Practice Management

The 90 Days After Closing That Most Firm Buyers Never Talk About

Earmark Team · February 17, 2026 ·

When an accounting firm announces an acquisition, the industry responds with congratulations and LinkedIn likes before quickly moving on. But for the acquiring firm, that’s when the real work begins and when most deals quietly succeed or fail.

In a recent episode of Who’s Really the BOSS?, Marcus and Rachel Dillon sit down with Amy McCarty, MBA, to discuss what actually happens after signing on the dotted line. Having completed two acquisitions in 2025—one in January and another on October 1—the Dillon Business Advisors (DBA) team shares the specific decisions, timelines, and hard-won lessons that transformed signed deals into a unified firm.

When “Growth, Not Comfort” Means More Than You Bargained For

At the start of 2025, Marcus proposed “growth, not comfort” as DBA’s rally cry for the year. Rachel and Amy thought he meant leadership development and personal growth. They discovered later he had something else in mind entirely.

“You totally tricked us,” Rachel tells Marcus during the podcast. “You said it was completely about leadership growth and personal and professional development. You never let on that this was really about revenue, team size, acquisitions.”

Marcus’s real motivation was building the budget to hire director-level talent. The firm brought on Angel Sabino as Director of Technology in January and Arin Neucks, CPA, CFP, as Director of Tax and Financial Planning in August. Supporting these hires required top-line growth, and acquisitions offered the fastest path to it.

“To have the budget to do great things, the top line had to grow a little bit,” Marcus admits with characteristic understatement.

The first acquisition closed in January with a longtime friend from a consulting organization. It was intentionally small, what Marcus calls a “dip your toes in the water acquisition.” They retained most of the revenue and one excellent team member who now has a clear career path at DBA.

After news of the January acquisition spread through their St. Louis market, other firm owners approached them directly, asking to be considered for future acquisitions. By Q2, DBA was in serious discussions about a second acquisition that would be three times the size of the first.

The First 30 Days: Change Nothing (Except Communication)

The October 1 acquisition created an immediate challenge because it closed just two weeks before the October 15 tax deadline. DBA’s response was counterintuitive but crucial: they changed almost nothing.

“The biggest changes for them are the name of the company that they worked for changed, and where they’re getting their paycheck from changed,” Amy explains. “But otherwise, same clients, same daily functions.”

This restraint matters because acquired team members arrive in a fundamentally different situation than new hires. A new employee has time to learn systems and absorb culture. An acquired team member comes with a full client roster and deadlines that can’t wait. DBA’s standard two-week onboarding stretched to four to six weeks for acquired teams, with the timeline threaded between ongoing client work.

The single exception to the “change nothing” rule was communication infrastructure. Getting the acquired team into Microsoft Teams became the only day-one priority, even though the acquired firm ran on Google and Slack. Angel worked his technical magic to make it happen.

“That is where we live from an internal communication standpoint,” Amy notes. Without unified communication, the teams coordinated work via email, creating delays and missed context they couldn’t afford during the integration.

This stability was possible because they laid the groundwork long before closing. In late September, DBA visited the acquired team in person to present job offers and handbooks. Rachel initially thought this pre-close access seemed risky. She learned it’s actually common practice. Some private-equity-backed firms even begin data migration before deals close.

Days 31-60: Methodical Technology Migration

After maintaining stability through the October deadline, DBA began the complex work of technology consolidation. The preparation made all the difference.

When Angel joined as Director of Technology, he knew acquisitions were coming. Within 30 days—while tax season was underway—he built an enterprise-level Azure environment from scratch. This meant when October’s acquisition arrived, DBA had infrastructure ready to absorb new users rather than scrambling to build it during integration.

Similar tech stacks between firms simplified everything. Both acquired firms used Thomson Reuters UltraTax and QuickBooks Online, matching DBA’s setup. This synergy was a factor in acquisition decisions.

Where systems differed, results varied. Intuit’s realm consolidation tool worked beautifully. Marcus migrated all the acquired firm’s QuickBooks accounts from his phone’s hotspot while driving to his child’s swim meet. ADP proved more challenging because they wanted to re-onboard clients with new signatures. Rather than confuse clients, DBA maintained two separate ADP logins and will migrate opportunistically over time.

Client communication platforms required careful handling. Both acquired firms used Liscio, while DBA uses Canopy. For the January acquisition, DBA kept Liscio running through tax season before transitioning. The October firm had already been planning its own Canopy migration.

