CPAs Can Count But Don't Build: Why Your Clients Need Both

CPAs Can Count But Don't Build

Why Your Clients Need Both

by Joy Francis, CFO & AI Automation Strategist

Figure 1: created by Joy Francis, CFO and AI Automation Strategist

I'll never forget the day I realized I was different from every other accountant in the room. It was 1980, and I was sitting in a conference room full of financial professionals, listening to them complain about how their clients "they just don't understand" the importance of proper bookkeeping systems.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about the construction company I was managing, where I'd just implemented a system that let construction managers make building decisions based on simple numbers that kept us profitable while our competitors were going bankrupt.

That's when it hit me: these accountants were brilliant at counting, but they had no idea how to build the systems that would give their clients something worth counting.

They could tell you exactly how much money was in the bank, but they couldn't tell you how to get more money into the bank. They could calculate profit margins to the penny, but they couldn't design the processes that would improve those margins.

CPAs can count. But most don't build. And that's exactly why your clients need both.

The $5 Million Problem That Taught Me Everything

Let me tell you about the moment this distinction became crystal clear. I was working for a real estate conglomerate during the worst financial crisis in modern history. The mortgage division was $5 million underwater, the CFO had just quit, and the auditors were coming in one month.

The CEO looked at me—a young woman who'd been told her whole life she wasn't smart enough—and said, "We're going to try you as CFO."

Now, any competent CPA could have told you exactly how bad our situation was. They could have calculated our debt-to-equity ratio, analyzed our cash flow statements, and prepared detailed reports showing precisely how much trouble we were in.

But that's not what the company needed. They needed someone who could build solutions.

So, I didn't just count the problems—I built the systems to fix them. I created cash flow forecasting models that predicted our funding needs three months out. I designed investment strategies that generated the money to pay off our bankruptcy obligations. I built relationships with banks that trusted my analysis enough to buy loan portfolios based on my recommendations.

The difference between counting and building saved that company. And it taught me a lesson I've been sharing with CPAs for forty years: your clients don't just need someone who can read their financial story—they need someone who can help them write a better ending.

Why CPAs Don't Build (And Why That's Actually Good News)

Before you get defensive, let me be clear: there's nothing wrong with not building. In fact, it's smart business strategy.

CPAs don't build because building isn't their zone of genius. Their zone of genius is accuracy, compliance, and financial analysis. They've spent years mastering the art of making sure every number is in the right place, every regulation is followed, and every report is accurate.

Figure 2: created by Joy Francis with Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra

Building systems requires different skills: strategic thinking, process design, technology integration, and change management. These aren't typically taught in accounting programs, and they're not tested on the CPA exam.

But here's the good news: your clients don't expect you to be a builder. They expect you to be a counter. The problem is that they also need a builder, and if you can't provide that service, they'll find someone who can.

That's why the smartest CPAs are learning to partner with builders or developing building skills themselves. Because the combination of counting and building is exponentially more valuable than either skill alone.

The Three Things Your Clients Need Built

After four decades of working with business owners, I've identified three critical systems that every business needs, but most CPAs don't know how to build:

1. Predictive Cash Flow Systems

Your clients don't just need to know how much cash they have today—they need to know how much they'll have next month, next quarter, and next year. According to the Small Business Administration, 82% of business failures are attributed to cash flow problems, yet only 47% of small businesses use formal cash flow forecasting (SBA 67). They need systems that automatically forecast cash flow based on sales pipelines, seasonal patterns, and payment terms.

Most CPAs can tell you what happened to cash flow last month. But can you build a system that predicts what will happen to cash flow next month and automatically alerts the business owner when intervention is needed?

2. Performance Optimization Frameworks
Your clients need systems that don't just measure performance—they improve it. They need frameworks that identify bottlenecks, optimize processes, and create accountability for results.

Research from Boomer Consulting shows that businesses using structured performance optimization frameworks see average revenue increases of 23% within 18 months (Boomer Consulting 112). Most CPAs can calculate profit margins. But can you build a system that automatically identifies which products, services, or customers are most profitable and creates action plans to focus on the highest-value opportunities?

3. Strategic Decision-Making Tools
Your clients need systems
Figure 3: created by Joy Francis using ChatGPT

that turn financial data into strategic insights. They need dashboards that highlight trends, models that evaluate opportunities, and frameworks that guide major business decisions.

Most CPAs can prepare financial statements. But can you build a system that automatically generates strategic recommendations based on financial performance and market conditions?

The Story of Jack and the Cleveland Miracle

Let me tell you about Jack, the training coordinator at the Ford Cleveland Casting Plant who called me on my honeymoon morning. Jack understood something that most business leaders miss: the difference between counting and building.

