The evolution of Client Advisory Services (CAS) has reshaped the accounting profession. Firms that once relied on compliance work are now building scalable, technology-enabled advisory practices that deliver real-time financial insights, automation, and strategic guidance.
In a recent episode of FanCAStic, hosted by Christine Triantos and Kristy Short, guest Gretchen Naso shared the remarkable story of how RKL Virtual Management Solutions (RKL) grew its CAS practice from one client and one employee in 2018 to nearly 300 clients and a 50-person team today.
For firms looking to scale CAS successfully, Gretchen’s journey is filled with practical lessons, operational insights, and hard-earned wisdom.
The Beginning of a Scalable CAS Model
Like many firms, RKL initially handled traditional write-up work through manual desktop accounting systems. But leadership recognized an opportunity to modernize and build something bigger.
The turning point came through adopting Sage Intacct and joining its accountant partner ecosystem.
Rather than continuing with transactional bookkeeping, the team shifted toward:
- Cloud-based accounting
- Financial transformation
- Automation
- Real-time reporting
- Advisory-focused client relationships
Their first client? A 15-location restaurant group operating multiple legal entities.
It was complex. It was messy. And it became the foundation for everything that followed.
Why Complex Clients Accelerate CAS Growth
Many firms try to start CAS with “easy” clients. RKL did the opposite.
Their first engagement required:
- Multi-entity accounting
- Payroll transformation
- Operational redesign
- Real-time visibility
- Technology implementation
- Change management
The client moved from outdated, manual accounting processes to a fully integrated cloud environment.
The result:
- Reduced accounting overhead
- Faster financial visibility
- Better operational decisions
- A dramatically leaner finance function
While Gretchen admits the early months were stressful — and likely unprofitable — the experience accelerated the team’s learning curve. “We didn’t know what we didn’t know.”
That reality is familiar to many CAS leaders. The firms that succeed are often the ones willing to learn through implementation rather than waiting for perfect readiness.
The Biggest CAS Pricing Mistake Firms Make
One of the most valuable insights from the conversation centered on pricing.
Like many early-stage CAS practices, RKL initially underpriced engagements because they lacked historical benchmarks and confidence in value-based billing.
Over time, they evolved into a structured Advanced Pricing Methodology (APM) built around outcomes instead of hours.
Today, their pricing model includes:
- Tiered service options
- Value-based pricing
- Subscription billing
- Margin targets
- Defined scopes
- Strategic client outcomes
Instead of pricing based on labor hours, they compare their services against the client’s fully loaded internal accounting costs.
Their target: Approximately 70% of what an internal accounting department would cost.
This approach reframes the conversation from “What will this cost me?” to “What value and efficiency will this create?”
Why Modern CAS Firms Must Move Beyond Billable Hours
One of the most forward-thinking parts of RKL’s CAS strategy is its compensation structure.
Rather than rewarding employees for hours worked, the firm shifted incentives toward:
- Net billing performance
- Client outcomes
- Efficiency
- Margin achievement
- Ownership mindset
This creates a dramatically different culture. Instead of discouraging automation, the model rewards it. Instead of equating long hours with productivity, it prioritizes results.
As firms increasingly adopt AI, workflow automation, and standardized processes, traditional billable-hour compensation models become harder to sustain.
Modern CAS firms need incentives aligned with:
- Efficiency
- Scalability
- Client value
- Innovation
- Team ownership
This is especially important as firms compete for talent in a changing accounting workforce.
Standardization Is the Key to Scaling CAS
As the practice expanded, RKL learned that growth without standardization creates operational chaos.
To scale effectively, the team focused heavily on:
- Workflow consistency
- Tech stack standardization
- Defined onboarding processes
- Budget accountability
- Scalable systems
Implementing FloQast became a major operational milestone. The platform helped unify processes across teams while improving accountability and visibility.
According to Gretchen, standardization became easier when everyone — including legacy team members — had to adapt together. That shared transformation reduced resistance and increased buy-in.
Why CAS Client Fit Matters More Than Revenue
One of the clearest lessons: not every client is a good CAS client. Early on, the team accepted work simply to grow revenue.
That created:
- Low-margin engagements
- Operational strain
- Scope creep
- Poor-fit clients
- Reputation risks
Eventually, they learned to prioritize:
- Industry alignment
- Technology readiness
- Advisory openness
- Process compatibility
- Profitability potential
Gretchen emphasized the importance of trusting your instincts early. Walking away from the wrong client is often more profitable than forcing a bad engagement to work. For many CAS firms, this is one of the hardest but most important transitions.
