Down to 40 Hours
CPA Mastermind
A 4-month program for CPAs who are ready to go down to a 40-hour workweek without dropping revenue.
Next cohort runs MAY 7 – AUG 23
Increase Clarity • Get Control • Decrease Stress
Get early access to registration before it opens to the community.
So sick of working that you wonder if the money’s worth it?
If you’re like other CPA’s, you are:
Chasing clients for documents
Drowning under a pile of audit
Trapped by overpaid staff who can’t answer their own questions
Working weekends to keep up
Waking up at 3am in a panic, wondering if you checked the right box on that 1120-S
Running your accounting firm shouldn’t feel like a health risk.
You can’t get through tax season without a Costco-size thing of peanut butter pretzels and a flat of Dr. Pepper
Walking and yoga are out the window
You’re on blood-pressure meds
When you’re working, you wish you were with your family, and when you’re with your family, you’re preoccupied with work
Taking a vacation overseas is a pipe dream
You want to work less, but:
You can’t see how you’d work less without letting go of revenue
You can’t delegate to staff because you’re the only one with the technical expertise
You can’t work move forward when you’re waiting on clients for documents
You can’t let go of clients until they pay you for last year’s return
You’ve tried:
Working 80 hours a week
Hiring a Senior Accountant at $120K
Firing a handful of clients
Raising prices 10%
Changing Practice Management Systems
Using ChatGPT to write emails
But none of it helped you work less.
Why not?
Because it wasn’t fixing the heart of the problem:
The traditional accounting firm model is broken. Everything you tried was never going to work if the accounting firm was built on a “bill for time doing work for clients” model.
The “bill for time doing work for clients” leads directly to working long hours.
It can all be fixed.
By making improvements one-by-one to pricing, packages, and the kinds of clients you choose to work with, you can get your life back, and your accounting practice under control.
Imagine…
Feeling in control of your firm:
You know who your clients are, and you’re on top of the workload
You know your prices
You can forecast your MRR 6 months out
You’re paid at the start of the month before beginning work
You have a waitlist of clients willing to pay your new rates
Your clients behave the way you want, read your emails, and respect your deadlines
Having a roster full of clients you enjoy, who:
Read your emails
Do what you tell them :)
Get you stuff on time
Appreciate the value you bring
Are more than happy to pay you
Making money you’re happy with:
Taking home $200K ($400K is even better!)
Stuffing your 401(k)
Making good money, without feeling guilty or greedy, or worrying your neighbors will think you’ve gotten too big for your britches
And getting in position to sell in 5ish years
But your time matters more:
If you could just stop working weekends
Then stop the bleed-into-the-evening inbox-clear-out
Then stop at 5pm
Then work 4 days a week
…that would be amazing.
At the end of the day, you just want:
The freedom to work the hours you want (and not a million more)
To enjoy your work again
To feel thankful for awesome clients and an accounting practice you enjoy
CPA Mastermind will show you the way
Down to 40 Hours CPA Mastermind is for folks like you looking to get their time back, reduce stress and pressure, attract better clients, and have a bigger impact without losing revenue. If your accounting practice feels stuck, stalled, or inefficient, coaching will show you what’s wrong and what to do about it and hold you accountable for making progress.
You Can’t Get There Alone
If you could have done it alone, you would have by now. You know you need guidance, help, and accountability. Otherwise you risk getting sucked into client work, emails, and fires.
What Got You Here Won’t Get You Down to 40 Hours
You said yes to everything to build your practice and gain experience. You bent over backwards to make needy clients happy. That got you here. But going Down to 40 Hours requires that you learn how to say no, turn away revenue (for now!) and set healthy business boundaries.
How To Get Down To 40 Hours
It’s a little different for each CPA, but the bones of the process are the same. We need to:
Know your capacity during and outside tax season
Decide what kind of clients you want to work with
Let go of work you won’t miss (audit? retail? manufacturing?)
Reprice Legacy Clients, especially the ones you’ve been soft on for years
Create packages for incoming clients at much higher prices, and focus on selling the value
Disengage ill-fitting clients as new higher-margin revenue comes in
Update your website to communicate the value you can create for the clients you want to attract
That’s all. Down to 40 Hours is not mean to be hard.
