How to Merge Two Solo Accountants

two men standing and shaking hands

A list of 21 issues to consider.

By Marc Rosenberg
CPA Firm Mergers: Your Complete Guide

When considering a merger of sole practitioners, there are numerous critical issues to negotiate. Twenty-one, in fact.

MORE by Marc Rosenberg
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

1. Method/system for splitting the profits. Keep in mind that if you devise a system that essentially revolves around making each solo a profit center, as if they still had their own firms, it will tend to discourage the two of you working together as one firm.
READ MORE →

Merging in a Smaller Firm: 33 Questions to Ask

Young businesswoman using smartphone and tablet at outdoor cafe

BONUS: 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 by Marc Rosenberg
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

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.

READ MORE →

Fourteen Components to Your Firm’s Strategic Plan

Execute it; don’t let it sit on a shelf.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

Many CPA firms do not have a living, breathing strategic plan that enables them to successfully navigate through their next two or three years.

MORE by Domenick J. Esposito
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

That in and of itself is not very surprising because most CPA firms are basically small and midsized businesses with the same generational challenges faced by most small and midsized family and privately owned operating companies. READ MORE →

Jeremy Dubow: Raising the Bar for Talent | Big 4 Transparency

Why equity is the new standard for talent retention.

This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by The Balanced Millionaire: The Advisor Edition by Dr. Jackie Meyer | See Today’s Special Offer.

Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: AppleGoogle/YouTubeSpotifyiHeartDeezer, Amazon Music, AudiblePlayer FMAudacy, RSS.
Build a 7-figure firm in just 4 hours a week!
.

Big 4 Transparency
By Dominic Piscopo, CPA
For CPA Trendlines

Jeremy Dubow, CEO and co-founder of Chicago-based, private-equity-backed Prosperity Partners, explains how entrepreneurship in accounting has shifted from demand-driven to capacity-constrained, and why transparent equity programs are becoming the new standard for talent retention.

MORE Dominic PiscopoMORE Private EquityMORE Pay & Compensation

Dubow joins Dominic Piscopo on Big 4 Transparency to discuss how accounting-firm entrepreneurship and the operating model required to scale have changed since he co-founded NDH in 2003. NDH later sold to private equity and rebranded as Prosperity Partners, which Dubow described as a case study in how firms are adapting to labor constraints, expanding client complexity, and rising expectations around technology and talent strategy.

Quotables
“The demand for accounting services is greater than it ever has been. The challenge is providing the service at a high level in a labor-constrained environment.”
“AI in and of itself is not right now the solution to solve all our problems. Using automation and offshoring gives us the operational leverage to create that capacity.”
“I recognize that my people are being attempted to be poached every single day of the year.”
“Why have a stock price if you don’t disclose what it is?”
“‘’If I worked that 80-hour week, you should too.’ Well, guess what? That doesn’t work anymore.”

Dubow argues the profession has shifted from a demand constraint to a capacity constraint. Client needs continue to expand, but firms increasingly struggle to staff and deliver services proactively at scale.

READ MORE →

Succession Planning? Time Is Running Out

Businessman running after clock in silhouette

M&A BONUS: A 22-point due diligence kit.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

Much has been written and discussed regarding succession planning at CPA firms driven by the vast number of founders, leaders and rainmakers who are retiring at a record pace.

MORE by Domenick J. Esposito
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Key takeaways in this post:

  • Mid-market sustainable brands generally combine practices as opposed to acquiring or buying practices.
  • Spend time to make sure it feels right.
  • The easier part is getting the contract signed; the harder part is the integration of the two practices and to make sure 1 + 1 at least = 3.

READ MORE →