Are You the CEO of Your Firm, or Just an Accountant?

I speak with accounting firm owners every day, whether they are clients or potential clients. One thing is crystal clear: the firms that struggle with time management and profitability are often led by owners who are too deep in the day-to-day service delivery. These are the owners who say, "I'll do it because I can do it faster," or "I'm not in a position to hire more staff" To quote Michael Gerber, "They’re busy working in their business, not on their business."

The challenge for many firm owners is: Where do you find the time to work on your business when you’re drowning in client work? You know your clients need you, but are you really the best person to be doing all of the work?

It’s common to see smaller firm owners spending one hour doing $200/hour work, then the next doing $70/hour work. Whether you're using hourly billing or value billing, the impact is the same: you’re wasting your most valuable asset—your time.

In my experience helping firm owners reclaim their time, I’ve found that the first step is to take an honest look at how you're spending your day. What tasks are you holding onto that could be delegated to lower-cost staff? And let’s not forget the inefficiencies that creep in when you’re overwhelmed—working while constantly playing catch-up drains productivity and kills profitability.

The good news is, getting your time back isn’t as hard as you think. There are simple, practical ways to create more breathing room in your schedule. It starts with managing client expectations. For example, a well-crafted engagement letter can prevent those last-minute scrambles that throw your schedule off track. Include clear deadlines: "We need these documents by [date], or we won’t be able to meet the deadline." And be firm: if extra resources are needed to meet an urgent deadline, there will be extra fees.

This proactive approach separates your best clients from the rest. The clients who value your work will understand and respect your process. The clients who don’t? They’ll either pay the extra costs or find someone else. Either way, you win.

If your clients control your time, you'll always be stuck in your business. But when you control your time, you can finally work on your business, focusing on growth, strategy, and profitability.

Remember: managing your time doesn’t take more time—it creates more time.

What you choose to do with that newfound time is where the real profit lies. Your staff will appreciate it, and so will your family.

I’m Paul Roy, founder of Profitable Practice Pro, and my mission is to assist Accountant and CPA practice owners in becoming great leaders while building their businesses through three key areas: People, Processes, and Profits.

Ready to transform your accounting practice? Book a 20-minute call with me today to learn more? https://calendly.com/paul-snh8/30min