It’s meant to be manageable. It’s meant to be doable, in the time you currently have. We keep it simple. We take small steps every week. You make progress. And after 16 weeks, you’ll be amazed at how far you will have come.
What It Is And How It Works
The format of Down to 40 Hours:
Down to 40 Hours Content Library with everything I teach on the podcast and so much more
That’s available to binge or watch on demand
Weekly Office Hours on Zoom, Tuesdays at 11am MT
Office Hours are recorded and the audio is uploaded to the Private Podcast
24/7 Slack for all-hours community support
Unlimited 20-minute private mindset coaching sessions so you can think more clearly
Max size = 8 so you’re not lost in a crowd but have enough people to bounce ideas off of
Pricing
Down to 40 Hours CPA Mastermind is a 4-month program.
The investment is $9500 USD.
It’s not uncommon for Masterminders to recoup their entire investment during the program.
You can apply using the button below but before you do, let me first say this...
Coaching is not for everyone. We dig in. You need to be prepared to change habits, routines, and processes that you’ve been addicted to for years.
Change can be scary. It’s hard for everyone. But if you want things to be better, you have to change something.
If you think you’re ready, here’s the link to add your name to the Waitlist to get early access when registration next opens:
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Make the investment risk-free. If you’re not happy inside Down to 40 Hours, make me aware and we’ll find a way to make it right. No questions, no hassles. Guaranteed.
What happens when I register?
As soon as you register, you receive 2 confirmation emails that grant you immediate access to:
The Content Library, so you can get started watching and learning right away
The Slack Community, so you can start connecting with your colleagues on the same journey and get your questions answered 24/7
The Private Podcast, so you can start listening to the Office Hour back catalog
Mindset coaching, so you can take advantage of 1:1 private coaching right away
We kick-off Office Hours the first Tuesday after registration closes, by which point you’ll feel ready and warmed up!
Just imagine a 40-hour workweek.
It might be hard to imagine only working 40 hours a week, and still making just as much money as you did when you worked 80 or 60 hours a week. But that’s what we do in Down to 40 Hours.
We know it’s not rocket science, and that there’s no single magic bullet. Getting Down to 40 Hours happens when you commit to solving one single problem at a time, and permanently solving problems week after week. It’s a matter of focus, commitment, going step-by-step, and being willing to stay with a problem until you’ve worked through it.
We keep you moving. One of the reasons so many accountants get stuck on a growth plateau is that the hard things are sometimes just. too. hard. to do, and they allow fires to distract them. So the hard things, that are often the most important things, get left unaddressed. And when this happens for too many years, the accountant becomes surrounded by multiple hard things whose size and appearance has become enlarged over time. Change has become too daunting.
We end the overwhelm. We take one problem at a time, and break it down until the steps are short and manageable.
But Don’t Take My Word For It…
Here’s what other folks have said:
“After our first couple of Zoom meetings, I knew that I had made the right decision for my business. And after a few weeks in the program, I realized that joining this Mastermind was one of the best decisions I had EVER made for my business in its 13 years of existence.”
Julie Powell, CPA
I’ve achieved way more than I let myself hope for. We recently purchased a new trailer (as I’m making more $$$ in less hours) with dreams of meandering down the west coast to San Diego next spring (I’ll be working only 10-20 hours a week, from anywhere with wifi, thanks to you).
The main benefits? Community, guidance on working toward business goals, practicing new skills/offerings in a safe space, and more revenue.
Not to mention, it is so well organized! And there is a lot more content and help than I was expecting, that part’s great.
I like the community – everyone is so friendly and generous. It’s nice to ‘talk shop’ with other CPAs.
I created personal tax return pricing, rather than billing, including 50% increases, and that has been a positive experience with lots of signups from returning clients.
Laurie Rauk, CPA
I made two years of progress in my business in four months, and revenue is UP 15%.
Randy Larkin, CPA
Before I began Mastermind, it was like I was walking in the dark, and client work would just happen whenever. Now, with the help of GC, we have “turned on all the lights” and I can quickly recognize all the ‘things’ that might happen and know how to prepare for them. I also have the confidence to choose what work I will perform and which clients remain on my roster.
