Earmark CPE

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Rachel Dillon

The real limits on your accounting firm have nothing to do with client count

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In 2020, Marilyn Melendez’s father got sick. Her mother, whom Marilyn calls “the end all and be all for the firm,” stepped away to care for him. Within one month, four of the firm’s 20 employees left and took a substantial book of business with them.

On a recent episode of Who’s Really the BOSS?, Rachel and Marcus Dillon talk with Marilyn, an enrolled agent and president of Dalia Tax & Business Advisors, a bilingual firm in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 43-year-old firm has seven employees and brings in about $1.4 million. Her mother retired this year. Marilyn’s story shows a firm’s real limits are time, energy and culture, not client count. For her, respecting those limits led to a smaller firm that earns about the same money.

A crisis that exposed a firm full of silos

Every operations question and client issue went to Marilyn’s mother. When she stepped away, “the firm really suffered.” The lesson was, “We can’t have a firm full of silos. We needed to integrate,” Marilyn says.

Her mother was old school and believed the customer is always right. “You don’t say no to business. It’s always more, more, more.” Marilyn wanted the opposite. “You need to protect your employees. Make sure a client is the right fit and grow based on the amount of effort you want to put in.”

She recommends founders “look at succession planning way earlier than you think you need it.” Her own transition brought dips, including lost clients and employee turnover. Rachel suggested handing off responsibilities while the founder is still around as a safety net, so the successor can “try and potentially fail or succeed” before the founder exits.

Fewer clients, same revenue

“I found that less is more,” Marilyn said. “My firm is smaller in size and has fewer clients, and we’re making about the same amount of money.” She can now “do more for those clients and get in deeper with them.”

Her sweet spot is businesses with $1 million to $3 million in gross revenue and usually around 25 or fewer employees. Companies with too many management layers don’t fit. Her niche is a type of person, not an industry. She prefers second-generation owners like herself, women entrepreneurs, and Spanish speakers learning to do business in the U.S. Rachel noted that people are often best qualified to help clients who are “where they were at one time.”

Marilyn says financial statements are “a byproduct,” not the goal. She sits down with each client and asks, “What’s your why?” Rachel pointed out that advisory doesn’t require having every answer. Often clients reach their own answers by talking a problem through out loud.

The takeaways are:

  • Define your ideal client by shared experience, not only by industry
  • Treat the P&L and balance sheet as tools that support the client’s real goals
  • In advisory meetings, ask questions and listen more than you prescribe

Not every dollar costs the same

When Marilyn reviews proposals and pricing, she reminds herself that “not every dollar costs the same.” She considers emotional investment, not just profit margin.

She described certain clients, the “Wolf of Wall Street” type, who leave her drained after every interaction. “They’re not yelling at me, but it feels like they’re yelling at me.” Even if they pay above her rate, it doesn’t matter. “That dollar costs me my peace.”

For clients who don’t act on her advice, her limit is two or maybe three years of “same as last year.” Then she refers them to someone else. There’s also the caller-ID face. “Everybody who owns a firm knows the face.” You reset your voice, get through the call, then have to “off-gas” the interaction afterward.

Marcus admitted owners hang on too long “because you’re worried about the revenue.” But “revenue is fleeting,” he said. Time and the people you spend it with matter more. Marilyn also recommends letting go gracefully of prospects who can’t fit within your numbers, because they may come back when they can afford you. Three years later, “that’s a blink of an eye.”

Price without taking it personally, and protect the team

Marilyn asked Marcus a pointed question. When you price a proposal, is “a rejection of that proposal a rejection of you?” Marcus admitted he does see it as a personal rejection.

So he removed himself from the sales process. Rachel now does much of that work, and Lezlie Reeves, DBA’s Director of Accounting & Advisory, brings a more analytical eye to pricing. As Marcus described Lezlie’s view, if clients “opt out, that’s great. We’ll have more capacity to serve more clients.” That beats agonizing over whether a $5 increase will spark a negative Google review. Rachel doesn’t lose sleep over a no. It just means something didn’t align.

