How to start an accounting advisory business

In times of economic uncertainty, clients crave certainty wherever it can be found – and clarity in the absence of certainty. This is the time for your value to be re-established: not simply as the one who can do the rear-view tasks that are required, but as the one who can help look forward to making the right decisions for the future of that business.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many accountants began shifting their focus from compliance services to advisory service offerings. Others, however, may continue to disregard the increasingly common white papers, conversations, and webinars on how to offer accounting advisory services because you think you’re already providing advisory services, which may, in fact, be true. But are you truly putting advisory guidance at the core of your client relationships? Are your advisory service offerings scalable? Are they renewable? Do your clients understand the value your advisory services offer? Are you cultivating a culture of advisory guidance within your team to grow and enhance client relationships for the long haul?

Whether you want to start an accounting advisory practice, or fine tune your current advisory offering, this is the definitive guide to help you make the shift into an advisory-centric approach to become the true trusted advisor your clients are seeking more than ever before. These guidelines will help you launch your advisory practice whether you’re working from home or from a brick-and-mortar office. You will learn:

1. What accounting advisory is.
2. The difference between consulting and an advisory service offering.
3. Why you should offer accounting advisory services.
4. How to tell if your CPA advisory work is at the core of your client relationships.
5. How to start your advisory service practice.
6. How to price your accounting advisory services.
7. How to approach new clients with your advisory offering.
8. How to transition existing clients into advisory-centric engagements.