Had I not found GC and right-sized my client base (and increased prices), I could have easily been working 80 hours or more for the exact same amount of money. My hours now are at 40-45 hours per week during tax season and 20-30 outside of tax season.
Getting my hours down was more important than increasing revenue, but anyway, this past year, my firm generated an additional $100k in net profit from the prior year, and I expect this to become my new baseline going forward. In addition, my margins have about doubled. I was so underpriced I had to do twice the work to get the same profit. Now, I am finding the price ceiling for the work I offer. Meanwhile, the lower-margin work is being phased out.
What’s helped me the most is the weekly group coaching. So many of us will face similar struggles, and it's beyond beneficial to have a supportive group. Maybe someone has faced this before and can offer wisdom & best practices. And the rest of the group can learn how to navigate quicker by using this knowledge.
But the biggest overall difference for me is the confidence I have gained. I understand the demand of my expertise, I understand my value as a professional, and can articulate this back to the clients.
Melissa Downs, EA
The hardest thing was finding the time. But now I’m further down the path on not only who to work with, but how to work with them.
I got so much out of you focusing directly on my business, hearing what colleagues were doing, and knowing exactly what I was going to accomplish.
Side benefit? I’m pretty decent in Squarespace and took over some of my website copy/marketing and like it better than relying on a 3rd party provider to do all that. Which I know isn’t delegating, but it works for me.
I’d recommend Mastermind to anyone who is struggling with lots of low-paying clients and trying to figure out how to reposition into something smaller, tighter, ‘nichier’, higher-fee.
Thank you for everything!
Alicyn Mcleod, CPA
Because I do primarily stock option tax planning, I wasn’t sure whether my business would fit in the dynamics of the group. Happy to realize that that piece was irrelevant, and that there are plenty of issues and topics that span across the board (whether someone is doing tax or accounting or what not is secondary).
I appreciated the set office hours where members of the cohort get online. Many times just hearing about other people’s problems allow me to reflect on my own practice and how I can approach things to improve mine, and that there are different ways of doing things besides what we’ve been accustomed to doing.
I also needed the accountability. Even if life is busy you still make time for this. I needed the community– a group super friendly accountants all trying to move towards their goal. Seeing and hearing from others that my problems are not just “my problems” really resonated with me.
It may seem like a lot of money up front, but the improvements once implemented you should be able to recoup your investment pretty quickly.
I would recommend CPA Mastermind to CPAs who are serious about making changes to their practice and is willing to make the investment in time (and money). Because if you’re just toying around with the idea, a lot of the work that you do in this program is going to challenge a lot of personal beliefs and you need to be open to doing things a different way.
If nothing else, reach out to Geraldine and have a conversation. You owe it to yourself to see if there’s something better out there.
Minnie Lau, CPA
Committing to the initial investment was the biggest obstacle. By having a conversation with you, it gave me the courage to take the leap. I avoided a ton of mistakes I would've otherwise made. The structure provides me with a clear path and accountability checks so I stay focused. I likely would still be spinning my wheels if not for going through CPA Mastermind.
I enjoy the candid feedback from you. Whenever I have a conversation with you, I feel like I am leveling up. The same could be said about the life coaching sessions. I wanted to continue to have accountability and have a space to bounce ideas off of you and avoid getting stuck.
Whether you're just starting or years into the profession, the amount of clarity you get through the program is second to none. I feel so much more clear about who I want to serve, and how I want to serve them having gone through the program.
Matt Chiapetta, CPA
“I am extremely grateful I came across you on LinkedIn and made the commitment when I did. I was getting by in business but was losing the passion to show up for my clients and that has completely changed. I feel confident in the direction my business is going and excited about the clients on my roster.”
Heck Yes! I recommend CPA Mastermind to anyone I know in a similar situation as I am at in my business. The main reason is the very specific niche that Geraldine works with, the conversations, advice, and coaching is very very specific and that takes out the work that might otherwise fall on my plate. Rather than advice like “add a client pain point to your wording”, you get “add the struggle of getting in touch with your accountant and being left in the dark”.
