Accounting firms · 🇺🇸 United States
Launching a CAS line without hiring a CAS team
A tax-focused CPA firm wanted recurring advisory revenue but could not staff the delivery side to start it.
US CPA firm, launching client accounting services. Client identity withheld — we publish names only with written permission, so this engagement is described by its shape rather than by who it was.
18
CAS clients in year one
Recurring
Revenue mix shifted
0
Delivery hires needed to launch
The situation
- The firm's revenue was concentrated in seasonal tax work with a severe capacity peak and a quiet remainder.
- Client accounting services was the obvious diversification, but launching required delivery capacity before revenue existed.
What we found
- No standard CAS service definition — every prospective engagement was being scoped from scratch.
- The firm's existing clients were already asking for monthly reporting the firm was declining.
- Pricing for recurring work had never been established.
What we did
- Defined three packaged CAS tiers with fixed scope and pricing.
- Used white-label delivery capacity so the firm could sell before hiring.
- Kept review and the client relationship with the firm's own staff.
The outcome
- The firm launched with eighteen clients in year one without hiring delivery staff, and shifted revenue mix towards recurring.
- Once volume justified it, the firm hired internally with a proven demand base rather than on speculation.
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