Most Firms Want Advisory. What’s Holding Them Back?

96% of accounting firms say advisory is critical to their future growth.

Only 20% are truly advisory-ready.

130+ accounting professionals have taken our Advisory Readiness Quiz. When we looked specifically at strategic intent — how seriously firms are prioritising advisory — 57% scored highly.

But only 20% achieved a high readiness score overall.

The gap between prioritising advisory and making it happen.

Isn’t belief. It’s execution.

The challenge isn’t advisory. It’s execution.

We hear it from firms all the time:

• We give advice but don’t charge for it.
• Advisory depends on a handful of senior people.
• Our team lacks confidence in strategic conversations.
• We know where we want to be — but it’s taking forever.

The firms saying this aren’t struggling with advisory intent. They’re struggling with structure, capability and a commercial model that makes advisory work.

These firms want recurring advisory revenue. They want a team that can confidently contribute beyond compliance work. And they want to create better outcomes for clients through proactive conversations — not just reactive problem solving.

While firms are working out how to build advisory capability, their clients aren’t waiting.

Business owners are making decisions every day that would benefit from strategic guidance.

Why now matters

Right now, business owners are making decisions about the year ahead.

Setting goals. Reviewing performance. Thinking about growth.

They’re asking questions that don’t have a compliance answer.

Questions about strategy.

About cash flow.

About people.

About opportunity.

If they’re not having those conversations with you — they’re having them with someone else.

That’s the advisory opportunity.

Not because there’s a problem to solve. Not because your firm wants more revenue.

But because your clients need your guidance, and the start of a new financial year is the best time to offer it.

The firms building real advisory momentum aren’t waiting for clients to ask for help.

They’re starting conversations, helping clients think ahead and identifying opportunities before problems arise.

Before the Numbers

There’s a moment at the start of every financial year — before the work piles in, before compliance takes over — where the conversation can go somewhere different.

That’s what our upcoming webinar is about.

Before the Numbers: How to Lead with Advisory, Not Compliance is a free practical session on how to use this moment to create proactive conversations, identify advisory opportunities and start the financial year differently.