no cpe credit will be given for the retreat.

do not miss this unique opportunity!

special pro members-only savings

• solo firms: july 19-21 – $2,950 (pro member price: $2,360. save at least $590)

• 2-partner firms: august 2-4 – $4,150 (pro member price: $3,320. save at least $830) 

• 3-partner firms: august 16-18 – $4,950 (pro member price: $3,960. save at least $990)

add another team member for $800. (that’s only $640 for pro members. another $160 in savings!)

discounts applied at checkout. for pro member discount, login required. post-session add-ons sold separately.

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private. confidential. peer-to-peer.
and face-to-face with a master of practice management.

only three limited-participation programs.
exclusively for twelve single-owner firms, or ten two-partner firms, or eight three-partner firms.

follow-up coaching
– included in the price: get ed mendlowitz’s personal oversight after the first month – included in the base price.
– optional: then add five more months after that (from 2^nd to 6^th month). about a ½ hour a month call to each participant. (this can be decided on up to one month after the retreat.) single-owner practices, $1,000. two-owner practices, $2,000. three-owner practices, $3,000.

the value proposition & your takeaways

• identify the most critical issue confronting your practice and how to resolve it favorably.
• specific ways to make more money without doing more.
• delivering more in less time.
• compare how you are doing with your peers and identify specific areas that can be improved.
• you will interact with owners or partners with similar concerns and discuss how they deal with unsolvable problems.
• conduct a forced self-assessment under oversight conditions.
• participants will share their best successes and failures with ways to adopt what works and drop what doesn’t.
• ed will share with you his experiences as well as that of over 3,000 firms he has interacted with and will guide you toward making your life better
• you will get a glimpse into your future and can decide if it is what you want it to be.
• ways to make your practice more valuable and profitable.
• you will be dragged away from working in your practice – to transition into working on your business – without sacrificing client service or staff oversight.
• the four most critical issues of running your practice will be identified with solutions.
• you will leave empowered to change what you do not like about your practice and how to enhance and even “bottle” what you like.
• you will be energized by the resolve and direction that led you to own your accounting business.

the format & agenda 

the retreat will be directed at indicating how similar firms manage their practices, handle daily conflicts, and plan for the future.

the zoom format will provide a forum for discussion, questions, challenging conventional paths you might be on, and empowering you to better manage your practice. it will arm you with the tools for providing more relevant advisory services to your clients by projecting the benefits to your client’s businesses.

ed adds:

i firmly believe that the techniques we will use to examine your practice’s metrics and would supply ideas to enable you to generate added profits.

the retreat organizes and condenses high-impact successful actions that my partners and i have done and that i’ve seen from over three thousand practices into a very short period at a cost that is around 1% of your annual revenues.

contributing to your success at the retreat will be your full attention and participation, and thorough preparation by providing the requested information and completing the questionnaires. this program will change you and your practice. and it will show you how to make more money and service your clients better while working less and having more fun!

the retreats will not use cookie-cutter techniques but pragmatic mind-expanding techniques that you could adapt and adopt to run your business better.

this retreat is not for accountants that are in an accounting practice, but for business people who are in the accounting business.

there will be three limited-participation programs, open only to twelve solo practitioners, or ten two-partner firms, or eight three-partner firms.

do not miss this unique opportunity.

a note on fees and scope of service

retreats will not be done in the zoom format for firms with more than 3 partners. the objective is to assemble a group of similar size firms with similar types of issues, and the number of participants and size of the practices should accomplish that.

additional charge: ed mendlowitz oversight after the first month (which is already included in price), for five months thereafter (from 2^nd to 6^th month). about a half-hour-a-month phone call with each participant. this can be decided on up to one month after the retreat.

