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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.

Implement Advisory | Secure Your Future

20/07/2026

Strategic advisers are not born. They are developed.

Too many accountants believe strategic business improvement advisory is something you either “have” or you don’t.
It is not.
Strategic conversations are built through:
• frameworks
• process
• structure
• repetition
• and support
That is how confidence grows.
That is how capability spreads across the firm.

📞 Book an Advisory Discovery Call.

16/07/2026

Once advisory has a shape, and that shape has a sequence, something else becomes much clearer.
Who actually does what.
This is where many firms get stuck.

Advisory is talked about as something the firm offers, but when you look closely, the responsibility isn’t clearly defined. It sits loosely across the team, but in practice, it’s carried by a few.
Usually the partners.
Not because the team isn’t capable, but because the roles within advisory haven’t been separated.

So every conversation starts to feel the same.
High-stakes.
Important.
Something you don’t want to get wrong.
And when everything feels like that, it naturally stays with the people who feel most comfortable holding it.
This is where structure changes things.

When advisory is broken into a sequence of conversations, it becomes much easier to see that not every step requires the same level of experience or responsibility.

Some conversations are about opening the door.
Some are about exploring and understanding.
Some are about defining the work.
Some are about supporting progress.
They’re all important. But they’re not all the same.
And they don’t all need to sit with you.

When roles are clear:
your team knows where they fit
you’re not pulled into every interaction
and advisory starts to move beyond a single point of dependency
This is where confidence starts to build across the firm.

Because people aren’t being asked to “do advisory” as one big, undefined thing.
They’re stepping into a specific part of a clear pathway.
That’s what makes it feel manageable.
That’s what makes it trainable.

And that’s what turns advisory into something your whole team can deliver.
Because shape and sequence are important.
But it’s role clarity that brings them to life.

15/07/2026

Most firms genuinely care about their clients.

They take the time to tailor advice, respond to what’s needed, and do their best to deliver value in each interaction. The intention is there, and it’s strong.

But intention isn’t what clients experience.

They experience what actually happens, conversation by conversation, meeting by meeting.

And without a clear structure behind advisory, that experience can vary more than we realise.

One client has a proactive, forward-looking conversation.
Another only hears from you when something needs to be done.
Another receives reports, but no real guidance around what they mean or what to do next.

From inside the firm, it feels like you’re customising.
From the client side, it can feel inconsistent.

This is where many firms get caught.

They try to improve client experience by doing more, responding faster, or adding more touchpoints. But without a consistent approach to how advisory is delivered, those efforts don’t always translate into a better experience.

Because experience isn’t something you layer on.
It’s something that’s created by the way your service is designed.
When there’s a clear advisory structure underneath, something shifts.

Clients begin to experience a consistent level of care, curiosity, and forward thinking, regardless of who they’re dealing with. Conversations feel intentional, not reactive. The value becomes easier to see, because it shows up in a consistent way.
And that’s what builds trust.

Not just that you care, but that you show up in a way they can rely on.
Because in the end, it’s not your intention that shapes the relationship.
It’s your system.

13/07/2026

If advisory conversations only happen when a partner is present…
If opportunities are only identified when you personally lead the meeting…
If additional services are only offered when you step in…
That’s not a people problem.
It’s usually a structure signal.

Most firms believe they “do advisory.”
But what that often means is:
• Partners have 100% of the forward-looking conversations
• Partners make 100% of the offers
• Partners carry 100% of the commercial responsibility
• And if they’re lucky, they reach 10% of their client base
That’s not a team capability.
That’s a dependency model.

Here’s where it gets blurred.
Advisory gets treated as one thing.
One big, high-stakes, partner-level activity.
But advisory isn’t one thing.

There are invitation conversations.
There are diagnostic conversations.
There are structured delivery conversations.
There are ongoing relationship conversations.

When those layers aren’t separated, they all feel high-risk.
And when everything feels high-risk, it stays with the partners.

Advisory doesn’t stall because your team lacks intelligence.
It stalls because the structure hasn’t made it shareable.
Clear definition creates clarity.
Clarity builds confidence.
Confidence builds capacity.
That’s how advisory becomes a team sport.

If advisory only works when you’re in the room, the issue isn’t effort.
It’s structure.

If this feels familiar, book an Advisory Strategy Call.

Let’s look at how this is showing up in your firm and what needs to be defined first.

09/07/2026

Last week, I introduced the idea that advisory needs a shape.
Because when it doesn’t, everything depends on the person in the room, and it becomes difficult to repeat, teach, or share across a team.

The next question is… what actually creates that shape?
It’s not templates.
It’s not reports.
It’s not more documentation.
It’s sequence.

In most firms, advisory conversations happen, but they don’t always connect.
A good conversation here.
A piece of advice there.
A follow-up that may or may not happen.

Nothing is wrong in isolation, but there’s no clear progression.
And without progression, advisory feels reactive.
Sequence changes that.

It simply means that each conversation has a place, and leads somewhere.
You’re not trying to do everything in one meeting.
You’re not jumping straight to solutions.
You’re not leaving the client wondering what happens next.
Instead, there’s a natural flow.

A conversation that opens the door.
One that explores what’s really going on.
One that defines what needs to happen next.
And then conversations that support progress over time.
Each one builds on the last.
Each one has a clear purpose.
And importantly, each one can be shared.

