Playbook

Operating playbooks for accountants who run or want to run accounting firms. Real economics, real timelines, real partner-track math.

What you get here

  • Starting a CPA firm: licensing, capitalization, first-year cash flow math
  • Building a tax practice: client acquisition cost, retention, fee structure
  • Scaling an audit shop: peer review, leverage ratios, senior to staff ratios
  • Partner-track economics: capital buy-in, distribution waterfalls, succession
  • Selling a CPA firm: multiples, deal structures, earnouts, escrow periods

Why this pillar exists

The trade press for accountants is dominated by content that is either too high level (lifestyle pieces about firm culture) or too narrow (vendor demos disguised as case studies). What is missing is the operating layer: the financial mechanics of running a practice, the leverage math that determines whether you can take on another client, the hiring decisions that compound for a decade.

The Playbook pillar covers that layer. Every article is written by or with a CPA who has actually done the thing.

The PE consolidation wave

One of the most significant changes in the accounting profession in the past five years is the entry of private equity into the CPA firm space. EisnerAmper sold a majority stake to TowerBrook in 2021. Citrin Cooperman recapitalized with New Mountain Capital. PKF O’Connor Davies recapitalized with Investcorp and Public Sector Pension Investment Board. Aprio took growth investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners. Baker Tilly merged with Moss Adams in a Hellman & Friedman transaction.

What does that mean for a partner at a mid-sized firm? What does it mean for a sole practitioner thinking about succession? The Playbook pillar covers the operating questions PE consolidation forces on every partner who has not yet sold.

What we will not publish

We will not publish “10 tips for tax season” listicles. We will not publish content commissioned by software vendors. We will not publish anything labeled as a case study that is actually a sales document for whoever paid for it.

Bottom line

If you run an accounting firm or want to, the Playbook pillar is where the operating economics live. Specific dollar examples. Real timelines. Cited sources.