How many times have you laid out a comprehensive financial plan for a small business client, only to watch them get overwhelmed and implement nothing?
Have you ever given a client a detailed list of changes they need to make, and they just froze because it all felt like too much? And when was the last time you saw a client actually transform their business through one massive overhaul instead of steady, incremental progress?
If you’re like most accountants working with small businesses, you’ve learned the hard way that giving clients everything they need all at once usually results in them doing nothing at all.
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There’s a better way. For over 20 years, I’ve built my practice around a simple philosophy: Help clients get “one step better.” Notice I didn’t say get things “perfect” or “completely transform overnight.” Just measurably better than they were last month. This approach has helped hundreds of small business owners build thriving companies without the paralysis that comes from trying to fix everything at once.
The Problem with Perfectionism in Accounting Advisory
This is what I see happen more often than not when accountants try to provide advisory services to small business clients:
You spot 10 problems in their business. Maybe their chart of accounts is a mess, their pricing is too low, they have no cashflow forecasting, their payroll process is manual and error-prone, they’re not doing any tax planning, and their inventory management is costing them thousands.
So, you do what any good accountant would do: You tell them everything that needs to be fixed.
And then what happens? They get overwhelmed. They don’t know where to start. Everything feels urgent and important. And because they can’t do everything, they often end up doing nothing.
The perfectionist approach to advisory doesn’t work for small business owners because they’re already drowning in competing priorities.
They’re managing employees, serving customers, putting out fires, and trying to keep the business running. Asking them to overhaul 10 different systems simultaneously isn’t realistic. And it’s a recipe for failure.
What ‘One Step Better’ Really Means and Why It Works
The “One Step Better” philosophy is deceptively simple: Focus on the next most important improvement, implement it successfully, and then move on to the next one.
Not the 10 most important improvements. Just the next one.
This doesn’t mean you ignore the other problems or accept mediocrity. It means you recognize that sustainable change happens incrementally, and that small improvements compound over time into major transformation.
In practice, it looks like this:
Instead of overwhelming a restaurant owner with everything wrong in their business, you start with one metric that matters most right now. Maybe it’s food cost percentage. You help them understand it, track it, and improve it. Once that’s under control, you move to the next priority.
Instead of demanding that a medical practice implement a complete new accounting system, automated workflows, and strategic planning all at once, you help them get their books current and accurate first. Then, you layer on tax planning. Then, you optimize their systems. Each step builds on the last.
The “One Step Better” approach works because it matches how human beings actually change. We build new habits gradually. We gain confidence through small wins. And we’re far more likely to stick with changes when they don’t feel overwhelming.
Why Small Business Owners Need Progress, Not Perfection
Small business owners are some of the hardest-working people I know. The last thing they need is an accountant who makes them feel like they’re failing because they haven’t implemented every best practice in their industry.
What they need is an accountant who meets them where they are and helps them get to where they want to be. One realistic step at a time.
I’ve seen business owners who were literally keeping their books in a shoebox transform into sophisticated operators with clean financials, strategic tax planning, and data-driven decision-making.But that transformation didn’t happen in a month. It happened over 18 months of consistent progress.
The beauty of the “One Step Better” approach is that it creates momentum. When clients successfully implement one improvement, they gain confidence. They start to believe that change is possible. They become more receptive to the next suggestion.
But when you overwhelm them with everything that needs to change at once, you do the opposite. You make them feel incompetent. You trigger their defenses. And you make them less likely to implement anything at all.
Where ‘One Step Better’ Creates the Most Impact
In my practice, I focus on four critical areas where incremental improvement drives real transformation:
- Financial Clarity – Move clients from guessing based on bank balance to knowing their true profitability with timely, accurate reports they understand.
- Tax Planning – Replace surprise tax bills with quarterly projections and strategic planning.
- Systems and Process Efficiency – Fix the one process causing the most pain first. I’ve seen payroll go from 12 hours weekly to 30 minutes just by addressing the biggest bottleneck.
- Profitability and Growth Management – Help clients see which products or services actually make money, then establish a simple business valuation baseline. Once clients understand what drives value, every decision becomes clearer.
