Accountant's Flight Plan
Welcome to The Accountant's Flight Plan, where we guide you toward building a top-tier CPA firm that you would want to buy. With over 20 years of working with accountants in mergers and acquisitions, Brannon Poe, CPA delves into engaging and vital topics with industry leaders. Unpacking everything from transition planning and accounting practice sales to practice management and firm development, Brannon equips you with the tools you need to build the practice of your dreams. Whether you are navigating firm growth or exploring the nuances of succession planning, join us to learn actionable insights that will empower and inspire you to love your firm again.
Accountant's Flight Plan
The State of CPA Firm M&A: Private Equity, Timing & the Headline Offer Trap
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Private equity is flooding into accounting, but taking an offer because of the flashy number on the table isn’t always the best decision.
In this crossover episode with the Inside Public Accounting Podcast, Brannon Poe joins host Rob Brown to break down what’s really happening in CPA firm M&A right now. After attending a private equity conference at Harvard Business School, Brannon shares why this may be the most exciting—and chaotic—era he’s seen since entering the M&A space in 2003.
Accounting firms check every box private equity investors love: recurring revenue, fragmented ownership, under-optimized systems, and opportunity for scale. But while the market is strong and options are abundant, the real risk isn’t missing out—it’s moving too fast. Headline offers can be enticing, yet the fine print, cultural fit, leadership alignment, and long-term vision ultimately determine whether a deal becomes a win or a regret.
*In this episode, we cover:*
- Why private equity is so aggressively targeting CPA firms right now
- The danger of the “headline offer” and how earnouts can change the real math
- Why selling your firm is rarely just a financial decision
- How to think about opportunity cost and the value of your time
- What buyers actually want today (and why owner dependency kills value)
- The critical $2.5M–$5M growth stretch and why it’s so hard to scale there
- When acquisition creates “escape velocity” for smaller firms
- Why burnout might be telling you: “fix the firm,” not “sell the firm”
- The power of pruning your client base and focusing instead of being everything to everyone
- Why boundaries around time, pricing, and services are strategic rather than restrictive
The M&A market may be active, but urgency is not a strategy. Whether you’re considering a sale, exploring private equity, or simply trying to build a stronger, more valuable firm, this conversation offers clarity in a noisy environment. In a consolidating profession, the firms that win won’t be the ones chasing the biggest multiple—they’ll be the ones making disciplined decisions about timing, focus, and fit.
Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/
Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat.
*Download now and receive:*
- (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template
- (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template