Mastermind has helped me eliminate clients I don’t enjoy working on. I found a group of clients that I really connect with and it just feels “easy” to serve. I know how to talk about the services I provide from my clients pain points vs what I will be doing for them. I get accountability to actually do the stuff to move the business forward instead of always working on client things. And I get permission and encouragement to dream bigger.
I stayed for another round to keep the momentum going. I show up differently for my clients when I am getting coached in my own business. I wanted that extra support during a time that it is easier to get buried in client work.”
Sheila Hansen, CPA
“I would recommend CPA Mastermind to any CPA on any level because you can achieve goals through a systematic approach through the mind of an engineer, you can test it with peers, and it forces/helps you first see your obstacles so that you can then overcome the obstacles.”
Kathy Duryea, CPA
Still have questions?
Great! I have answers:
Who is CPA Mastermind best for?
It’s designed for the single-owner CPA with an existing firm, clients, staff, and systems. Typically, these are CPAs with $100K - $600K in revenue. That revenue range is a guideline, not a requirement.
REVENUE QUESTIONS
What if my revenue is beneath the suggested lower limit?
The $100K - $600K range is more a proxy for “CPAs who are far enough along that they know how to operate, but not so big that they have committees for decisions where progress gets bogged down.”
As long as you are confident with the nuts and bolts of running a firm, earning less than $100K in annual revenue should not deter you.
What if my revenue is above the suggested upper limit?
If your revenue is greater than $600K, and you can still be nimble and make decisions reasonably quickly, earning more than $600K should not deter you.
GROUP & SIZE QUESTIONS
Who else will be in the group?
Mastermind attracts CPAs who are smart, talented, open-minded, kind, creative, entrepreneurial, and bright in both senses of the word.
How many are in the group?
Max size = 8. It’s usually a 50-50 mix of CPAs renewing for a second round and new Masterminders.
Will I belong?
You belong here. Everyone belongs here. Regardless of the color of your skin, your nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, or anything that might make you feel like an outsider. You belong here. The more diversity, the better.
CAN I JOIN IF QUESTIONS:
I am Canadian? Tax is different up here.
There are usually 1-2 Canadians in every round. Most say that even though there are differences, the business of being a CPA is universal.
I am a partner in a firm, rather than solo owner?
Yes. As long as you can make and implement decisions.
I am a bookkeeper?
CPA Mastermind is for CPAs, accountants, and EAs only.
I still price hourly?
Of course, as long as you are open to progressively transitioning away from it, because there are ways to price that are better for you and your client, and in the end you’ll be much more profitable once you learn how to price.
TIME QUESTIONS
How much time should I allocate for this?
The more time you allocate to working on your business, the faster you will get results. Anticipate 2 - 4 hours per week.
What if I don’t have time?
The only way out of overworking is to find time to work ON your business. Working more hours usually makes the problem worse, not better.
But if you can’t make the time, then now isn’t the time—you won’t get as much out of it, and other people won’t benefit from your brilliance. Consider adding your name to the Waitlist for a future round.
What if I have a vacation scheduled?
You should still register – business and life can move forward, and vacations should be included. :)
PROGRESS QUESTIONS
What happens if I don’t get as far as I want?
We define exactly where you want to get, create a plan to get you there, and give you all the coaching you need so you can execute your plan. Around here, we PLAN the path to our goals, then create it rather than focus on fear and indulge in confusion about why we can’t or won’t.
CPA Mastermind is designed to keep moving obstacles out of the way so you reach your goals.
You have unlimited access to help, but you must ask for it if you need it.
What are my options after one round of Down to 40 Hours?
1. Take your firm to the next level with Down to 25 Hours CPA Mastermind, which is also $9500 and follows a similar format
2. Renew to keep progressing, maintain access to everything, including Office Hours, 1:1 private coaching, and the Slack channel, for $4500 per round
3. Pause for as long as you need; you can come back any time and take advantage of #2, Maintain Access.
NICHE QUESTIONS
What if I don’t know how or where to niche?
Niching can create a lot of fear and confusion. As long as you are willing to be coached and willing to decide to get more specific about who you work with, I got you.