• • for single-owner practices, $1,000. for two-owner practices, $2,000. for three-owner practices, $3,000.

the work plan

three consecutive days (monday, tuesday, and wednesday), 4 hours a day 8 am to noon with two 15 minute breaks = 3½ hours of meetings.

the preliminary call will be made about two weeks before the retreat to each participant, and a follow-up call after about a month. the preliminary call is to get a sense of the participants’ issues so ed can prepare a tentative agenda to get the retreat started. but it will definitely be changed based on issues that develop during the retreat.  the follow-up call will check to see if participants are on track with what they said they would be doing, and to answer any questions they might have.

the participants will be provided with the choice to not have their data confidential.  this would only be done if every participant agrees to this.

ed adds: i believe this would add value to the retreat. if everyone doesn’t agree, then the data will be kept strictly confidential. 

each firm will provide its data and numbers two weeks before the retreat starts. everything will be kept completely confidential and no firm will be identified. to participate a firm must provide its p&l information, but it doesn’t need to provide everything requested.  ed will provide a form.

each participant will be requested to complete a very detailed questionnaire that should take about three hours to complete if done diligently.  the more preparation that is done, the more the participant will get out of this program, and the greater the focus would be on their issues.

ed adds: you will be spending 12 hours at the retreat and spending these three hours on your own as well as the preparation time to provide the requested information and the time on the pre retreat call.

participants will get multiple benefits and value from this unique practice growth retreat, which only someone with ed’s experience could provide.  note that not every issue or problem will be covered in the retreat.

the purpose of the retreat will be for the participants to develop a plan and get insights on how to:

• make more money.
• service clients better.
• work less.
• have more fun.
• and build a more valuable practice.

issues that will not focus on those purposes will not be covered.

the schedule

day 1

we will discuss the importance, meaning, and significance of the data provided; and the use of the realization numbers, and how this information can be used in managing staff and client services. 

firms without time records will be asked to explain how they evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and performance.  the numbers and discussion points will be used to project forward 5 years to get a reasonable and workable model. participants should be able to use the model from the retreat to prepare their own projection.

identifying data and names can be redacted. the group will review and analyze the participating firm’s numbers. the information requested will include the p&l for the past five years, and b/s for the last 2 years, time & billing summaries for the last full year, 5 largest clients each of last five years, the total number of tax returns (all types) and how many were extended? staff list and how long with firm and salaries. how they met the last two people they hired. billing rates per staff person and hours worked last year and cost of benefits and days off permitted.

all data will be aggregated on spreadsheets.  each firm’s numbers will be shown without identification with a total without outliers
(ed will determine if there is an outlier.)

day 2

an initial discussion will try to identify major issues confronting the participant firms that would put on the agenda for today. one-half to 1 hour.

you would spend ½ hour to 1 hour on each of 3 to 5 issues.  some examples: staffing, succession planning and exit strategies, owners or partners compensation, profitability, new product development or innovation, client accounting services, wealth management, client service, clients outgrowing their accountant and how to recognize and stop that from occurring, what to do about unprofitable clients, family trees of clients, pricing strategies and methods, technology and virtual work, backup strategy, risk management, keeping current, partners stagnating, not having fun, partner or practice lethargy or lack of excitement and managing partner role.

ed adds: some of these issues could consume a couple of days, but we will try to focus on covering the most critical issues that will affect the participant’s practice growth and touch on them briefly with the purpose of your using what we discussed to develop an agenda for the firm’s development.

day 3

review the five-year projection modeled on day 1 and refine the model.

examine the direction your firm is headed in and whether it indicates stagnation, reasonable or accelerated growth.  note that not everyone wants to grow but some desire to maintain their firm as is or on the trajectory path it is on. this will also be considered.
ed adds: i was like this when i left two practices and will share some of my experiences in this.

• • composition of practice in 5 years.
  • services that will be offered in five years.
  • a discussion of whether today’s largest clients still be with your practice in five years.
  • 10 consulting services you can start selling tomorrow, and how to market and charge for them, with detailed “how to do it” checklists.
  • last hour: recap of takeaways and conclusions and assignment of responsibilities with a timetable and person in each firm overseeing performance. will also cover how solos can provide oversight on themselves.

the end result of the retreat will be:
you will have a plan on how to make more money, service clients better, work less, and have more fun.
plus: you’ll have a more valuable practice.

application required

after signing up, participants will be required to provide the following information for acceptance into the program

if information is not available, that’s ok, just state that. also do not read anything or draw any conclusions about the importance or validity of any of this information.  what you have, and do not have, will help in the preparations, and these questions are designed to provide participants with as much information that could be provided in a relatively short time with as little added bother to you as necessary.

incomplete or rejected applications will be provided a full refund,

of course, all information provided will be kept completely confidential.