“We told them, ‘We love that you’re going to be on Canopy. Why don’t you hold off on that migration for now?”‘ Marcus recalls. “Because we’re going to have to migrate everything into DBA anyway.”

For systems they couldn’t immediately eliminate, Amy reduced subscriptions to the minimum level rather than canceling them completely. “It’s like when you clean your closet, and you turn the hanger the other way,” she explains. “If you don’t ever use it, then you need to get rid of it.”

Protecting the Cash Flow You Bought

“From a business owner standpoint, I would much rather talk about getting paid and sales and receipts and deposits over tax returns and general ledgers,” Marcus says bluntly.

The revenue structure of the October acquisition required immediate attention. Two-thirds was monthly recurring revenue with auto-drafted payments. Without intervention, that money would continue to flow into the previous owners’ bank accounts.

Rather than rushing clients onto new systems during integration chaos, DBA kept the acquired firm’s payment processor running for three months. The previous owners were a husband-and-wife team, with the husband joining DBA. They agreed to reconcile deposits and forward funds within days. This required an enormous amount of trust, built during 90 days of pre-close due diligence.

The arrangement had a natural endpoint. Monthly clients’ annual agreements expired with their January payment, creating a perfect transition moment. DBA sent new engagement letters with updated payment information to all DBA clients, using the acquisition as a catalyst for firm-wide standardization.

Alison Sharp, the operations and administrative professional who came over from the acquired firm, proved invaluable during this transition. She handled client communications about payment changes, maintaining continuity for clients who knew and trusted her.

Looking Ahead to Tax Season and Beyond

As 2026 begins, DBA faces its first full tax season serving both acquired client bases. The January-acquisition clients are returning for their second year, while the October clients will experience DBA’s processes for the first time.

“It’s going to be a fun tax season,” Amy says with a laugh that suggests “fun” might be understating the challenge.

The integration work continues, but with infrastructure in place and teams unified in communication and technology, DBA has transformed two separate acquisitions into growth that actually supports their expanded director team, even if that wasn’t quite what Rachel and Amy thought they were signing up for with “growth, not comfort.”

For accounting firms considering acquisitions, the DBA team’s experience shows how crucial it is to invest as much in planning the 90 days after closing as you do in the months before. The deal terms matter, but integration execution determines whether you build something lasting or buy an expensive headache. Listen to the full episode for all the details.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a Texas-based, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 15 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with firm resources, education, and operational strategy through community, groups, and one-on-one advisory.

This CPA Firm Grew to $1 Million by Saying No to Most Clients

Earmark Team · January 24, 2026 ·

When Nick Liguori, CPA started his accounting firm at the beginning of 2020, he had modest goals. “I figured if I can add a few more clients and build it up a little bit, that would work fine,” he tells Rachel Dillon, host of Who’s Really the Boss? podcast. “I’d hopefully make enough money to pay the mortgage and make ends meet.”

Five years later, his New Hampshire-based firm, Liguori Accounting, has seven employees and just under $1 million in annual revenue. The transformation didn’t come from working longer hours or taking on every client who walked through the door. Instead, Nick discovered the power of focusing on one specific industry: medical aesthetics and med spas.

From Side Hustle to Specialized Practice

Nick’s path to firm ownership wasn’t typical. After starting his career at a mid-size regional firm and then moving to a smaller practice focused on small businesses, he spent time in industry working for a publicly traded company. During those corporate years, he began taking on tax and bookkeeping clients on the side.

“After a little while of doing that, it got to the point where I couldn’t balance both things anymore,” Nick explains. He made the leap to full-time practice right as 2020 began, just before the pandemic changed everything. In some ways, the timing worked in his favor. “I was setting everything up virtually and remote anyway,” he says. “So COVID-19 obviously forced that on everybody. In some ways I got a little bit of a head start.”

For over a year, Nick worked solo. Then, about two years in, a referral changed everything. A local med spa needed help with outsourced accounting, tax, and advisory work. The fit was perfect.

Discovering the Perfect Niche

“A lot of the med spa owners that we work with are obviously medical professionals. That’s their area of expertise,” Nick explains. “But they’re not necessarily financially minded or that’s not their strength. So we provide a lot of value there, helping them navigate the financial aspect of their business.”

That first med spa client led to referrals, which led to more referrals. The firm got involved with local associations. “That was the first stepping stone into taking it to a much bigger audience—more med spas across the country,” Nick says.

Two years ago, the firm decided to focus exclusively on med spas. It wasn’t easy. “We had an existing client base that were not all med spas,” Nick admits. “So it was a little scary to say, okay, now we’re only going to focus on med spas.”