Marcus tied pricing to culture. “Every time we say yes, that shifts culture.” Each new client changes what a team member’s day looks like. Marilyn guards that with a “no jerk policy.” Clients must speak to her staff in the same tone they use with her. Enforcing it shows employees she’s on their side and the client isn’t always right.

Less is the gold

“Doing more with less. If anybody takes anything away from this, that is the gold,” Marcus said, summing the conversation up. Marilyn put the stakes plainly. “You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.”

  • Audit clients for energy cost, not just fee
  • Separate pricing from personal identity
  • Start succession planning early

Listen to the full episode to hear about Marilyn’s team retreat to the Dominican Republic and her unusual sabbatical.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a national, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 28 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with Streamlined OS, an operating system for accounting firms, mastermind groups, and one-on-one advisory.

Building a people-first CPA firm while technology changes the work

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Matt Kidd, CPA, of Kidd Advisors hosted a tax-day party at an Irish pub near his Livonia, MI office. About 50 clients and prospects came. The tab was roughly $3,000.

Many guests are $500 annualtax return clients. Matt joked that they “probably ate and drank the profit margin” out of those returns.

So why would a mostly remote firm owner spend money bringing them together? Because a relationship can outlast the transaction that started it.

In Season 5, Episode 21 of Who’s Really the BOSS?, Matt joins hosts Rachel and Marcus Dillon to discuss investing in people while technology changes the work. They focus on choosing where time matters and making those relationships count.

Give employees a reason to improve the work

Matt’s four-person firm, including him, is about 2.5 full-time equivalents. They have flexible schedules with assigned phone coverage. Weekly check-ins cover each person’s best moment and current challenges, while connecting the accounting and financial-planning sides of the business.

He also introduced weekly “innovation meetings” focused on AI. After three or four weeks of brainstorming, the participating employees began building tools to solve their own frustrations.

Matt couldn’t identify every problem himself. He was too removed from much of their daily work. Instead, employees chose what to fix.

They were particularly motivated because Matt made the benefit clear: save time, and you can work less. Bring in more work, and the firm’s profitability-based bonus structure lets you earn more.

“They’re building way more than I am at this point,” he said.

Marcus described a challenge in his own firm: testing can consume time while client work still needs to get done. Matt acknowledged that tools used by two or three people are easier to adjust than tools rolled out across a larger organization.

He returned to the idea of letting employees choose meaningful problems and explaining how they’ll share in the gains. But better tools aren’t the only way to show people they matter.

Make appreciation a habit

Matt offers maternity and paternity leave and has paid substantial profit sharing. Still, he believes benefits don’t replace regular, genuine thanks.

“The biggest thing is just actually telling them you appreciate them,” he said. During tax season, he tries to recognize something specific at least once a day.

Rachel builds reminders into the Dillons’ routines, including weekly written check-ins, one-on-one conversations at least every other week, direct messages, and handwritten notes. As teams grow and spread out, appreciation needs a rhythm.

Marcus suggests thanking employees in front of someone they love, such as a spouse, parent, or another important person. Rachel adds that a card addressed to your team member’s special person can work when you’re remote.

Trust also requires listening. When an employee challenged Matt, he thought it over, realized the employee was right, and apologized. He credits that openness with building a collaborative team where people can question one another.

You don’t need a large budget to practice this. Give specific thanks, address problems promptly, and accept feedback yourself. Then apply that same care to how you spend time with clients.

Choose client relationships before filling your calendar

Matt bought his practice on September 1, 2017. At the time of recording, he expects revenue of about $750,000 for the accounting firm side, up from roughly $350,000 when he acquired it. He projects financial planning to add another $200,000.

