July Leadership Forum
Vol. 3 No. 7, July 2011
The Leadership Forum is a panel of the most prominent thought leaders in the profession. Each month we ask them to respond to a question dealing with CPA firm management and leadership.
This month's question is: At what stage should a firm move to the "one firm" model? What does it take to do so?
Consultants and Other Prominent Observers
| August Aquila | Aquila Global Advisor Group, LLC | www.aquilaadvisors.com [email protected] |
Firms should move to the one firm model starting on day one. The basic ingredients of the one firm model are:
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| Steve Erickson | National Consultant to CPA Firms | http://www.steveericksonllc.com [email protected] |
| A firm should move to the one firm concept just as soon as they have 2 or more partners with differing specialties. It is most difficult to be good at everything in these times with ever changing laws and regulations and standards overload. Partners should be encouraged to do what they do best rather than performing services where they are not qualified. In this way everyone will make more money with less risk. | ||
| Rita Keller | Keller Advisors, LLC | www.ritakeller.com [email protected] |
| I believe in the "one firm" model, however, I realistically think that firms with 2 or more partners have 2 choices: Silo model or One Firm model... More | ||
| Paul Rich | Rothstein, Kass and Company | www.rkco.com [email protected] |
| ... if your goal is to be a “firm” (rather than sole practitioners) with the potential for significant growth, maximization of revenue and profits, the “one firm” model should start upon the commencement of business operations... More | ||
| Marc Rosenberg | The Rosenberg Associates | www.rosenbergassoc.com [email protected] |
| To me, a one-firm concept means: 1. Everyone buys into a common vision... More | ||
| Joel Sinkin | Accounting Transition Advisors | www.transitionadvisors.com [email protected] |
| We have seen 2 partner firms that operate under the one firm concept. It isn't a size issue. It is a cultural issue... More | ||
| Douglas H. Thompson | CPA Choice, LLC | www.cpamerica.org [email protected] |
| The firm should move to a "one firm model" when it is started as a "one partner" practice. Needless to say, and in spite of what some consultants are advocating, all partners are not equal... More | ||
| Sandra Wiley | Boomer Consulting, Inc. | www.boomer.com [email protected] |
| The one firm model speaks to a firm being about the success of the firm not the owners... More | ||
| Jennifer Wilson | ConvergenceCoaching LLC | www.convergencecoaching.com [email protected] |
| ...Doing so takes trust in each other, submission to chosen leadership, clearly understood governance and decision making and the willingness to put one's self interest aside for the betterment of the greater good at times... More | ||
Firm Leaders
| Bob Knight | Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLLC | |
| Ideally, a "one firm" model would start with the admission of the second partner. | ||