forecast

firms come to understand success must be organized and leader-driven.

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by gale crosley
crosley co.

analysis

firms are realizing that growth is a more sophisticated game, and we are never going back to the “hang out your shingle” days. succession issues are playing a major part in motivating firms to take a hard look at how they are going to grapple with sustainable growth.

when the business world was somewhat predictable, growth could be counted on. but there are too many complexities today to count on the past as a predictor of the future. globalization, social media, innovation, regulation, competition — these are just some of the dynamics at play. the way business was generated by our seasoned partners will be quite different from our future leaders. this awareness is becoming more acute as sluggish economic conditions continue. read more →

as one generation ages out, a new one reshapes the future of the profession.

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by stephen weinstein

analysis

we’re experiencing a hiring shortfall — the supply of people to hire has dried up quickly. the reprieve in the recruiting market from 2008 to 2013 is over! read more →

on new leaders, staffing, ex-partners, and four new predictions.

by rita keller
ritakeller.com

analysis

women — the area of retaining and promoting females in public accounting continues to be a big challenge for many firms.

i like to compare it to life, in general. men always have been and continue to be puzzled by women. in the business world, there have been many great books written to help women better fit into the game of business. the much talked about book “lean in” by sheryl sandberg (coo of facebook) is an example. the biggest challenge in public accounting is getting women and men to read such books. read more →

as one generation ages out, a new one reshapes the future of the profession.

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by tim michel
michel consulting group

analysis

firm growth has improved overall from the last several years and firms are increasing profitability again. but firms are dealing with several major issues, some brought about from the recession, and some brought about from their internal circumstances.

the recession caused many firms to cut back on staffing and hiring. their partners and managers recorded more charge hours as they felt they needed to be more productive and often did not have the staff to delegate to.

in the last year, many firms are flnding they do not have the staffing model they need to continue to grow. it seems every firm is looking for that three- to five-year person, especially in the tax area. read more →

passion. succession. growth.

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by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

analysis

the biggest issues that i am seeing revolve around partner engagement (commitment), succession issues and growth. the economy has been pretty much in a no-growth environment the last 12 months.

markets are becoming saturated by the national and super-regional firms. many secondary markets now have five or more of these players going after the same clients. the result is that this competition drives down fees and we are training clients to constantly go out for bids.

outlook

i personally don’t see a lot of change in the economy in the near future. succession, growth, commitment will continue to be major issues for a lot of small to mid-size firms.

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next-gen leapfrogging. aggressive pricing. widening gaps.

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by jeff pawlow
the growth partnership

analysis

the demographic tsunami is upon us with firms finally being forced to face what the successor generation is going to look like. loyal technicians are next in terms of tenure, but i see many next-gen practitioners leapfrogging these long-term managers / non-equity partners and landing in key firm leadership roles instead.

opinions are mixed when it comes to the overall economic outlook. the recession may be falling behind us but main street doesn’t seem to have recovered as quickly or as deeply as in the past. as a result, we continue to see very aggressive pricing in the market, which is placing pressure on some long-held client relationships.

outlook

anecdotally, we see the business development and leadership development areas of our practice growing, which suggests a deeper level of engagement by most firms in these areas going forward into 2014. read more →

mandatory retirements.

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by allan koltin
koltin consulting group

analysis

first — people, people, people. i believe the white gloves have officially come off when it comes to recruiting talent from other firms in our industry. i’m seeing much more sophisticated strategies in terms of how firms target talent and, more precisely, go after that talent. read more →

not so sure, however, about their clients or the rest of the u.s.
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tax and accounting professionals are entering 2013 with deep concerns about the u.s. economy, but are more confident about their abilities to survive and thrive nonetheless, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 poll.

the poll compares the industry’s confidence levels for the economic outlook in four areas: themselves and their families, their firms or organizations, their clients and customers, and for the nation in general. the discrepancies are sometimes jarring – and their remarks reveal much about the industry’s psyche, as well as some business strategy. read more →