What if I pick the wrong niche? Would you tell me? Would you let me pick a bad niche?
My role is to support you in being the happiest and most successful you can be. With that in mind, I will be transparent about my thoughts about your niche. I will tell you if you’re headed up a tree with no fruit. I won’t let you flail so that you can experience “figuring it out on your own.” But – you will always know more about your preferences, your people, and your business than I ever can. We’ll work together so that you can be confident you’re headed down a profitable niche path for you AND you’ll feel at home with your people.
What if I am not an expert in my niche yet? I feel like an imposter.
I got you. We will help you see how to learn about your niche so that you can offer them more powerful, more valuable results.
What if I am not willing to niche or specialize?
If you are committed to being the best generalist out there, that can work, but this round of Mastermind is not for you. Still, get on the Waitlist, and stay tuned for future offerings.
PRICE QUESTIONS
Will you help me raise my rates?
If your prices need increasing, yes. I can help you decide how much to raise your prices, and how to communicate price increases without sending your clients running for the hills.
PACKAGING QUESTIONS
Right now everything is per form and a la carte. Can you help me package?
Yes. You don’t have to package everything, but packaging your services will simplify many aspects of your accounting practice.
Can you help me package without getting killed on scope creep?
Yes. That’s exactly what we do around here. :)
DISENGAGING CLIENTS QUESTIONS
Will you help me disengage clients? I’m really nervous about that part.
Of course. We do this in a way that is respectful to your clients and with an eye toward managing revenue, so that you don’t feel like you’re walking a cashflow high-wire.
Do I have to disengage everyone?
You don’t have to do anything, and I will never “make” you do anything. But I will help you see the results of the different choices you could be making, so that you can decide with greater clarity what is best for you and your accounting practice.
A big part of my role is to help you see where you are making choices to keep certain clients where you might feel like you have no choice.
Sometimes it can feel impossible to extricate yourself from certain client relationships (she was at my wedding!) but you can, and you can do it in a way that completes the business relationship but keeps the personal relationship intact.
And, if you want to keep a handful of pet-legacy-clients for whatever reason, I’m not going to come after you :)
FINDING NEW CLIENTS QUESTIONS
How will you help me find new clients?
All the clients you need are nearby. We’ll leverage assets you already have: networks, colleagues, groups, etc to get the word out about the value you provide.
(It’s in Down to 25 Hours CPA Mastermind that we step up to the next level, including creating a lead magnet, an email campaign, writing to your list, and even going on a podcast tour.)
There are plenty of ways to reach your audience. We’ll find the ones that come naturally to you.
WEBSITE QUESTIONS
I need a new website. Can you help me with that?
You don’t have to create a new website if you don’t want to, but most of my clients find that freshening their website up-levels their presence, clarifies their offerings, and brings in higher-quality business.
If you want to create a whole new website, I can help you navigate the process – I know website-making is not your jam.
What if I want to keep my URL, for SEO and link purposes?
I can help you make a new site, and move it onto your existing URL.
FUTURE DATES QUESTIONS
I want to plan ahead. How often are the masterminds held, and when are they?
There are 3 rounds of Down to 40 Hours CPA Mastermind per year: January, May, and August.
Winter 2024 cohort:
Registration open: Jan 5th - Jan 12th
Runs: Jan 15th - May 3rd
Summer 2024 cohort:
Registration open: May 3rd - May 7th
Runs: May 7th - Aug 23rd
Fall 2024 cohort:
Registration open: Aug 23rd - Aug 27th
Aug 27th – Dec 13th
Still have questions?
I can answer logistical questions, help you make a clear choice or help you determine whether Down to 40 Hours CPA Mastermind is the right thing for you, and more.
If you didn’t see the answer to your question above, you can:
Come to one of my monthly webinars, where I’m available to answer questions live.
Email me at gc@geraldinecarter.com with “DT40H CPA Mastermind” in the Subject line. I will get back to you by the end of the day.
Go back up, there’s nothing left down here except the site map & footer!
Make the choice to change the trajectory of your future – add your name to the waitlist now to get first access to registration when it opens.
