Something feels off – it might not be your tech stack
If you’re an accounting firm partner or owner and things feel off right now, you’re not imagining it.
The deadlines are relentless. The margins are thin. The team is stretched. And despite all the talk of “working smarter,” most firms are still drowning in the same cycle — overcommit, overdeliver, under-reward.
This isn’t about capacity or technology. It’s about your business model.
At Renew, we see the same three forces playing out again and again. They’re not just causing people to leave the profession in droves — they’re the root of why many firms feel broken and partners feel stuck in an outdated model.
Let’s take a closer look.
1.When the Firm Stops Serving You
Most accounting firm partners or owners didn’t set out to be busier.
They wanted more control. More flexibility. More life outside of work. But over time, many find themselves working longer hours, dealing with higher client expectations, and sacrificing more than ever.
That’s because most firms are built to be all things to all people — not serve the right clients and key stakeholders.
And when that happens, the firm quietly starts saying no to you:
- Taking a day off during tax season
- Take a long weekend during tax season
- No to taking a proper vacation
- No to doing the sort of interesting, high-level work you aspired to
- No to feeling caught up
- No to focusing on your own goals.
At Renew, firms flip the model. We help firms start with a bold idea: your firm should be your #1 client. That means defining who you want to work with, what you want to offer, how your price your services and how you want to spend your time — then building a business model that protects that.
2.Apathy Is the Enemy of Change
Most partners don’t consciously chase convenience — they’re just trying to survive the week. But small compromises, repeated over time, create a firm that’s built for ease, not effectiveness.
It sounds like this:
- “We’ll revisit pricing after tax season.”
- “We know that client is a drain, but they’ve been with us forever.”
- “Let’s hold off on implementing a subscription model — now’s not the time.”
But here’s the problem: short-term comfort leads to long-term constraint.
Firms that stay in this loop end up with too many clients, underpriced, and reliant on partners doing too much of the work (not to mention recruiting and retention issues). The model might feel familiar — but it’s not sustainable. It’s fragile.
The most effective firms we coach make a different choice: they embrace discomfort on purpose. They stop, assess, and rebuild from the ground up. They intentionally design a business that actually works.
That’s where leverage comes from. That’s where hours come down (while profit goes up).
3. The Risk of Playing to NOT Lose
Most accounting firms today look the same:
- Same service mix
- Same pricing model
- Same low-margin, 60-80 hour week tax season grind
But in today’s market, playing it safe is playing to NOT lose. One of our Renew Mindset Principles is Play to Win.
Playing to win means doing things differently. Such as:
- Getting clarity on your target client and pruning clients aggressively
- Offering bundled, year-round services
- Ditching hourly billing for subscription models
- Investing in offshore talent and leveraging tech intentionally to enable remote working.
Your target clients aren’t looking for generic compliance work. They’re looking for proactive advice, upfront pricing, and access when they need you. You can’t do that under the old model.
If your firm is stuck in sameness, it’s time to shift. Not incrementally. Fundamentally.
What This Means for You
If you feel like you’re running hard and not getting anywhere, it’s not because you’re failing. It’s because the system is doing exactly what it was built to do — keep you reactive, overcommitted, and underpaid.
But here’s the good news: you can opt out.
At Renew, we help you to transform your accounting firm by creating value for the right clients, at the right price so that you can attract and retain a team that works less so that the firm profits more.
You don’t need more hustle. You need a model that serves you.
Let’s build the firm you actually wanted when you became a partner or started your firm. Schedule a call, and let’s talk about how our 24-month business model transformation program will help you achieve your goals.
