Business Plus+: Redefining SME Client Relationships

The landscape for accounting professionals is changing – fast. As margins on tax compliance services shrink and automation continues to disrupt traditional models, accountants, bookkeepers, and business advisors are faced with a pressing question:

What’s next for professional service firms?

Enter Business Plus+, the monthly communication system developed by ESS BIZTOOLS, designed specifically to help you showcase your broader capabilities to your SME clients and prospects.

Every month, Business Plus+ delivers four to six practical, insightful articles covering financial, commercial, and management advisory topics that are highly relevant to small and medium-sized businesses. Across a year, that adds up to 50 - 70 quality articles you can badge, brand, and distribute under your firm’s name - positioning you as a go-to advisor, not just a tax agent.

But Business Plus+ isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a client engagement strategy.

We encourage subscribers to match articles to client needs, then follow up with a personal call or meeting a few days after distribution. It’s a simple, effective way to start meaningful conversations and demonstrate that your firm offers real-world, value-adding advisory services – from business strategy and cash flow planning to virtual CFO solutions.

“If your business model is high volume, low margin, focused on simple tax returns, it will not be viable in 3 to 5 years.”

– Chris Jordan, Former Tax Commissioner

That was the warning. But the clock is ticking faster than expected. Industry leaders like Mark Wickersham FCA are now predicting that compliance work as we know it could disappear within 6 - 30 months.

So how do you pivot?

Business Plus+ gives you a head start.

Firms already using Business Plus+ are experiencing more than just better client conversations - they’re seeing:

✅ Improved client retention through deeper relationships.

✅ Increased advisory revenue streams.

✅ Stronger team engagement, as staff work on higher-value tasks.

✅ Improved talent attraction, as graduates and professionals seek meaningful, advisory-focused career paths.

In a crowded market, it’s no longer enough to be technically excellent. You need to show your clients – and your team – that you’re ready for the future.

Business Plus+ is your monthly tool to help do just that.

We invite you to review a sample edition of Business Plus+ to see how easily you can elevate your firm’s brand, value, and client impact.

GET BUSINESS PLUS+ NEWSLETTER SAMPLE HERE

Visit our website – www.essbiztools.com.au – to discover the detailed overview of the services provided by ESS BIZTOOLS. You are also welcome to contact us on 0418 190 181 or email .

ESS BIZTOOLS Podcast

In this special podcast episode, based on the 400th edition of Accountants Minute, Peter Towers delivers a powerful wake-up call for the accounting profession. With compliance work on the decline and automation accelerating, the future belongs to those who embrace their role as trusted advisors. Learn how to diversify your services, implement powerful advisory tools like financial forecasting and virtual CFO support, and make your firm indispensable to SME clients. Featuring insights from thought leader Mark Wickersham and a candid look at the challenges facing SMEs today, this episode is a must-listen for any accounting professional serious about staying relevant—and thriving—in a changing landscape.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST

Listen to more Accountants Minute Podcast episodes here

Want to know more?

Visit www.essbiztools.com.au.

If you would like to have a discussion about how this concept of virtual CFO services can be supplied by Australian accounting firms please ring our Managing Director, Peter Towers, on 0418 190 181 and we will arrange a complimentary 45-minute Zoom meeting to discuss your firm’s position and to give you our advice.

We believe that this is the blueprint for the delivery of an enhanced range of services by Australian Accounting and Bookkeeping firms to assist SME businesses to add value to their businesses and to assist accountants and bookkeepers not only to attract but to retain outstanding talent who want to be involved in the delivery of “real accounting services”.

Tell us what you think

We would like to ensure that our articles remain relevant, insightful and informative.  We value your input, so it would be appreciated if you could take a few minutes of your time to complete our survey – click here.

Thank you for your assistance in making Accountants Minute better.

Subscribe to Accountants Minute

Want to keep up to date with the latest issue of our Accountants Minute newsletter?

Click here to subscribe, free of charge.