here’s what you’re looking for: kristen rampe

outlook & analysis

people development still a concern

five young business people at work in an office setting.

who wants to be partner? anyone? hello?

by kristen rampe
the rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics

i anticipate more interest in exploring artificial intelligence and offshoring for small to midsized firms. as new use cases and case studies of success come online, late adopters will start to dabble in these important developments.

editor’s note: every year, the 2024 rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics asks the profession’s top consultants two sets of questions:

    • how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? trends? predictions? other thoughts?
    • how would you assess the last 12 months? trends? observations? struggles?

more: focus on intentional growth | accounting firms upshift to corporate model | growth and complacency must concern accounting firms this year | the future of fees | how accounting firms are dealing with retirement
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strong local and regional firms will continue to thrive, though they will face the continued pressure of offers from cpa firm buyers and private equity. many fiercely independent firms will continue on their own path. of those, plenty will remain successful, but not all, and depending on where the hearts, minds and financial goals of the owners are, they might find interest in entertaining these offers.
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pay & compensation

partner comp earnings gap: what’s the right spread?

people standing on stacks of coins, representing income gaps

how do you get it right at your firm?

by kristen rampe
partner comp: art & science

there are many reasons for a sizeable spread in partner income at a cpa firm. for example, at a firm with both a founder nearing retirement and a first-year partner, the spread would be wide. some firms are the opposite, with two to four founding partners agreeing to share all profits equally. there is no spread there.

more on partners: thirteen traits of partners you’ll want to keep | six rules for keeping partners happy and productive | five keys in compensating new managing partners | top 20 tough choices for the partner comp committee | voting on ownership basis? three better methods | what partners do and don’t deserve | tell potentials what partnership takes | five steps to transition to partnership
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for most multipartner and multigeneration accounting firms, the situation gets more complicated. you’ll have some high performers and some who are on cruise control. you’ll have ones contributing notably more dollars to the bottom line and more to future leaders’ development.

but what about two partners who contribute relatively the same? should their income allocation be similar? how similar?
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management

how firms are compensating their coos

bar chart

real-life examples. about 29% are owners.

by kristen rampe
rosenberg associates

more and more firms are exploring the benefits of adding a chief operating officer (coo) to their leadership ranks. the coo role often encompasses strategic cpa firm leadership, holding partners accountable, making decisions in line with the firm’s strategy and overseeing all administrative functions.

more: help! a partner wants to retire really early
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this position can significantly reduce the time client service partners spend attending to these duties. and often the coo can do them better, as they aren’t distracted by the next fire drill from a high-profile accounting client. their only client is the firm.
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outlook & analysis

firms must choose best workplace model

man sitting at desk in otherwise empty office, facing glass wall

what will help you move forward?

by kristen rampe
the rosenberg map survey

editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?

the obvious: staffing challenges will continue. firms that are stuck in their old ways must add younger talent with the ability to influence leadership ranks. senior partners who are seeking an internal buyout, or better priced external sale, need to recognize how essential this is.

more: tech, capital will drive accounting profession growth | new energy comes from new ways of doing business | ai for accounting automation will be significant | a 40-hour workweek is feasible | it’s time for a new business model
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less obvious: workplace models will continue to be varied, and there is no one-size-fits-all. i have clients who hardly went home during covid-19, and their staff have to be asked to work from home to free up office space for a growing team. i also have clients with thousands of square feet of vacant office space because no one has returned. of both groups (and those in between), some have critical failures in productivity. some are crushing it.
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outlook & analysis

outlook 2023: grow your own partners

a little at a time still gets you there.

by kristen rampe
the rosenberg map survey: national study of cpa firm statistics

retiring will continue to be difficult for many partners of small firms. even if on paper they’ve done their job of bringing in new partners, many of their successors already have a full book of business and can’t absorb all of the outgoing partner’s client bases.

more: outlook 2023: authenticity comes to the workplace | private equity pumps up paychecks | look who’s making money now | compensation gets creative | the office is over | accounting firms face up to private equity
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not to mention that many newer-generation partners have no appetite for the long-hours lifestyle of baby boomers. it’s not uncommon to need two new partners to replace a founder who’s been working 3,200+ hours per year. few want that job.
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featured

what do you expect from your senior associates?

expectations graph.do they know?

by kristen rampe

we polled a group of senior associates recently and asked what they believed the top five expectations of their role were. that is, what do the partners of the firm expect these seniors to do all day? they were not given time to research answers from any company documents describing expectations of seniors, just a moment to jot down what they felt was most important.

more: rewarding partners for seniority: pros and cons | what if founders don’t want to buy each other out? | when cpa partner votes go wrong | why billing less may mean earning more | what smaller firms must do to become firms of the future | when managing partners can’t | don’t let exiting partners double dip | the 13 signs you have a partner problem
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before reading further – what are your top five expectations of your senior associates?

