Expertise
Incentive Compensation & Partner Compensation
Compensation and incentives tied to measurable KPIs so managers and partners pull in the same direction.
Overview
Compensation is the clearest statement a company makes about what it values. When it is designed by accident — a bonus that became an entitlement, partner draws set years ago, an equity promise made in a good week — it quietly pulls people away from what the business needs.
ChurchillTerry designs incentive and partner compensation that ties reward to results the business can measure and afford, and that owners and partners can explain to one another without discomfort.
Team
What we do
- Incentive plan design
- Bonus and incentive structures tied to measurable outcomes at the level the person can actually influence.
- Partner compensation
- Compensation, draw and distribution frameworks for multi-partner firms, including how new partners buy in.
- Equity and phantom equity
- Evaluating real equity, phantom equity and synthetic alternatives, and modelling what each costs over time.
- Distribution strategy
- Balancing owner distributions against working capital, debt service and reinvestment.
- Benchmarking and affordability
- Testing plans against market practice and against what the business can sustain in a weak year.
- Rollout
- Documentation, communication and the modelling that shows each participant how the plan pays out.
Engagement
Typical engagement models
- Plan design projectDesign, model and document a new plan for a defined group.
- Plan reviewAssess existing arrangements for alignment, affordability and unintended consequences.
- Retained supportOngoing administration support, annual recalibration and handling of new participants.
(Engagement scope, hours, and pricing are defined in the Statement of Work.)
Our approach
Our approach — three focused phases
- Phase 1
Understand the economics
Establish what the business earns, what it must retain and what is genuinely available to share.
- Phase 2
Design and model
Build the plan, then run it against good, base and poor years to see what it pays and what it costs.
- Phase 3
Document and communicate
Write it down plainly, brief the participants and set the review cycle.
Fit
Who this is for
- Companies whose bonuses have become an expectation disconnected from performance.
- Partnerships where compensation arguments recur every year.
- Owners who have promised equity informally and need a workable structure.
Client Success
Partner-Level Financial Guidance and Zero-Extension Tax Compliance for an Advertising Agency
As a mature multi-partner firm, Launch Agency's partners needed guidance at the partner level — not just bookkeeping — across the agency and each individual partner.
Learn moreFAQ
Here’s the Facts
- Should we give key people equity?
- Sometimes. Often a well-designed phantom or synthetic plan delivers the same retention without the governance and exit complications. We model both.
- Do you handle the tax treatment?
- We model the economics and coordinate with your tax advisor, who confirms treatment. ChurchillTerry is not a CPA firm.
- How often should plans be revisited?
- Annually as a health check, and whenever the ownership group, the strategy or the economics change materially.
Team
More Team services
- Leadership DevelopmentTailored coaching and capability programs that turn managers into leaders who run P&Ls and develop teams.
- Succession PlanningClear, executable succession roadmaps and transition plans that protect value and make ownership changes predictable.
- Executive Education / The MBA Mind®The MBA Mind® — graduate-level business education delivered to your leadership team, taught against your own numbers and decisions.
Contact Us
Get the Support You Need
Tell us where your company is in its lifecycle and what’s keeping you up at night. One of us will run point and come back with a clear plan.
Located in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
5068 W Plano Pkwy Ste 202
Plano, TX 75068
Located in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
5068 W Plano Pkwy Ste 202
Plano, TX 75068