I scaled and sold a 7-figure accounting firm in 5 years. Now, through my Future Firm newsletter, I'm giving 9,500+ firm owners the tactics, templates, and frameworks I used to do it.

Ryan Lazanis

Came back from a 2-week vacation to a prank from the team.

Opened Missive and thought it was glitching... and everyone suddenly had the same profile photo.

MINE.

(I literally clicked refresh on my screen a few times to make sure it wasn’t a bug.)

Then I joined the Zoom call for our weekly meeting.

Every single person had Ryan Lazanis as their Zoom name. And everyone kept calling each other “Ryan.”

Needless to say... I was super confused for about 10 minutes. They got me good!

Hope everyone’s still having fun with their teams out there 🙂

Ryan Lazanis, CPA

Giving systems to firm owners to unlock freedom and growth

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There are 26,759 people in my LinkedIn network, and a good chunk are firm owners.

If you’re open to it, drop a link to your firm’s website below, happy to share feedback on a few if that’s helpful.

And also... let’s use the comments section to help folks who are just getting started or looking for ideas.

I’ll also post some firm websites I really like as examples. 🙂

Edit:

Ooof! 75+ websites to review!

I made 1 video that covers the basics of website do's and don'ts and then I reviewed at least half of the websites in this thread. Hope this helps!!!

https://lnkd.in/eKMu8kGK

Strangers pay $1,500 for a tax return. Friends and family pay $700.

Would you let that happen in your firm?

I understand why it does.

You don’t want it to feel awkward. 

You want to help. 

I’m actually a big believer in separating personal and professional relationships for that exact reason.

(I did it with my immediate family, didn’t charge them. But I didn’t want to work with friends.)

Because that $800 difference could be:

– the margin that funds your next hire
– the difference between a 35-hour week and a 50-hour week
– or the full-price client you now don’t have room for

Nothing wrong with favors and helping people you care about. 

Just decide in advance what that looks like.

Maybe it’s:

→ 2 pro-bono returns a year
→ a fixed “friends rate” that still protects your margin
→ or no discounts, but extra care

Just make sure it’s a conscious choice, not something you default to because it feels uncomfortable to say the number out loud.

Because over time, those small decisions quietly shape the kind of firm you end up running.

...

Serious question (but also not):
Do you have a rule for this... or do you decide based on how much you like them? 😂

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3 months after selling my firm, I tried being a “company of one.”

No team. Just me.

Well, seems I didn’t stick to that, because 6 years later I’m running a 10-person team, lol.

Some people are fine keeping things solo. Nothing wrong with that.

Others have a natural tendency to want to build, grow and bust through ceilings.

I fall into the latter category.

In the end, I didn't stay a company of one because...

→ There’s something in me that wants to bust through the ceiling even if it’s hard
→ I want to expand my impact on others
→ I don’t enjoy the status quo and staying at a certain level would make me anxious

I know plenty of people who want to grow, build a team, and scale.

But I also know people in my network who went solo and are crushing it (hi, Erica)

Both paths work. They just come with different tradeoffs.

Clients ain't gonna leave you because their books were off by $83.

They leave because they felt:

– confused
– judged
– ignored
– talked down to
– like a ticket in a queue

And accuracy isn’t a differentiator for your firm. It’s the bare minimum to stay in business.

So if your firm’s marketing is basically:

✅ “We’re accurate.”
✅ “We’re detail-oriented.”
✅ “We know tax.”

...you’re describing every firm -- and also every piece of software your client is already paying for. 

What clients actually pay for now?

CERTAINTY. 

The feeling that someone competent is driving and they can stop white-knuckling the steering wheel.

That’s the outcome.
 
Then communication is the mechanism.

Because your clients don’t experience your technical skill, they experience:

→ how fast you reply
→ whether you explain things like a human
→ whether you sound calm when they’re stressed
→ whether you give options instead of jargon
→ whether they leave calls feeling clearer... or smaller

I’ve said this before:

The firm that makes clients feel calm will beat the firm that’s “technically perfect.”

Every time. 🙂

Hey LinkedIn. I've been on vacay for 2 weeks. Other than nonstop talk about Claude vs. ChatGPT, did I miss anything?

Linda is your Tax Manager.

