Articles

Business Coaches Are Stealing Your Advisory Clients

The topic of how business coaches are stealing advisory clients is something I feel very passionate about. There needs to be a talk about how we need to shift your mindset, so you stop missing out on huge opportunities because you are using the wrong language.

Do you want to listen to this instead of reading it? Check it out on the Business Advisor Podcast Here.

Everywhere I look, you are being told that you need to position yourself as a business advisor or trusted advisor.

Heck, even I am doing it! My business is called the Business Advisor Academy. However, I would confidently say that 80% of the world has no idea what a business advisor is or does for the client.

Outside of the financial accounting/tax world, the word business advisor is not used. Which, in turn, makes it very difficult for you to sell something that nobody knows they need.

The number one thing that makes an easy sell is someone knowing they have a problem and being aware of who they need to hire to help them fix it.

Sadly, this is why accountants and financial experts get less traction than they deserve when it comes to selling advisory.

No one knows that they need a business advisor to help them overcome any pain (or meet any aspirations) that they have in their business.

Business owners tend to think they have a business problem, so they look for a business COACH to help them.

I bet now, if you went to the profit and loss accounts of your clients on Xero or Quickbooks, and looked at the expenditure of your clients, you would have a monthly line item that says consultancy or coaching.

This line item will be anywhere between 500 to 5k pounds or dollars a month.

Now, when you see this line item that says business coaching/consulting, I want you to get a little bit angry.

I want you to think for a moment that your clients have chosen to pay someone else–who is probably not qualified and has never run a business before.

They are paying them a lot of money for something you could do better.

That 6k to 60k a year that a business coach is pocketing is probably going to the wrong person.

That person is not able to help them as much as you can, as they don’t have their fingers on the FINANCIAL pulse like you do.

Honestly, I have worked with business coaches who have no idea how to manage their own money; they have been unable to pay their tax bills because they haven’t been able to read the numbers.

Yet people still invest in them to help with their business! It’s just complete madness…

I’ve done it myself! In the past, I paid business coaches as much as 5k dollars a month for their advice. Unfortunately, the advice given was fluffy, non-specific, and of little help.

The strength of one particular business coach I paid was, in fact, the community that they had built.

This is where I found their value. It was the insights and experiences of like-minded entrepreneurs that made it worthwhile.

Building a community of business owners is something that a business advisor can do. It is one of six delivery mechanisms that we will be talking about in an upcoming chapter.

However, before getting sidetracked, I am going to focus again on making sure that business coaches don’t steal your clients.

As financial professionals, you are used to thinking that your competitors are other CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, and the like. The shift to an advisory capacity takes these people out of the key competition.

Business coaches are who you should be looking at if you want to step into the CFO/advisory arena.

Maybe you should be calling yourself a business coach, instead of a business advisor, as this is what potential clients are looking for at networking events, on Google, in Facebook Groups, and on Linkedin.

The name change will be a secret weapon in your arsenal. It is a strategic advantage that, if leveraged correctly, isn’t just going to nudge you ahead of the competition—it’s going to launch you into a league of your own. Imagine a world where you’re not just competing, but completely redefining the game.

Let’s get real about business coaching.

It’s a booming industry with quite a mix of talent levels.

Some have incredible talent, some are middle-of-the-road players, and a fair share are not-so-stellar coaches.

The market’s bursting at the seams because the entry barrier is almost nonexistent. Anybody can wake up and call themselves a business coach; no rigorous training or credentials are needed. It’s easier than setting up a lemonade stand!

How do you, as a financial expert, make your mark in this ‘business advisory’ arena? How do you shine brighter than the rest?

Many of you hesitate to step into this role due to self-doubt and uncertainty about your ability to effectively provide these services.

I’m going to share a couple of tips and strategies to help you realize that you do have this and that you can confidently compete with other business coaches.

First up, let’s talk about customized advice. Unlike generic business coaching, financial pros like yourself bring a treasure trove of industry-specific knowledge, and you can make your advice incredibly relevant and impactful.

Imagine advice that’s not just tailored to a business, but aligns with the latest industry trends and regulatory requirements. That’s what an accountant brings to the table.

That’s what YOU bring to the table through your experience, expertise, and personal essence.