Jack could count. He knew exactly how many employees were struggling financially, how much money they were losing to poor investment decisions, and how their financial stress was affecting productivity.

Jack couldn't create the educational systems, the decision-making frameworks, or the behavioral change programs that would solve these problems.

Figure 4: created by Joy Francis using ChatGPQ

That's why he called me. Not because I was a better counter than the CPAs he'd worked with before, but because I was a builder. I could design financial education programs, create decision-making tools, and build systems that helped his employees make better money decisions.

The result? Over the next several years, I taught financial management to thousands of Ford employees across multiple states. Not because I was the smartest accountant in the room, but because I could build systems that transformed their financial lives.

The Partnership Opportunity

Here's what I want every CPA reading this to understand: you don't have to choose between counting and building. You can do both, or you can partner with people who complement your skills.

Some of the most successful financial professionals I know have built practices around this partnership model. They handle the counting—the compliance, the reporting, the

analysis—while partnering with specialists who handle the building—the systems, the processes, the strategic implementation.

But here's the key: you have to orchestrate the partnership. You have to be the quarterback who understands both what needs to be counted and what needs to be built.

The Technology Bridge

One of the biggest opportunities I see for CPAs today is leveraging technology to bridge the gap between counting and building. Modern financial software doesn't just track numbers—it can automate processes, generate insights, and even make recommendations.

According to the National Association of Certified Public Accountants, firms that integrate advanced financial technology see average efficiency gains of 35% and client satisfaction increases of 28% (NACPA 78).

But someone needs to know how to implement these systems, customize them for specific businesses, and train clients to use them effectively. Someone needs to build the bridge between the technology's capabilities and the client's needs.

That someone could be you. Not because you're a technology expert, but because you understand both the financial requirements and the business context.

Figure 5: created by Joy Francis using ChatGPT

The Revenue Reality

Let me be direct about the financial opportunity here. Traditional CPA services—the counting services—are increasingly commoditized. Software can do much of what CPAs used to charge premium fees for.

But building services—strategic planning, system implementation, process optimization—these are becoming more valuable, not less. These are the services that command premium fees and create long-term client relationships.

The CPAs who learn to build, or who partner effectively with builders, are the ones who'll thrive in the next decade. The ones who only count will find themselves competing on price with software and offshore providers.

Your Next Step

If you're reading this and thinking, "I want to be able to build, but I don't know where to start," here's my advice: start with one client and one system.

Pick your best client—the one who trusts you most and values your advice. Identify their biggest operational challenge. Then figure out how to build a system that solves it.

Maybe it's a cash flow forecasting system. Maybe it's a profitability analysis framework. Maybe it's a strategic planning process. Start small, learn as you go, and build your confidence.

Maybe it's a cash flow forecasting system. Maybe it's a profitability analysis framework. Maybe it's a strategic planning process. Start small, learn as you go, and build your confidence.

Remember what my mother always told me: "You can do anything if you set your mind to it." She was

talking to a legally blind little girl who would eventually build financial systems for public companies and teach thousands of people how to manage money better.

If I can learn to build, you can too. The question isn't whether you're capable—the question is whether you're willing to expand your definition of what a CPA can do.

Your clients need someone who can count. But they also need someone who can build.
Figure 6: created by Joy Francis with ChatGPT
The CPAs who figure out how to do both—or how to orchestrate both—are the ones who'll be indispensable in the years ahead.

Because in the end, counting tells you where you are. Building gets you where you want to go. And your clients need both.

If you want assistance in confirming your direction and/or how you can make this work schedule a complementary CPO Pathway Strategy Session with me at www.TalkToJoy.us.

Works Cited

Boomer Consulting. "2023 CPA Firm Technology Survey." Boomer Consulting, 2023, www.boomer.com/cpa-firm-technology-survey.

Michalowicz, Mike. Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine. Obsidian Press, 2017.

National Association of Certified Public Accountants. "Virtual CFO Services Market Analysis." NACPA Industry Report, 2023, www.nacpa.org/virtual-cfo-market-analysis.

Small Business Administration. "Small Business Financial Management Trends." SBA Economic Research, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2023, www.sba.gov/economic-research.

If you want assistance in confirming your direction and/or how you can make this work schedule a complementary CPO Pathway Strategy Session with me at www.TalkToJoy.us.

Joy's four-decade journey from bookkeeper to CFO taught her that the most valuable professionals aren't just experts in their field—they're bridge-builders who can connect expertise to implementation. She now helps CPAs expand their value proposition by learning to build the systems their clients need most.