Plan B Business
Professional Services

Stop chasing 1040s.
Start commanding advisory fees.

We work with accounting and CPA firms doing $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue who want to escape the seasonal tax-prep race. Our monthly engagement, no minimum term works to migrate clients to year-round advisory retainers, 3x average client value, and give partners their summers back. How fast it moves depends on how seriously you work the plan - what you will see from the first meeting is exactly what is holding the business back.

Book a Free Strategy Call
Industry Reality

7 patterns we see in most accounting & cpa firms

85%
how often we see it

70%+ revenue concentrated in Q1 tax season

Root cause: Firm runs as a tax prep shop, not an advisory practice. Slow 9 months, manic 3 months.

What we do: Productized advisory packages (Tax + Bookkeeping + Quarterly Planning + Annual CFO Review). Move 30-40% of clients to monthly retainers within 12 months.

80%
how often we see it

Pricing hasn't been updated since 2019

Root cause: Partner fear of losing long-term clients. Combined with inflation, real revenue has declined 15-20%.

What we do: Annual 5-7% rate increase baked into engagement letters. Justified through documented added value (advisory time, tax planning, business strategy).

85%
how often we see it

All clients pay similar fees regardless of complexity

Root cause: No client segmentation. Small one-1040 client and complex S-corp client both pay ~$1,000/year.

What we do: Client tiering: Standard ($800/year basic), Premium ($3,000/year with quarterly reviews), Strategic ($8,000+/year with CFO services). Migrate top 20% of clients to higher tiers.

75%
how often we see it

Junior accountant burnout in Q1

Root cause: All-hands-on-deck January-April. 80-hour weeks. Turnover after tax season.

What we do: Year-round bookkeeping retainers smooth workload. Hire seasonal Q1 contractors instead of overloading staff. Q1 bonuses tied to retention.

90%
how often we see it

No proactive advisory - reactive to client requests only

Root cause: Compliance mindset. Clients call when they need something. No outbound advisory.

What we do: Quarterly business review meetings with every Premium-tier client. Proactive tax planning, business strategy, financial dashboard.

70%
how often we see it

Slow technology adoption (still using 2015-era tools)

Root cause: Partners resist new software. Firm runs on QuickBooks Desktop + email.

What we do: Modernize stack: cloud accounting, a client portal clients will actually log into, workflow management, e-signature. Required, not optional.

65%
how often we see it

No partner-track or career path for staff

Root cause: Make-partner-or-leave culture. No 'forever associate' or 'principal' track.

What we do: Create 3 career tracks: Partner-track (5-7 year path), Senior Manager (long-term non-equity), Director/Principal (industry expert).

Benchmarks

The numbers we aim at

These are the targets we work toward in an engagement - a bar to measure against, not an average anyone measured for you.

KPITypical starting pointPlan B target12-month goal
% revenue from monthly retainers10-25%60%+40-65%
Average client value (annual)$1,500-$3,000$5,000-$15,000$4K-$12K
% revenue in Q1 (tax season)60-75%<35%30-45%
Partner billable hours (weekly)50-60<3532-45
Junior accountant retention (3-year)40%75%+60-80%
Client retention (annual)80-90%95%+90-96%
Revenue per partner$250K-$400K$600K+$450K-$700K
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Client + financial audit

    We pull every client's profitability (revenue minus actual time spent), every service line's margin, your Q1-vs-rest-of-year revenue mix. We identify the 20% of clients ready for premium tier.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: Advisory tier structure + client conversion

    Build the 3-tier service structure. Roll out to top 30 clients first. Migration script: 'We're upgrading our service model - here's what's new and what you'll get.'

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: Operations modernization

    Cloud accounting migration complete. Client portal live. Workflow management deployed. Partner billable hours start dropping.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: Compounding + freedom

    Q1 is no longer a death march. 50-60% of revenue is recurring. Partners take real vacations. We move to quarterly cadence.

Common questions from accounting & cpa firms owners

What size firm is this for?−
Sweet spot: $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue with 3-15 staff - the same band our Hebrew site states in shekels. Below it there are three ways in, not none: the academy at $33/month, the $365 paid diagnostic and B-Start at $365/month - plus business-plan work for an owner who has not opened yet. Above it you usually need a full-time COO in-house rather than an outside partner. It is a guide, not a gate - ask and we will tell you straight.
Our clients won't pay more. We tried.+
Common belief. Test it: take your top 10 clients by value, call each one for a 30-minute 'review meeting,' and present them a clear $3,000-$8,000/year value-package with monthly check-ins. 6-7 out of 10 will say yes. The other 3-4 weren't right-fit for advisory anyway.
We do both tax and audit. Does that change anything?+
Audit firms have different economics (regulated, lower margins, higher staff utilization). We work with both. The advisory-conversion model applies to tax practice. Audit practice we treat differently - help you optimize partner leverage, scope creep management, and audit tech adoption.
What about CAS (Client Advisory Services)?+
CAS is exactly where we play. Many of our engagements help firms build true CAS practice from a foundation of bookkeeping + tax. CAS done right = $50K-$200K/year per client. That's the prize.
Will you help with hiring?+
Yes. Hiring and retention are typically the #2 issue (after pricing). We help with job descriptions, comp structure, interview process, and onboarding. We don't recruit for you, but we help you build the system.
Who actually does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker. Co-founders. Not associates.
What's the fee?+
Situation Room: $365 one-time. B-Grow: $1,430/month (most firms). B-Beyond: $2,750/month (multi-partner firms or M&A prep). No minimum term and no notice period - you can end it at any time.
What if we want to sell the firm?+
Part of our Partner-tier engagement. CPA firms are valued at 1.0-1.3x revenue typically. The work we do (recurring revenue, client diversification, documented processes, technology adoption) can push valuation to 1.5-1.8x. Plan 24-36 months ahead.

Stop being a tax shop. Build an advisory practice.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

Book My Free Strategy Call