You can integrate the financial health of the business into every recommendation, focusing on long-term strategic plans for sustainable growth. It’s about building a future for your clients and their business, not just tweaking the present.

Next, let’s look at zeroing in on the lifeblood of any business: cash flow. You are financial detectives, which is shown when you can spot the inefficiencies that are draining a business’ cash flow from a mile away.

It’s not just about counting money like a business coach might do; you can make your clients’ money work smarter.

This is an advantage you have. Your advice can range from offering advanced tax efficiency strategies to creating spot-on financial forecasts.

You can help anticipate and plan for future cash flow scenarios. It’s about helping your clients stay ahead of the game.

This ‘business’ game that your clients are playing is often exhausting, overwhelming, and unnerving. They need you more than you know. You are giving them peace of mind when it comes to their business finances. More than that, you are helping them with the overall feeling of security.

Now, let’s get real about ROI – Return On Investment. As an accountant, you take this to the next level with sophisticated metrics and performance indicators.

You can provide detailed financial reports and set up custom dashboards for real-time financial insights.

This isn’t just about measuring success; it’s about defining and tracking it in terms that matter to the business owner. As an accountant and business advisor, you see in black and white the changes that will affect a bottom line. It’s transparency and insight—hand in hand.

There’s more to being a business advisor than the ROI, cash flow, and customized advice. You are also there as a master of risk management and compliance.

You not only ensure that a business is profitable, but you can help make sure the businesses you work with are legally sound.

Let’s not forget technology – you can recommend the best financial tools to streamline processes. As a business advisor, you are all about embracing efficiency and accuracy.

In conclusion, when accountants step into the role of business advisors, they bring a depth of financial expertise and a commitment to tailored and impactful business advice.

You redefine what it means to be a business coach by focusing on crucial aspects like cash flow and providing measurable insights into ROI.

So, for all you financial pros out there, it’s time to think beyond the traditional role. Step up and embrace your education and your experience.

Then weave in the essence of you. This mixture will enable you to provide a partnership with businesses that will take them to their next level.

There is a very large chance that you have been giving all of this information for free to your clients. Maybe, in a best-case scenario, you have asked for a very small investment in return.

This needs to change. I’m giving you one specific fact to fuel you and make you hungry to go and take the market by storm.

Business coaches, who often have way less experience and education around the important financials of a business, are charging 10x what you charge for a fraction of what you deliver. It’s time for you to step up, put on the mantle, and become the leader you can be.

Your competition in the marketplace is no longer just other financial professionals. Your job is to go out and own the fact that you, too, can sell your advice and be a business coach.

For more content like this check out the Business Advisor Podcast where I talk about creating, selling, and delivering a business advisory offering to add 500k to your revenue with client delivery less than 10 hours a week.

How To Do Content Marketing And Attract High-Value Clients

by Amanda C. Watts

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s a game changer when marketing your business advisory services – content marketing. I’m not just going to talk about its effectiveness; I’m going to show you how to use it, correctly and powerfully. Let’s get started with the first and most important question:

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Ultimately, it is the approach you use to get people to buy from you and purchase the right product at the right price–all done while eliminating tire kickers and repelling vampire clients.

By the way, it may be a good time to note how content marketing has been pivotal in my making over 5 million pounds in the past 10 years. It has enabled me to hire an outstanding team, along with giving me a great reputation and helping me become a key player in the accounting profession as a marketing and sales expert.

I have recorded over 800 videos, written over 1000 blog articles, and have run over 1000 webinars. I post on social media almost daily, and now I have a bi-weekly podcast, as well.

I have also written four best-selling books. ESCAPE – the Definitive Guide to Escaping the Rat Race helps people escape their corporate jobs. Business Advisor Playbook, Practice Growth Super Powers for Accountants and Bookkeepers, along with The Pioneering Practice, are great examples of content marketing.

Additionally, I am mapping out book number five, which is all about getting stuff done and coming out of overwhelming circumstances.

If you are wondering, “Why should we listen to Amanda when it comes to content marketing?”, my results from marketing should showcase it. My use of content marketing has enabled me to buy my dream house and my dream car and take wonderful vacations with my family. Thanks to my success in the field, I have a strong personal brand, a voice, and a way to make an impact.

But you might be saying, “Yeah, but Amanda, it’s easy for you – you are a marketer”.