1. preliminary information

• contact person
• firm name
• address
• city, state, zip
• direct phone
• email
• firm website url
• for each person participating in retreat:
  • name and title
  • direct phone
  • email

2. general metrics

• gross revenues last year
• # partners
• # accounting staff and paraprofessionals
• # admin and others
• # staff that started with the firm
• fees collected from your largest client in the past 12 months
• what percentage of your fees are priced based on:
• time charges
• fixed fees
• bundled fees
• negotiated fees before an engagement starts
• negotiated fees when an assignment is completed
• competitive bids
• other
• if the firm was peer or quality reviewed, please provide a copy of the last report and attachments.

 3. specific metrics

• profit and loss summary for last 6 calendar years and 6 months of 2021 if significant differences from the prior year including the following:
  • sales – cash or accrual basis – however, you keep track of it
  • total payroll and all benefits
  • partners’ aggregate profits
• total chargeable and nonchargeable hours for each of the last 6 years
• chargeable and nonchargeable hours for each person for the last calendar year
• schedule of fees and chargeable time for each client group
• schedule of fees and chargeable time from each industry client is in (or if not available then for the top five industries clients are in)
• schedule of fees and chargeable time by services performed for your clients (or if not available then for the top five services your firm performs) examples of services are audits, reviews and compilations, tax services, valuations, consulting, bookkeeping services, payroll preparation
• if available, total fees billed or collected for each client compared with that client’s chargeable hours multiplied by the billing rates for each person working on that client (comment: total fees billed or collected ÷ total time charges = realization. this is a very important metric.  try to combine client groups and all their entities together.  the grouping includes every business entity and individual return with common ownership.
• if the firm offers asset management services
  • describe how it is administered
  • amount of assets under management at the end of each of last six years
  • commissions or referral fee collected in last year
• a listing of all current staff, how long with firm, and approximate total years working in public accounting, including partners and their current billing rates. staff names can be replaced with a letter or number
• current status of last two people hired by the firm and if no longer with the firm how long they were with you and where they went when they left; and how they were recruited
• balance sheet as at the end of your last two calendar or fiscal years
• accounts receivable aged schedule at end of each of the last 6 years
• work in progress summary for most current data that is available
• descriptions of the last five business or organization clients, or major project engagements, you received. include referral source, gross fees, and nature of the client or engagement
• do you classify clients by “desirability” categories such as a. b or c clients
• how does your staff get their cpe, e.g. in house cpe, society programs, self-study, webinars
• if you have a 1- or 5-year business projection, please provide
• organization chart, if available
• how often do you have partner meetings out of your office or in a conference room in your office that does not permit interruptions, if any?
• please provide, if available, the firm numbers, statistics, and/or kpis that are given or made available to the partners each month, or more frequently. if not done then state that nothing is provided
• how much of the practice’s revenue growth in the last calendar or fiscal year has been from acquired clients, new clients, and from existing clients, if available
• if you purchased a practice or any clients and payments are being made, please provide a copy of the contract and identify the payments made in the last full year.
• what percentage of revenues from the acquired practice has been retained on an annualized basis on the one-year anniversary?
• how are staff scheduled and by whom?
• if staff sign employment agreements, provide a copy
• date of the present buy-sell agreement, or if a solo, your practice continuation agreement
• what practice management software you use
• who is the primary go-to person when there are software or it problems
• who is the firm’s primary outside it consultant, if any
• name and position of the person that does the firm’s billing
• what are the firm tax season overtime policies, including when tax season starts, minimum hours, payment for overtime, and days off if permitted
• if a tax season bonus is paid, how is it determined and when is it paid?

ed adds: the more you provide, the better prepared i will be.  if you do not have something, do not prepare it specifically for the retreat.  if you do not want to provide something, then don’t.  you can redact the names of clients and staff if you wish.