Linda is also your Director of Operations.

Linda is exhausted.

But you didn’t plan it.

She was good, she was trusted, she was there, so whenever the firm needed something, Linda got the call.

Next thing you know, Linda's doing two completely different jobs under one salary and telling everyone she's fine.

SHE IS NOT FINE.

Every single day she's choosing between the client work that's due and the operational stuff that's been sitting on the back burner since January. 

Client work wins. It always wins. 

→ So the processes never get built 
→ The team stuff gets half the attention it needs 
→ The internal fixes just keep waiting

And because she's good, because she never complains, never misses a deadline, never makes it your problem, you don't notice how unsustainable it actually is.

Until she burns out. Or leaves. Or both.

Linda deserves one job with actual focus and actual ownership and a to-do list that a normal human being could reasonably finish.

Go check on your Linda. 🙂

A hard truth: 

Your best team member might quit... even if they like you.

Because liking you doesn’t pay rent.

If you want to keep A-players, it’s usually not about perks.

It’s about 5 things:

1) Clarity

→ What does “great” look like here? 
→ What matters this week? 
→ What doesn’t?

2) Fair pay (above market)

High performers know their value. 
If you’re “competitive,” you’re competing... with everyone.

3) Flexibility

Just enough trust to live like a human. 🙂

4) No micromanagement

If you hired them for ownership… don’t take it back the second they do it differently than you would.

5) Ask better questions (instead of jumping to conclusions)

Before “why didn’t you do X?” try:

→ “What happened?”
→ “What got in the way?”
→ “What would make this easier next time?”

Most A-players don’t leave after one hard week.

They leave when they realize:

“This is just how it’s going to be here.”

…

P.S. Ever left somewhere you liked… because the offer was better?

Confession from a coaching client of mine:

“I love an accounting firm business, but I don't love accounting.”

Is that a problem?

My answer:

Heck no, it's not a problem! Some of the best firm owners out there are pretty terrible accountants.

Thoughts?

My #1 fan has read every newsletter since 2018. She’s 92.

And she doesn’t understand most of what I write.

I write 3 email newsletters a week.

I try my best to make them as insightful and as valuable as humanly possible, yet in a digestible way.

I will admit that sometimes, I write a newsletter because I think it'll be fun for me and at least one other person.

One of the newsletters I sent a few weeks ago is one of those... because I wrote it for one of my fans, who is my grandmother.

Otherwise known as Nanny.

She's been a reader of my newsletter since my very first edition on Nov. 28, 2018!

The photo below is of us playing jarts up north at the cottage.

(Side note: Jarts were banned in Canada and the US in the 80's after 6,100 emergency room injuries in an 8-year span)

She reads every single one of my newsletters, even if she doesn't understand what the heck I'm saying.

You'll no doubt have #1 fans in your business as well.

It's important you give them the recognition they deserve and make them feel important.

Thanks for being a #1 fan, Nanny!

P.S. If you want the newsletter (Nanny-approved-ish), you can subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/edg-g5T8

P.P.S. Who is your #1 fan? Give them a shout-out in the comments 🙂

I hired the most expensive option twice last year. On purpose.

In both cases, the person I chose was by far the priciest.

One was my coach (about 4x the next best option).

The other was a $35k software migration expert (roughly 10x the alternative I was considering).

So why do some people charge way more... and still get the deal?

One BIG reason:

Their marketing pre-sold me.

My coach’s newsletter + content hit exactly what I was dealing with. It felt like, “yep, this person gets my world.”

Same with the migration expert.

Before we ever spoke, I already felt confident they’d seen my problem before and knew the path through it.

Here’s what made those stand out:

When I actually got into sales conversations with other options... a lot of it felt transactional.

– Quick chats
– Scripted questions 
– Well-trained reps

It all felt like “a process.”

My coach’s process felt different. 

– Warmer 
– Human 
– Like a real conversation

And that’s what made me choose him. I trusted him. 

That trust didn’t start with the proposal.

It started months earlier… with content that hit exactly what I was dealing with, and a process that felt genuine.

That’s why clients will pay 10x more for some firms and not blink.

Because when your marketing pre-sells and your process builds confidence…

…price somehow stops being the deciding factor. 🙂

I often decline “good opportunities” in my business.