The transition meant letting go of clients who no longer fit. “We’ve definitely lost a lot of those clients. Some have just churned out naturally and some we’ve let go because they really weren’t a good fit for the services we provide now.” But Nick sees it as progress. “Each year when I look back, we’re a step forward in the right direction.”

Marketing Where Your Clients Already Are

Once the firm committed to the med spa niche, marketing became much more targeted and measurable. “What’s been most successful is getting in the industry spaces where the owners are hanging out,” Nick says.

Conferences became a primary strategy, though the investment felt risky at first. “Getting into it for the first time was a little bit scary because it’s a big investment,” Nick admits. Conference booths typically cost between $3,000 and $5,000, with some running as high as $10,000.

But the returns justified the expense. “We went to one last November and came away with two or three new clients,” Nick reports. “When you think about it from an ROI standpoint, if you’re getting a monthly client for an event that costs you $5,000, it pays for itself.”

Beyond conferences, the firm appears on industry podcasts and webinars targeted at med spa owners. They work with the New Hampshire Association for med spas, which started just a few years ago. “We’ve worked with them from the beginning,” Nick says. “There’s a much lower cost of entry when it’s local.”

The firm now focuses on getting speaking opportunities at conferences rather than just booth space. “That’s where you get the most exposure and probably the best opportunities,” Nick explains. “People can come and go. And depending on where you’re set up in the conference center, you may not get great activity.”

Building Systems That Scale

Specializing in one industry created unexpected operational benefits. “Once you learn a few med spa clients, now you sort of know where the potential issues lie,” Nick says. “It’s probably inventory. Are their sales broken out properly? Is there equipment broken out on the balance sheet? We know where the problems tend to be.”

This predictability transformed their onboarding process. What originally had no timeline became a 60-day process, then shortened to just 30 days. The firm built templates in Keeper (now Double), its practice management software, sends comprehensive checklists to clients, and schedules three strategic meetings throughout the onboarding period.

“We always try to schedule the next meeting before the end of the current meeting,” Nick shares. “So it’s on the calendar. They’ve committed to a time that works in their schedule.”

The firm adopted the Team of Three structure about a year ago. With three bookkeepers, two managers, and Nick as the CFO, everyone has clear responsibilities. “There’s no confusion,” Nick says. “Everyone knows what they’re responsible for.”

Training new team members became easier too. “Once you’ve worked on this client, the next client is going to be very similar,” Nick explains. The firm relies on shadowing and screen recordings for training. As Rachel notes, “When people are limited on capacity or availability, shadowing is always great. We just always try to record.”

The Price of Expertise

Perhaps the most dramatic change has been in pricing. “My original packages were $200 a month for bookkeeping and $500 for CFO support,” Nick recalls. Today, the firm offers three tiers:

Bronze (bookkeeping only): $800/month
Silver (bookkeeping + quarterly tax planning/CFO): $1,200-1,500/month
Gold (bookkeeping + monthly tax planning/CFO): $2,000+/month

Most clients choose the silver tier. “That’s where we have the most interest, especially with med spas, because that tax planning piece is really beneficial,” Nick explains.

The firm also charges substantial onboarding fees: $3,000 for bronze tier, $5,000 for silver or gold. When prospects push back, they might offer to split the fee into two or three payments, but rarely discount.

Higher prices actually improved client quality. “You avoid some of the clients that are just price shopping and really don’t value what you’re doing,” Nick notes. The clients who seek out industry specialists understand they’re paying for expertise.

Lessons from the Journey

Looking back, Nick wishes he’d been more intentional from the start. “I started my firm without a big picture plan in mind,” he admits. “I wish I had set up processes, set up our service offerings at the beginning before starting, rather than trying to figure it out on the fly.”

Pricing confidence took time to develop. “We really didn’t get our pricing to a place that was solid for probably a couple of years,” Nick says. “Knowing the value you provide and being confident as you’re selling—that was a big thing for me.”

The past year has been one of regrouping after team and client transitions. “We’ve put a lot of effort into building the team, getting our processes down really well, and streamlining onboarding,” Nick explains. “We’re doing our best to set ourselves up for that next phase of growth.”

Working with an advisor through Collective by DBA has helped navigate these changes. “Having that sounding board and someone who has seen a lot of different firms at a lot of different stages has given us a really good perspective,” Nick shares. “It’s easy to feel a little bit isolated, especially with these bigger picture decisions.”