Yet growth doesn’t mean keeping every client. With one accountant planning to retire within six months, Matt is considering downsizing and releasing some nonideal legacy clients. He already reserves most in-person meetings for financial-planning clients and the top 10% of accounting firm clients. In 2025, he spent just 27 days in the office, 17 of them in March.

His advice is to “figure out which clients you really enjoy working with,” then identify needs beyond your current services. That process led him into financial planning because many existing clients needed personal planning, rather than business advisory work.

Selective attention doesn’t mean abandoning everyone else. It means finding other ways to stay connected.

Build connections beyond the annual tax return

For clients Matt sees only once a year, appreciation events help put a face to his name. When retirement or an inheritance creates a planning need, they know whom to call.

The pub party idea came from an earlier food-truck event, where a conversation with a recently retired client led to assets moving into Matt’s advisory practice.

These gatherings also give the team something to enjoy. And, as Rachel noted, a lower-fee client may have friends or relatives who become excellent prospects.

Marcus described the broader shift as “moving from compliance to community.” Personal touches like handwritten thank-you cards, selected client gifts, and team photos that include family members support that shift.

Financial planning also changes whom you serve. Matt explained that, unlike many business engagements, financial planning often involves both spouses. His mother’s favorite thing about her advisor was the Christmas basket. That’s a reminder that different people notice different forms of care.

Timing helps, too. Rachel found that gifts sent in May stood out more than gifts sent during crowded December weeks.

Those connections bring the conversation back to the firm you want to build.

Build a community you want to belong to

Start with three choices:

  • Share the gains from better work. Give employees room to solve problems and benefit from the results.
  • Make recognition personal. Notice contributions, listen to criticism, and include the people important to your team.
  • Invest in relationships deliberately. Choose clients you enjoy serving, understand their needs, and stay connected beyond deadlines.

Listen to the full episode for Matt’s full conversation with Rachel and Marcus about building a firm around people, not just revenue.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a national, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 28 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with Streamlined OS, an operating system for accounting firms, mastermind groups, and one-on-one advisory.

Can you really buy a $400,000 accounting firm with just $20,000 down?

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You may not have $400,000 sitting in the bank. You may not even have $40,000. Yet under the right conditions, you could buy a $400,000 accounting practice with about $20,000 of your own money.

The deal still has to pass a lender’s review, produce enough cash to cover the debt, and leave room for working capital. The firm also needs to fit your goals and your ability to serve its clients.

On a recent episode of Who’s Really the BOSS?, hosts Rachel and Marcus Dillon spoke with independent debt advisor Eric Rabinovich about the financing behind small accounting-firm acquisitions. Their discussion showed that cash is only part of the challenge. Buyers also need the right target, solid financials, and a plan before an opportunity appears.

Most accounting-firm deals are smaller than the headlines

LinkedIn may focus on mergers among the country’s largest firms, but that is not the market most accounting professionals occupy. Eric usually works with professional-services firms generating a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $5 million in annual revenue. His average transaction is about $700,000 to $800,000, and many fall between $500,000 and $1 million.

Roughly 100,000 accounting and tax firms operate in the United States. Eric estimated that the heart of the market falls between $300,000 and $700,000 in revenue. For perspective, the 500th firm on the IPA 500 list generated just over $6 million.

That makes acquisition a practical option for smaller firms. Rachel noted that organic marketing efforts may take six months to gain traction and a year or more to produce significant growth. An acquisition can add revenue faster, but it also brings clients, employees, systems, and cultural issues to manage. Once you decide the fit is right, the next question is how to pay for it.

The $20,000 scenario depends on the deal structure

Marcus began searching for a practice in his late 20s after seeing no clear path to partnership at his employer. In 2011, he bought a $400,000 practice to replace his income and create more flexibility. The deal structure included $40,000 of personal cash, a $40,000 seller note, and a $320,000 bank loan.

