ACW Consulting achieves 300% revenue growth and zero AR

ACW’s founder, Aaron Welch, initially used QuickBooks for invoicing and informal “handshake” agreements. This lack of structure complicated engagements and led to frustrating experiences.

“I just wanted to standardize everything, have things laid out upfront, operate more as a professional firm, and set things like engagement letters, billing terms, and scope of work in place. But to do that manually was a seemingly insurmountable task,” Aaron shares.

ACW knew all too well that payment delays have a snowball effect, hampering operations and stifling growth. Some clients required subtle reminders, but others needed more persistent follow-ups. Aaron’s team spent time strategizing to collect AR based on these different behaviors.

Aaron recalls instances when they finished 99% of a tax return only for the client to extend the project and put the payment on hold. “I should have billed them right there. I finished the project, and now I’ve got to wait six months to get paid.”

ACW’s manual admin work already created bottlenecks on a small scale. Aaron knew then that problems would only multiply as they grew and onboarded more clients.

So, he decided he needed to find a way to automate ACW’s onboarding, proposal, and billing processes to prepare for growth. “I wanted to have a strong foundation before we started marketing our business and scale even more.”

Aaron’s tech-savvy brother, another tax preparer, introduced him to Ignition. Recognizing the need for an advanced solution, Aaron knew that the all-in-one software could streamline his firm’s proposal workflows and facilitate recurring payments.

“I was really hungry for a solution with better invoicing capabilities and features that would allow us to streamline our proposals and engagement. We didn't have any of that. I learned the hard way that “handshake” deals don’t work for everybody, so I wanted to standardize everything and operate as a more professional firm.”

Ignition brought much-needed structure to the ACW team, as it helped maintain clarity and control over their processes.

Transitioning from ad-hoc onboarding to Ignition’s standardized structure allowed ACW to accommodate a larger base of high-value clients. 

Aaron started using the platform in 2019 with 250 clients. Now, his three-person team manages up to 500 clients and revenue has more than doubled. 

Ignition helped Aaron’s team set clear expectations and secure upfront payments before starting any client work. With the platform, ACW encouraged clients to pay for a year and a half of fees all at once within a single calendar year.

“If there are little things out of scope, I am not worried about it. That client paid me ahead of time all year [through Ignition].”

Ignition’s recurring client billing feature also adds to this cash flow predictability. Aaron can effectively plan and manage his overhead expenses every month. “It's so much easier to have a month-to-month budget without the cash flow being cyclical,” he added.

New requirements or additional client requests outside the original agreement are inevitable. ACW can easily send a one-time invoice for out-of-scope services using Ignition’s instant bill feature.

Moreover, the platform allows for seamless price adjustments. It was as simple as revising the service, updating the pricing, and giving clients advance notice.

Through Ignition, ACW has better capabilities to work on growth. The team can create proposals and engagement letters, service scopes, and payment structures upfront in minutes.

Aaron’s team is happier and more engaged because of this. They get the same amount of work done but with much more flexibility and freedom to spend time with their families.

“Even with all the growth we've had, I decided to be closed on Fridays,  not just for me but for the staff. We work four-day weeks—it’s been a huge impact on my work-life balance.”