The Power of Focus

Nick’s journey demonstrates that specialization doesn’t limit opportunity—it creates it. By focusing exclusively on med spas, his firm can:

Market directly to a defined audience with measurable ROI
Onboard clients in half the time it used to take
Train team members more efficiently
Command premium pricing for specialized expertise
Better plan capacity

“Having that industry focus makes it a lot easier to say no to the clients that are not ideal,” Nick says. “And a lot easier to identify clients that are going to be a good fit.”

For accounting professionals considering specialization, Nick’s advice echoes what his father taught him in the family conveyor belt business: “Measure twice, cut once.” Think through the decision from multiple angles. Research your chosen niche thoroughly. But once you commit, the benefits compound with each new client you serve.

The firm now limits itself to onboarding just two new clients per month—not because they can’t handle more, but because they know exactly what it takes to deliver exceptional service. That’s the confidence that comes from knowing your niche inside and out.

Want to hear more about Nick’s journey and get detailed insights into building a specialized accounting practice? Listen to the full episode of Who’s Really the Boss?, where Rachel and Nick dive deeper into the specific strategies, challenges, and victories of transitioning from generalist to specialist.

From Burned Out to Built Up: How Workflow Systems Transform Average Accountants into A-Players

Earmark Team · December 22, 2025 ·

“This is the first year where we didn’t have any crazy day during tax season,” a firm owner told Mary Delaney after 25 years in practice. The secret? They had finally mastered workflow automation, transforming their firm from a chaotic fire-fighting operation into a well-oiled machine where even tax season runs smoothly.

In this episode of the Earmark Podcast, recorded live at the Advisory Amplified conference in Chicago, host Blake Oliver sits down with two workflow transformation experts: Mary Delaney, CEO of Karbon, and Kenji Kuramoto, co-founder of Acuity and a pioneer in remote operations and client accounting services.

The trio discussed how accounting firms can break free from the exhausting cycle of individual heroics and constant firefighting. Forward-thinking practitioners realize documented workflows are the foundation for scaling beyond founder dependence and actually delivering the advisory services clients need.

From Chaos to Control: The Science of Accounting

The accounting profession has long operated as a craft, where success depended on individual practitioners juggling multiple responsibilities. But as Delaney explains, the real revolution comes from “turning it into a science” through systematic documentation and automation.

Oliver knows the old way’s exhausting reality firsthand. “In order to be an A player, you had to be really good at putting out fires, juggling a bunch of things,” he reflects. “You had to be so organized yourself. There was no support system underneath you.” He admits candidly, “I wasn’t an A player. That’s the thing. That’s why I didn’t last.”

Workflows change this equation. Instead of requiring heroic individual effort, firms create systems that support everyone on the team. Delaney’s approach starts with observation, or what she calls “time studies.”

“I’ll take a team of two or three people to our customer’s location and do an on-site for a day, literally sitting and watching our customers work,” she explains. “I’ll watch three people do their tax work for 20 minutes, or three people do advisory. You’ll see they pull up a report. You’ll see they write something down. Why are you writing that down? What are you doing with that?”

These observations reveal areas of waste, automation possibilities, training gaps, and process inconsistencies that might otherwise stay hidden.

From Struggling CFO to Workflow Champion

Kuramoto’s experience demonstrates how workflow can transform careers. Coming from Big Four audit, he founded Acuity but admits he wasn’t naturally gifted at the work. “I was a moderately technical CFO and accountant,” he says with characteristic humor. “Luckily, I have a little bit of a quirky personality and I’m pretty outgoing, so clients liked me. But I was not the most technical.”

His firm’s workflow evolution started with simply moving from paper to Excel spreadsheets. They progressed to digital task management tools, with Kuramoto initially dreaming that someday systems might automatically check off completed tasks.

“I thought for a long time that the epitome of what an ideal workflow would look like would be when you completed some task, somehow the tool just knew it and it checked it off,” he recalls. Today’s reality exceeds even that vision. “Now the workflow tool is actually doing the work. I don’t think I ever even imagined it taking that leap forward.”

Kuramoto found that workflow helped him overcome his limitations. When senior CFOs in his firm documented their processes, he learned from them quickly. “Can I please take a look at your process for how you run a board meeting or raise capital, or how you build a proforma model?” he would ask. “I could learn so much quicker by just looking at a playbook for how they got there.”

This knowledge-sharing transformed Acuity’s recruiting. They began targeting controllers and VPs of finance who aspired to become CFOs.