Yes, I agree. I do get a lot of pleasure out of content marketing and find it quite easy, but that is not because I am a marketer. It is because I focus on helping my ideal clients and providing them with a valuable service.

I have worked with many accountants and CFOs who fall under the category of left-brained, not right-brained (meaning they are more technical-minded rather than creative).

Even though these individuals are more technical, they find creating content much easier when approaching content marketing from a place of service.

Kristina, for example, built a database of over 20,000 subscribers. She sends a newsletter every week and runs webinars almost weekly.

Kevin, one of my “introvert” accountants, challenged himself to record 100 days of videos.

Sally creates Instagram reels a few times a week. Like Kevin, she also challenged herself to create 100 days of videos.

A year ago, neither of them would have even conceived of it.

As with all of the shifts involved in going from technician to advisor, you have to shift your mindset. You have to switch from doing stuff to just get clients, to doing stuff that serves prospects. The by-product of serving prospects is that you get clients.

The current trend that is working so very well for my clients is the increase in personalized and niche-focused content.

This approach involves tailoring content specifically to target segments of the market, rather than using a one-size-fits-all strategy.

Business advisors are now focusing more on creating content that speaks directly to the specific needs, challenges, and interests of their target audience.

This personalization can be based on various factors such as industry (e.g., content tailored for small business owners, nonprofits, or specific sectors like technology or healthcare), business size, or even the stage in the business lifecycle.

Niching is a big topic, so I don’t want you to overthink it right now.

What I do want to touch on is the power of niching when creating content. For example, a business advisor might produce in-depth content for startups on managing finances in the early stages, or for established companies looking into international expansion.

This specialization not only showcases the firm’s expertise in a particular area, but also helps in attracting clients who are looking for advisors with specific knowledge and experience.

Very importantly, you must steer clear of technical content, especially on social media.

There is little interaction, and your clients don’t understand your terminology.

My advice, along with the data results from clients, shows that covering broad financial/business strategies, tax planning, regulatory changes, and even business growth tips, get regular interaction – even more so when personalized.

The goal is to position you, or your practice, as a valuable resource and advisor – not just a service provider.

You want people to bookmark your content, binge-watch it, and consume it like they consume a Netflix documentary. This is when you know your content is working.

Hugely successful business advisors are increasingly adopting various multimedia formats like videos, podcasts, and webinars.

These formats can make something complex seem more accessible and engaging. Interactive content, such as online calculators or self-assessment tools, is also gaining traction.

You will hear me use the phrase “sell your advice”. The best way to entice someone to buy your advice is to lead with free thought leadership. Establishing such leadership is done through in-depth articles, white papers, and industry reports. These are all key trends we are seeing.

Many clients are writing their own books in 2024. This type of content helps in building credibility. Being an author positions you as the “go-to” advisor for a prospect.

Let’s break down what content marketing involves:

The first step is content creation. This includes blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, eBooks, webinars, and more. The content should provide value to your target audience. It involves answering their questions, solving their problems, or enriching their knowledge.

A great book I read on my content journey was a book by Marcus Sheridan called They Ask, You Answer. When I read the book I wanted to cry. It was the book I always wanted to write. I highly recommend you get yourself a copy. It is so good!

The underlying message is, “What questions are your clients asking you, or what questions are your prospects asking you?”

When you are clear on those questions, use content marketing to answer them.

Content marketing is so powerful because, when done well, it is both relevant and valuable to the world. Unlike traditional advertising, which often interrupts the audience, content marketing provides information that the audience finds useful.

This could be educational content, informative articles, entertaining videos, et cetera, that relate to what the audience is interested in. This not only helps people but positions you as an expert. Therefore, your perceived value increases.

It is extremely important to be consistent with your content marketing. Regularly delivering content keeps your audience engaged and helps build a relationship with them.

Consistency in style, tone, and delivery is also key to establishing brand recognition and trust. I am known for my enthusiasm, and I have been told that I inspire people. This is one of the reasons I wanted to start my podcast. I would be able to reach and inspire even more people!

You are responsible for knowing who your ‘people’ are when you are writing or recording your content marketing. You need to understand your ideal audience, and know their preferences, pain points, challenges, and what questions they are seeking answers to.

