Ever notice that some client conversations start with “How much?” before they ask anything else?

That moment points to a deeper issue. Your marketing and positioning may be attracting the wrong clients, leading to price resistance, longer hours, and stalled growth.

0:00 The Hidden Cost of Wrong-Fit Clients2:15 Why Poor-Fit Clients Drain Your Revenue4:30 How High-Maintenance Clients Impact Profitability6:45 Susan's Story: Breaking the Price-Cutting Cycle9:20 Step 1: Messaging That Attracts Quality Clients11:30 Step 2: Screening Questions During Consultations13:15 Step 3: Value Pricing Over Low-Cost Positioning

In this episode, I break down how accounting firm owners with small teams can shift client attraction, align pricing with impact, and reduce workload without adding more marketing effort.

You will learn:
👉 How to spot poor fit clients before they drain your time and margin
👉 Messaging and consultation shifts that naturally filter for quality clients
👉How value pricing changes who reaches out and how conversations start

When the right clients find you, revenue increases while stress decreases. Listen to the podcast to understand how small changes in positioning and pricing create better clients and better results.

If you want to double your income, working half the time, then Get Paid What You’re Worth is a FREE resource for accounting professionals.
Check out this 43 page e book at https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

If your accounting firm marketing looks consistent on paper but continues to attract price shoppers or low quality inquiries, the problem is rarely how much effort you are putting in. It is a positioning and pricing issue that marketing is simply exposing.

In this episode of the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast, Loren Fogelman breaks down why accounting firm marketing fails even when firm owners are doing all the “right” things, and how misalignment between messaging, positioning, and pricing quietly pushes premium clients away.

0:00 Introduction: Why Your Marketing Isn't Working

1:45 Mistake #1: Trying to Appeal to Everyone

3:30 Mistake #2: Leading with Services Instead of Outcomes

5:15 Mistake #3: Using Your Website to Explain, Not Filter

7:20 Mistake #4: Confusing Activity with Effectiveness

9:40 Mistake #5: Fixing Marketing Before Pricing

11:30 Next Steps: Aligning Your Positioning and Pricing

This conversation is designed for accounting firm owners who want to attract better fit clients, increase revenue without adding more work, and stop wasting time on marketing that drains capacity instead of supporting growth.

In this episode, you will learn how to:

• Spot the messaging mistakes that repel higher value accounting clients

• Shift from service focused marketing to outcome driven positioning

• Align your pricing and positioning so marketing attracts quality clients automatically

You will walk away with a clearer direction and a practical framework that helps your marketing work harder without requiring more content, more platforms, or more hours.

If you have been wondering why your accounting firm marketing is not working, this episode will help you understand why clarity must come first and how fixing it makes everything else easier and more profitable.

If you want to increase your income while reducing your workload, download the free guide Get Paid What You’re Worth, a 43 page resource for accounting professionals focused on pricing, positioning, and client quality: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast for practical strategies on value pricing, client attraction, and firm growth: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Blaming tax season stress on volume feels logical. More clients should mean more chaos. But for many accounting firm owners, volume is not the root problem. It is a symptom.

What actually drives busy season exhaustion is how many times each tax return gets touched. When preparation begins before all documents are received and verified, work becomes stop start. Returns are opened, paused, reopened, and reviewed again due to missing information, follow ups, and constant interruptions. Each touch quietly drains capacity, extends turnaround times, and increases burnout.

0:00 Why Tax Season Feels Overwhelming Every Year

2:15 The Hidden Cost of Stop-Start Work on Tax Returns

4:45 How One Firm Owner Worked 70-80 Hour Weeks

6:30 The Binary Readiness Gate System That Changes Everything

9:20 Real Results: How to Save 15 Hours Per Week During Tax Season

12:05 Client Communication Scripts for Your Tax Firm

14:40 Implementing the Tax Return Readiness System in Your Firm

This episode breaks down why unclear readiness rules create unnecessary pressure inside accounting firms and why readiness is a leadership decision, not an admin task. When readiness is binary and enforced through clear gatekeeping, firms regain control of workflow, protect preparer focus, and reduce busy season stress.

In this episode, you will learn:

➡️ How to determine when a tax return is truly ready so work flows consistently and workload is reduced

➡️ The leadership decision that protects focus, accuracy, and team capacity during tax season

➡️ How readiness systems support value pricing and attract higher quality clients

This practical approach helps accounting firm owners reduce rework, maintain control during busy season, and create space for quality clients without working longer hours. You will also hear how one firm increased revenue while cutting peak season hours by tightening readiness rules.

