• About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Testimonials
  • Your Practice
    • Our Search Process
    • Hiring Tips
      • Fighting The Counter-Offer Battle
      • Candidates Think the Way You Hire Is the Way You Manage
      • Retention Starts the Day You Hire
      • Employers Are From Venus
    • BV Candidate Assessment
    • Business of Valuation Newsletter
  • Your Career
    • Career Opportunities
    • Career Strategies
    • Resume Tips
    • Your BV Career Newsletter
    • Quik Bites Videos
  • Webinars
  • Contact Us
    BV Staffing + Consulting BV Staffing + Consulting BV Staffing + Consulting
    • About Us
      • Our Staff
      • Testimonials
    • Your Practice
      • Our Search Process
      • Hiring Tips
        • Fighting The Counter-Offer Battle
        • Candidates Think the Way You Hire Is the Way You Manage
        • Retention Starts the Day You Hire
        • Employers Are From Venus
      • BV Candidate Assessment
      • Business of Valuation Newsletter
    • Your Career
      • Career Opportunities
      • Career Strategies
      • Resume Tips
      • Your BV Career Newsletter
      • Quik Bites Videos
    • Webinars
    • Contact Us

    The “Successor” Job: Transition to Ownership?

    Home » The “Successor” Job: Transition to Ownership?
    TAGS:
    advancement, career, growth, leadership, own a practice, ownership, run a practice

    John Borrowman, CPC
    Borrowman Baker LLC
    Gallatin, TN

    Stuck in the middle?  On the one hand, you spend so much time thinking about how you would run things if only you were in charge that you figure you might as well be running your own practice.  On the other, a variety of practical considerations mean you can’t just leave where you are and open your own shop the next day.

    There’s a different job you might want to consider.  It’s called “successor”.

    This route to having your own shop can make so much more sense. 

    Business valuation has been around long enough that practitioners in many markets around the country face the successorship issue.  You might represent their best opportunity to secure a little more value from the practice before it’s time to shut off the lights and lock the door for the last time.

    This isn’t as easy as applying for a new job, however.  Hooking up with someone whose practice you may one day run involves a symbiotic relationship.  Here are some points to keep in mind if you think you might be interested in going down this road.

    • Be prepared to pull your own weight.  You must be prepared to generate enough business from your own contacts that you can pretty much cover your own comp, even if it means lowering your expectations.  It’s true that you may add some production capacity which allows the current owner to bring in more work.  This isn’t likely to amount to very many chargeable hours, however, meaning that you’ll still need to be a revenue generator.  Only if one plus one equals two (or maybe more) will an owner be interested in you as a possible successor.
    • Be prepared to contribute to a plan for handing off clients.  Many sole practitioners have had their clients’ allegiance for so long they’ve forgotten what it will take to transfer that allegiance to a new owner.  Their success in doing that is critical to leaving behind a solid enterprise that will produce the extra income that makes the whole effort worthwhile.  Move past mere discussions and “lip service” to agreeing on specific goals and timelines.
    • Be prepared to roll up your sleeves.  You may be accustomed to a hierarchical organization where you can hand work off to junior staff.  Fuhgeddaboutit!  Chances are you’ll end up in a situation where if you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.  The stronger the admin and analytical support the practitioner has, the more you can thank your lucky stars.
    • Be prepared to tap some funding.  This is not an absolute, given the spectrum of financial arrangements that might be devised to transfer ownership.  Some owners might prefer to have an infusion of cash, either sooner or later.  Others might be willing to work with a salary “hold-back” that would accomplish much the same thing.  The greater your flexibility, the more options you give yourself.

    The “successor” job isn’t for everyone.  It could be just the ticket that allows you to transition from where you are to the owner’s shoes, however.

    Topics in This Issue

    Feedback: The Truth That (Sometimes) Hurts

    April 16, 2007
    Read More 0
       Non-compete Agreements: To Sign or Not to Sign

      Non-compete Agreements: To Sign or Not to Sign

      April 16, 2007
      Read More 0

        The “Successor” Job: Transition to Ownership?

        April 16, 2007
        Read More 0
          Click Here to Subscribe!
          JohnBorrowman-6776-3
          John Borrowman
          Follow @BVRecruiter

          Related Posts

          • Job Change Myths

            Changing jobs brings challenges you probably wouldn’t imagine. Many people operate with a head full…

          • Job Change? Maybe Not.

            Think carefully before you start down the road to a job change. If you can,…

          • Career Management. It’s Not About Your Job. It’s About Your Life.

            If you think about your career, it is not just one job or one role,…

          The “Successor” Job: Transition to Ownership?2007-04-162015-01-31/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/header-logo.svgBorrowman Baker, LLC/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/header-logo.svg200px200px
          • Borrowman Baker, LLC
          • 544 Ryan Ave. Gallatin, TN 37066
          • 615.230.4979
          • [email protected]
          BV Newsletter
          • 1st Quarter 2023 Introduction
            January 23, 2023
          • Your Least Qualified Candidate Can Be Your Best Hire
            Your Least Qualified Candidate Can Be Your Best Hire
            January 23, 2023
          • Why Don’t Candidates Believe Me?
            Why Don’t Candidates Believe Me?
            January 23, 2023
          • Protect Your Hiring Investment
            Protect Your Hiring Investment
            January 23, 2023
          • Rewarding Star Employees
            Rewarding Star Employees
            January 23, 2023
          YBVC Newsletter
          • 1st Quarter 2023 Introduction
            February 15, 2023
          • The Boss Won’t Manage Your Career
            The Boss Won’t Manage Your Career
            February 15, 2023
          • Everybody Walks Away from Something
            Everybody Walks Away from Something
            February 15, 2023
          • Practice Builder Playbook
            Practice Builder Playbook
            February 15, 2023
          • 4th Quarter 2022 Introduction
            November 14, 2022
          © Copyright , Borrowman Baker, LLC | Sitemap | Site Managed by Lemmtec