If your primary competitive argument is that you cost less, the positioning battle is already lost.
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Unlock Accelerated Growth with 21 Questions

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Business hand holding hot chart in crystal ball

Don’t stay attached to traditional models that no longer suit you.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

When it comes to growth, two of my core beliefs are:

  • size matters, and
  • service line diversification (the professional services model) is better than the traditional accounting firm model.

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The proof is in the pudding.

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Dominic Piscopo: Crowdsourced Salary Data Sparks Accounting Change | Accounting Conversations

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Unpack how market gaps and transparency revise the recruiting game.

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The step-by-step operating guide for firms building, pricing, and scaling advisory services that clients value—and pay for.

Accounting Conversations
With Chayton Farlee
Center for Accounting Transformation

In the latest episode of Accounting Conversations, host Chayton Farlee sits down with Dominic Piscopo, CPA, founder of The Big Four Transparency, to unpack compensation transparency and the accounting pipeline — two stubborn bottlenecks many firms still struggle to fix. The conversation centers on how accessible salary data and real-world experiences can illuminate a path toward fairer pay and clearer career ladders for accountants at all levels.

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Piscopo, a Canadian CPA now leading The Big Four Transparency, describes a career that reveals both the promise and the pain points of the industry. He starts in a Big Four firm in tax and quickly encounters a supportive leadership dynamic and a stellar coach, experiences that underscore what’s possible in a healthy culture. Yet even with that backdrop, he confronts a truth many early-career professionals feel but few talk about openly: compensation does not always align with effort or market realities, especially for younger staff trying to break in and prove their value.

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Retention Isn’t About Perks or Paychecks Anymore | MOVE Like This

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Adapt to changing workforce expectations without losing performance or accountability.

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Build a 7-figure firm in just 4 hours a week!

MOVE Like This
With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
For CPA Trendlines Research

In this episode of MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk talks with Kristi Epp, tax partner, and Amber Schrock, advisory partner and Las Vegas market leader at Frazier & Deeter, about one of the profession’s most urgent challenges: retention. Their message is clear — firms that still believe compensation alone drives loyalty may already be falling behind.

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The conversation explores how accounting has changed dramatically over the last several years. Remote work, automation, talent shortages, mergers, acquisitions, and increasing regulatory complexity have reshaped both firm operations and employee expectations. Epp and Schrock explain that younger professionals are not rejecting hard work; they are rejecting environments that fail to provide meaning, transparency, mentorship, and sustainability.
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Remove Rocks in the Path to Firm Growth

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large rocks in road

Six types and how to move them.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

“Tiger Woods did not always win majors with ease; after his narrow victory in the 1999 PGA, he slumped and sighed as if he’d been carrying rocks uphill all afternoon.” – John Updike

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A CPA firm must move many rocks that are on the path to growth. If a firm doesn’t effectively address these rocks, it will not be able to grow at a satisfactory rate.
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