We are trying something new this year and offering a few select bonus sessions for the ‘early birds’ or those looking for more content. Grab your breakfast early and then join us in either of these rooms for two bonus breakout sessions!

Mindset Shift for Propelling Your Firm
Michelle Walsh, Edelstein & Company LLP (CPA Member)
Are you ready to move your firm forward, but lost with where to start and what to do? This session is designed to introduce simple ways to shift your mindset and accelerate your firm. We will share past journeys with organizational transformation and outline a “Playbook for Success” that can be customized to fit a firm’s culture, goals, geography and tolerance for change. Whether you ultimately want to expand, elevate or just keep up in today’s market, there will be something here for you.

How to Grow to $10M through M&A
Joe Lerro, LerroSarbey (CPA Member)
The accounting industry is ever changing, and if anything is clear, the days of the sole proprietor are ending. The presenter in this session will talk to you in layman’s terms about how he grew his firm over four times in five years by revenue and headcount and how he expects to continue that trajectory! He will discuss typical deal terms when acquiring small firms as well as one firm’s process for getting sellers onboard, analyzing the deal, and getting to a stage of putting together an LOI.

Whether you are a managing partner, partner or aspiring partner, you’ll benefit from hearing the perspectives of a panel of managing partners representing larger CPA Alliance firms. We will discuss the results of an April 2024 survey related to MAP topics and hear from our panelists. This year’s Pulse session will continue to be interactive, and we will look for audience participation related to a variety of topics, including growth, capacity, succession planning, M&A and partner compensation.

Join us for an informative session that explores BDO EDGE, a high-powered, quality strategic capacity solution available exclusively to global BDO member firms and Alliance firms, designed to skyrocket your success. Learn how it can benefit your firm and address your specific capacity challenges. We’ll cover real-world success stories from firms who are already experiencing the advantages of BDO EDGE, share the implementation roadmap for an understanding of the simple steps to integrate BDO EDGE into your practice, and review the financial advantages of this cost-effective model and potential revenue growth opportunities. Learn how your firm can expand your capabilities, enhance your client service, and achieve your strategic goals with BDO EDGE.

Whether you are a managing partner, partner or aspiring partner, you’ll benefit from hearing the perspectives of a panel of managing partners representing medium and smaller-sized CPA Alliance firms. We will discuss the results of an April 2024 survey related to MAP topics and hear from our panelists. This year’s Pulse session will continue to be interactive, and we will look for audience participation related to a variety of topics, including growth, capacity, succession planning, M&A and partner compensation.

The deal train isn't showing any signs of slowing down, fueled by a myriad of modern-day pressures in public accounting. In this session, some of the top minds in the industry will share where we stand today, what they're seeing, and what you need to know before the final handshake.

This session provides participants with practical strategies to effectively navigate the challenges of leading change in a dynamic business environment. Through an exploration of common obstacles such as resistance, communication breakdowns, and lack of buy-in, attendees will gain valuable insights into fostering a culture of adaptability, crafting compelling change visions, and empowering change champions. By addressing employee concerns, promoting transparent communication, and learning from failures, participants are equipped to drive successful and sustainable change initiatives, ensuring organizational resilience and growth in the face of transformation.

It is never smart to fix something that is not broken, but what happens if you are not changing? A firm may be put into a position where they will have to adapt or likely die if they do not take action. What inflection points do you see coming? Is your concern succession or the decision to make foundational investments needed in technology, people and advisory services? Maybe the decision to take outside investment is on your mind. This session will explore how disruption may be an essential element to the success of your firm and your clients. Attendees will be challenged to step back and look at the future steps potentially needed for their firm and to understand the possible inflection points the firm and its clients are facing.

Our desire for “partnership” and collegiality often makes firms less likely to emphasize partner accountability. Yet, studies show great results are best supported by accountability. We shouldn’t assume this means more charge hours; it means clarity as to the firm's strategy. It means goals aligned with firm vision and strategy. It means understanding the proper intersection of culture and performance. It means leaders willing to make accountability a priority. Great firms do this well and, in this session, we'll explore how it is best done.

In the fall of 2023, BDO USA established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to provide its 10,000 employees a direct stake in the firm. “The younger generation wants a piece of what they are helping to build,” said Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA. This session will be led by BDO’s Chief Operating Officer Steve Ferrara, and Chief People Officer Cathy Moy, who will provide background on the “why” and “how” of BDO’s ESOP formation, as well as the anecdotal benefits to BDO’s recruiting and retention efforts. Blake Head, Managing Director of BDO Capital’s ESOP Services team, will address the broader ESOP marketplace for professional services firms.

This session will provide updated insights on the impact of private equity firms investing in CPA firms. Hear directly from several BDO Alliance members who have received PE funding, as well as from consultants who are involved in helping PE firms find candidates for investment.

People are a firm’s greatest assets, so employment law and HR issues have a direct link to the firm’s success. In this session, we will discuss the employment law issues that managing partners and other firm leaders need to understand to stay on the right side of the law; avoid inadvertent violations; get in front of potential claims; ensure that the right structure is in place to coordinate personnel-related matters; and effectively protect the firm’s clients, personnel and other business interests.

The conversation around M&A, private equity, firm capacity and growth are top of mind for modern accounting firms. But too often, shifting the conversation to be proactive on remaining independent is not brought to a firmwide, strategic level. Becoming (or remaining) a great firm requires three core pillars: leadership, succession planning, and partner alignment. Firm independence has never been more challenging in today's rapidly evolving and homogenizing business world. Join us as we talk about the importance of the three pillars along with seven boxes you will need to check as you navigate a path to staying independent.

In this session, Ron Baker will share insights on how to build a more valuable CPA and BRN firm by creating and nurturing relationships and maximizing lifetime customer value for the firm and its clients. It will include guidance on how to price your services to ensure alignment with the remarkable value being delivered to customers.

Five of the top ten risks cited as strategic imperatives by business executives were environmental in nature and three were social. As boards of directors and C-suite executives challenge leaders to integrate sustainability throughout the value chain, business transformation is occurring. It’s no longer only multi-national public companies who are engaged in ESG; microcap companies are now issuing sustainability reports and putting ESG governance practices into place. That means small and mid-sized firms need to be just as versed in ESG as large firms. This session will share lessons learned from studying how four sustainability-oriented organizations integrated their sustainability strategies across the organization and navigated the diverse, and oftentimes conflicting, expectations of internal and external stakeholders.

Modern firms need modern metrics. And those measurements should create accountability and stimulate response in specific pressure points within the firm, especially related to growth, people and clients. In this session, attendees will hear from leaders at a large, regional firm who have been working to define and track the KPIs that drive ROI. From sales to strategy, and operational improvement to organizational change, learn about the items on their scorecards and dashboards and hear how they are connected to the achievement of the firm’s larger objectives.