Today, Eric said buyers generally have three financing paths:

  • Seller financing: Payments may be tied to collections, but willing sellers can be difficult to find
  • Conventional bank financing: Buyers usually contribute more cash and repay the loan over five to seven years
  • SBA-backed financing: A 10-year term can reduce the down payment and the monthly payment

Eric shared an illustration where a buyer could finance $360,000 of a $400,000 purchase with an SBA loan. A qualifying $20,000 seller note covers half of the required equity if it remains on standby for the life of the SBA loan. The buyer contributes the remaining $20,000.

“You can buy a $400,000 firm for $20,000,” Eric said. But working capital, seller cooperation, lender approval, and the final deal terms affect the amount required. More importantly, a low down payment means little if the practice can’t support the debt.

Cash flow determines whether the loan works

The key measure is the debt-service coverage ratio (DSCR). It compares available cash flow with annual loan payments. Eric said many lenders require a minimum ratio of 1.25. In simple terms, the business needs $1.25 of qualifying cash flow for every $1 of debt payments.

Using Marcus’s $320,000 loan as an example:

  • Term: 10 years
  • Illustrative interest rate: 8.75%
  • Monthly principal and interest: about $4,000
  • Annual debt service: about $48,000
  • Cash flow needed at a 1.25 DSCR: about $60,000

SBA financing is based on cash flow. As Eric put it, “If that isn’t at or above the minimum debt service coverage ratio, the other stuff doesn’t matter.” Before you become attached to a practice, calculate its likely debt payments and test its cash flow.

Prepared buyers stand out in a crowded market

Once the numbers work, the next challenge is winning the seller’s confidence. Buyers now compete with entrepreneurship-through-acquisition graduates, investor-backed groups, and small firms pursuing “micro-PE” rollups.

Eric recommended taking several steps before searching seriously:

  • Protect your credit and avoid major purchases that reduce borrowing capacity
  • Complete a personal financial statement
  • Gather bank or brokerage statements showing available cash
  • Talk with lenders and seek prequalification
  • Work backward from the equity requirement to set a realistic price range
  • Ask experienced buyers what they wish they’d known

Consider the seller’s view. One buyer expresses interest, while another presents proof of funds and a prequalification letter and explains how the transition will work. Preparation doesn’t guarantee a deal, but it gives the seller fewer reasons to doubt your ability to close.

Existing firms may have more financing options

Established owners may have an advantage because lenders can consider cash flow from both the buyer’s firm and the target. Marcus and Rachel used that strength when they wanted to move beyond a $3 million growth ceiling. They bought a $1.5 million practice using $120,000 in cash, $480,000 in bank financing, and seller notes for the balance.

Eric also explained that an established firm with at least two completed fiscal years may qualify for SBA expansion financing. If the transaction meets the SBA’s industry requirements, a lender may approve up to 100% financing.

Firms are also exploring related services such as wealth management and insurance. Those moves may create opportunities, but they bring separate licensing and regulatory requirements. As Eric warned, “Just because you can do that doesn’t mean you should.”

Readiness creates the opportunity

Buying an accounting firm can offer a faster path to ownership or help an established practice break through a growth ceiling. But the target must fit your firm, its cash flow must support the debt, and you must be ready to move when the right opportunity appears.

Hear Rachel, Marcus, and Eric explain the financing options, risks, and preparation steps in the full Who’s Really the BOSS? episode.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a national, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 28 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with Streamlined OS, an operating system for accounting firms, mastermind groups, and one-on-one advisory.

One year after an accounting firm acquisition: What DBA retained (and what it changed)

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A 72% client-retention rate might make an accounting firm owner wince. But that number doesn’t tell the whole story.

Nearly one year after Dillon Business Advisors (DBA) acquired Enterprise Business Solutions (EBS), DBA expected to retain about 95% or more of the acquired firm’s $1.5 million revenue base. The combined firm had fewer clients, but almost the same revenue.

On Who’s Really the BOSS?, hosts Rachel Dillon and Marcus Dillon joined Amy McCarty, DBA’s Director of Operations and co-founder of Collective by DBA, to review the acquisition. The deal closed at the end of September 2025, and the conversation took place a few weeks before its first anniversary.

