Mergers, Acquisitions and Private Equity in Strategic Planning for Accounting Firms with Allan Koltin - Amplify S2E6

We are excited to launch the 2nd season of our newly rebranded Amplify podcast - powered by AAM!

In this episode, host Angie Grissom, Owner and Chief Relationship Officer of The Rainmaker Companies sits down with Allan Koltin, CEO of Koltin Consulting, to discuss how mergers, acquisitions and private equity should be considered in the strategic planning of accounting firms.

Allan's expertise and extensive experience are well known across the accounting industry. He helps firms with numerous services ranging from strategic planning to mergers and acquisitions. He has even been referred to as the Master Jedi in CPA firm consulting.

Tune in as Angie and Allan dive into the changes in the industry and what we should be considered as accounting firms plan for the future.

About Our Guest

Highly sought for his ability to engage and inspire audiences, Allan Koltin enjoys delivering keynote addresses at conferences throughout the professional services industry. His passion is facilitating retreats and providing coaching for firm leadership and partners. His specialties include strategy, governance, profitability, compensation, growth, human capital, succession, and mergers and acquisitions.

For twenty-one consecutive years, Allan has been named by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the accounting profession. For the past five years, he was recognized as one of the “10 Most Influential” in the profession and in 2021 he was ranked #5. Koltin was also voted one of the 10 Most Recommended Consultants for the nineteenth straight year in the “Annual Survey of Firms” conducted by INSIDE Public Accounting. For the past eight years, Allan has also been named by CPA Practice Advisor as one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders in the profession. In 2016 CPA Practice Advisor inducted Allan into the Accounting Hall of Fame. He was also one of the first to be inducted into the Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame by the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM). He has also been a recipient of the NACVA Instructor of the Year Award and winner of the Journal of Accountancy Literacy Award. Previously he was recognized by the Illinois CPA Society with the Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service and commitment to the profession.

A nationally recognized speaker and industry analyst, he has appeared on the CNN, WGN and Fox Television networks and has been quoted frequently in such media as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and New York Post, as well as Bloomberg News, BBC World Service, Business Week, Forbes and Reuters. He has also spoken nationally and internationally at hundreds of conferences including those held by the AICPA, international CPA associations and state CPA societies.

Previously, Allan was the President and CEO of PDI, Global, Inc. which was the largest publisher of marketing materials for professional services firms. Allan originally sold PDI Global to H&R Block in 1998, buying it back in 2008, and then selling it again to Thomson Reuters in 2011. Prior to that, Allan was a Partner in the Chicago-based accounting and consulting firm of FERS, where he served as the leader of the Investment Banking Group, as well as the Law Firm Consulting Group. At age 27, Allan had the distinction of being named the youngest partner in the history of the firm and was also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. FERS was acquired by H&R Block in 1998.

He is a founding member of The Advisory Board, a think tank for the accounting profession. For 20 years The Advisory Board has hosted the Winning Is Everything Conference. Allan has served on various advisory boards, including SS&G, Outsource Partners International (OPI), the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM), the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA), H&R Block (HRB Business Services) and ComplyGlobal.

Koltin is the author-editor of three books for professional services firms: CPA Firm Merger Strategies That Work, CPAs That Sell and the AICPA’s Marketing a Consulting Niche. He serves or has served on the editorial advisory boards of CPA Practice Management Forum, the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Today, Public Accounting Report and Law Firm Management.

Allan attended both the University of Wisconsin – Madison and the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and received degrees in accounting and marketing. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Sharon, his three children, Jack, Brian and Julia, and his two dogs, Bucky and Cody. His hobbies include travel, chess, and all sports.

About Your Host

Angie Grissom is Owner and Chief Relationship Officer of The Rainmaker Companies. Angie leads the firm in building major strategic alliances and national networks to advance professional services. Her role involves high-level strategy, thought leadership, consulting, and program and curriculum development. She transforms clients’ lives through innovation, goal setting, coaching, training, and accountability development.

Angie is a frequent speaker, writer, and contributor to the profession and is consistently recognized as one of the most influential people in the accounting industry.