The ultimate goal of content marketing is to influence customer behavior toward profitable actions. This could be signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, downloading a guide, etc. My favorite call to action is getting people to come to a webinar.

Over time, delivering consistent, high-quality content establishes your brand. Along with the establishment of your brand, you are now thought of as a leader or expert in your field. This builds trust with your audience, making them more likely to choose your products or services when they are ready to buy.

When I speak with business advisors, I often address their concerns regarding giving away free information.

My clients come to me for assurance that they won’t lose out on business because their content marketing gives away too much. A breakdown of audience types helps clarify what is going on concerning how their potential audience reacts to what is being offered.

Your audience typically falls into one of three categories:

Group One: Serial Freebie Hunters They’re not your ideal clients, since they don’t intend to purchase.
Group Two: Potential Clients These are people who will try to do things themselves, but they might eventually seek expert help if they don’t achieve the desired results.
Group Three: Goldmine Clients. They prefer not to dabble and seek expert help right off the bat. These individuals value time and quality and are willing to pay for it.

Your goal with content marketing should be to target these latter two groups. Provide them with content that showcases your expertise, and when they’re ready to seek professional services, your business will be at the forefront of their minds. It’s all about building that trust and authority in your niche.

A critical piece of advice I always give: prioritize quality over quantity. The internet is flooded with content, but not all of it is helpful or valuable. Your content should stand out by being insightful, informative, and genuinely useful to your audience.

In conclusion, content marketing is an incredibly powerful tool. It’s not just about creating content; it’s about creating the right content for the right audience and establishing a connection.

Remember, in the long run, it’s the value you provide that turns readers/listeners into clients. Embrace this strategy, and watch as it transforms your advisory practice. You have to create valuable free content if you want to attract better clients; better clients need to see your value before they invest with you. This is the power of content marketing.

To get you started with your content marketing journey we have created something called the Content Vault. It is specifically for business advisors who want to show up as thought leaders online, and give advice around business growth. There are over 300 blog articles and 500 social media posts. Training on how to take a blog article and turn it into a video or podcast is also available.

If I do say so myself it is an awesome product…and right now we have it at a very special offer. Check it out at https://go.oompf.global/the-content-vault.

If you want to do content marketing in less than 30 minutes a week, then this is for you. Grab it now while it is still available.

What Is Your Role As A Business Advisor?

by Amanda C. Watts

There is a fundamental shift when you move to become an advisor from a technician.

The shift is one from doing the work for your clients to advising clients on how they can have the outcomes they want.

As a financial professional you are in an envious position. Unlike many business owners, what you know is both life and business-changing.

What do I mean by this?

Well, as a financial professional you get to move the needle on the most important currency for opportunity.

Money.

You get to help people see how much they have got, how much they need, and how to get more or save more.

And your experience in growing a business based on the numbers means that you can not only can advise around numbers but you can also advise around things you have learned on the way.

The way you decide on the advice you give clients will be a mixture between your Experience, your Education, and the Essence of you.

Once you have a little bit of clarity around these 3 things you can then start to analyze your ideal client and find out what they want help to achieve.

And this is where the magic happens. This is where you become a Sherpa and help your clients climb up the mountain and reach the summit of success.

And you need to embody the mindset and the actions of a Sherpa to be a really good Advisor. Just like climbing a mountain can be treacherous, the weather can change, the ground can fall away from under you, and you can reach a block in the journey where you have to turn back and try a different way, this is what growing a business feels like for your clients.

And they are in desperate need for someone to guide them. And just like a Sherpa there are certain things that your clients will need from you.

1. They will need help to analyse their current situation (Personal & Business)

2. They will need to prepare and plan for their success

3. They will need to manage the risks in changes in the market, economy and within the businesses themselves

4. They will need you to enhance their skills and be trained in the way of the business world

5. And they will need support and motivation.

These elements can be combined into what we call The Success Triad

Navigate – this covers the current situation and managing risks

Elevate – this is about preparing and planning for your clients’ success

Support – giving them the ongoing support and motivation that is crucial for sustained growth and success.

Every advisor needs to ensure they have the success triad in place – and then leverage the triad to create a bespoke signature system for their clients.

In the article titled Your Advisory Offer we spoke about the Offer Diamond, and how you articulate your offer. In that article I mentioned a tool called a Signature System.

