Are you paying attention to the right things?
After tax season, most firm leaders shift their focus to growth. New services, new clients, new markets - all of it feels urgent. But before you start chasing opportunity, there’s one foundational question that often gets overlooked:
Do you know what's actually driving your firm's revenue - and what's not?
Not just at the top level. But broken down by:
Service line
Client segment
Referral source
Partner
Engagement type
Because without that clarity, you’re guessing. And growth that’s built on guesswork doesn’t scale, it burns out people and misses what’s really working.
Where Firms Can Improve
Here’s what I often find when I step into a firm:
Advisory looks like it’s growing, but profitability is unclear
Decisions are often being made without real data to back them up
Each partner may track leads their own way, but without a firm-wide system, leadership lacks the visibility to make confident growth decisions
A lot of growth comes from referrals, but few firms track where or why
Billing is still manual in many firms, and even as more move to centralized models, questions around accuracy, visibility, and value remain
These aren’t failures, they’re signs that it’s time to ask different questions.
What to Do Instead
You don’t need a new dashboard. You need better questions.
Start here:
What percentage of your growth came from existing clients vs. new last year?
What operational changes or technologies could improve the profitability of your CAS services?
Which clients grew with you last year and why?
What work do you keep doing because it’s “yours,” not because it’s strategic?
Then look at your pipeline and retention data side-by-side. Patterns emerge quickly when you ask the right things.
Final Thought.....
The goal is always revenue. But the firms that grow best don't just chase more, they build smarter.
They ask better questions.
They focus on what's working.
And they create a structure that actually supports the growth they're aiming for.
If you’re starting to think differently about growth, let's talk.
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