A working accountant business plan has seven sections: summary, services and target client, market, pricing, client acquisition, operations and software, and financial projections. For a solo practice, keep each to one concrete page — a usable plan beats a 40-page template you never open. Below is the structure plus a worked example for a one-person firm so you can see the real numbers, not just headings.
We run our own service businesses and build the websites that bring firms their first clients. The client-acquisition part is where we help; the rest is the honest groundwork you do yourself.
Executive summary. One paragraph: who you serve, what you offer, and why a client picks you. Write it last.
Services and target client. Bookkeeping, payroll, tax prep, advisory — and exactly who (e.g., contractors, restaurants, freelancers). Niching makes you findable.
Market and competition. Local demand, the firms you compete with, and the gap you fill.
Pricing model. Monthly retainers beat hourly for predictable revenue. Set tiers and what each includes.
Client acquisition. Referrals, a website that ranks, a Business Profile, and reviews. This is the section most plans hand-wave — don't.
Operations and software. Your accounting and practice-management tools, your workflow, and how you handle deadlines.
Financial projections — startup costs, monthly expenses, and the break-even client count.
Say you start a one-person firm serving small-business bookkeeping and tax clients from home:
The point of the example: the math is small and clear. Your plan exists to find the few clients that cross break-even, then the dozen that build the income — which is a client-acquisition problem, not an accounting one.
We build websites and run SEO, but we'll tell you straight: you don't need to hire us to write the plan or land client one.
The client-acquisition section is where most firms stall. Our Start Getting Leads plan is $249/mo for a hand-built site plus AI lead capture that answers "do you do my industry" and books a consult after hours. Add the SEO engine at $597/mo to climb the local accountant and bookkeeping searches.
Useful next reads: accountant website design, SEO for accountants, accountant marketing, and how to start a CPA business.
We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →
Summary, services and target client, market, pricing, client acquisition, operations and software, and financial projections. Keep each to one concrete page for a solo firm.
A solo home-based firm can start for roughly $2,000–$10,000: software, insurance, a license if you're a CPA, a laptop, and a website. Office rent is the big variable.
No — you can offer bookkeeping, payroll, and tax prep without one. A CPA license is required for attest work and to use the CPA title, and it lets you charge more.
Send your firm name and city — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.
Prefer email? [email protected]