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How to Gain an Edge in Practice Continuity and M&A Post-Tax Season

Ira Rosenbloom, Optimum Strategies -

Once you get billings caught up and refresh yourselves after tax season, spend time looking at the health of your firm and its future. Dream strategically to consider what your ideal practice would be. 

Here are some powerful actions for near- and long-term benefit whether you want to be stronger or want to merge:

1) Go deep with top 50 clients. Top firms earn a significant percentage of fees from their top clients. Contact your top 50 to better understand their priorities and current attitudes and debrief with your team over the next 60 days.

2) Evaluate your compensation system. Motivated team members are better committed to the future. Incentives and rewards should be in place for all levels. Team members who are more entrepreneurial and feel rewarded for success are good for business, especially if you are considering a merger,

3) Analyze infrastructure. Make sure teams are optimized. Professionals who don’t have direct client service responsibilities (e.g., administrative, IT, HR, Marketing) should be empowered to lift certain responsibilities off of those who need to focus more on clients. Refresh job descriptions if needed. Explore whether you need to build infrastructure and/or align with another firm.

4) Bolster market intelligence. Gather intelligence about fees, compensation, terms to be partner, and deal trends in your market and geography from credible sources. The better the intelligence you have, the better you will be able to capitalize on opportunities whether they be from M&A or otherwise.

5) Calibrate metrics. Identify performance metrics most indicative of profitability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Quantify where you want metric results to be 1, 2, and 3 years out—and project how to get there. 

All firms can do better. Assessing your conditions and being in action mode will allow you to optimize practice continuity, whether through modifying things to stay independent or by joining forces through a merger.

Ira Rosenbloom, CPA (inactive), The Merger & Succession Solver, helps CPA firms of $1 million to $20 million evaluate and complete M&A transactions and achieve their goals. For many firms, this starts with determining which side of the deal table they want to sit on—buyer or seller. As COE of Optimum Strategies, which he founded in 2010, Ira offers firm leaders objective and proven guidance, advising on matters of internal and external succession, optimizing competitive advantage, and improving performance and profitability metrics. Ira previously served as managing partner of a mid-sized regional accounting firm, practice director for a national firm, and as regional partner in a national CPA M&A advisory firm. Learn more.

More from Ira Rosenbloom: Metrics to Drive Better Tax Season Results and Improve M&A Options

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