

Business Strategy for CPA's
Geraldine Carter
Business Strategy for CPAs: work less and make more. You know how to be an accountant – it’s running your business you need help with. With guests interviews and solo episodes, you will get business strategy every week to help you simplify your practice, get out of the compliance trap, get your time back, and command higher fees. Stop missing out on life: start working less while adding the next six figures of income. Business Strategy for CPA's is the show for you!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 18, 2023 • 37min
258 Cut 74% of Clients and Have the Same Net Profit, with Melissa Downs, EA
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe…THIS WEEK’S EPISODEWhat if you could cut your client roster waaaaaaay down, without taking a hit to your bottom line?Melissa Downs, EA did just that. In Down to 40 Hours CPA Mastermind, she worked through her client roster, updated her pricing, sent out 600+ disengagement letters, and kept her net profit exactly the same. Six months ago she said she didn’t think it was possible. Not for her, anyway. Now, she has a 3-week unplugged cruise planned for the fall, and the eventual goal is to live overseas for a few months while the firm runs without her coming in everyday. You can find Melissa via her website:https://midwestbkpg.com/…Listen to other stories from 1:1 clients:Offer Productized Services with Sheila Hansen, CPAFreedom to Choose Not to Double Revenue with Prithi Daswani, CPAWhen you need to explore, with Rebecca Driscoll, CPA15 Hour Weeks, $200K, 70%+ Margins, with Erica Goode, CPA…Want to get your life back while protecting your revenue? Here are a few ways I help overworked CPAs:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedDisengage problem clients without blowing a hole in your firmHave a community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Aug 16, 2023 • 12min
257 6 Ways to Get Your Time Back
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe…In this episode, I share 6 ways to get your hours back in your accounting firm. Rather than having “work less” be some vague, hand-wavy “wouldn’t that be nice” idea, I give you six ways to go about getting your hours down. Without losing revenue. You’ll get the option to challenge the way you think about revenue creation, from one of working, to one of not-working. …Check out my “greatest hits” episodes:Effortless Value #201Pricing for Improved Profitability #211How to Diengage Clients #215…A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$7500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Aug 9, 2023 • 10min
256 Overcoming Price Increase Resistance
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe….Here are five questions you can ask yourself to get your brain on board with all the reasons raising prices will be good for you clients and for you, to help you get past price increase resistance you may be experiencing:In what ways will it be good for my best clients when I lift my prices?In what ways will raising prices help me be more effective for my best clients?In what ways will I be able to increase the value I create for my best clients when I raise my prices?How will raising my prices give me more time that I can use to focus on serving my best clients better, and making my accounting firm better?In what ways do I love raising prices?…DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$7500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Aug 2, 2023 • 32min
255 Burnout Recovery with Randy Crabtree, CPA
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe…Burnout is rampant in accounting. Many CPAs are overworked, overwhelmed, tired, and fried. They know work is hard, they know something’s wrong, they know they don’t like what they have. But the problem is they don’t know how to stop it. Many keep working, hoping that by working more hours, the overworking problem will somehow solve itself. Working more to solve the overworking problem only makes things worse, and can lead straight to burnout. The cost of burnout can be high: it can take a physical or emotional toll, or both. Listen to today’s episode to hear stories from both Randy Crabtree and Geraldine on what burnout cost, what we can see now in retrospect that we couldn’t see when caught in it, and concrete steps for changing course before the consequences get dire. You don’t have to work long hours to make money. Listen to 1:1 clients who made the switch:15 Hour Weeks, $200K, 70%+ Margins, with Erica Goode, CPA130% Revenue Increase While Working Less with Paige GottFreedom to Choose Not to Double Revenue with Prithi Daswani, CPA…A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500 …Connect with Randy Crabtree:Website: tri-merit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-crabtree-1945a67/Bridging the Gap Conference: https://tri-merit.com/tucpa-conference-2023/
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Jul 26, 2023 • 43min
254 Freedom to Choose Not to Double Revenue with Prithi Daswani, CPA
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribeListen to this episode where I interview Prithi Daswani, CPA a 1:1 client. We worked together for about a year, starting two years ago. In her story, you’ll hear how she went from 750 clients down to 50 over the course of that time. You’ll hear about the decisions and modifications she made to her practice, so that she could get out from under the relentless workload to find happiness again. You’ll hear which steps made the biggest impact, which fears she needed to work through in order to implement improvements, and what happened to her revenue over the course of the journey. The end result? More happiness, a lot less work, steady take-home pay, and the freedom to choose not to double revenue.Connect with Prithi at https://prithidaswani.com/.…Listen to other stories from 1:1 clients:15 Hour Weeks, $200K, 70%+ Margins, with Erica Goode, CPAKiller Niche: Farm + Ag CPA with Catherine Ozment, CPA130% Revenue Increase While Working Less with Paige GottHow to Build $250K in CPA Advisory Services in 4 Months, with Prithi Daswani, CPAFrom Scratch to 6 Figures in 9 Months with Shaan Afridi, CPASpecializing in Stock-Option Tax Strategy and Consulting, with Minnie Lau, CPA…A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Jul 19, 2023 • 39min
253 When you need to explore, with Rebecca Driscoll, CPA
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe…My guest today is Rebecca Driscoll, of Conscious Accounting. Sometimes we know that we are not where we want to be in our business, or in our life. But what to do about it and how to fix it remains elusive. Rebecca knew she wanted to find a different path, but didn’t know what path she wanted to be on. She had the courage to explore options, until the one she wanted to be on revealed itself to her. For those who sometimes wander, feel a bit hopeless, or lost, I hope you find the story of Rebecca’s explorations to be inspiring. …Connect with Rebecca Driscoll, CPAhttps://conscious-accounting.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-driscoll-cpa/…Listen to other stories from 1:1 clients:15 Hour Weeks, $200K, 70%+ Margins, with Erica Goode, CPAKiller Niche: Farm + Ag CPA with Catherine Ozment, CPA130% Revenue Increase While Working Less with Paige GottHow to Build $250K in CPA Advisory Services in 4 Months, with Prithi Daswani, CPAFrom Scratch to 6 Figures in 9 Months with Shaan Afridi, CPASpecializing in Stock-Option Tax Strategy and Consulting, with Minnie Lau, CPA…A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Jul 12, 2023 • 36min
252 How Accountants Can Use ChatGPT with Jason Staats, CPA
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribe…ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and many accountants are wondering where its use fits into their accounting practice – now, and two years from now. If you want to find out where to get started, how you might begin using ChatGPT in your accounting practice, and what to watch out for (Hint: the cost of not leaning into it), tune in for answers.Also be sure to check out my previous episode with Jason, #219 Automation as Business Strategy.…A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FASTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Jul 5, 2023 • 17min
251 Digital Products: Sell Your Expertise, Not You Working
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Hey CPA Firm owner, glad you found the podcast. If you feel like you’ve become trapped by your own accounting firm, you’re fed up PiTB clients who get you their stuff late, don’t appreciate the value you provide, and complain to you when you don’t turn it around on a dime, I can help you stop the chaos and end the long hours, without losing revenue. If you like the podcast, join 1000+ other CPAs who get Vitamin G, my daily dose of single-tip business strategy delivered straight to their inbox: Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribeBe sure to listen to this episode if you’re interested in getting paid for your expertise, without having to do so much hard work. You’ll hear about how, when, and why to use Digital Products in your accounting firm while understanding the pros and cons of them. You’ll also learn how to think about when your accounting practice is ready to introduce these, and when it might be too soon to be worthwhile. If you want to check out other episodes on this topic, you might like:Digital Products, Courses, and 90% Margins with The Real Estate CPA, Brandon Hall #179Get More from Technology with Joe Woodard #24415 Hour Weeks, $200K, 70%+ Margins, with Erica Goode, CPA #243……A few ways to work with me:GET LOTS OF ANSWERS FAST (or)KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO NEXTFor the solo CPA with a bunch of rapid-fire questions they want answers to, like:How high can I go on prices without sending my clients running?What do you think of my niche?How do I upsell my legacy clients?What’s the script for talking to prospects about higher-level and Advisory services?What do I put in my tiered packages?Book a single strategy call with me, to get answers to questions like these and more. It’s covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don’t feel like it was worth it, just say the word and I‘ll refund your purchase in full. geraldinecarter.com/call$495DOWN TO 40 HOURS CPA MASTERMINDFor the overworked CPA at six figures of revenue who wants to stop working weekends and wants to implement overdue changes, but has trouble doing it alone:Get guidance on prices, packages, and becoming more specializedHow to fire clients without blowing a hole in your firmA community of like-minded CPAs on a similar journey to share what you’re working on, bounce ideas off, and get accountabilityMake more progress faster and with more ease. Guaranteed to get you down to 40 hours. geraldinecarter.com/$75001:1 PRIVATE COACHINGFor the firm owner with $1M+ in revenue who is caught in the weeds of tax work and fielding never-ending staff questions, I offer a high-touch 5-month experience. The aim is to get you down to working only 5 days a week, while 5-10x-ing your investment. geraldinecarter.com/custom-vip-coaching$24,500
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

