Pricing, client onboarding, workflow automation, and honest software comparisons, written for practices under 10 people instead of enterprise firms. Every guide includes a free checklist or template you can use right away.
The essentials and checklists for standing up a new firm the right way, from your first engagement letter to your first hire.
The seven-step sequence that turns a signed engagement letter into a working relationship, without dropping the first two weeks of back-and-forth.
August 2026The clauses that prevent scope-creep disputes later, and why a real audit trail matters more than a typed name at the bottom of a PDF.
August 2026An honest framework for when a spreadsheet and email stop being enough, and when they're still fine.
August 2026A step-by-step walkthrough of applying for a free EIN directly from the IRS, plus the three situations where a solo practitioner can usually skip it.
August 2026The four IRS payment deadlines, a simple way to estimate what you owe, and the safe-harbor rule that keeps you out of penalty territory.
August 2026The state-by-state basics of forming an LLC for a bookkeeping or accounting practice: what it protects, what it costs, and the steps most states share.
August 2026Who's required to get a Preparer Tax Identification Number, how to apply directly through the IRS, and what happens if you prepare returns without one.
September 2026A plain explanation of what accounting workflow software does day to day, who needs it, and what changes once you have it running.
September 2026What actually matters when you're onboarding your first clients as a new firm, and the systems worth setting up early instead of later.
September 2026A step-by-step process for cleaning up a new client's books, from the first bank reconciliation to the final review, without missing anything.
September 2026How to move a client off a homemade spreadsheet system without the transition itself becoming a mess.
September 2026A plain explanation of the IRS Centralized Authorization File number: what it's for, how to get one, and the mistakes that delay it.
September 2026What Form 8821 actually authorizes, how it's different from Form 2848, and how to get it signed and filed without slowing down client work.
September 2026What a CP2000 notice actually means, why it isn't an audit, and how to walk a client through responding without panic.
September 2026A plain-English walkthrough of Form 1120, who has to file it, and how it differs from an 1120-S.
September 2026How and when to file Form 2553, the deadline that catches most first-time filers, and what happens if you file late.
September 2026The signs that it's actually time to hire, how to think about the financial risk, and what to hand off first.
September 2026What a client actually needs to understand about running payroll: tax deposits, filing deadlines, and penalty traps.
September 2026Nexus, taxability, and filing frequency explained plainly, so you can walk a client through their obligations without the jargon.
September 2026The specific, practical shifts that happen the moment you add your first team member.
September 2026The IRS's Written Information Security Plan requirement, plus the practical security steps small firms actually need.
What to charge, how to keep clients moving, and how to stay on top of the relationship without a full-time admin.
A simple framework for pricing your first clients without underselling yourself: fixed-fee, hourly, and value-based, with real numbers.
September 2026Real per-user numbers for TaxDome, Karbon, Canopy, and FirmLync, plus the hidden costs that don't show up on the pricing page.
September 2026What TaxDome actually costs once you factor in commitment length, seat minimums, and add-ons.
September 2026A breakdown of what Karbon's plans actually include, where the price jumps happen, and who each tier is realistically built for.
September 2026How to calculate realization rate, what a healthy number actually looks like, and the most common reasons it's lower than firms think.
September 2026How CAS is different from traditional bookkeeping, and what a firm actually needs to offer it well.
September 2026A practical escalation approach for chasing unresponsive clients, plus when to build a firmer deadline policy into your engagement letter.
September 2026A rate-increase letter template for accounting and bookkeeping firms, plus the timing and framing that determines whether clients accept it.
Honest, hands-on comparisons of the tools small firms actually choose between, past the marketing pages.
A practical, no-fluff comparison of Karbon, TaxDome, Canopy, Financial Cents, Jetpack Workflow, and FirmLync — real pricing, real trade-offs, and who each one actually fits.
September 2026Karbon and TaxDome solve different problems — internal team collaboration vs. all-in-one client-facing practice management. Here's the honest breakdown.
September 2026TaxDome is the all-in-one heavyweight; Financial Cents is the deliberately simpler alternative. Which one actually fits your firm?
September 2026Every vendor says "AI-powered" now. Here's what that actually does feature by feature — and what's still just a label.
August 2026What TaxDome does well, where it's overbuilt for a firm under 10 people, and how to actually evaluate an alternative instead of just switching on price.
August 2026Past the pricing page: the five things that actually determine whether a switch is worth it, and the ones that don't matter as much as they seem to.
August 2026Karbon is built for scaling teams with real ops overhead. What a firm under 10 people should weigh before paying for that scale.
August 2026An honest comparison for firms choosing or switching their core ledger: pricing, client-facing experience, and what actually differs day to day.
August 2026Canopy is built around tax resolution and transcript workflows. What a small accounting or bookkeeping firm should weigh before choosing it or an alternative.
August 2026Jetpack Workflow is simple and cheap, which is exactly its appeal and its ceiling. What to weigh before switching to it or moving past it.
August 2026What actually matters in a client portal for a firm under 10 people, and how to evaluate options past the feature checklist.
August 2026DocuSign works, but it's rarely the right fit for a small firm's engagement letters. What to look for in a tool built for accounting workflows.
September 2026They sound like the same thing. They aren't. Here's the actual difference, and which one your firm needs.
September 2026The questions to ask, the demos to book, and the mistakes to avoid before you sign a contract.
September 2026A migration plan for moving off your current tool without losing documents, history, or client trust.
September 2026The core categories a small firm actually needs, and how to avoid ending up with eight tools that don't talk to each other.
September 2026A specific, honest breakdown of which accounting tasks AI genuinely automates today, and which ones still need a human.
September 2026A grounded look at where AI actually stands in accounting practice today: what's real, what's overhyped, and what to actually do about it.
Automation, capacity, and the decisions that come up as a firm grows past its first few clients.
The follow-up sequence that gets documents back on time, built from a handful of rules, not a full-time hire.
August 2026The patterns that show up across most first-year firms: underpricing, scope creep, and the tooling decisions that are hard to undo later.
August 2026Who you actually need to send a 1099-NEC, the January 31 deadline that has no automatic extension, and how to avoid the most common filing mistakes.
September 2026How small firms should actually approach hiring: what to look for, where candidates come from, and the interview questions that predict fit.
September 2026The real reasons behind the accounting talent shortage, and what small firms can actually do about it.
September 2026The real tradeoffs of niching down, and how to test a specialization before betting the whole firm on it.