The Rising Star

For ambitious career orientated young accounting professionals

The Rising Star Roundtable was designed to provide a speakeasy or a confidential environment for Rising Stars to get peer-level support, expert-level support and even let off a bit of steam about frustrations they may be facing in their employment, which is a much stronger option than issues remaining under the radar and risking a resignation.

In the Passport to Partnership Programme, we created 17 partners out of our intake of 45 when it was last measured. However, we are aware that the partnership model is not necessarily the future of 21st-century accountancy and therefore it is ‘leadership development’ we are focusing on in the USP community.

Whether the ambition of the individual is to become a partner, an owner, a director, an associate, a departmental head or whatever their ambition is, our design is to have a vehicle to accelerate that process for you and the firm you are part of.

For the young accounting professional who is ambitious and serious about their future career progression, and with the full support of the firms they work for, I am pleased to be able to offer Rising Star access to the resources made available to our participants in The Rising Star Roundtable. 


1. It's a Win for The Rising Star

Win number one is for the participating Rising Star. This demonstrates you, as the firm, are investing in The Rising Star's future, that you, the firm, are willing for them to put time into this project and that you see them as leadership material.


2. It's a Win for The Accounting Firm

The second win, therefore, is obviously for the firm, especially considering how difficult it is to recruit in the profession at this time. Most firms report they find it easy to recruit people but very hard to recruit quality people and given that these are quality people nominated to access The Rising Star resources or The Rising Star Roundtable programme, we are obviously bringing a benefit to the firm to avoid any unnecessary attrition from the headcount.


3. It's a Win for The Clients You Serve

Thirdly, it’s a win for the clients you serve. Much of the Rising Star content focuses its gaze on commercial awareness. (Having technically trained professionals act like business owners, deal creators and value creators.) We are looking to turn what are sometimes cost centres into profit centres.

This, of course, improves the perception in the marketplace of your firm and your people and therefore creates opportunities for a greater level of value to be delivered to those clients over time.

So it’s a 3-way win we are offering to all involved in The Rising Star.

What Rising Stars Say

Future Leader Outcomes

  • Brian Kuczinski, CPA, GCMA
    Audit Partner

    "I have participated in a leadership program led by Martin. The program bridges the expectations gap between those who strive to be in a leadership position and those who already are. His program has helped me to develop a roadmap to achieve my career goals and he has been a great sounding board with his ability to take challenging topics and break them down in a way to implement them in a clear and concise manner. I strongly believe he wants me to personally succeed."

  • Chad Tyrrell
    Ryans Tax Manager

    "I have had the pleasure of attending a 10 month Seminar with Martin through the PICPA, as well as a recent CPE conference. As accountants, we talk about assets and liabilities all of the time. Martin is an asset not just for the PICPA but for our profession as a whole. He gives guidance on ways to think outside the box as well as how to understand our firms on an internal basis. I am extremely grateful that our paths have crossed."

  • AJ Granito
    CPA for Medium-Sized Entities

    "I met Martin through his "Passport to Partnership" program. Martin managed to significantly alter the way I looked at the value we can provide to clients. He also provided insights as to how the CPA profession may need to evolve to better serve our customers given the changing technological environment and perceived commoditization of some of our services. I would recommend Martin's program to any CPA considering partnership or firm ownership opportunities in the future."

Meet Martin Bissett

Founder of The Bissett Group

Martin Bissett is the founder of the Bissett Group of companies that provide practice and personal growth communities, content, and continuing education exclusively to the accounting and bookkeeping professions worldwide.

Previously he established a high six-figure consulting firm while serving as a keynote speaker with over 100 one-off and repeat engagements to his name, as well as becoming the most published author on his topics of specialism with 11 books including 1 bestseller.

Since 1998, he has played a major part in working with over 1800 accounting firms in over 40 countries. These projects have led to those firms acquiring over £500m of recurring fees before inflationary increases, referrals and upselling are factored in. He stopped keeping track of this number over 5 years ago.

Martin now advises both accounting practitioners and FinTech companies alike, at board level.  

What's Included

Propel Your Ambition

  • 1

    The Rising Star: Part 1

    • Passport to Partnership Episode 1: Success

    • Partnership Principle: What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?

    • Rising Star Report: What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?

    • Rising Star Refresher: Cash is Not The Issue
  • 2

    The Rising Star: Part 2

    • Passport to Partnership Episode 2: An Introduction

    • Passport to Partnership: Competence

    • Partnership Principle: The Seven Cs - Competence

    • Rising Star Report: The Seven Cs - Competence
  • 3

    The Rising Star: Part 3

    • Partnership Principle: Do You Want to Survive or Thrive in 2021?

    • Partnership Principle: Do You Want to Survive or Thrive in 2021?