I left accounting because I was over it.
I was at the centre of everything. Every decision, every client question, every problem that needed solving ... it came back to me. The firm worked. I just couldn't step away from it for five minutes without something stalling.
So I left and walked away from the profession.
Then I built a marketing agency and did exactly the same thing again.
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to see that the problem was how I'd built both things ... with me at the centre, holding it all together.
I see systems where other people see chaos.
Always have. Even as an accountant ... before I had my own firm ... I was a systems accountant. While everyone around me was focused on the compliance work, I was looking at how the whole operation ran. Where the friction was. Why the same issues kept surfacing. What would need to change for the firm to run without constant intervention.
I built a product called BusinessDashboardHQ ... one operational home for a business, all the important information in one place. It sold well. I was genuinely surprised by that, because at the time I assumed everyone thought about their business the way I did.
Turns out most people don't see what I see. And accounting firms are probably the clearest example of that gap. Firms run by technically excellent people, built on years of hard work ... and still completely dependent on the owner being present for anything meaningful to happen.
The software, the frustrations, the dependency patterns ... I understand them from the inside. I know what it costs a firm owner to still be in the middle of everything, in time, in revenue, and in their ability to step back even slightly.
That combination ... systems thinking, accounting background, years working specifically on this problem ... is why the firms I work with get a clear picture fast. I already know where to look.
A motorhome somewhere in Europe.
My partner and I have been doing this for a few years now ... moving through the UK and Europe, working from wherever we happen to be. Our dog Leo comes everywhere with us.
I mention this because it's relevant to the work. I've had to build my own business in a way that runs without me being anchored to a desk, a timezone, or a fixed location. The same problem firm owners bring to me is the one I've had to solve for myself.
It also means I keep things lean. I don't have a team of ten people and a complicated delivery process. I have a clear method, a small number of clients at any one time, and a genuine interest in the specific problem each firm is dealing with.
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What working with me looks like
Accounting firm owners are analytical. They've heard a lot of generic business advice and they're rightly suspicious of it. I look at the firm, tell you what I see, and tell you what to do about it.
The FirmHQ Diagnostic is two sessions. In the first one you talk and I listen ... I want to understand how your firm actually operates. Between sessions I build your firm map. In the second session I present what I found and what I'd do about it.
If you want me to build it, that's FirmHQ. If you want to take the plan and do it yourself, that works too. The diagnostic delivers something useful either way.
I work with a small number of firms at any one time. That's deliberate. The work requires proper attention and I'd rather do fewer things well than spread thin across too many clients.
If any of this resonates, here's where to start
The FirmHQ Diagnostic is two sessions ... I map your firm, you get a written plan. If you want me to build it after that, the $297 is credited toward the project.
Or start with a book. Each one is $9 and written specifically for accounting firm owners.
If You’re New Here, Start With the Engines
The 7 Engines explain everything happening inside your firm ... the overwhelm, the growth, the bottlenecks, the workload, the opportunities.
If you want to understand where to focus, start here:
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