Making Workflow Empowering, Not Controlling

The biggest obstacle to workflow implementation isn’t technology; it’s people. Senior professionals, especially in advisory roles, often resist standardization. Kuramoto learned this firsthand when implementing workflows with senior CFOs at Acuity.

“They are sometimes the least receptive to change,” Kuramoto admits. Despite being the founder, when he suggested creating standardized processes, the reception was cool. “To them, initially, it felt like more of an accountability tool. Like I was telling them how to work versus letting them feel like they had ownership of the work.”

Delaney’s solution centers on showing the “what’s in it for me” factor. “If we map it out, we can automate some of it. And the part we automate is the energy-draining low value work,” she explains. “All of a sudden they get to do more of what they love.”

The transformation happens when workflow becomes a knowledge-sharing tool rather than a constraint. With better visibility into how people work, firms can identify real problems. “We could identify where someone was a B or C player, but it started understanding why,” Kuramoto explains. “Were we missing out on training? Were we overwhelming their schedule? Were they stuck on tough clients?”

Delaney emphasizes that workflow reveals patterns. “You can see some people are rock stars, but instead of saying they’re just incredible, you start to study what they do and you can train that to others. All of a sudden you’re lifting your C players to be in your B to A players.”

The 30-Day Transformation Plan

Delaney offers a rapid transformation plan for firms drowning in chaos. If dropped into a small firm as CEO with 30 days to free up capacity, here’s what she’d do:

First, “I would make sure I understood what their job is, how we measure performance, and how they will be compensated and recognized.” This clarity alone can unlock 20-30% more capacity because “if people understand clearly their job and expectations and they have something they’re chasing, you will get 20, 30% more out of them.”

Second, “Look at our customers and see if there’s any we should let go or just increase the price.”

Third, conduct time studies. “Sitting there and watching people work, you can see all the areas of waste. What can we automate? You also see where there are training gaps.”

The results can be dramatic. Remember that firm with their first stress-free tax season in 25 years? “They have the process down, they have capacity planning down, they work ahead,” Delaney explains. “They have all the insights to manage every minute wisely. So it’s not putting out fires.”

Workflow as the Foundation for Growth

This workflow discipline is critical during mergers and acquisitions. Kuramoto’s first acquisition taught him this lesson painfully. “The first firm we acquired was kind of a disaster,” he admits. “We had incredibly dissimilar ways of working. Even though on paper we delivered some of the same services, the way we did it was so different.”

They waited too long to integrate workflows. “We didn’t want to disrupt things, so we waited a long time. It was an awful transaction for us, largely because we didn’t get workflow on the same page.”

This experience changed how Acuity approached their eventual merger with 14 firms. “When we went through due diligence, they looked heavily at our workflow. What were we doing? How are we putting it together? Most acquisitions don’t fail because the deal isn’t good. It’s because the integration doesn’t work.”

For firms ready to transform, Delaney emphasizes investing in dedicated operations resources. “The one thing they never regretted was hiring a non-billable person to start really moving on quality and scaling and operations,” she notes, recommending this when firms reach 10-20 people. “The gift you give yourself is having someone who spends 100% of their time looking at how to make the firm better, versus how to bill dollars today.”

The AI-Powered Future

Looking ahead, AI promises to accelerate this workflow revolution. The Karbon-Aider acquisition, announced that very morning, exemplifies this vision. “Aider is all about automating month end and getting you to insights that you can immediately share back with your customers,” Delaney explains.

But she cautions that AI requires careful implementation. “The challenge with AI is it’s highly imperfect. We’re building agents to do the work, but you have to show all the agent’s work, and give it a step for a human to check it and sign off. Because in accounting, you have to be perfect.”

The future Kuramoto envisioned is becoming reality in ways he never imagined. What started as digitized checklists has evolved into tools that actually perform the work itself.

Your Firm’s Revolution Starts Now

The conversation between Oliver, Delaney, and Kuramoto at Advisory Amplified shows the firms thriving today aren’t necessarily those with the most talented individuals. They’re the ones who’ve systematically documented and optimized how work gets done.

This transformation is about democratizing expertise across teams, creating sustainable careers that don’t require heroic effort, and delivering consistent advisory services that clients need. The stakes keep rising as AI tools mature. Firms with strong workflow foundations will leverage these technologies effectively while others risk being left behind.

The good news? You don’t need years to see results. Delaney’s 30-day plan shows that simple steps can unlock 20-30% more capacity almost immediately. And unlike the old model where success required exceptional individual talent, the workflow revolution means firms can build operations that elevate everyone.