Their experience offers a practical lesson. Acquisition success isn’t simply about retaining every client, employee, and system. It depends on defining what fits the combined firm and acting when something doesn’t.

 

Growth was meant to create stability

DBA spent years between $2.5 million and $3 million in annual revenue while moving clients from annual engagements to monthly recurring work. The firm was growing and improving, but it struggled to break through that range.

Their goal of reaching $5 million wasn’t about size for its own sake. A larger revenue base would support positions like Director of Tax, Director of Technology, and Director of Operations. It would also create better career paths for existing employees.

Growth could also reduce client concentration risk. Marcus explained that one DBA client spent more than $200,000 a year and, in some years, close to $300,000. Losing that client at $2.5 million in revenue could significantly impact the firm’s annual profit. At $5 million, the loss would still hurt, but DBA would have more room to adjust.

DBA chose mergers and acquisitions as part of its growth strategy. It first completed a smaller, roughly $600,000 acquisition in the St. Louis market. That deal allowed the team to learn before taking on EBS, which was about two and a half times larger.

That experience helped DBA recognize what made EBS a promising fit.

EBS looked aligned, but the team expected surprises

EBS had healthy profitability, capable employees, strong clients, and services and pricing similar to DBA’s. Its structure could also fit DBA’s Team of 3 model.

Nearly 60% of EBS revenue came from monthly recurring engagements. Before the acquisition, DBA was approaching 80%. The firms’ mission, vision, values, and culture also appeared closely aligned.

Still, Marcus cautioned that buyers “only know so much before the transaction closing.” Documents can show alignment, but daily operations reveal whether it’s real.

So DBA structured the agreement around a range. The purchase terms included an 80% revenue-retention floor and allowed the sellers to benefit if revenue reached as much as 120% through price increases, referrals, or new work. That structure gave both sides a reason to focus on revenue quality instead of retaining every account.

Fewer clients didn’t mean a failed deal

Amy calculated overall client retention at about 72%. Retention among all business clients was around 65%. The rate was much higher for monthly recurring clients, with only a small number leaving because of a sale, consolidation, or price.

Revenue told a stronger story. DBA expected to generate between $1.4 million and $1.5 million from the acquired $1.5 million base during the first year. As Marcus put it, “Same revenue, fewer clients. That’s always a win.”

DBA achieved that result by implementing 5% to 10% price increases for monthly work and about 10% for tax services.

Not every client fit DBA’s model. One real estate client paid roughly $950 to $975 per month, including QuickBooks Online and ADP costs. That was well below DBA’s $1,500 monthly minimum. When another provider offered to do the work for $500, DBA considered a reduced fee but ultimately let the client leave.

The minimum supports a Team of 3, which includes a Client Service Manager, Client Controller, and Client CFO. Without enough revenue, the firm can’t give that team the budget to deliver timely monthly work.

DBA also added better-fit work. Marcus noted that new wins totaled about $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue, helping replace smaller accounts that were harder to serve.

Client fit was only one part of the integration. The next test involved the team.

Clear roles made difficult staff decisions easier

DBA retained five of the seven EBS employees included in its calculation, a 71% retention rate. It also promoted an acquired Client Controller into a Client CFO role leading a pod.

The first employee exit happened within roughly a month. The role and behavior didn’t fit the combined culture, and the mismatch existed before the acquisition. Rachel noted that any departure can make employees quietly wonder, “Am I next?” Leaders need to respond by clarifying remaining employees’ responsibilities and future, not by discussing confidential details about the person who left.

The second exit came close to the one-year mark after tax season, coaching, and assessment. Marcus acknowledged that DBA’s remote environment works well for experienced professionals but hasn’t always been the best place to start a career.

Defined roles gave DBA an objective standard for those decisions. The firm could explain what success looked like for each position and where they needed improvement.

