Franklin Alliance: A partner for firms thinking about what's next.
We work with over 1,000 tax and accounting firms. Most ask us about hosting, IT, and compliance. A growing number ask us a different question.
We don't recommend partners often.
Most platform builders chasing CPA firms are funded by exit-clock capital. Buy in year one. Flip in year four. The owner cashes out. The clients get repackaged. The team gets restructured. The firm name disappears.
Franklin Alliance is structured differently. They're an operating company, not a fund. Their parent, Main Street Legacy Partners, holds capital on the balance sheet. No LP exit timeline. No forced flip. They build firms over decades, not quarters.
That structural difference matters. It means the playbook is built for growth, not cost-cutting. It means the owner stays in control. It means the firm name, the team, and the client relationships stay intact long after the deal closes.
That's why we're comfortable putting them in front of you.
A third path between the PE flip and the big-CPA absorption.
Franklin Alliance is an operating platform for independent tax and accounting firms across the U.S. It is not a fund. It is not a roll-up. Owners partner with Franklin and get four things.
Capital
For growth, succession, recruiting, technology, and local M&A.
Shared services
Across partner firms, without merging them.
Two-way liquidity
For aging partners and next-gen leaders.
Platform-level upside
Valuation multiples shared across the network.
Owners keep the firm name. Owners keep operational control. Owners keep significant equity. The team stays. The clients stay. The culture stays.
Franklin is selective. Not every firm is a fit.
Here's what they look for.
Size
$1M to $10M in revenue. This band represents 97% of US CPA firms. Too small for institutional PE. Too established for individual buyers.
Ownership
Owner-led firms with strong client retention, a team that wants to stay, and a reputation built over years.
Timing
Owners thinking 5 to 15 years out. Next-gen leaders ready for equity. Aging partners ready for partial liquidity. Firms that need capital to scale without taking on debt.
Mindset
Owners who want a partner, not a buyer. Open to a playbook, not just a check. Comfortable retaining significant equity in exchange for platform upside.
Who Franklin isn't for
Owners looking for a fast exit. Owners ready to fully retire on day one. Firms looking to be absorbed into a larger brand. For those owners, traditional buyers are a better fit.
Four options when succession or growth pressure shows up.
Rarely look at firms under $10M, push hard on cost-cutting, and operate on a 3-to-5-year exit clock.
Offer brand value but typically dissolve the firm name, absorb operational control, and tie valuations to synergy targets.
Rarely have the capital to pay full fair value, often require the seller to carry a significant note, and can't deliver shared services or platform growth.
Sits in the gap. Fair price. No exit clock. Capital for growth. Shared services without absorption. Platform upside on a longer horizon.
If you want a side-by-side, Franklin's Comparison one-pager walks through valuation, deal flexibility, control, upside, and culture. We'll send it on request.
Ready to think about the next chapter?
If your firm is in the $1M to $10M revenue band and you've started thinking about succession, growth capital, or what your next chapter looks like, we'll connect you with Franklin.
No commission. No kickback. No pressure. The introduction is direct. The conversation is between you and Franklin.
Subject line: “Franklin intro.”
About Verito's partner program
We surface partners only when their model serves the firms we serve. Franklin Alliance is one of a small group. Other Verito partners include the BDO Alliance for enterprise CPA firms, AcoBloom for cosourcing, Filed.com for AI tax automation, and TaxProTalk for community.
Each partner is independent of Verito. Each operates in a different lane. Each has been vetted on the same standard: would we recommend this to a friend running a firm?
See all Verito partnersFranklin Alliance is an independent operating company. Verito Technologies is not affiliated with Franklin Alliance and receives no compensation for introductions. The decision to partner with Franklin is between the firm owner and Franklin Alliance.