CASE STUDY
Building a more profitable, scalable accountancy practice
An established accountancy practice in the Irish Midlands had built a substantial portfolio of clients, but its management arrangements had not evolved sufficiently to support its ambitions. The owner remained heavily involved in winning work, passing instructions to his second-in-command and checking progress across the team.
TURNOVER
€1M
Professional Services
INDUSTRY
5
SIZE
THE CHALLENGE
There was no sufficiently shared growth plan connecting commercial priorities, management decisions and day-to-day activity. Roles, accountability and performance expectations needed greater clarity. The owner frequently relied on calls and meetings to understand workloads and the status of client work. Client selection was another issue. The practice had not consistently assessed whether each relationship was commercially suitable or delivered an appropriate return. Some clients consumed disproportionate time, limiting capacity for better-fit, more profitable work. Fragmented processes made these problems harder to manage. An expensive, broad accountancy package was underused, while spreadsheets, documents and a second application filled gaps in job costing and operational oversight. Duplicate entry added cost without resolving the underlying management challenges.
THE SOLUTION
1. Planning and commercial strategy. We established a pre-project performance baseline, worked with the owner on the direction of the practice and developed a practical growth roadmap. This included examining client suitability, profitability, capacity and the type of business the practice wanted to attract.
2. Management alignment and people. We worked with management to translate the plan into clear priorities, decision-making responsibilities and expectations. Staff roles, ownership of work and accountability were clarified, with training to support the new ways of working.
3. Processes and operational efficiency. We reviewed how enquiries, client onboarding, task allocation, delivery, job costing and internal communication worked. We simplified and standardised workflows, reduced avoidable handovers and created more consistent methods of managing and measuring work.
4. Systems and time-saving technology. Only once the operational model was defined did we introduce a tailored, connected management system. Live dashboards now provide oversight of work in progress, responsibilities, workloads, job costs, staff performance, leads and holiday scheduling. Further automation is being introduced to reduce routine paperwork and messaging.
RESULTS
The owner gained a much clearer view of which clients were right for the practice. Some unsuitable relationships were transferred to other suitable firms, creating capacity for better-fit clients and higher-value services. Management gained real-time visibility without relying on repeated status meetings. Clearer expectations, staff training and better performance information also enabled a change in working culture. Previously reluctant to approve remote working, the owner introduced greater flexibility and reported improved productivity. The practice is now better structured to grow without increasing dependence on its principal. These changes have strengthened profitability and made the business more scalable and potentially more attractive to a future purchaser.
+32%
Improvement in cost-to-earnings efficiency
21%
Increase in average client profitability
+50%
Improvement in reported employee job satisfaction