How To Transform From A 40 Hour Accountant To 5 Hour CEO

If you want to stop doing client work, scale your accountancy practice and do it in just 5 hours a week, this is for you.  

If this sounds like an unrealistic pipe-dream, let me assure you that it’s possible. 

I’ve done this. 

I work 5 hours a week and my accountancy practice is growing faster now than it was when I was chained to my desk suffering the burden of being responsible for everything.  

In 2016 I was done being a full time accountant.  

I didn’t want to be there any more and I couldn’t even take a day off.  

Instead I sat there day in, day out.. festering.  

I’m hitting 50.. I should be looking forward to retirement by now!  

I thought about selling the practice to a friend, but deep down I knew that I would regret taking a lump sum and walking away.

The business was worth more to me as a going concern and I wanted it to see it continue to grow.. I just didn’t want to be the one growing it.  

So in 2017 I took the decision to cut my hours down to 3.5 days a week.  

I thought that working less hours was the answer, but I didn’t feel any better.  

When I was in the office I was flat out and when I wasn’t working I was worrying about the business falling apart.

Profits started declining. 

I hadn’t put any effort into restructuring, so me working less billable hours had an impact. 

I wasn’t attracting new clients (because deep down I didn’t want them), so as existing clients retired, sold up etc, my well established client base was slowly shrinking.  

Fuck it.  I had to take back control.   

I surrendered my dream of early retirement and went back to working full-time. 

I convinced myself it was what I wanted…. 

I mean… I WAS an accountant.  

I had always BEEN an accountant.  

I was GOOD at being an accountant. 

I enjoyed being part of the team I’d created.  

My clients were loyal.   

Some of them had been with me for nearly 30 years.  What would they do without me?

Being an accountant was how I had provided for myself and my two children for almost 30 years. 

What would happen if I stopped being an accountant?  

I didn’t know at the time, but looking back now, being an accountant was everything to me. 

Not only was it how I had provided an income for myself and my family for 30 years but it made me feel important, intelligent and therefore I was safe and comfortable (so what if I was miserable?). 

If I stopped being an accountant I would be nothing.  I would have nothing.

That was my belief.  

Take away “accountant” and Andy was worthless. 

So I did what most people do when they are trying to stay safe instead of living their best life.

I gritted my teeth and for 2 more years I committed to being an accountant. 

So much so that in September 2020 I hired a mentor to help me grow the business.  

My hope/logic was that if I could just create a bit more profit THEN I could escape in a few years.  

But that wasn’t going to happen.   

2 sessions in, that was it. 

I couldn’t lie to myself any longer. 

I didn’t want to be a fucking accountant any more.  I didn’t want to grow the business. 

I'd rather lose it all than carry on another fucking day. 

And that was it. 

The next morning, 6am I drove up to see my BDM and said I wanted her to take over right now.   

I’d support her in the restructuring, be available 5 hours a week and if she didn’t want it, I would sell.

She said yes and the rest as they say is history. 

The practical restructuring took some time but was way easier than I could have ever imagined and the business has a new lease of life because the MD is passionate about scaling it.

The business is growing faster now than it did in the previous 5 years.  

I’ve got my life back.  

I love being there in an advisory role and having so much free time to pursue MY passions.

I still take a salary and dividends and I’m building my next business.  

So if you want to know the secret of how to transform from a 40 hour accountant to a 5 hour CEO (which I assume you do because you read this far!) it’s this. 

It’s not just about taking time off.  

It’s not just about restructuring the business.  

You have to commit to becoming a different person. 

That means doing things that YOU (the accountant) wouldn’t dream of doing, but that YOU (the CEO) knows deep down is the next best move.   

It’s scary which is why so many accountants sell or stay working in their business full-time, but sometimes you have to take a leap of faith to make your dreams come true.

So what are you going to choose?

Stay being a 40 hour accountant and hope that one day you’ll have enough money/clients/team to finally relax? 

Or take action now and become a 5 Hour CEO. 

If it’s the latter, then you are in luck. 

I don’t want it to take you 5 years to do this.

I can fast track this journey for you and help you transform into a 5 Hour CEO in a much shorter timescale - Anywhere between 5 to 20 months, depending on where you are.

5 Hour CEO is a 5 month group mentorship program where you will transform your business, remove yourself from the day to day client work and responsibilities and ensure that your practice will be profitable without you.  

We will be working on strategy, detailed tactics as well as the mindset and emotional changes required to give you the knowledge and confidence to do this.  

Apply to be a founding member before the 31st July and you will receive a 50% discount. 

Send me a message and let me know why you want to do this now.