write them down on a piece of paper or blank word doc and you can compare them to their responses below. looking at your list, how consistent would these expectations be across different partners or managers at your firm?
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featured

rewarding partners for seniority: pros and cons

stressed person looking at graph.what best serves the firm?

by kristen rampe

in our work with cpa firms on partner compensation, we have asked countless partners what they think about various performance criteria and whether or not they should factor into a partner’s allocation of income. some examples of the performance criteria include firm management, business development, client service and billable hours. another criterion we ask about is seniority or tenure.

more: what if founders don’t want to buy each other out? | when cpa partner votes go wrong | when managing partners can’t | covid-19, adversity and innovation | is mandatory retirement a best practice?
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some partners respond to our questionnaire indicating that seniority or tenure should be a factor in income allocation. many partners believe it has no place. so, who’s right?
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featured

why founders balk at their buyouts

blocking dominos from falling.solutions for when succession planning didn’t happen as it should have.

by marc rosenberg and kristen rampe

over the years, we have worked with a number of small firms that had the following dilemma: what to do when the partners are all in their 60s and none wishes to buy out the other?

more: when cpa partner votes go wrong | why billing less may mean earning more | don’t let exiting partners double dip | how covid impacts partner retirements |  covid-19: how your firm can respond
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this problem is particularly acute with two-partner firms, though can be troublesome for other firms with multiple partners wanting to retire on a similar timeframe.

we have distilled this dilemma into a case study to guide firms to a solution. this case is based on real facts.
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leadership

top issues for millennial managing partners

group of four young professionalsbonus: six ways to prepare for the role.

by kristen rampe
the role of the managing partner

the next wave of cpa firm leaders is here, and millennials are already making the best of this role as leaders in smaller firms.

more: 44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners | partner compensation: a potent weapon | how long should it take to make partner? | the managing partner’s role in mergers | five ways to evaluate partners | manage partners with goal setting
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to understand and share the perspective of this up-and-coming group, we interviewed eight millennials who are relatively new to the position of managing partner.

revenue for the firms averaged $2.3 million, with two equity partners and a total fte headcount of 15. some of their views on the role of the managing partner were traditional, while others were somewhat unconventional. this group is pioneering some interesting changes because they are less restrained by historical approaches.
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featured

make your plans count: 1-2-3

graph with arrow going upwhat do you want to have happened six months afterward?

by kristen rampe

a well-planned retreat can have a real impact on your firm’s performance.

more: team expectations: a checklist for busy season | tax season savvy: five ways to stay sane | why host a partner retreat? | effective stay interviews for cpa firms | the 16 biggest #fails in delegation  | work-life balance: according to whom?  | new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover
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a $2.4 million client of ours who holds annual management retreats (sole practitioner, coo, and key managers) wrote with this news when reflecting on their year-over-year improvements:

you would love our stats…

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checklist

team expectations: a checklist for busy season

what do you think your staff knows about tax season? check again.

by kristen rampe

busy season is here. are you ready? is your team ready?

you might feel your team “should know” your expectations, but that’s not always the case.

more rampe: pandemic lesson: innovate faster | tax season savvy: five ways to stay sane | why host a partner retreat? | survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms | the 16 biggest #fails in delegation | survey: work-life balance: according to whom? | new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover |

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a client of ours once assumed a five-year staff they hired from a top 10 regional firm would know tax professionals work on saturdays from february – april. she chose not to show up for any of them in february.

while the managing partner stewed over this behavior, we realized three key factors were in play:

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featured

pandemic lesson: innovate faster

"opportunity just ahead" road sign in desertbe prepared to seize unexpected opportunities.

by kristen rampe
the rosenberg map survey

covid proved which firms were up to date on their technology and ability to manage via strong relationships and trust. it was fascinating (and occasionally tragic) to watch, and an eye opener for those on the less-prepared end.

more: remote work is more productive | covid-19 shakes up m&a activity | 2021: you’ll never see ‘normal’ again | we adapted to remote work … now what? | 2020’s disruptions are only the beginning
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most significant changes we noted:

  • cpas gained confidence in their ability to work remotely. it may not have been pretty, but they did it! some firm leaders even said they may never go back to their old commute.
  • increased consulting engagements. this was driven because it was forced on firms (e.g., ppp loan assistance). however, the fact that many firms were willing and able to charge clients (when appropriate) for this work demonstrated their ability to be in the game beyond compliance work.

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busy season management

tax season savvy: five ways to stay sane

why good boundaries make good workplaces.

by kristen rampe

after spending nearly 20 years with accountants (including myself!), i’ve come to recognize a common trait among our tribe. we’re a group of people who love saying “yes.”

more:  why host a partner retreat? |  survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms |  the 16 biggest #fails in delegation |  survey: work-life balance: according to whom? |  survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we say “yes” to clients, firm partners, our team members, family, friends, volunteer engagements and so on. people love us for it. i mean, when you think of qualities you look for in people you work with, willingness and reliability are right up at the top of the list.

but as you’re working tirelessly to meet the needs of everyone you encounter, how are your own needs being met?

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