Why Vertical Specialization Accelerates CAS Growth
For growing CAS practices, vertical specialization is about far more than choosing an industry niche. It requires becoming an active participant within the industries you serve.
According to Gretchen, success came from going beyond simply attending conferences or marketing to specific sectors. The real momentum was built by developing deep relationships within those industries and leveraging existing client success stories to create new opportunities.
That included:
- Encouraging client referrals within their industries
- Participating in industry events and associations
- Securing speaking opportunities
- Becoming known as a trusted advisor within niche markets
- Building visibility through thought leadership and community involvement
While internal partner referrals remained an important source of new business, Gretchen emphasized that one of the strongest drivers of growth was “being present and going deep” within industry verticals.
This approach helped the firm:
- Build credibility faster
- Create repeatable processes
- Strengthen referral pipelines
- Improve client fit
- Differentiate from generalist firms
For modern CAS firms, specialization is no longer just a marketing strategy — it is a scalable growth strategy that positions the firm as an industry expert rather than simply another accounting provider.
Building a CAS Team Requires a Different Hiring Strategy
One of the most overlooked CAS challenges is staffing. According to Gretchen, CAS professionals need a very different skill set than traditional accounting roles.
Successful CAS team members are typically:
- Comfortable with change
- Technology-forward
- Adaptable
- Solution-oriented
- Strong communicators
- Able to multitask across clients
Technical accounting knowledge still matters, but mindset often matters more.
The firm also evolved its onboarding process significantly, moving toward:
- 90-day onboarding frameworks
- Simulation training
- Role-play exercises
- Leadership development
- Structured client exposure
These investments helped reduce costly hiring and onboarding mistakes.
CAS Growth Requires Operational Leadership
As the team at RKL scaled their CAS practice, they quickly realized that sustainable growth required far more than adding staff. It required building a structured operational leadership model designed specifically for CAS.
Their organizational structure includes a blend of:
- Intern specialists and non-degreed accounting professionals
- Staff and senior accountants
- Controllers
- CFO-level advisors
Beyond the traditional accounting hierarchy, the firm established dedicated practice leaders responsible for distinct areas of the CAS operation.
These leadership roles include:
- A practice leader focused on CFO advisory services
- A leader dedicated entirely to onboarding and financial transformation
- An operational leader overseeing the transactional side of engagements
- A growth-focused leader responsible for sales and expansion initiatives
This structure allows a single client engagement to move seamlessly through multiple specialized teams depending on the stage of the relationship and the services required.
The firm also created a separate onboarding team responsible for managing implementation and transformation efforts before clients’ transition into ongoing advisory and accounting services. Once onboarded, each engagement is supported by a permanently assigned engagement lead to ensure continuity, accountability, and long-term relationship management.
Today, the practice has grown to approximately 50 team members, including a seven-person team based in Mumbai and 43 professionals across the United States, supporting roughly 250 to 300 clients.
This operational structure has enabled the firm to scale efficiently while maintaining specialization, consistency, and a high-touch client experience — all critical components of a modern CAS practice.
The Future of CAS Belongs to Firms That Embrace Transformation
The accounting profession is moving rapidly toward advisory-centric models. Firms that continue relying solely on compliance services may struggle to maintain profitability, talent retention, and long-term differentiation.
The firms gaining momentum are the ones embracing:
- Automation
- AI-enabled workflows
- Value pricing
- Industry specialization
- Cloud technology
- Scalable advisory models
RKL’s journey demonstrates that CAS growth is not about adding bookkeeping services.
It’s about building a modern operational model that combines technology, process design, advisory expertise, and client transformation.
From one client to nearly 300, the path wasn’t linear — but the lessons are invaluable for firms ready to scale.
Key Takeaways for Growing CAS Firms
If you are building or scaling a CAS practice, these lessons stand out:
- Start with strong technology infrastructure
- Standardize processes early
- Price based on value, not hours
- Build industry specialization
- Create onboarding and transformation frameworks
- Reward outcomes instead of time spent
- Hire for adaptability and communication
- Don’t accept every client
- Lean into automation and AI
- Treat CAS as a business model — not an add-on service
About Infinite-Ties
Infinite Ties is a training community built specifically for Client Advisory Services (CAS) teams. We help accounting firms equip their people with the skills, frameworks, and tools needed to grow and scale a profitable client advisory services practice. Through weekly education, practical resources, and peer collaboration, Infinite Ties supports firms at every stage of their CAS journey, from getting started to optimizing and scaling mature practices.
Ready to build a CAS practice that scales? To learn more about membership, training opportunities, and how Infinite Ties can support your CAS journey, contact Deneen Dias at: [email protected].