Want to learn more about transforming your firm from chaos to capacity? Listen to the full conversation with Delaney and Kuramoto on the Earmark Podcast, where they share additional insights, implementation strategies, and discuss how AI is reshaping accounting practice. The revolution isn’t coming; it’s already here.

From Burnout to Blueprint: How One CPA Built a $200K Practice Working Just 15 Hours a Week

Blake Oliver · April 15, 2025 ·

When Erica Goode, CPA, became a mother, she found herself juggling late-night work sessions and hectic commutes. It took a toll on her well-being. “I was going to prove to everybody that working moms can do it all,” she recalls, “and I did it all. But it felt awful.”

Fast-forward a few years, and Erica now runs an accounting practice making over $200,000 yearly—on less than 15 hours of work per week. How did she do it? Through intentional constraints, deep specialization, and refusing to let burnout define her career.

Erica’s story, which she shared on the Earmark Podcast, offers a roadmap for accounting professionals who want to build financially rewarding practices without sacrificing quality of life.

Escape from Corporate Burnout

Erica’s career began at KPMG, where she moved up the ranks to senior auditor. She was then recruited to Walgreens in Deerfield, Illinois, where a demanding promotion collided with early motherhood.

Even with on-site childcare, the constant scramble to manage deadlines and family obligations was a struggle. “I was always dragging my kids behind me to make a meeting, to get back home to make dinner, only to hop back online until 10:00. It was just this grind I didn’t want,” she says.

Feeling trapped, Erica took a demotion to escape the grueling schedule. Ultimately, she decided to leave Walgreens entirely and planned to become a stay-at-home mom. She never imagined running an accounting firm. When her boss suggested it after she gave notice, she remembers thinking, “That is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”

An Accidental First Client

Erica never planned to start her firm. It started when she offered to help the owner of her daughter’s Taekwondo studio with QuickBooks. “I had never seen QuickBooks because I’d always worked with huge systems like SAP or Oracle,” she says. But Erica learned quickly, and soon, a steady stream of referrals turned her “accidental” freelance gig into a bona fide practice.

Growth was slow by design. Balancing parenting with minimal childcare hours, Erica allowed her client base to expand only as her children’s school schedules opened up. “I literally was only growing as fast as preschool grew,” she jokes. This deliberate approach allowed her to refine processes at each stage instead of piling on hours.

Designing a 15-Hour Workweek

Erica’s top priority was to avoid the relentless schedule that had led to burnout. She set a strict 15-hour limit, working Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a mandatory one-hour lunch away from the computer. “That adds up to 18 hours, but I don’t count the lunch break,” she explains. “So I’m really working 15 hours or less.”

While this schedule might seem impossible, Erica credits well-documented standard operating procedures and intentional use of technology for optimizing efficiency. She also hired a non-US-based contractor as a senior bookkeeper. Together, they ensure bookkeeping tasks stay on track without Erica needing to handle every detail. “I want to be the reviewer and the exception-finder,” she says. “That’s where the real client value lies.”

Tech Stack: QuickBooks Online and Fathom

A big part of Erica’s efficiency stems from QuickBooks Online paired with Fathom. QuickBooks automates the bulk of data entry, while Fathom handles real-time reporting and forecasting. “Once I close the books in QuickBooks, Fathom syncs automatically and spits out a customized monthly report for each client,” she says.

She personalizes these reports for each of her 10 clients, highlighting the KPIs and trends most relevant to consultants. But the real game-changer is the forecasting feature. During monthly meetings, she and the client jump into Fathom to update forecasts on hiring plans, upcoming expenses, and potential new revenue. “Business owners love seeing a clear picture of how decisions today will affect their cash flow in six months,” Erica says.

Specialization: Consultants and Agencies Only

At the core of her approach is strict specialization. Erica focuses exclusively on consultants and small B2B agencies—no construction companies, no retail inventory. This uniformity keeps her processes consistent, allowing her to offer clear service tiers and simple pricing. She maintains three tiers:

Bookkeeping ($500–$600/month)
Mini CFO ($1,400/month)
Fractional CFO (up to $5,000/month)

“There’s a huge gap for solopreneurs or small consultancies that need more than just bookkeeping but aren’t ready to pay $3,000 a month for a CFO,” she says. The middle tier solves that issue. Because she only accepts businesses operating within a well-defined niche, the bulk of her bookkeeping and forecasting tasks can be systematized.