Jun 28, 2023 • 22min
250 Productized Services: Sell Your Expertise, Not You Working
Learn about the concept of productized services and their benefits for CPAs. Discover the importance of packaging expertise and selling the desired outcome. Explore offering fixed-price consultation sessions for business owners. Understand the process of creating and pricing a productized service. Discuss the pros and cons of providing productized services.

Jun 21, 2023 • 45min
249 Extraordinary Results Through 1:Many with Laura Dixon
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7*Want one piece of business strategy delivered daily to your inbox?*Subscribe here: geraldinecarter.com/subscribeTransitioning from a one-on-one business model to a one-to-many business model is a strategic move that some business owners consider as their practices expand and evolve. While one-on-one work offers personalized attention and guidance to individual clients, the one-to-many model enables business owners to reach a larger audience, scale their impact, and increase their revenue potential. Laura Dixon helps women who are obsessive about food and dieting become naturally thin for life. Laura shares how she started her coaching business using a one-to-one model and then shifted it to a monthly membership model. Highlights:— “I always knew what I wanted long-term is recurring consistent revenue in a way that I sell to clients that I love to serve. — “I set up my business where I'm able to have the flexibility that I want with my family, but also do what I love, help the people that I love to help, and make the money that I want.— “Long term, I want a massive business. And that means getting really good at delivering something extraordinary, being really good at selling it. And so I'm willing to charge less now because I know what I want 10, 20, 30 years down the road.” — “I don't want people that kind of want to try stuff in my program. I want people that want to come in, they want to do the work, they want to get the result and they want to get out, and then just live the rest of their life.” — “I'm able to produce probably five times as much as I was able to when I was working more hours because I'm so clear on who I help.”Connect with Laura:Website: https://lauradixoncoaching.com/
Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7