The Small Business Project

The Small Business Project For Accountants Serious About Implementing Advisory. Firms have struggled to implement advisory, no time, no clarity, no confidence. That ends here.

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Most firms will say they customise their advisory, and they do.They adapt to the client in front of them, respond in the...
17/06/2026

Most firms will say they customise their advisory, and they do.

They adapt to the client in front of them, respond in the moment, and draw on years of experience to guide the conversation. It’s thoughtful, considered, and often very high quality.

But there’s a trade-off that doesn’t get talked about enough.
When everything is customised, everything tends to live in one place.
Your head.

Every meeting requires you to think it through again. What to ask, what to explore, where to take the conversation next. Nothing is quite the same as the last one, so nothing is easy to lean on.

It works… until it doesn’t.

Over time, that constant decision-making creates a quiet kind of pressure. Not because the work is too complex, but because there’s no structure holding it in place. You’re carrying not just the conversation, but the pathway behind it as well.
That’s when customisation starts to feel chaotic.
Not for the client, but for you.

Because without a defined way of moving from one conversation to the next, it becomes very difficult to hand over, very difficult to repeat, and almost impossible to share across a team.

So advisory stays where it’s always been. With the people who can carry it.
The shift isn’t about reducing customisation.
It’s about supporting it.

When there’s a clear structure underneath, something changes. You’re no longer starting from scratch each time. You know the type of conversation you’re in, the purpose it serves, and where it leads next.

That frees you up to actually listen, respond, and tailor the conversation with intent, rather than trying to build it as you go.
It also gives your team something to step into.

Because when the pathway is clear, advisory stops being something you hold… and becomes something the firm can deliver together.

I walked into the client meeting prepared to step in.It was a joint client.One of my team had just completed the Busines...
16/06/2026

I walked into the client meeting prepared to step in.
It was a joint client.

One of my team had just completed the Business Metamorphosis® Advisor Method training. We’d prepared properly. Reviewed the structure. Clarified the objective. Agreed they would lead.
I would be there “just in case.”

Advisory had always sat with me.
The responsibility. The judgement calls. The commercial weight.
Not ego.
Protection.

The meeting began.
They opened clearly.
Set the context.
Moved through the structure exactly as trained.
The client engaged quickly.
The conversation stayed deliberate.
Next steps were defined.
I waited for the wobble.
It didn’t come.

Halfway through the meeting, I realised I hadn’t spoken.
Not because it was lightweight.
Because it was being handled properly.
That’s when the shift happened.

If this works without me driving it…
Have I been holding more than I needed to?
Have I assumed it couldn’t be trained because I hadn’t seen it trained well?
It was equal parts pride and exposure.

The Partner said to us:
“After seeing our team members use the process, I was confident in letting them run advisory sessions on their own. The practical, hands-on approach enabled them to apply these skills much more quickly.”
That’s not theory.
That’s structure demonstrated.

Advisory isn’t “partner work.”
It’s structured work.
And structured work is transferable.

If advisory still depends on you, it may not be a team issue.
It may be a structure issue.

DM to Book an Advisory Discovery Session. Let’s build the structure that shifts the weight in your firm.

If Clients Don’t Choose It, They Won’t Value ItMost firms don’t have an advisory pricing problem.They have a positioning...
11/06/2026

If Clients Don’t Choose It, They Won’t Value It
Most firms don’t have an advisory pricing problem.
They have a positioning problem.
Advisory is happening.
Good advice is being given.
Commercial impact is being created.
But clients never actually choose it.
It just… appears.
Inside tax planning.
Inside year-end meetings.
Inside problem-solving calls.
When advisory is embedded by default, it feels like part of the package.
And what feels included rarely feels premium.
Here’s the harder truth:
If clients aren’t choosing advisory as a defined service, they won’t see it as a defined investment.
But separating it feels messy.
Because everything feels connected.
Compliance informs strategy.
Strategy informs decisions.
Decisions impact tax.
So how do you untangle it without breaking the relationship?
You don’t start by pulling pricing apart.
You start by separating the conversations.
What is compliance?
What is extended compliance?
What is strategic business improvement?
What is forward-looking advisory?
Once you can see the difference, you can position the difference.
And once clients can choose the difference, value shifts.
Advisory doesn’t need to be louder.
It needs to be clearer.
If advisory still feels bundled and hard to commercialise —
👉 Book an Advisory Strategy Call and let’s define where advisory should stand in your firm.

💥 KICK-ASS ADVISORY STARTS WITH STRUCTUREEveryone wants kick-ass advisory.Fewer firms build the structure to support it....
10/06/2026

💥 KICK-ASS ADVISORY STARTS WITH STRUCTURE

Everyone wants kick-ass advisory.
Fewer firms build the structure to support it.
Right now, in most accounting firms:
👉 Advisory conversations sit with the partners
👉 The team waits to be told what to do
👉 90% of clients never experience forward-looking conversations
Not because your team isn’t capable.
Not because you don’t believe in advisory.
Because it hasn’t been clearly defined, separated, and structured to be shared.
Kick-ASS advisory doesn’t mean louder conversations or more services.
It means:
✔ A clearly defined advisory approach
✔ Clarity on how advisory conversations can be shared across the team
✔ A practical 90-day action plan
✔ A leadership team aligned on what advisory actually means
That’s exactly what we build in our Advisory Strategy Session.
It’s focused.
It’s commercial.
It’s designed to move advisory from “partner-heavy” to “firm-wide capability.”
If you’re at capacity but still only reaching 10% of your clients…

👉 DM to Book your Advisory Strategy Chat and let’s build a kick-ASS plan your whole team can stand behind.

You know the moment.You’ve done the work. Run the numbers. Mapped out the plan. Sent the follow-up email with clear acti...
08/06/2026

You know the moment.