A Signature System is a roadmap that clearly shows the steps you take your clients on to help them reach the summit of the mountain. It is the step by step actions your clients need to take to have the success they are looking for.

What you include in your Signature System and the logistics inside of the Success Triad will depend on you and your client.

In the Business Advisor Academy we focus on creating the Signature System as it is the foundation of your advisory practice, and saves hours of time and effort as you launch and scale your advisory offers.

Once completed, your Signature System will enable you to cut through the noise of online marketing. It will ensure you have complete clarity on how you help your clients. It will give your clients complete clarity and confidence that you know what you are talking about and it will ensure that you articulate your value in a way that has a queue of people wanting to work with you and pay you handsomely in the process.

I want you to imagine the exact things your ideal client needs to have in place for success. If your ideal clients are plumbers they will need something different from if your ideal client is an eCommerce business. This is why it is important to know who is an ideal client.

Now I want you to list out everything that an ideal client has to have, do, be so that they can reach their goals.

You may struggle with this, especially if you do not have a clear understanding of what your clients really want. But once you have worked out your ideal client and got to grips with their problems, creating a signature system can be much easier.

The key framework is to look at where they are now, where they want to be and the gap between these two points. That gap is your methodology, and your job is to fill the gap.

So when you think about being an advisor, and wonder what an advisor does, the answer actually lies in what your clients want.

It’s not so much about you, but more about them.

Where are they now, where do they want to be and what is the gap? You then take your experience, your education and your essence and bridge that gap helping them navigate, elevating them and supporting them.

How to Show the Value of Your Advisory Offering

by Amanda C. Watts

Before we get into anything with too much detail, there is a very simple proposition at the heart of your Advisory/CFO journey. You are going to think of something that you know helps business owners, and you are going to help them with it.

It can be so easy to overthink what being an advisor is. It can be a scary thought when you have probably been caught up being a technician for the whole of your adult life; doing the work for your clients and being behind the scenes.

I want you to come back to this very simple proposition: Think of something you know that helps someone else and share it with them. The way we do that is with our Offer Diamond.

The Offer Diamond is a strategy that precisely targets the right audience with a clear and appealing solution that meets a specific need.

When you have the right offer, several things occur:

Enhanced client engagement
An increase in the perceived value of your services (Transformational, not transactional)
Financial success for you
Client satisfaction

The heart of your Offer Diamond is something we call the Signature System. This is your unique methodology, where you take someone from the pain they are in and provide them with the solution that they want or desire… a Signature System enables you to show the real value behind your work with a client.

If the Signature System is the heart of what you are presenting the client with, the Offer Diamond is how you present that solution, along with the explanation of how you are going to deliver it.

A diamond represents quality, highly perceived value, brilliance, and uniqueness. Exactly what you want your Diamond Offer to be.

It shows your quality, the high value you are bringing, and your brilliance. It makes you unique from everyone else in the marketplace.

An Offer Diamond has five points. Let’s look at them closely:

Point 1. A Clear Outcome This is where we have to know what success looks like for your client. For us, we talk about adding 500k in advisory services in the next 1-3 years and delivering this advisory offering in less than 10 hours a week. This is what success looks like for our clients. Point 2. A Specific Timeframe

It is really important to set a timeframe so that clients can make a decision based on how long you think it will take for them to get the results they want. It is important to set realistic timeframes or people will get frustrated. We have had clients add 1 million pounds to their accounting business in a little over a year, but our offer is 500k in 1-3 years, as making money that fast is not typical. However, adding 100k in 12 weeks is not unheard of. Neither is 500k in 18 months, which is the average of our go-getters. Point 3. The Right Price

Under price and you will create yourself a vampire client. You will have the life sucked out of you, and you will find yourself resenting the client. Overprice and you will have unhappy clients, or even no clients at all. The value just isn’t there for them to buy from you.

Pricing is a mixture of several things and one of the things that affect how much you charge is your confidence. It is not unusual for clients that work with us to gradually increase their price with every new client, and as their confidence grows.

It may sound exciting to be able to charge 3k a month for your advisory services, but for many people, charging nearly 40k a year for their services might feel like a full-time job when it is not. So you start smaller than your value, but higher enough that you feel a little uncomfortable.