Download the free Tax Return Readiness Guide to implement this system in your firm. It includes a readiness checklist, client communication scripts, and internal boundary scripts you can use immediately.

https://www.businesssuccesssolution.com/readiness/

If you want to increase revenue without adding more hours, download Get Paid What You’re Worth, a free 43 page guide for accounting professionals focused on value pricing and workload reduction.

https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast for practical strategies on accounting firm management, busy season stress reduction, value pricing, and working with better clients.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Is AI a threat to your accounting firm or the key to increasing profit while reducing your workload?

Many accounting firm owners worry that AI will replace their expertise. However, AI isn’t your competition. It’s a reliable digital assistant that streamlines low-value tasks, improves client communication, and helps you focus on high-value advisory work.

Firms that adopt AI now will gain efficiency, strengthen client relationships, and increase revenue. Firms that resist will fall behind.

Here’s how to use AI intentionally and profitably in your firm.

0:00 Introduction: AI for firms of the future

4:15 Breaking through the fear: why AI won’t kill your accounting business

9:30 Practical quick wins: using ChatGPT to automate micro-tasks

16:45 AI chatbots for client communication

23:20 Building your AI tech stack

28:50 The ROI of AI: how much time firms actually get back

32:10 Five steps to successfully implement AI

In this conversation with Mark Flynn of Computer Care, Loren Fogelman shares a practical roadmap for accounting firm owners ready to use AI strategically without losing the personal connection that clients value.

You’ll learn how to streamline internal operations, improve client responsiveness, and create space for deeper advisory work.

You’ll discover:

✔️ Why procrastinating on AI adoption costs your firm profit

✔️ How to use ChatGPT to automate email writing, summaries, data review, and tax prep support

✔️ The advantage of AI chatbots that answer client questions around the clock

✔️ How to document and digitize your firm’s knowledge base

✔️ Why clients appreciate simple, self-service options

✔️ How to balance automation with meaningful client interaction

If you’re ready to reduce stress, improve margins, and build a more scalable firm, this episode gives you a clear, actionable starting point.

Connect with Mark Flynn: mark.flynn@computerc.co.uk

🎁 FREE EBOOK: Get Paid What You’re Worth

Download the 43-page guide for accounting professionals: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

🎧 Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Are you still chasing payments and financing your clients’ work?

If you’re tracking hours, creating invoices, and waiting weeks or months to get paid, you’re operating like a credit card company—absorbing all the risk while clients receive interest-free financing. This outdated billing model drains your time, hurts your cash flow, and lowers the perceived value of your expertise.

In this episode, Loren Fogelman breaks down why billing in arrears keeps accounting firm owners overworked and underpaid, and how shifting to prepayment immediately improves profitability, protects your boundaries, and strengthens client relationships.

0:00 Introduction: The problem with chasing your own money

1:15 Why invoicing after the fact means you're financing client work

2:45 The hidden costs of justifying and discounting fees

4:20 The time drain: tracking hours and following up on invoices

5:35 The $10K invoice that sat for a year

6:25 Why your highest value is before you do the work

7:15 The solution: prepayment models that eliminate AR

What you’ll learn:

✔️ Why billing in arrears puts you at risk of unpaid work

✔️ How invoicing forces you into fee justification and negotiation

✔️ The psychology behind why clients value work more before it’s completed

✔️ How to eliminate accounts receivable in your firm

✔️ Why prepayment attracts higher-value, more committed clients

If you’re ready to stop chasing payments and start getting paid what you’re worth—before you begin the work—this episode shows the pathway to predictable revenue and stronger client partnerships.

🎁 FREE EBOOK: Get Paid What You’re Worth

Download the 43-page guide for accounting professionals: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

🎧 Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Are you working too hard for too little money in your accounting firm?

In this episode, bookkeeping expert Christian Eldringhoff, founder of Build Financial Solutions, shares how she broke free from the cycle of billing in arrears, chasing payments, and giving away consulting for free. And, this was a pattern that kept her stuck under $100K for more than 15 years.