The Power of Monthly CFO Meetings

Although she provides “done-for-you” bookkeeping, Erica finds the most significant client value comes from monthly CFO calls. “We’ll spend maybe 20% of the time reviewing the monthly report. Then the rest is what’s on the client’s mind—like, ‘I’m hiring two people. Will I run out of cash by October?’” she explains. Together, they plug those assumptions into Fathom so clients can see real-time outcomes.

“They get clarity on big decisions, whether it’s paying themselves consistently, timing a new hire, or maximizing retirement contributions,” she notes. And it’s precisely this hands-on advisory that justifies her subscription model. Even when clients weigh downgrading services, they quickly realize the CFO session is what they value most.

Why She Doesn’t Do Tax Prep

One key departure from many CPA firms: Erica does not handle income tax filings. Instead, she collaborates with clients’ existing tax preparers or refers them to an outside specialist. “I come in as the translator,” she says, acting as the liaison between client and preparer. By avoiding tax busywork, she preserves her bandwidth for strategic discussions and the recurring monthly engagements that truly move the needle for her clients.

Growing Slowly—on Purpose

Today, Erica’s firm earns around $200,000 in annual revenue, with a net of about $180,000. It took around five or six years to reach this point, largely because she refused to exceed her self-imposed 15-hour weekly limit or expand beyond her one contractor. “I know the formula to scale bigger,” she says, “but I also know that I enjoy my life more without adding complexities.”

A telling story: She once tried removing herself from capacity constraints and realized she risked falling back into the same burnout patterns she had fled. “I’m quick to fire if the client isn’t a good fit, and I stick to my niche,” she emphasizes. “I’m not looking to become a million-dollar firm with multiple CPAs. That’s just not the lifestyle I want.”

Rethinking Practice Success

For Erica, success means earning a healthy income without sacrificing time with her kids or her passions—like hiking in the vast national forests of Idaho. She’s proof that a smaller, highly specialized practice can be profitable and deeply rewarding. “I used to be afraid to say out loud that I only work 15 hours,” she confesses. “But now I see it inspires other CPAs who don’t want the 40- to 60-hour grind.”

Her advice is simple: start small, niche down, price for value, and automate relentlessly. If you’re willing to challenge traditional accounting firm norms, you can build a practice that prioritizes both client results and your well-being.

Learn More & Earn Free CPE

Erica shares more insights and tips on her podcast, Consultants and Money, where she offers free advice on everything from planning cash reserves to consistently paying oneself.

Check out her interview on the Earmark Podcast to hear the full story of how she structured her 15-hour week.

You can also earn CPE for listening! Register for the free CPE course on the Earmark app.

Finders, Minders, and Grinders: Unlocking Your Accounting Firm’s Potential

Earmark Team · January 27, 2025 ·

Every accounting professional knows the dilemma: you’re expected to handle complex client relationships, ensure top-notch technical work, and juggle operational tasks—all at once. This all-in-one approach often leads to burnout, stunted growth, and high turnover.

Enter the “Finders, Minders, and Grinders” framework, a well-known model in professional services.

During a recent webinar, Mark Ferris of Panalitix explained how aligning each person’s natural personality with the right role can transform your practice. Instead of forcing everyone to “do it all,” you identify and empower:

Finders (relationship builders who generate new business),
Minders (managers who oversee processes and teams),
Grinders (technical experts who dive into the detailed work).

By putting people where they naturally excel, you reduce inefficiency, nurture talent, and build a more resilient firm. Below, we’ll explore how to apply this framework to create an environment where team members thrive, clients receive the best service possible, and your business can scale sustainably.

Why Matching Personalities and Roles Matters

When people consistently act against their natural inclinations, they burn out quickly. “If we act contrary to our natural inclination—our personality—it takes quite a lot of effort,” Mark Ferris explains. “That is tiring, and it’s not something we can keep up forever.”

Many traditional accounting practices mistakenly assume everyone can (and should) wear multiple hats equally well—reviewing hundreds of returns, leading team meetings, chasing new clients, and more. While some staffers can manage briefly, over time, misalignment in roles leads to errors, missed deadlines, and unhappy team members.

Skills vs. Personality: It’s crucial to separate learned skills (e.g., mastering new accounting software) from the deeper personality traits (e.g., being comfortable with negotiation or thriving in a structured environment). People can gain new technical skills, but asking a naturally reserved, detail-oriented accountant to spend most of their time selling may not succeed in the long run.

The Three Roles: A Balanced Trio

Successfully running an accounting firm means tapping into three core roles, each with distinct personality traits that maximize productivity and satisfaction.