Those standards also exposed differences in how the two firms served clients.

Integration required deadlines and hard cutoffs

DBA aims to deliver at least 80% of monthly financial statements by the 15th. EBS offered similar services, but its delivery schedule didn’t consistently match that standard.

DBA addressed the gap in stages. It first gave the acquired team access to its tax and practice-management systems without disrupting tax season. After tax season, leaders recorded employees completing monthly work, decided which tasks belonged to Client Service Managers or Client Controllers, and used Copilot or Claude, along with reviews by peers in similar roles, to identify gaps and training opportunities.

Technology adoption required a firmer approach. DBA moved EBS from Keeper to Practice Protect, but some employees continued using Keeper because it was still available. Full adoption happened only after DBA removed access to the old system.

The practical lesson is that communication alone doesn’t create adoption. Firm leaders should:

  • Define role ownership and service deadlines
  • Set clear transition and cutoff dates
  • Confirm adoption employee by employee
  • Limit legacy-system access to one or two administrators
  • Review client fit and minimum pricing before closing

DBA’s next step is to continue firm-wide training on onboarding, tax and accounting workflows, approved tools, and client delivery.

Define success before you sign

An acquisition can create budget, career paths, and protection from client concentration. It can also expose unclear roles, weak processes, and technology habits much faster than organic growth would.

Before signing a deal, write down the standards the combined firm must follow, including ideal-client criteria, minimum pricing, role definitions, delivery deadlines, approved technology, and an acceptable revenue-retention range.

Then be ready to enforce them.

Listen to the full episode to hear Rachel, Marcus, and Amy share the numbers and lessons from DBA’s first year after the EBS acquisition.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a national, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 28 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with Streamlined OS, an operating system for accounting firms, mastermind groups, and one-on-one advisory. 

Your Firm Feels Broken When the Business Model Doesn’t Match Your Values

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Between 2017 and 2019, Sandra Koch was searching for a way to fix what she called her “broken accounting firm.” She tested popular industry models, including selling tax plans. Instead of finding clarity, she felt confused and stressed. The approaches required her to become someone she wasn’t.

That experience raised an important question: What if recurring friction isn’t a sign that you need more discipline, another app, or a better implementation plan? What if the model simply doesn’t fit your values?

In a recent episode of Who’s Really the BOSS?, Sandra explains how she shaped Aurora Consulting Group around her beliefs about clients, employees, and work. Founded in San Diego in 2011, the firm is now based in Visalia, California. Sandra lives in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and leads a fully remote, six-person team spread across Mexico, California, and Indiana.

Aurora earns revenue in the low $700,000 range. It primarily serves service businesses with $1 million to $5 million in revenue, providing accounting, tax, advisory, and operations-management support.

 

Stop forcing someone else’s model onto your firm

For years, Sandra operated with a small team, but without the professional community and support system she later realized she needed. She looked outside the firm for answers and tried several approaches that didn’t work for her.

“If I try to twist myself into something I’m not, that’s inauthentic,” she says. “It’s going to fail.”

Her point isn’t that tax planning or any other service model is wrong. The problem comes when a model clashes with what you believe about client service, leadership, or work. Even strong execution can’t make a poor fit feel natural.

When your firm keeps “grinding gears,” consider asking:

  • What do we believe excellent client service requires?
  • What kind of workplace do we want to create?
  • Which services truly help our clients?
  • Do poor execution or poor alignment cause this frustration?

Once your values are clear, technology and operating decisions become easier to evaluate.

Let technology support the work

Aurora uses a practical, cloud-based technology stack. Karbon holds client work and email. Clients use QuickBooks Online, while the firm uses ProConnect Tax, Ignition, Ramp, and either Gusto or Rippling. The team also checks Google Workspace before purchasing another tool. Google Forms, for example, often meets its needs without an added subscription.

