Try balancing playing cards on their edges and building upwards. With enough patience, you can create something that...
Business Strategy Articles
Are you accidentally running a wantrapreneur practice?
The term *wantrapreneur* is usually credited to Noah Kagan. It describes someone who loves the idea of running a...
There’s one question every sole practitioner accountant should regularly ask themselves
The first time I told the following true story to a friend, I realised it had profound implications for many sole practitioner accountants. Long ago, in a firm far away.... Shortly after I was promoted to a manager role at Touche Ross (now Deloitte), I was sent on...
How do you decide which opportunities to pursue?
I'm referring here specifically to, what I call, Unplanned Fanciful Opportunities (UFOs). Those tempting ideas that appear unexpectedly and seem as though they might solve a problem, unlock growth or open a new door. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they are simply an...
Stop copying other accountants without thinking first
Are you ever tempted to follow the apparent example of other accountants you see online or meet at events? There is nothing inherently wrong with learning from another practice. The problem begins when observation turns into imitation without first considering...
AI won’t shake hands: The new client loyalty playbook
Listening to some commentators, you could be forgiven for thinking that the future of every accounting practice depends entirely on how quickly you adopt artificial intelligence (AI). Software vendors, consultants and AI advocates all seem keen to tell us what...
Ten lessons sole practitioner accountants tell me they learned too late
After hundreds of conversations with sole practitioners over the years, I've noticed something unexpected about the mistakes they admit to having made. I'm thinking specifically about the accountants who guest on my podcast. My co-host and I always ask them to...
How sole practitioners can regain control of their working week
When was the last time you stopped to think about how you are investing your time in your practice? It may sound like an odd question, but I think it matters more than many accountants realise. Most accountants focus their attention on how many clients they have,...
The real reason many sole practitioners feel overwhelmed
Many sole practitioner accountants think they're overwhelmed because they have too much work. Sometimes that's true. I know that there are absolutely some times when an accountants' workload is genuinely excessive and the only sensible response is to find ways to...
What happens when clients don’t see their accountant as a business adviser
For years now, accountants have been encouraged to “move into advisory”. It’s become one of those phrases that is repeated so often it risks losing meaning. And yet, many sole practitioners, especially, continue to resist it. Some genuinely believe that NONE of...
When and how to increase your fees without overthinking it
I've noted a steady stream of accountants asking the same question in online groups: "When should I increase my fees, and how do I even begin that conversation if I have not upped them for years?" If you already review your fees regularly, don't worry about this...
If you’re not growing, are you comfortable or coasting?
For years I’ve told marketing consultants, sales trainers and social media gurus not to bother trying to sell growth strategies to sole practitioner accountants without first finding out if they are likely to be interested. My reasoning is simply that many...
The reality of running your own practice that nobody really warns you about
Partners have each other. Sole practitioners have themselves. And, sometimes, they also involve their domestic partner, a close friend or family member. Accountants who were previously in partnership often feel a little isolated when they start their own firm. But...
Do you really need more clients, or just a better practice?
It still surprises many salespeople and advisers outside the profession that not every owner of an accountancy firm wants to continually grow their practice. In wider business circles, growth is treated as an unquestioned good. More clients, more turnover, more...
The CLEAR equation: a practical way to get better results from AI
There is a curious divide in the profession. Maybe there always has been. It's most apparent these days in the contrasting attitudes to Large Language Models (LLMs), often referenced as AI. Among the most well know are ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. On one side of the...
Has your ambition plateaued? And does it matter?
Here’s a conversation I’ve had more than once recently. An experienced sole practitioner describes a stable, well-run practice with decent fees, good clients and just about manageable stress. And then, as an aside, they admit it feels as though momentum has slowed....
How to reduce overwhelm when running your own accountancy practice
I'm embarrassed to realise that I've not previously addressed the issue of 'overwhelm' specifically on this blog. That's quite an omission given how often it comes up in conversations with accountants. I'm also aware that a sense of overwhelm is what holds some...