4. partner or owner questionnaire

• are you happy with where your practice is today?
• if not, then identify what you are not happy with and suggest how you would change it so you would be happy.
• do your partners agree with you or are you the only one not happy with something? if you are the only one, that is a different issue than would be covered in a strategic planning meeting and should be worked on separately.
• where would you like your firm to be in five years?
• what would you change or do to get to where you would like to be in five years?
• will you have the infrastructure necessary for your firm in five years, and how and when would you start developing that?
• do you really want to be where you said you wanted your firm to be in five years?
• do your partners agree with you?
• if no, identify the differences and see if you can agree on where you all want the practice to be.
• are you happy with what you are doing today?
• if there were no constraints or money issues, what would you prefer to be doing in five years, and would you want to be doing it with your present partners?
• are there any services you would like to start working on yourself that you are not doing?
• are there any services you would like your practice to start doing?
• how do you feel you have grown in the last five years and are you reasonably satisfied with this growth?
• have you acquired any new skills in the past five years?
• do you feel you would have liked to acquire or needed to acquire any new skills in the past five years?
• what follow-up do you have with business clients after you’ve provided the deliverable (e.g. tax return, audit, review, or other financial reports, valuation, opinion letter) you were engaged for?
• how many times a year do you initiate a call to your typical business client?
• how many times a year do you initiate a call to your typical 1040 client?
• how many added services or engagements have you received in last year based on the calls you initiated to clients?
• who has been your #1 referrer of new business during the past 3 years?
• how do you reciprocate to your #1 referrer?
• how do you reciprocate to your referrers of new business?
• what staff people or people would you want to retain, no matter what?
• where do you see that staff person positioned five years from now?
• if you were just being hired by this firm, what would you expect to be doing the first week and how would you want to be integrated into the firm’s culture? and advise if this is presently being done
• can you describe your firm’s culture?
• do you feel you have too few or too many meetings with your staff and partners, or is it just right.
• who do you usually have lunch with?
• for a typical month (of 20 days) how many times do you have lunch with the following?
  • we are working virtual and eat lunch at home. (if so, then respond to the following based on the year preceding the pandemic, i.e. 2019)
  • with a partner
  • with a staff person
  • with an admin person
  • with a client
  • with a prospect
  • with a referral source
  • with a vendor
  • alone at my desk
  • alone in a restaurant
  • other
• what practice management courses or webinars have you taken in the last two years?
• …and did you go alone or with a partner of someone else, and if so, who?
• what practice or business management or leadership books have you read in the last two years?
• have you ever read any of my books?
• do you read accounting today web edition or other daily e-letters at least twice a week?
• do you have a five-year growth plan for yourself?
• how have you grown professionally during the past five years?
• are you satisfied with that growth?
• do you feel you are using your time in the most beneficial manner you can?
• if no, please define what you are doing that you feel you should not be doing…
• …and what are you not doing that you feel you should be doing.
• do you feel you are charging your clients the appropriate fees?
• do you feel your compensation is adequate, good or great or should be better
• what do you feel is the primary reason a client would want to use you…
• …and your firm (if different from the previous response)?
• what are the 4 or 5 most critical issues facing your firm?
• what is the single most thing you would change from your practice if you could?
• what would you like to take away from this retreat?
• how do you expect to benefit from this retreat?

5. also, please provide your suggested questions.
these will provide information on organizing the retreat.

• questions you would like answered
• items you would like to lead a discussion in

your session leader:
ed mendlowitz

edward mendlowitz, cpa, is an emeritus partner at withumsmith+brown, pc, and is one of accounting today’s 100 most influential people.  ed is the author of 29 books and has written over 1500 articles and blogs and developed and presented over 350 professional speeches, cpe programs, and webinars. ed won the lawler award for the best article in 2001 in the journal of accountancy, the eddie award in 2018 from folio magazine for his art of accounting series in accounting today, and the 2019 innovation in accounting history education award by the american accounting association’s accounting historians section.  his practice management techniques are posted weekly at www.g005e.com, accountingtoday.com and have been reported on in the wall street journal, the journal of accountancy, and many other publications.  his twice a week blog is posted at www.withum.com/partners-network-blog