Because when sequence is clear, advisory stops relying on instinct alone. It becomes something your team can step into, your clients can follow, and your firm can deliver consistently.

This is where advisory starts to feel lighter.
Not because there’s less thinking involved, but because you’re no longer figuring it out from scratch every time.
You’re following a path.
And that’s what gives advisory its shape.

08/07/2026

When we talk about structuring advisory, there’s often an immediate assumption about what that involves.

More templates.
More workflows.
More scripts.
More workpapers.
More formatted reports.
In other words, more stuff.

And if that’s what structure meant, the hesitation would make sense.
Because advisory isn’t supposed to feel rigid or templated. It’s meant to be thoughtful, responsive, and tailored to the client in front of you.

But that’s not the kind of structure we’re talking about.
Most accounting firms are already excellent at structure.

You’ve built it into your compliance work: clear workflows, defined steps, review points, sign-offs, deadlines. Everyone knows what’s happening, when, and why.
That’s structure.

The challenge is, that type of structure doesn’t translate neatly into advisory.
Compliance is linear.
Advisory is conversational.

Compliance follows a defined path to an outcome.
Advisory unfolds through questions, context, and decision-making.
Trying to apply compliance-style structure to advisory is where many firms get stuck. It either becomes too rigid and loses its value, or it gets pushed aside altogether and remains undefined.

So when we say “structure advisory”, we’re not talking about forcing it into a compliance framework or adding more documents.
We’re talking about giving advisory a shape people can actually follow.

You can start to think about it as:
separating the different types of conversations
being clear on the purpose of each one
knowing what good looks like at each stage
understanding what comes next
Not scripts.
Not rigid agendas.
A clear pathway.

Because once that pathway exists, something shifts.
Conversations become easier to lead.
The mental load reduces.
Your team can step in with confidence.
And clients experience something that feels both consistent and personal.

Structure doesn’t take the thinking out of advisory.
It removes the guesswork.

And that’s what allows advisory to move from something a few people do… to something your firm can deliver, together.

06/07/2026

Real leadership isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about creating the space for others to rise.

This is something I see many accounting partners and directors wrestle with.
Letting go feels risky.

Not because they don’t value their team, but because they feel responsible for the firm, the clients, and the outcomes. If something goes wrong, it sits with them.
So they stay close to the work. They lead the conversations, answer the questions, and carry the advisory load themselves.
It feels responsible. It feels protective.

But over time it creates another problem: the firm can only move as fast as the partners can carry it.

At some point leadership requires a different shift. Moving from being the expert in every conversation to becoming the person who creates the conditions for others to lead them well.

That means preparing the team, giving them structure, and letting them step forward before they feel completely ready.

Because the real test of leadership isn’t how much you personally deliver.
It’s how many people around you grow confident enough to deliver too.
If advisory is going to reach more than a small percentage of your clients, it can’t stay with the partners.

It has to become something the team can confidently lead as well.
If that’s the shift you’re trying to make in your firm, book an Advisory Discovery Call.

02/07/2026

What if the real problem with advisory… is that it has no shape?

In most firms, advisory doesn’t feel broken.
It just feels… a little undefined.

It shows up in different ways, at different times. A really good conversation here. A reactive piece of advice there. A report that’s meant to add value, but doesn’t quite land the way you hoped.

Individually, none of it is wrong.
But when you step back, it doesn’t quite connect.
And that’s where the weight starts to build.

Because when advisory has no clear shape, everything relies on the person in the room. Their experience, their confidence, their ability to guide the conversation in the moment.

Which is why it so often stays with the partners.
Not by design. Just by default.

Over time, it becomes harder to repeat, harder to teach, and even harder to spread across the team in a way that feels safe and consistent.

This is the shift we focus on.
Giving advisory a shape people can follow.
You, your team, and your clients.

Not by turning it into scripts or forcing every conversation into a template, but by creating clarity around how it actually works.

Because when you look closely, advisory isn’t one thing.
It’s a series of conversations that move somewhere.

Some naturally open the door.
Some explore what’s really going on.
Some bring clarity to what needs to happen next.
Some support the client as they move forward.

When those conversations are understood and connected, advisory starts to feel different.

More deliberate.
More consistent.
Easier to step into.

Not because you’ve simplified it, but because you’ve given it a shape.
And once there’s a shape, people can follow it.

01/07/2026

Another financial year has started.
And for many firms, it’s the same advisory… just repeated.

Same conversations.
Same reports.
Same effort.
But very little changing for the client.

Not because you’re doing it wrong.

But because without structure, it’s hard to link advisory to what really matters, your client’s goals, pain points and experience.

So while advisory is happening… is it actually making a difference?

28/06/2026

Are your clients getting strategic support or just technical advice?
Many firms are delivering advice.

But very little of it is truly strategic business improvement advisory.
Technical answers matter.
Compliance matters.
CFO reporting matters.

But small business owners also need:
• strategic conversations
• clearer direction
• better decisions
• and support that moves the business forward
That does not happen by accident.

📞 Book an Advisory Discovery Call.
https://calendly.com/lynda-steffens/advisory-strategy-session-discover-call?month=2026-06

Address

Southport, QLD
4215

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

61409587322

Website

http://www.thesmallbusinessproject.com.au/, https://thesmallbusinessproject.com.au/advisory-where-does-your-firm-sit/

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