0:00 Introduction: A Frustrated One-Person Bookkeeping Shop

5:30 The Breaking Point: How COVID-Era PPP Work Led to Lost Revenue

12:45 The Five-Hour Monthly Time Drain: Tracking, Invoicing, and Chasing Payments

18:20 The Deep Dive Diagnostic: Creating a $10K Revenue Stream from Free Work

25:15 Converting Existing Clients to New Rates with Minimal Pushback

33:40 Outsourcing 20 Hours of Work: Freeing Time for Tennis and High-Value Consulting

39:50 The Results: From Under $100K to Nearly $160K in Six Months

Despite her deep expertise in cost accounting and project accounting for construction and government contractors, Christian felt overworked, underpaid, and overwhelmed.

Everything changed when she redesigned her pricing model, established firm boundaries, and stepped into the role of advisor rather than technician.

In this conversation, you’ll discover how Christian:

✔️ Turned free work into a paid diagnostic that added $10K in revenue

✔️ Converted existing clients to higher rates with minimal resistance

✔️ Eliminated payment delays by billing in advance

✔️ Outsourced 20 hours of work per month and reclaimed time for her life

✔️ Grew from under $100K to nearly $160K in six months

If you’re ready to stop trading time for money and want a firm that supports your life instead of consuming it, Christian’s journey shows what becomes possible with the right pricing model and mindset.

Connect with Christian Eldringhoff with Build Financial Solutions at celdringhoff@gmail.com

🎁 FREE EBOOK: Get Paid What You’re Worth

Download the 43-page guide for accounting professionals: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

🎧 Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Are you building your accounting firm by chance or by design?

Most accounting professionals struggle to grow their dream firms because they're operating with organic growth instead of strategic growth.

Without a clear roadmap, you're driving blind—taking every client that comes your way without knowing if they align with where you want to go.

0:00 Introduction: The GPS Analogy for Firm Growth
1:45 Organic Growth vs Strategic Growth: Understanding the Difference
3:20 Reverse Engineering Your Dream Firm: A Strategic Approach
4:30 Defining Your Destination: What Makes a Dream Firm
5:20 Stretching Yourself: The 70% Achievability Rule
6:15 Creating Milestones: Tracking Your Path to Success
7:10 Leveraging Resources: People, Places, and Processes

In this episode, Loren Fogelman reveals why traditional goal-setting keeps accounting firms stuck and introduces a powerful reverse-engineering approach that helps you build the firm you actually want—one that supports your life instead of draining it.

You'll learn:

✔️ How to distinguish between opportunities that grow your firm and distractions that derail it

✔️ Why starting with your end goal creates breakthrough insights

✔️ The strategic planning framework used by successful firm owners

✔️ How to leverage your strengths instead of fixing weaknesses

If you're ready to transform your firm from surviving to thriving, this episode provides the strategic foundation every accounting professional needs.

Want to double your income while working fewer hours? Get Paid What You're Worth is a free resource for accounting professionals. Download the 43-page e-book at: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2

Considering an acquisition to grow your accounting firm?

Acquisition is one of the fastest ways for accountants, tax preparers, and bookkeepers to scale, but the landscape is changing. Whether this is your first purchase or your next strategic move, understanding current market conditions is essential, especially if your firm operates in a rural area.

0:00 Introduction to Accounting Firm Acquisitions and Valuation

3:42 Understanding Firm Value vs Market Willingness to Pay

8:15 Increasing Your Accounting Firm Value: Recurring Revenue and Technology

12:30 Calculating Equity and Leveraging Your Firm for Expansion

16:45 SBA 7A Lending Program for Accounting Firm Acquisitions

21:20 Recent SBA Rule Changes: Seller Ownership Retention Benefits

22:34 New SBA Rules: Seller Retention & Succession Planning

In this episode, Shannon Hay of United Midwest Savings Bank breaks down what growth-minded firm owners need to know before pursuing an acquisition and how to navigate the financial and operational steps with confidence.

You’ll learn:

✔️ How to determine what the market is willing to pay

✔️ What buyers and lenders look for in firm value

✔️ The lending essentials every firm owner should understand

If you’re exploring firm expansion through acquisition, this episode gives you the insights to make informed, profitable decisions.

Check out Shannon Hay and United Midwest Savings Bank: https://www.umwsb.com

If you want to double your income while working fewer hours, then Get Paid What You’re Worth is a free resource for accounting professionals. Download the 43-page e-book at: https://businesssuccesssolution.com/worth

Subscribe to the Accounting Firm Growth Strategies Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-fogelman2