(Even when they’re enticing, and even when they pay well)

It took me longer than it should have to learn that sometimes the “best” opportunities are the ones that quietly knock you off course.

Especially when:

→ They’re not aligned with where you’re taking the business
→ They’re not aligned with how you want to operate
→ They create momentum in a direction you don’t actually want

So here’s a simple filter I use (and I give to firm owners I coach) to decide fast without overthinking:

Before you say yes, answer these 3 questions:

1) Does this move the one thing I’m focused on right now?
2) What will this steal time from? (Be specific.)
3) What momentum does this create?

If the answers aren’t a clear yes, it’s a no. 

But there are exceptions.

If it genuinely helps the people you already serve, maybe consider it.

If you’re truly curious and want to learn, maybe.

Some people thrive on being everywhere. 

Ten events in 3 months, 7 podcasts a month, partnerships coming out of their ears. That energizes them.

That’s great if that’s you.

Some of us are just not wired that way.

I just constantly remind myself (and the firm owners I coach) that every yes, even the good ones, has a tradeoff.

5 things that could make an angry client *happily* pay you double:

(And keep you top of mind.) 

1) Give them peace of mind.
2) Flag bad news early.
3) Avoid all the nasty surprises.
4) Make them feel taken care of.
5) Apologize when you mess up.

The last one is the big one.

Because when something goes wrong, most firms default to: “That’s not our fault.”

And maybe it technically isn’t.

When a frustrated client reaches out, there's almost always something you could have done better.

(I say "almost always" because there are some clients that just plain stink.)

We all make mistakes.

The difference is whether you defend... or you take ownership.

Clients don’t pay more because you’re perfect.

They pay more because they trust you.

And trust grows when you:

– Flag issues before they discover them
– Take responsibility without excuses
– Fix things quickly and calmly

If you apply that across the firm, something interesting happens:

You deliver a better experience, clients happily pay you more, you serve fewer of them, and still make the same (or more) money.

Win-win.

If my COO could have awarded me with a trophy soon after she was hired, it might have been this. 

She was hired because I detest anything related to operations.

Putting systems and processes in place.

Hiring, interviewing, and onboarding.

Managing a team.

All that kind of stuff...

Maybe 6 weeks in, she sent me a Loom which had a few of these lines in it:

→ “You hired me to get you out of the weeds. But you're getting yourself into the weeds.”
→ “You are holding on to those reins tight.”
→ “You are in the nitty-gritty weeds.”
→ “You have to take your hands off of everything.”

And this beaut:

→ “I need you to get out the way.” 💣 💣 💣

Point made!

Did I mention she's quite direct? 😂

It was a bit of a wake-up call for me, truthfully.

Because all this time I didn't think I was that bad.

But seems I was.

And the reason I share all this is because I actually see the same kind of "control freak" personality traits in those I coach.

They're involved in EVERYTHING in the firm, making sure things are perfect.

And it kinda makes sense:

Because accountants have been trained to get things just right.

To balance every penny.

(Can you imagine if the books didn't balance?!)

But that doesn't translate well into running a business where things don't actually need to be perfect.

That's because having control over everything means you'll bottleneck.

Which means you sacrifice freedom and growth.

In fact, my COO had this piece of advice, which I think may be helpful if you struggle with being a control freak:

✅ “It's OK to let things breathe.”
✅ “It's OK to let some balls drop.”

If you want to have the type of business where you're hands-off, the pivot starts with you. 🙂

When I was much younger, I’d take almost any job.

Didn’t care who it was for. 

I just wanted the experience.

A foot in the door.

A paycheck.

So when I tried to hire for my own firm, I assumed others felt the same. 

I thought:

Post a role, pick someone, done.

But here’s the part I didn’t think through:

(And one I wish more new firm owners would hear)

Just because people need jobs... doesn’t mean they’ll want yours.

Some firm owners post a role and expect applications to flood in, then they get frustrated when the “right” person doesn’t show up.

But hiring isn’t one-sided.

You have to work for it before someone says yes.

That means:
→ Clear expectations
→ A real career path
→ Flexibility (because yes, they care)
→ A reason they’d choose YOU over 10 other job posts that all sound the same

If your mindset is “someone will take this, people need jobs”...

