• What are political mistakes? And, can they really wreck my career?

    What are political mistakes? And, can they really wreck my career?

    In our last three blog posts (part 1, part 2, part 3) we have been looking at ways to navigate and survive the firm’s politics. In this blog post we will look at what we mean by political mistakes. Firstly, let us remind ourselves about what we mean by being politically savvy: (definition is taken…

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  • 9 questions to help you assess how well you fit in your firm

    9 questions to help you assess how well you fit in your firm

    In yesterday’s blog post, we talked about the importance of ‘fit’ between your personal values and your firm’s culture and values. Here are 9 questions which will help you honestly assess how good a match there is between you and your firm: How would you describe your firm’s culture, both written and unwritten? How well…

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  • Why every successful potential partner needs to identify their firm’s values fast

    Why every successful potential partner needs to identify their firm’s values fast

    I was talking to a highly respected and long-serving partner from a top twenty accountancy practice a few weeks ago. It was with great sadness that he told me that the firm’s values seemed to have changed for the worst, and they no longer matched with his. At this point, I knew that he was…

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  • 5 ways to build your profile without physically being there – Part 2

    5 ways to build your profile without physically being there – Part 2

    This is part 2 in a blog series about how to build your profile without physically being there. In part 1 we looked at the importance of prioritizing who you will meet and which events you will attend. We also examined how social networking allows you to build your profile without leaving your desk, or…

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  • 5 ways to build your profile without physically being there – Part 1

    5 ways to build your profile without physically being there – Part 1

    When I started my own business I had a 20 month old and a 3 year old. My decision to be my own boss had been preceded being made redundant, whilst the global economy crashed. Yes, that was three years ago. As my business was started in haste, I didn’t have the luxury of pots…

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  • Make partner and still have a life – It’s a choice

    Make partner and still have a life – It’s a choice

    I was having a conversation today about the whole ‘how to make partner and still have a life’ proposition. In the conversation we explored our reactions to an e-mail I had received from one of my network, which contained the damning and immensely sad lines: I don’t think my firm would approve of me wanting…

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  • 27 reasons why you may have lost your career mojo

    27 reasons why you may have lost your career mojo

    In yesterday’s post we looked at ways to identify if you are lacking in career ambition. In today’s post we look at the many reasons why you may have lost your career ambition: 1. Bored 2. Don’t trust your firm 3. Don’t trust your partner 4. Don’t trust your mentor 5. Don’t trust your counseling/line/staff/appraising…

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  • How is my firm normally funded?

    How is my firm normally funded?

    Most professional partnerships are not limited companies, but are owned solely by the partners within the company. If you want to be admitted to the partnership you will typically be asked to cough up a capital sum, to qualify for a slice of the firm’s equity. This capital injection could be as little as £30k…

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  • What financial terms do I need to be familiar with if I am going to be a partner?

    What financial terms do I need to be familiar with if I am going to be a partner?

    What many potential partners forget is that becoming a partner is also taking a step up and owning a slice of the business. As every business owner knows, you don’t need to be an accountant to manage the finances of your business carefully, but you do need to be familiar with the financial KPIs which…

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