ed is accredited as a personal financial specialist, in business valuations, and in financial forensics by the aicpa; is admitted to practice and has argued cases before the united states tax court; testified twice before the house ways and means committee on tax reform, fairness and equity; is a professor in the fairleigh dickinson university mba program; is on the editorial board of quickreadbuzz blog, the co-editor of the cpa journal’s personal financial planning column, and has been on the bottom line / personal panel of experts for taxes since the publication’s inception and was the author of their tax blog.  ed has also been a team captain and conducted quality and peer reviews of cpa practices.  in 2017 ed was inducted into the estate planning hall of fame and in 2018 he was awarded the nj society of cpa’s distinguished service medallion.

ed’s brief professional history. you can see that his experience is unique, varied, exciting and his experiences will be used to guide the retreat and facilitate directed discussions that will yield strong value-laden actionable results for the participants, some of which could be implemented immediately if you wish to.

• jun 1963 started the first job
• aug 1963 fired from 1^st job (after 7 weeks)
• sep 1963 got a new job and quit. many years later when the senior partner passed away, the remaining partner offered me a partnership with him.
• jan 1965 worked at another firm and quit
• feb 1966 worked at a firm and firm split up after 2 years and continued with one of the partners until leaving to start his own practice. while at his  “new” job with the partner he went with, he trained and managed the 6 staff that he hired
• july 1969 started my own practice with clients from moonlighting (and one of my boss’ clients with his blessing. he also offered ed a partnership arrangement when he gave notice.)
• aug 1970 merged into a 2 partner practice to become the audit partner
• jan 1974 left with one of the partners to form siegel mendlowitz & rich. ed became the tax partner and paul rich joined as audit partner. sy siegel became a full-time salesperson almost from day 1. in 1981 the wall street journal published an article describing their growth and success. left june 1988 when the firm had 3 partners and 50 total people including a firm administrator. they did not buy any practices or clients. when ed started, his wife typed the invoices at his home and ed typed the financial statements late into the night to deliver them in the morning. in 1980, under ed’s direction, they purchased three word-processors and two printers (one with a 6-foot carriage) for $50,000 for their typists. he also had his own secretary. he bought a portable pc for himself in 1982 and introduced pcs in 1984 for the staff and foresaw the day when each staff person would have their own pc to take with them when they went to clients. in 1980 they hired a tax manager to “replace” ed so he could move into other areas that clients needed.
• jul 1988 started mendlowitzweitsen with peter. when they merged with withum they were 3 partners with 14 total people including a full-time marketing person and 8 accountants. everyone working for us (all 11 people) started their careers with us. they trained everyone. during this period they hired a full-time salesperson who worked for us from dec. 1963 to mid-1965, they were the largest quickbooks consultants in new jersey, they had public clients and their billing rates were 20% higher than the withum rates when they merged with them, and they bought a number of practices and stared the partners’ network which included free pre-tax season cpe programs attended by 150 colleagues. peter and ed, and later frank, attended the annual aicpa practitioners’ symposium, as well as many other national conferences (ed spoke at a number of them, leading to the aicpa publishing 3 of his books (with one having three editions) and winning the award for the best journal of accountancy article in 2001 which was about his firm’s growth and the excitement they created.
• jan 2005 merged into withum and it could not have gone better. all three of us are still at withum. they also saw withum’s change from an office-centric firm to a niche and specialty service-based firm and withum’s five-fold growth. withum is a top 25 firm with over 1250 people. btw, ed still has one of the public clients they had before the merger and quite a few clients they purchased and those their salesman brought in.
• for the last 30 years, ed has received 30 to 40 calls a month from colleagues primarily about practice management issues they have. some have been about technical issues which he directs to the right person at his firm to respond to.

this will be a very intense program that condenses thousands of hours of experience into a very short period intended to provide maximum value and benefits.

this is not a program for those who are not serious, or who are unwilling to devote the preparation time.

for questions and additional details,
ed can be reached at emendlowitz@withum.com, tel: (732) 743-4582.