Point 4. Offer To The Right Person

Knowing who is the best client for your services will make the sale much easier. If you are providing an advisory/fractional CFO offering, you want to work with people who need this offer. These people have to be able to afford you, be able to need you and be someone you like. There is no point in working with people you do not like. This is often forgotten when trying to decide on a target market. Ideally, for high-value CFO and advisory services, you want to work with a business that has a revenue of at least 250-500k or more and has a need outside of the basic technician/compliance work.

Point 5. Deliver In The Right Way

There are six delivery mechanisms – Coach, Advisor, Facilitator, Trainer, Author, and Speaker. The way you deliver your paid-for advisory offering will be a mixture of all of them. You need to work out how that is going to look. Ask yourself these questions:

Are you going to work with clients locally or globally?
Are you going to do live or pre-recorded training to back up your advisory delivery?
Are you going to work with clients offline or online?
Are you going to take clients on at any time, or are you going to use a launch strategy?
Are you working with clients for a short time, or will it be ongoing year after year?

So many options…

Here is a look at a couple of offers my clients have created:

Nishi created a program called Apex. It is delivered face to face, and he holds group planning sessions once a quarter as a main part of his advisory offering.
Jane offers her services through online pre-recorded training sessions and then has Q&A sessions regularly. These sessions help her clients overcome any challenges, and she can answer questions that may arise.

There are so many options that you can choose from. Your advisory offer should be a good fit for you and your client.

Remember that YOU are at the heart of your offer. You are advising about something that you know to people who need your help.

*****

Here at the Business Advisor Academy, we specialize in empowering Accountants, Bookkeepers, and other financial pros to escape the compliance hampster wheel and start or grow their advisory services.

If you would like to join us you can book a call here.

If you would like to join our free online community you can do so here. If you have any questions please send me a message on LinkedIn.

The Game Of Being A Business Advisor

by Amanda C. Watts

Let’s take a moment to talk about the big picture and the business advisory game that you play.

At the simplest and most mechanical level, this is about a life and business you design for yourself.

From your point of view, it is about stepping out of the “doing” for your clients and moving into the “advising” of your clients. It’s about working with people that you like in a way that gives you freedom.

From an output point of view, by being a business advisor in a practice, there is an opportunity for you to earn half a million only working 10 hours a week in delivery with 1 or 2 staff.

It is possible and doable and has been done many times around the world. Any belief that it is something that you cannot do is just going on inside your head.

The game is one where you take your three strengths (financial expertise, the everyday knowledge that you have, and who you are), and package them up. Then you sell your advice.

This is where you can make an income that transforms your life, and have an impact that transforms other people’s lives.

This game is a game of courage. It means stepping away from the traditional way of running your business and making the shift to running a practice.

It is going from being underpaid and overworked to financial freedom and more time in your personal life.

It is going from a monster business to a freedom practice.

The monster business consists of hundreds of clients where you are doing all the work for them, paying yourself last, and growing a team. On top of that, you have certain vampire clients sucking the life out of you. Lastly, you are working 40-60 hour weeks.

A freedom practice has 10-50 clients, involves advising people around the numbers and their business growth/strategy, paying yourself first, having a small team of 1-2 people, and working with great people that you want to talk to—all in 10 hours a week of delivery…

It is where you go from being a commodity and doing the same as everyone else, to standing out, having a voice, and sharing your experience.

It is about shifting in all aspects of your career. You will shift from a task-oriented perspective to a people-centric one. You will no longer be doing. You will instead be guiding. Nothing involves fixing. It is all about empowering your clients. Gone are the performance evaluations. The new focus is growth support. The fixed mindset is replaced with the growth mindset. You are no longer the technician. You are the advisor.

Our logo at the Business Advisor Academy – the lion – is not just something that a random designer chose for us. The idea to use the lion as the symbol in the Business Advisor Academy evolved from my childhood. When I was young, I was a big fan of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In fact, I still am. I find the movie terribly moving. I read all the books, too.

Aslan (the lion) was fierce. He represents courage, strength, and goodness. He is seen as a protector and savior.

The side of Aslan I felt that was most powerful was his role as a guide to the children, and how he became their friend. Aslan was quiet and patient. It was never about him. It was about the greater good. He had a different perspective and foresight; a vision for goodness and to serve others.