You’ve done the work. Run the numbers. Mapped out the plan. Sent the follow-up email with clear action points.

A few weeks later… you’re doing the BAS or year-end work and realise none of it happened.

There’s no drama. No pushback. Just that quiet realisation.
And the thought that follows…
“I’m not their mother.”
It’s not a client problem.

It’s what happens when the advice makes sense… but doesn’t connect.

You don’t need more inspiration.You need alignment.Here’s how to know the timing is right.1️⃣ You’re at capacity — but s...
04/06/2026

You don’t need more inspiration.
You need alignment.

Here’s how to know the timing is right.
1️⃣ You’re at capacity — but still only reaching a small portion of your clients with advisory.
The demand is there. The structure isn’t.
2️⃣ Advisory conversations sit mostly with the partners.
You believe in it. Your team supports it. But responsibility hasn’t shifted.
3️⃣ You’ve invested in training or tools before — and it didn’t quite stick.
Not because it was wrong. Because it wasn’t anchored in a clear firm-wide strategy.
4️⃣ Pricing advisory feels messy.
You know it should be separated. You’re just not sure where one service ends and the next begins.
5️⃣ You want advisory to be deliberate — not reactive.

Less “while we’re here…”
More structured, chosen, and positioned.

If three or more of those felt uncomfortably accurate, you’re not behind.
You’re ready.

An Advisory Strategy Session isn’t more theory.
It’s a focused leadership session to:
✔ Define what advisory actually means in your firm
✔ Clarify what can be shared across the team
✔ Identify structural gaps
✔ Build a 90-day action plan

Advisory confidence starts with clarity.

👉 DM to Book an Advisory Strategy Call and let’s look at where your firm stands.

If tax planning feels harder than it should, it’s rarely a technical issue.It’s usually happening earlier than that.Befo...
03/06/2026

If tax planning feels harder than it should, it’s rarely a technical issue.
It’s usually happening earlier than that.

Before the meeting, it’s hard to get buy-in. In the meeting, the advice makes sense but doesn’t quite land. After the meeting, the actions stall and you find yourself following up more than you’d like.

That pattern isn’t about capability.
It’s about connection.

If you’d like to explore how this is showing up in your firm and what to shift, book an Advisory Discover Call.

https://calendly.com/lynda-steffens/advisory-strategy-session-discover-call?month=2026-05

Most firms will tell you they customise their advisory.Every client is different.Every conversation is tailored.Every so...
01/06/2026

Most firms will tell you they customise their advisory.

Every client is different.
Every conversation is tailored.
Every solution is unique.
And on the surface, that sounds exactly right.

But when you look a little closer, what’s often sitting underneath isn’t customisation.

It’s inconsistency.

Different conversations depending on who’s in the room.
Different scopes depending on what was discussed.
Different pricing based on how confident someone felt that day.
Different client experiences across the same firm.

That’s where the friction starts.
Because while it feels like you’re delivering something tailored, it’s also creating uncertainty internally and a very uneven experience externally.

This is the part that’s easy to miss.

Customisation without structure doesn’t create value.
It creates chaos.

Not loud, obvious chaos.
The quiet kind.
The kind that sits in your head.
Shows up in inconsistent delivery.
And makes advisory difficult to scale beyond a few key people.

True customisation doesn’t come from making everything different.
It comes from having a consistent structure that allows you to adapt with clarity.

When the pathway is clear:
the type of conversation is defined
the purpose is understood
the next step is known

You’re no longer guessing your way through advisory.
You’re guiding it.

And that’s what allows you to respond to the client in front of you with confidence, not just instinct.

Because the goal was never to standardise the client.
It was to standardise how you show up.

That’s what creates consistency.
That’s what protects quality.
And that’s what makes customisation possible.

You don’t need to figure this out alone....When I was building advisory into my own work, there wasn’t a clear roadmap.N...
28/05/2026

You don’t need to figure this out alone....

When I was building advisory into my own work, there wasn’t a clear roadmap.

No shared language.
No defined process.
No real distinction between the different types of conversations we were having.
Just a lot of “this should work”… and a fair bit of trial and error.

Over time, patterns started to emerge.
What worked.
What didn’t.
Where conversations got stuck.
Why advisory felt so heavy, even when you knew it mattered.
And more importantly, what actually made it easier.

That’s what led me to write Accounting Revolution.
Not as theory.
But as a way to put structure around something that, for most firms, still feels undefined.

Inside the book, I break down:
why advisory often gets stuck at partner level
how to separate the different types of conversations
what creates confidence in those conversations
and how to start shifting advisory beyond just a few people

It’s the thinking behind everything we now do at The Small Business Project.
Because the goal was never to make advisory more complicated.
It was to make it make sense.

So if you’ve been trying to piece this together on your own, wondering why it feels harder than it should…
You don’t need to start from scratch.
The hard work of defining it has already been done.

https://lyndasteffens.com/purchase-accounting-revolution-book/

Most tax planning meetings go well.The work is done, the numbers are right, the options are clear. The client understand...
27/05/2026

Most tax planning meetings go well.
The work is done, the numbers are right, the options are clear. The client understands and agrees with the direction.
And then… nothing really happens.
Not because the client is difficult. Not because the advice isn’t good.
But because it never quite connected to something that mattered enough for them to act on.
We often focus on getting the advice right.
But advisory only works when the client sees why it mat Most tax planning meetings go well.
The work is done, the numbers are right, the options are clear. The client understands and agrees with the direction.
And then… nothing really happens.
Not because the client is difficult. Not because the advice isn’t good.
But because it never quite connected to something that mattered enough for them to act on.
We often focus on getting the advice right.
But advisory only works when the client sees why it matters to them.


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