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Hub · Profitability

Running a profitable firm

A firm can be busy all year and still not make much. The margin usually leaks somewhere quiet: low-fee work nobody wants to drop, admin that costs more than the partner time it frees up, clients who expect an answer at nine at night.

This hub collects what The Firm has published on finding those leaks: which work pays, where the cost hides, when advisory is worth adding, and how to grow without simply adding seats.

Updated 11 November 2026 · 32 pieces

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  1. How to build and scale a profitable advisory service for your accounting firm 29 November 2025
  2. Clients don’t pay for 24/7 access, so why are you on call? 29 November 2025
  3. The biggest mistake accounting firm owners make when trying to scale 29 November 2025
  4. Hiring your first employee: the revenue benchmarks, red flags, and growth tips for year 1 29 November 2025
  5. Stop drowning, start scaling: how smart firms make outsourcing & podsourcing pay off 29 November 2025
  6. FY26 accounting firm benchmarks, and how to read your own 10 November 2026
  7. How to run a virtual accounting firm: costs, team and pricing 30 October 2026
  8. Accounting practice benchmarks: 9 numbers that tell the truth 27 September 2026
  9. 98% of accountants already use AI. Only 1 in 5 are doing it on purpose. 25 June 2026
  10. The one thing every accountant thinks but nobody says 5 May 2026
  11. Where AI actually fits in your accounting firm 10 April 2026
  12. Structure before scale: the real growth strategy for accounting firms 7 April 2026
  13. Why I believe your firm’s most valuable asset isn’t in your ledger 30 March 2026
  14. The Crunch 2026: why Australian accounting firms need benchmark data more than ever 19 February 2026
  15. What solo and micro firms really need to thrive 29 November 2025
  16. How to tune your accounting engine so it deserves to scale 29 November 2025
  17. Why EOS is the secret weapon for scaling accountancy firms 29 November 2025
  18. Why every accounting firm should embrace NPS (Net Promoter Score) with their clients 29 November 2025
  19. From solo start-up to a 38-strong remote firm: lessons from Onside Accounting’s rapid rise 29 November 2025
  20. To double its clients, Praevo is automating the back office 11 November 2026
  21. The future of accounting in 2027: what the data says 27 September 2026
Hiring, leading and outsourcing
  1. How to hire your first employee at an accounting firm 10 November 2026
  2. Training junior accountants when AI does the grunt work 10 November 2026
  3. Your first AI hire: how to design the role before you fill it 10 November 2026
  4. Accounting outsourcing: the firm owner's honest guide 22 July 2026
  5. How to use the “Right People, Right Seats” strategy to build thriving teams 29 November 2025
  6. $40K to hire a client manager? Are accountants being ripped off? 29 November 2025
  7. Scaling with soul: safeguarding culture as your firm grows 29 November 2025
  8. Training your team on AI in 30 days: a week-by-week plan 10 November 2026

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