Best Coaching Programs for CPAs & Accountants: 10 to Consider

Sick of looking at every potential coaching program and just seeing the words “WORK LESS” in all caps? Us too. That’s why we thought we’d break down the best coaching programs for CPAs and accountants in our latest blog. 

It’s hard whenever you do a list like this because inherently you’re making some value judgments on who should be included and who shouldn’t. We are sure they are good. So what was our criteria? I’m glad you asked, intrepid reader. 

Best Coaching Programs for CPAs & Accountants: Specific advice is better than generalist advice

What we liked about a lot of these coaching programs is that they can really help you develop a specific set of skills tailored to what those coaches are best at. They’re great at ‘leveling up’ your business by teaching you something you must know and then coaching you through the best ways to implement it. We’ll try and point out what that might mean in practice, but for example, some of these coaches might be best for “super small firms” or the best to teach you how to implement price increases. You get the idea.  

If you have any questions about these coaches, well, the good news is they’re just a click away. Ask us, ask them, just remember that the most important thing is to find a coach and program that works best for you. Think about what your goals are for your business. Do you want to work less hours? Do you want to raise your prices? Is growth a big goal for 2024? Being able to come to the table with some of these things already prepped will help you focus on who could be the biggest benefit to your business. Alright, enough of us, let’s get into it. 

The best coach for working less hours: Geraldine Carter

We’ve had Geraldine Carter on our podcast before, and while she’s knowledgeable about all kinds of facets in the accounting and CPA space, where she’s best is getting you to work less. Work less? Is that a real thing? In fact it is. Geraldine’s goal is to get clients to re-assess how their business is structured and implement a new model that allows owners to work less IN their business, by working a bit more ON their business. Her, “How to Get Your Accounting Firm Under Control in 4 Months” is a great seminar in itself. Sign up if you want to work less, enjoy your work more, and feel a sense of stability and control. 

The best coach for giving you options: Ryan Lazanis of FutureFirm

FutureFirm is all about tailoring your coaching experience to what your goals are. At the beginning of your journey, they’ll ask you what your biggest goal is: to have more time, to increase your fees, or to automate busy work. From there, they’ll be able to tailor a strategy with that goal in mind. Ryan has had tons of success in this space, with literally thousands of success stories. We’re especially into Ryan’s newsletter, which is often chocked full of helpful FREE tips on how to run your business. 

The best coach for upping your sales game: Chuck Bauer

Chuck Bauer is an absolute monster when it comes to sales tactics and strategies. If you feel like you’re getting leads, but not closing on them, you DEFINITELY need to join Chuck’s Mastermind group. He’ll help you understand the psychology of your clients, and why what you’re doing now isn’t working – and how to change it.  When you work with Chuck, he’ll give you three big tools to help your journey – a goal planner, a DSRT client personality assessment, and the implementation resource guide. These are awesome resources that will last long after you’ve met with him. 

The best coach for when you’re feeling stuck: Joe Montgomery of GroupUp

Besides having the coolest name for his business, Joe Montgomery is an expert at diagnosing what’s wrong with your business. So often there’s a disconnect between where you THOUGHT you’d be as a business owner and where you actually are. That’s a pretty relatable feeling as you work more “in” your business and less “on” it. Knowledge is good, but the real place Joe shines is in the accountability area. They’ll show you a “process to amplify your vision, build leaders so you can go further, and install a structure and system that gets you moving faster toward your biggest goals.” Sounds good!

The Best coach for a tax practice: Jackie Meyer

Jackie Meyer is a certified CPA and business coach with years of experience, an awesome resume, and a track record of helping business owners get the most out of their businesses. Oh, AND she’s got the best Facebook group in the game. That might sound funny to some of you, but the truth is that Facebook groups are some of the best ways to learn and get connected to people who can make a difference in your industry. That goes triple for CPAs and accounting firms. Trust us, don’t knock it ‘till you try it. Facebook isn’t just for cat and food pics anymore. 

The best coach for CPAs with “problem” clients: Loren Fogelman of Business Success Solution

Look, we all have problem clients. You know who we’re talking about. The folks who complain about your fees, who don’t recognize the work you do, and blame YOU for their cashflow problems. It might even get to the point where you start to believe them after a while. Well, STOP. Go to Loren Fogelman immediately. She’ll share tips on how to change the power dynamic of the relationships with your clients and take the power back. Their motto is “Stop lowering your value. Let us help you get paid what you’re worth.” I mean, sold!

The best coach for implementing a proven system.: Rightworks Academy

Rightworks Academy was founded 20 years ago to help the CPA profession continually progress by providing secure, advanced and easy-to-use solutions and services—and all with dedicated, expert support. They’ve seen all the tech come and go in this space and are experts in what works – and what’s just a waste of your money. If you’re looking to modernize your firm, Righworks will provide support, help you create goals, and keep you accountable so that your firm can FINALLY feel like it’s in the 21st century. 

The best coach for increasing your profit: Rob Nixon

Rob Nixon is an expert in profitability. I mean, his stats speak for themselves. After a year of his coaching, most firms see a 98% profit increase, 21% accounting revenue increase, and up to a fifth less time working. That’s a big deal, especially if you’re feeling like you’re swamped with work and have nothing to show for it. Rob is the author of a ton of great e-books that are available on his site, and are a great resource for anyone who wants to understand the big picture of your business’s profitability. 

Two More cool resources: Realize and PASBA

While these aren’t coaches per se, they DO provide something just as valuable: community. Realize and PASBA are both groups of CPAs who come together to share what they’ve learned, what works, and what might be next in the CPA world. That includes High-context mastermind groups, Paid community managers,  PM software meetups, advisors in residence, ongoing workshops, and a bespoke platform. If you want to learn more about PASBA we recorded a 4 episode ‘How I built my firm’ podcast series with owners of PASBA firms