Grinders

Focus on technical tasks like preparing returns, bookkeeping, complex compliance, or advisory projects.
Excel with structure and detailed rules, working methodically to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
Often patient, diligent, and prefer minimal distractions when completing high-stakes work.

Minders

Oversee operations, manage workflow, and coach the team.
Share some qualities with Grinders—organized and detail-oriented—but also display strong people-management skills, diplomacy, and warmth.
Handle scheduling, capacity planning, and progress checks, ensuring that deadlines, quality standards, and budgets are met.

Finders

Excel at building relationships—both with current clients (for retention and upselling) and potential clients (for growth).
Socially confident, comfortable with change, and willing to engage in negotiations or tackle conflict head-on.
Key drivers of new business, strategic partnerships, and revenue expansion.

When these three roles blend smoothly, an accounting practice functions like a well-oiled machine: technical work is done right and on time, the team runs efficiently, and new business opportunities consistently flow in.

Putting the Framework into Practice: A Real-World Example

Mark Ferris illustrates how to structure an accounting firm around these roles, ensuring each group can handle about $1 million in annual fees before you replicate the model.

Production Team (Grinders)

Bookkeepers, accountants, or tax specialists focus on client work.
Supported by a Production Manager (Minder), who handles capacity planning, scheduling, and quality control.
A Senior Client Manager (Finder) focuses on nurturing client relationships, resolving issues, and spotting upsell opportunities.

Clear Role Distinctions

Administrative staff (e.g., office manager, client service coordinator) handles day-to-day tasks like data collection, engagement letters, or invoicing.
Each Production Team is shielded from distractions, so Grinders can do technical work, Minders can improve processes, and Finders can build strong client relationships.

Career Path Alignment

Team members see exactly how they could progress: a skilled Grinder with strong interpersonal skills might train to become a Finder; a Grinder who loves organizing and leading might transition into a Minder role.
Owners can also step into the role that suits them best—whether that’s business development (Finder) or operational leadership (Minder)—and delegate the rest.

With this structure, hitting $1 million in fees signals the formation of a second production group with its own Finder, Minder, and Grinders. This model avoids an unwieldy top-heavy partnership structure and instead grows in self-sufficient, scalable “pods.” As Mark notes, clearly showing these pathways and roles is critical for recruitment and retention—two huge pain points for many firms.

Taking a Business-Minded Approach

A crucial takeaway is to run your practice like a business:

Track Productivity: Understand how much of your Grinders’ time is billable, and ensure Minders have enough oversight bandwidth. Finders may have less billable work but drive overall firm revenue and strategic direction.
Measure Results: Regularly review profitability at the production-team level. Look for ways to optimize workflow, rebalance roles, or adjust pricing.
Plan for Growth: Once a team reaches capacity, replicate the structure. No need to weigh down the firm with too many partners at the top.

Self-Reflection for Leaders and Owners

Even if you’ve been “doing it all” for decades, it pays to pause and consider which responsibilities bring you the most satisfaction. You might discover you prefer Finder tasks—nurturing client relationships—while leaving day-to-day management to a dedicated Minder. Or maybe you truly enjoy the technical depth of the work (Grinder) but feel forced into too many sales meetings.

Realigning your own role can be transformational: you get to focus on what you do best, and you build a leadership team that covers every dimension of the business.

Additional Resources to Guide Your Transformation

Panalitix LearningHub: Mark Ferris’s organization offers a wide range of tools, templates, and short courses to help you implement the Finders, Minders, Grinders structure. You’ll find interview questions to hire the right personality type, training modules on capacity planning, and resources on workflow optimization.
Coaching & Mentoring: For firms wanting deeper guidance, Panalitix provides group coaching, one-on-one sessions, and specialized projects.
Free Webinar Replays: You can watch recordings (like the one linked above) for more detailed discussions of productivity tracking, org-chart design, and incentivizing your team.

The Path to a More Resilient Firm

Adopting the “Finders, Minders, and Grinders” model is about more than a neat organizational chart—it’s a mindset shift toward placing people where their talents shine. The result? More engaged employees, a better client experience, and an accounting practice that can grow without sacrificing service quality.

Whether you’re a solo practitioner looking to hire your first employee or a mid-sized firm aiming to double revenue, the framework helps you avoid the burnout trap and keeps your team energized. In an industry where talent is scarce and client expectations keep rising, this approach could be your edge.

Ready to dive deeper? Watch Mark Ferris’s full webinar replay to gain practical tips on structuring your teams, setting productivity targets, and charting clear career paths. Embrace this powerful framework, and set your accounting firm on a path to enduring success.