If you’ve been a reader of this newsletter for the past year or so, you know that I (perhaps we) have been facing a higher level of client disengagements (i.e. clients firing me/us) due to cashflow concerns.

For the first 3-4 years of firm running, I was SO afraid. So very afraid. Of everything. I was afraid of messing up, of wasting time, of wasting money, all of it.

How do you run 6-figure accounting firm in only 15 hours a week? How do you do it? What’s the magic formula?

Last week, fellow subscriber Lori Yearwood, CPA asked this question and I think the answer is worth sharing more broadly…Curious – what types of services are you providing to clients that you would consider CFO type services?

Admittedly, I was really nervous when I hit ‘Send’ on last week’s newsletter. Maybe I was totally off base. Maybe it was just me…And then you flooded my inbox with replies.

I think there’s downward pricing pressure facing our industry right now. Full stop. (All the value-pricing spokespeople just unsubscribed. It’s fine.)

Oh, 2025…what will I say about you? You were a doozy. It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that after 8 years of firm ownership, 2025 was my most emotionally taxing (no pun intended) to date.

Every October, for the past 3 years, I’ve kicked off my annual “Pricing Adjustment Review” for all of my clients. It doesn’t necessarily mean every client’s pricing increases every year. This is more art than science.

If you’re thinking about joining us at next week’s Pricing Increase Workshop (where I’ll cover increasing prices of current clients), I want you to come prepared with what your ideal prices are for new clients.

Last week was county fair week. For context, I spent my entire life in the suburbs of Chicago until our family moved to very rural, very small town Idaho 6 years ago.

Only 110 days until Christmas, but more importantly…Only 25 more days until the Fall Selling Season. Why is September thru early-December a selling season for small accounting firms?

Your kids are teaching more about selling than you realize. In our house, it sounds like this: “Do you want an apple or strawberries on your plate?”

For most of the life of my firm (7 years and counting), I’ve held the belief that: the bigger the client, the higher level of service they need, the more I can charge (as long as I’m providing said services), and the more profit my firm makes.

Sometimes, upgrading current clients is a much easier and faster way to increase revenue than pounding pavement for brand new clients.

What Does the State of the Economy Mean for the Accounting Industry?

There is so much noise in the accounting industry media-space about raising your rates and offering high-priced services. Heck, I’m some of that noise! But there is a time and place for everything.

Most importantly…congrats to all who made it through this week’s deadline!! You’re almost there!!

Sometimes I hear new firm owners say something like…

Disney+ sent me an email early this morning letting me know that they’re increasing my monthly subscription rate

The one part that I am having a tough(er) time on is the "menu" so to speak for the pricing tiers.