For many accountants, working just 40 hours a week during tax season sounds like a fantasy.Tax pros often work 60+ hours for months straight, wearing those long hours as a “badge of honor” in a profession that glorifies the grind.
Yuri Kapilovich, known as “The Fun CPA,” has rejected that model entirely. He’s built a practice where he works just 40 hours during tax season and just 10-15 hours per week the rest of the year. His firm generates roughly $225,000–$250,000 annually, giving him time for family, fitness, and hosting memorable networking events.
Earn CPE for this episode: You can earn Continuing Professional Education credit by listening to the podcast and then taking a brief quiz in the Earmark app.
Escaping the Public Accounting Treadmill
After 12 years and seven different firms, Yuri kept encountering the same frustrating culture: pressure to bill more hours, looking busy for appearance’s sake, and efficiency being punished.
“I would look at these partners who are in the office more than I am. I’m leaving and they’re still there,” he recalls. “They have a boss, just like I have a boss. If I can make $800,000 and work 10 to 2, I would have stayed. But you can’t.”
Yuri decided to break free by purchasing a small block of clients from a friend. That deal unexpectedly fell apart, but he decided to move forward anyway. He contracted part-time with two CPA firms, working two or three days a week while gradually building his client base. This bridge approach kept his income steady and let him say “no” to prospective clients who weren’t a good fit.
The Economics of Premium Pricing
The foundation of Yuri’s business model is simple but powerful: charge more, serve fewer clients, and provide exceptional value. He started with a minimum fee of $800 and now won’t take on any tax-only client for less than $2,000.
Yuri emphasizes that working fewer hours doesn’t mean delivering less value. It’s about charging enough to serve clients well without drowning in low-fee work. He explains the difference between accepting hundreds of returns at $300–$500 each—earning decent revenue but shouldering an avalanche of busywork—and serving fewer clients at a much higher minimum fee.
Here’s how the math works when comparing traditional high-volume practices to his approach:
Traditional Model:
- 300 clients at $500 per return = $150,000 revenue
- At least 1 hour per client (realistically more with admin, communication, etc.)
- 300 hours over just 8 weeks (Feb 15 – Apr 15) = 37.5 hours weekly at a minimum
- Reality: Information arrives late, questions pile up, schedule compresses
- Result: 60+ hour weeks, constant administrative chaos
Yuri’s Model:
- 100 clients at $2,000+ per return = $200,000+ revenue
- Higher-value clients with more complex needs
- Work spread more evenly, better boundaries
- Result: 40-hour weeks max, even during tax season
That doesn’t simply triple his revenue per client—it dramatically changes his day-to-day life. He feels in control of his workload, and his clients benefit from more personalized attention.
The most surprising discovery? Yuri says, “As the price went up and as you’re dealing with somebody who’s seeing your value, you know what goes down? The number of questions, the number of bothers.”
Service Packages That Create Value for Both Sides
Beyond standalone tax returns, Yuri offers:
Quarterly Package: Starting at $1,500 per quarter ($6,000 annually)
- Tax preparation for business and personal returns
- Proactive tax strategy discussions
- Quarterly planning meetings (approximately one hour each). Having this regular touchpoint helps avoid unpleasant surprises in April.
Monthly Package: The “full service” option
- Everything in the quarterly package
- Bookkeeping (outsourced locally in Brooklyn)
- He still maintains a quarterly meeting schedule rather than monthly. This structure keeps everyone on track but prevents excessive demands on his time.
Life by Design: What Freedom Looks Like
In large firms, partners can earn very high incomes—sometimes $800,000 or more a year. But from Yuri’s perspective, those partners often trade away family time, mental health, and control of their schedules to hit those numbers. Many are still at their desks long after younger staff have gone home.
Yuri has optimized his practice to support his priorities:
- family time with his two young children (ages 2 and 6),
- fitness, and
- enjoying life.
His summer schedule is particularly enviable. “My friends make fun of me, and it’s partially true—I don’t really work. Especially in the summertime, it’s like 2 to 3 hours a day at most. And we can do it from anywhere.”
He’s accessible to clients (they can text him directly), but because he’s selective about who he works with, this accessibility doesn’t become overwhelming. He even occasionally takes client calls while at the gym.
Yuri also hosts creative networking events to bring business owners together. When asked what he gets from these events, he answers simply: “I have no goal. I literally am here to put these people together so they can interact and do business together.”
Breaking Free: Advice for Building Your Practice
If you’re considering a similar path, Yuri offers these tips:
- Start with Contract Work
“My advice to anybody looking to go out on their own—try to find a contracting gig. Those 2 to 3 days will keep the lights on while you build your firm the way you want to with the other 2 or 3 days.”
- Start with Higher Fees Than You Think
“If you’ve already built a firm with a lot of volume but want to get to the value aspect, it is extremely difficult to just all of a sudden say, ‘By the way, I know I was charging you $500, it’s $1,000 now.’ Not only will you lose the client, but you’ll lose reputation and street cred.”
- Be Ruthlessly Selective About Clients
“Here’s how the conversation typically goes with a prospect looking for cheaper returns: ‘Hey, are you taking on clients like me?’ And I’ll say, ‘Are you a business owner?’ And they’ll say, ‘No, I have a W-2 only.’ I’m like, ‘I’m happy to work with you W-2 only. My minimum fee is $2,000.’ Then I stop talking.”
- Create a Memorable Brand
Whether intentional or not, having something that makes you stand out helps attract the right clients and sets expectations about your approach to accounting.
Building the “Fun CPA” Brand
Establishing a personal brand was a key part of Yuri’s strategy. His Instagram handle and hashtag—#thefunCPA—emerged almost by accident. But it quickly set him apart in an industry that often feels stiff. He showed up at events with “Fun CPA” banners, printed T-shirts, and a big smile, which made people do a double take.
Yuri also hosts networking events that don’t feel anything like typical “mixers.” He might invite business owners on a boat outing or to a local hangar party where private jets are on display. His main purpose is to connect people and let them create business opportunities together. If they want to talk taxes or accounting, they’ll ask.
Rethinking Success in Accounting
The accounting profession often measures success by top-line revenue and billable hours—metrics Yuri calls “trash” and “imaginary.”
“I think as a profession we need to refocus. And especially if we want to fix this pipeline problem, the way we do that is by focusing on the people—your number one asset,” he says. “When you neglect that and just grind them for billable hours that mean absolutely nothing, it is of no surprise to me that people are leaving.”
Yuri’s model shows that building a profitable, sustainable practice that prioritizes accountant and client well-being is possible. By serving the right clients at the right price, you can transform accounting from a seasonal grind into a genuinely rewarding career—one with time for birthday celebrations, family dinners, and maybe even the occasional boat day.
Want more details? Listen to the full Earmark Podcast episode with Yuri Kapilovich, and don’t forget you can earn CPE credit by downloading the Earmark app and taking a quick quiz after you listen.