You’re going to attract the wrong people and deal with way bigger problems later. 

Top talent doesn’t just want a job anymore. 

→ They want direction
→ Stability 
→ Flexibility 
→ They want to know what they’re walking into.

If that part’s unclear or not at all appealing, they’ll move on. 

So build something worth joining.

Then someone great will say yes. 

P.S. Any tips you’d add to help attract top talent?

I’ve met a lot of “successful” firm owners who aren’t happy.

And I don’t mean their business is falling apart because on paper, it’s doing great.

When they say that, I don’t doubt them.

But I usually ask a few quiet questions to get a fuller picture:

- Are you happy?
- Are your clients happy?
- Is your team happy? 
- Is the firm actually generating the profit you want?

If even one of those is off...

Then maybe things aren’t as great as they seem.

Because on the surface, things can look fine. 

But behind the scenes, things are barely holding it together.

→ Revenue is growing... but so is stress.
→ Clients are staying… but you’re not sure why. 
→ The team’s working… but burning out quietly. 
→ And you haven’t taken a real break in months (or years). 

This is more common than most people admit, especially in firms that are “doing well.”

It doesn’t mean that you’re failing. 

But it’s a sign to slow down and ask the right questions.

Not always fun to hear:

But if you want your firm to grow without everything flowing back to you, the work starts with you. 

Easier said than done...

Which is why I'm excited to present on this subject on March 25 during the Bookkeeping Workflow Summit with several other fantastic presenters.

My specific session is titled:

How to Stop Being Your Firm’s Bottleneck: A 3-Step Program

(It's free and virtual so you can attend in your pajamas. 🙂)

Register here to attend or catch the recording: https://lnkd.in/eTDVFkTE 

Also I’m excited to do this alongside some seriously good people: ⚡️Roman Villard, CPA, Kellie Parks, CPB, FCPB, Greg Scholten, EA, and George Abdelmessih.

A weird metric I love:

“How often does your team solve something without telling you?”

If the answer is “never”... that’s worth looking at.

Here’s why:

→ It usually means they don’t feel safe making decisions
→ They don’t have clear standards to lean on
→ They don’t have decision rights
→ They’re missing context
→ You’re too fast to fix

A few practical moves that don’t feel like babysitting:

1) Stop answering on the spot.

“Make the call and tell me what you decided.”

(Watch how fast ownership shows up.)

2) When they bring a problem, ask one question:

“What do you think we should do?”

3) Pick one area and fully hand it over.

4) Let them be wrong sometimes.

Never in a catastrophic way. But if there’s no room to miss... there’s no room to lead.

One more thing:

I’m not saying all this from some perfect leadership pedestal.

I still catch myself jumping in too fast sometimes.

But I’m just committed to improving them.

That’s the work.

POV: Different ways people handle tax season stress 🔥

Which one are you?

P.S. This was taken during our team retreat in Bohol in 2025. Yes, the fire was real!

Most firm owners try to prove ROI with numbers.

But the best ROI is often... 

Relief.

If your client sleeps better because you’re on top of their mess, that’s value. 🙂

I help leaders think clearly when the pressure is real.

After 28 years in the U.S. Air Force, including senior command roles, I learned that clarity is not created by urgency, noise, or hustle. It is revealed by how leaders make decisions when time is tight and consequences matter.

I led a 4,400-person organization in high-stakes environments where confusion compounds fast and trust is non-negotiable. Much of that leadership was in operational settings where decisions had real human consequences and very little margin for error. Those years taught me a simple truth. When clarity erodes, even disciplined teams lose rhythm. Adrenaline cannot fix that. Alignment can.

Today, through Small Business Clarity, I write for and engage with small-firm leaders who feel constantly on. They carry the weight of decisions, people, and performance without enough space to think. My writing focuses on helping leaders think about:

• Clear roles and expectations
• Predictable leadership rhythms
• Decision habits that hold under pressure

Leadership does not need more noise.
It needs steadiness.

I write and share what I am learning about leading with clarity. Not theory. Not hype. Not shortcuts. Just practical, hard-earned perspective for people who carry real responsibility.

If you are wrestling with a leadership decision or the pace is starting to cost more than it should, I am always open to trading notes. No pitch. Just conversation.

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