The key is sequencing these improvements. You don’t tackle all four at once. You identify which matters most right now and start there.
How to Apply ‘One Step Better’ in Your Practice
Here’s the practical framework I use:
- Start with assessment, not prescription. Before telling clients what they need to fix, understand where they are and what’s keeping them up at night. What would make the biggest difference right now?
- Prioritize ruthlessly. Even if you can see 10 problems, identify the one that matters most. Focus your client’s energy there. Everything else can wait.
- Celebrate small wins. When a client successfully implements one improvement, acknowledge it. This builds confidence and momentum for the next step.
- Layer improvements over time. Once the first change is working consistently, introduce the next one. Think of it like building a house, with the foundation before the walls and the walls before the roof.
- Meet clients where they are. Some clients will be ready for bigger steps. Others need smaller, more gradual changes. Adjust your pace to their capacity.
The Compounding Effect: Why Small Steps Lead to Big Transformation
What’s remarkable about the “One Step Better” approach is thatsmall improvements compound over time into results that look like overnight success to outside observers.
A restaurant that improves food cost by 2% doesn’t just save a few thousand dollars. When that improvement compounds month after month, it can mean the difference between barely surviving and building real wealth.
A medical practice that implements one process improvement per quarter doesn’t just save a little time. After two years, they’ve overhauled eight critical processes and freed up hundreds of hours for patient care or strategic growth.
The clients who’ve been with my firm for five years look nothing like they did when they started. But they didn’t get there through one dramatic transformation. They got there through dozens of small improvements that built on each other.
This is how sustainable change actually happens in small businesses. Not through overwhelming clients with everything they need to do differently, but by helping them take the next right step, and then the next one, and then the next one.
Starting Your Own ‘One Step Better’ Journey
The “One Step Better” philosophy doesn’t just apply to how you serve clients. It also applies to how you develop your practice.
If you’re reading this series and thinking, “I need to completely transform how I work with small business clients,” you’re falling into the same trap you’ve been setting for your clients.
You don’t need to change everything at once.
Here’s your “One Step Better” starting point:
Choose three current clients who would benefit most from a more advisory relationship. Don’t try to convert your entire practice. Just start with three.
For each client, identify the one improvement that would make the biggest difference in their business right now. Not five improvements. One.
Schedule a 30-minute conversation with each client to discuss that one priority. Not a comprehensive business review. Just one focused conversation about one important topic.
Help them implement that one improvement. Support them through it. Make sure it sticks. Once it’s working consistently, identify the next step.
That’s it. That’s how you start building an advisory practice that actually transforms small businesses.
You don’t need new certifications, expensive software, or a complete practice overhaul. You just need to start helping clients get one step better and apply that same philosophy to your own development as an advisor.
Why Progress Over Perfection is the Philosophy That Changes Everything
I’ve spent over two decades helping small business owners build better companies. And the single most important lesson I’ve learned is this: Thriving businesses share one common trait. They consistently get one step better instead of chasing perfection.
The same is true for accounting practices. You don’t need to become the world’s greatest business advisor overnight. You just need to be better at advisory work this quarter than you were last quarter.
- Small improvements compound into transformation. Incremental progress builds into competitive advantage. And “one step better” repeated consistently over time creates results that look like magic to everyone who wasn’t watching the whole journey.
- The small business market is waiting for accountants who understand this. Business owners don’t need perfectionists who make them feel inadequate. They need guides who meet them where they are and help them get to where they want to be. One realistic, achievable step at a time.
That’s what getting “One Step Better” is all about. And if you’re willing to embrace this philosophy—both for your clients and for your own practice—you’ll be amazed at what becomes possible.
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Matt Patrick, CPA, is the founder of Patrick Accounting, a Memphis-based firm specializing in small business accounting, tax, and advisory services. Since 2003, Matt has been helping small business owners getº”one step better” through practical, incremental improvements that compound into major transformation. The firm also hosts the “One Step Better Business Podcast,” where Matt shares insights on building thriving small businesses. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn or visit patrickaccounting.com.
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