Sandra adopted cloud software early. After H&R Block purchased RedGear Technologies in January 2012, she had about two weeks to replace her tax software. Intuit was the only company that could import her client data within that window, so she moved to ProConnect. She also began testing QuickBooks Online before it included bank reconciliation because she believed Intuit would continue improving it.

The firm takes an equally practical approach to AI:

  • Blue J supports tax and accounting research and helps explain technical topics to clients
  • ChatGPT and Claude support creative, subjective, and organizational work. For objective claims, Sandra says, “It’s our job to prove it.”
  • EasyLlama provides security, AI, empathy, and customer service training in one place

Technology supports remote work, but a healthy workplace requires trust and attention to people.

Build flexibility around real lives

Every Aurora role has a job description, but Sandra recognizes every employee is different. When one employee’s abilities and strengths didn’t match the role or Sandra’s expectations, the mismatch stressed the team.

Instead of pushing the employee to perform within the same structure, Aurora stripped down and rebuilt the role around the person’s strengths. “We couldn’t see it because of the chaos the mismatch caused,” Sandra explains.

That same care shapes the firm’s schedule. Everyone must attend the Tuesday team meeting at 10 a.m. Beyond that (and California wage-and-hour requirements), Aurora doesn’t require employees to work set days or hours. Employees block unavailable time on their calendars, communicate their schedules, and remain available for necessary meetings.

That flexibility allowed one employee to work half days for two weeks so she could attend her child’s playoff games. Sandra reasons the employee won’t regret those half days years from now, but she would regret missing the games.

However, flexibility only works when clear service standards protect clients.

Turn responsiveness into a shared responsibility

Aurora uses Grasshopper for its phone system. Calls to the general line ring across the company, so any employee can answer. Everyone also monitors the shared client text line. A written policy says that if a message remains unanswered for an hour, someone must alert the intended recipient.

Karbon helps the firm track email response times, and every employee includes a booking link in their email signature. Each client also works with three contacts: a client service manager, a controller, and a CFO. If one person is unavailable, the relationship doesn’t stall.

Podcast host Rachel Dillon highlighted a lesson firm leaders often overlook: Employees can’t follow a rule that exists only in the owner’s head. If the same issue keeps causing frustration, ask whether you’ve documented and communicated the expectation.

But responsiveness is about more than speed. When Aurora learned that a client had lost a family member, the team shared that context so everyone would approach future conversations with care. As Sandra’s story shows, people remember when somebody notices.

Give every team meeting a clear purpose

Aurora’s Tuesday meeting begins with a team member reading the firm’s mission and values. Employees then share work highs and lows, discuss what they need help with, and celebrate progress. The meeting also includes a book discussion, announcements, personal milestones, and “happies and crappies.”

Client problems are intentionally absent. Aurora once discussed them during staff meetings, but the meetings became too long and left employees discouraged. Client issues now go to separate meetings. The weekly team meeting’s purpose is to be a pep rally that builds connection.

That reflects Sandra’s larger message, which is every system, from meeting agendas to response policies, should support the way you want to work.

Build from conviction, not convention

Sandra’s experience offers five lessons:

  1. Define your values before choosing services, systems, or management practices
  2. Treat recurring friction as a warning that something may not fit
  3. Support flexibility with clear schedules and written standards
  4. Shape roles around people’s strengths whenever possible
  5. Keep technology purposeful and verify objective AI-generated information

“When you match your firm to your value system,” Sandra says, “everything’s just smooth.”

Your firm doesn’t need to look like everyone else’s. It needs to serve clients well while remaining authentic and sustainable for you and your team.

Listen to the full episode to hear Sandra Koch’s full story and learn how Aurora puts these principles into practice.

Rachel and Marcus Dillon, CPA, own a national, remote client accounting and advisory services firm, Dillon Business Advisors, with a team of 28 professionals. Their latest organization, Collective by DBA, supports and guides accounting firm owners and leaders with Streamlined OS, an operating system for accounting firms, mastermind groups, and one-on-one advisory.