Many of you will, at this point, want to shout out and say, “Yes, but Aslan represents Christ and the church”. This is not the reason the story was so powerful for me. As a child, it was his goodness and kindness, and how he empowered the children, and the whole of Narnia, to believe in themselves. He was a leader.

Just as a business advisor needs to be. You will need to embody the strength, wisdom, and empathy of a lion. Empowerment, empathy, and bringing change are what your clients are seeking from you.

Your job as a business advisor is to package, sell, and deliver your advice for the greater good. You will be working with clients, so they can have their life and business by design. The more value you bring, the more valuable you are. The more valuable you are, the wealthier you will become.

The goal is for you to be generating at least 500k in billings. The breakdown is as follows:

100k will be allocated for costs

300-400 will come to you and your family, which will be taxed accordingly and leave you around 200k.

You will stop doing the work for people and start empowering your clients to understand and do the work for themselves.

This works across most countries. We are benchmarked to the USA and UK with 1 pound equaling 2 dollars. 500k British pounds equals 1 million US dollars. This works for when you charge for your services, too. Here in the UK, 1000 pounds a month for advisory work is a good ballpark figure to start with; in the USA it’s 2000 dollars a month. This business is a dichotomy. It’s not about the money, and it is all about the money. Money provides security. When someone is secure they come from a good place. If you are struggling financially, worrying constantly, and living in anxiety, you can’t show up as the leader, advisor, or mentor that you have been put on this earth to be.

Naturally, we would all like to say that we love what we do so much that we would do it for free, but if we did it for free, our ability to make a difference would be short-lived.

Money gives income and impact. It gives you the chance to live your life to the fullest. Additionally, it gives you the chance to help others live their life that way, as well

The thing that is different about running a freedom practice from a monster practice is that it allows you to live your life to the fullest now, and not wait for the day you sell your business or retire and get your pension.

If you could take the next 3 years to generate a revenue of 200k after taxes and live relatively lean, you would be able to invest that money in property or stocks and shares. It would be an investment that grows in value.

With everything that has happened in the world in the past few years, and the speed of change in business, technology, and life, being an advisor has never been more important than it is now. It is time for you to stand up and help more people. Come out from behind your computer and make a difference!

If you play the game of the 500:10 model – 500k of advisory revenue in 10 hours a week in delivery – to get from where you are to there, you have to start with little projects.

These projects change as you build your practice, but it starts with creating the right offering (we call it an Offer Diamond). Next, it is about shifting your position in the marketplace by using a signature methodology. It is about being known for the advice you give, and then it’s about building the practice by design in a way that sits in alignment with your dreams.

Over 90-day periods, you run campaigns to add 1-3 new clients a month, They will be paying you 500-2k or more a month for your services. Over a 1-3 year period, you add 500k+ in revenue to your freedom practice.

Having played this game for several decades, I know this is a fundamental shift in identity. There is a change in how you see yourself and how the world sees you. The difference between a technician and an advisor is that a technician is not known in their own right, they just do some work for people. In contrast, an advisor is known for knowing stuff in their own right and is looked up to as an expert.

The core of the identity shift is a move from being a faceless business to being known and respected in your own right.

It’s less about how big a business you can have. Stop thinking it’s all about systems and teams, and shift your thinking to how much value you can bring the world. You will get paid for that value.

This shift is often a journey of rediscovery and growth. It can be hard to even comprehend moving to advisory as a full-time gig without having to do the work for clients. What I do know for sure is that your confidence grows the more you show up, and you create and form who you are as you go on this journey and the difference you can make on the planet.

If you show up in service to others, you start to experience a shift in fulfillment and meaning; in happiness and contribution. It goes from the stress of you running a monster business with no one coming to save you, to shifting to a freedom practice model where you are in it with others, and have a tribe of people wanting you to succeed and have your back.

Think about how you would feel if you could pull yourself out of doing the work and being in the weeds all the time, to being the advisor. You will be both empowering others and having the income and impact you truly desire…

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Here at the Business Advisor Academy, we specialize in empowering Accountants, Bookkeepers, and other financial pros to escape the compliance hampster wheel and start or grow their advisory services.

If you would like to join us you can book a call here.

If you would like to join our free online community you can do so here. If you have any questions please send me a message on LinkedIn.