Growth in the accounting profession isn’t just about adding more clients or staff; it’s about thinking differently. As market demands shift and technology reshapes our work, firms that want to lead the pack must learn to grow smarter, not just bigger.

One powerful way to do that is to leverage assets. Inspired by the Exponential Organizations model, this strategy allows firms to scale rapidly, control overhead, and expand their impact without increasing what they own. At a time when efficiency and agility are competitive advantages, understanding how to make the most of resources you don’t own could be the difference between stagnation and strategic growth.

What are leveraged assets?

Leveraged assets refer to resources a business uses but doesn’t own. Instead of holding physical or digital assets on its balance sheet, a firm can rent, lease, borrow or access these assets through innovative arrangements. Examples of leveraged assets include:

• Physical assets. Accessing office spaces, IT infrastructure or shared client meeting rooms on demand.
• Digital assets. Cloud-based software for tax preparation, client relationship management systems, or collaborative work platforms like Microsoft Teams or Asana.

Big companies like Uber employ this strategy, building scalable businesses by accessing underutilized physical assets rather than owning them.

Accounting firms traditionally rely on owning resources, from office buildings to proprietary software systems. However, embracing a leveraged model can bring several benefits, including:

1. Cost optimization. By leasing or renting resources, firms can convert fixed costs into variable costs, reducing financial risk and improving cash flow.
2. Scalability. Leveraged assets help firms scale operations quickly to meet demand during busy seasons without long-term commitments.
3. Focus on core competencies. Outsourcing noncore functions like IT infrastructure or HR lets team members concentrate on delivering high-value advisory and consulting services.
4. Flexibility and resilience. Accessing on-demand resources gives firms the agility to adapt to market changes or technological advancements.

Applying leveraged assets in your firm

Here are four ways your firm can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and expand capabilities without increasing ownership.

1. Digital transformation. Start by embracing digital tools that remove the limitations of traditional infrastructure. Migrating to cloud-based accounting platforms like Xero or QuickBooks Online improves accessibility for your team and clients, and eliminates the ongoing costs of server maintenance and upgrades.

Layer in AI-driven tools to automate routine processes like document collections, data aggregation, tax calculations, and client communications. This frees up your team to focus on high-value advisory work.

2. Shared physical resources. Rethinking your physical footprint can also drive efficiency. Rather than investing in permanent office space in every market, consider co-working or shared spaces for occasional client meetings to create a more flexible and cost-effective approach.

Likewise, leasing equipment like high-speed scanners and printers gives you access to the latest technology without the burden of ownership, maintenance or depreciation.

3. Platform ecosystems. Tapping into established software ecosystems allows firms to deliver better service without building everything in-house. Platforms like Intuit ProConnect, Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters offer integrated tools tailored to tax and audit workflows.

Add-on solutions like TaxCaddy and SafeSend enhance the client experience by streamlining document exchange, electronic signatures, and payment collection while keeping your core systems tightly connected.

4. Outsourced expertise. Not every capability needs to live within your four walls. Bring in outside consultants for specialized services like cybersecurity reviews and strategic planning. This lets your firm offer premium expertise without hiring full-time staff. This on-demand access to deep knowledge ensures you stay competitive and relevant, even as client needs evolve.

A leveraged assets strategy

Follow these steps to successfully integrate leveraged assets into your firm.

1. Audit current resources. Identify underutilized assets within the firm and assess opportunities for outsourcing or sharing.
2. Explore digital solutions. Research tools and platforms that align with your firm’s “Massive Transformative Purpose.”
3. Validate the market. Ensure sufficient demand for the services or solutions you plan to scale.
4. Build partnerships. Establish agreements with third-party providers for seamless access to assets.
5. Measure performance. Track the effectiveness of leveraged assets using metrics such as cost savings, client satisfaction, and revenue growth.

Leveraging assets offers several advantages, but it’s important to consider potential downsides. For example, overreliance on gig economy workers for seasonal tax help may impact team culture or service quality. Make sure your growth strategies align with ethical practices and long-term client relationships.

Leveraging assets isn’t just a tactic for tech startups; it’s a transformative strategy your firm can adopt to unlock exponential growth. By strategically accessing physical and digital resources, you can enhance agility, reduce costs, and better serve clients in an increasingly complex financial landscape. The path to becoming an Exponential Organization starts with a single step: rethinking ownership and optimizing leverage.

Think — plan — grow!

Due to high interest, Accounting Today will be extending the deadline for its annual VAR 100 survey by one week. OUR NEW AND FINAL DEADLINE IS END-OF-DAY FRIDAY, MAY 30. That’s seven days.

The VAR 100 is where we rank the top value-added resellers of accounting and accounting-related software by revenue. There is no cost whatsoever to take part. If your accounting firm also has a technology practice that sells software solutions, please only include your tech practice for the purposes of this survey. 

Those interested in taking part should fill out this form by our deadline of the end of the day on May 30, 2025. Any questions should be sent to me, [email protected], before the end of the day on May 30. 

For examples of what this will look like in the end, please see the 2024 VAR 100, the 2023 VAR 100 and the 2022 VAR 100. 

Finance and accounting leaders have been dealing with a talent shortage for almost a decade,  one that grows each year. 

According to a 2025 finance and accounting survey, the average U.S. organization has five open accounting roles to fill, more than twice as many as in 2024. Although year-over-year enrollment in accounting degree programs rose 12% last year, those students are several years from moving into the talent pipeline. Accounting leaders, and their overworked existing employees, can’t wait that long for a solution.

Pay is a big factor in young talent’s shift away from accounting. Twenty-six percent of CFOs and other finance and accounting leaders shared in the same survey that workers’ salary expectations were their biggest obstacle to hiring. 

A comparison of average salaries from May 2023 (the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data available at this writing), shows why many young adults who might have chosen accounting a decade ago are now opting for analytical careers with higher average pay. Data scientists earn about $28,000 more per year, on average, than accountants and auditors, while software developers earn an average of $47,000 more.

Those are daunting pay gaps for most organizations, especially when the economic forecast is uncertain. However, accounting leaders have other levers they can pull in order to hire and retain talent.

Work-life balance and learning can attract talent too

Gen Z and millennial talent prioritize work-life balance and growth opportunities over pay, according to a 2024 Deloitte survey. A quarter of Gen Z employees and 31% of millennials who took part in the survey said that “good work-life balance” was the top reason they chose their current employer. Twenty-one percent of each age group ranked “learning and development opportunities” as their top decision factor. Only 19% of Gen Z employees said “high salary/benefits” were the main factor in their choice about where to work, and 22% of millennials said the same.

This information gives accounting leaders a path forward in terms of hiring and retaining talent: Find a way to reduce workloads, especially during tax seasons and other peaks, and give employees the chance to work with new technologies. Companies that can do this also have a chance to benefit from word of mouth promotion. The Deloitte survey found that employees who are satisfied with their learning opportunities and work-life balance are more likely to recommend their employer to other jobseekers.

Improving work-life balance with AI and automation

AI-powered automation has the potential to handle repetitive accounting tasks, which can relieve pressure on existing employees. Using AI and automation this way can also make open roles more appealing to job candidates by reducing the amount of rote labor the role requires — tasks that can ideally be replaced with more engaging tasks.

Accounting, in general, was not among the fields that adopted AI early, but it’s starting to catch up. Twenty-one percent of finance and accounting leaders in the CFO survey agreed that “streamlining processes through technology and reducing manual workloads” are top strategic priorities this year.

Among the leaders whose companies are already using AI with automation, 38% said it’s “helping teams work more efficiently but not replacing jobs,” while 23% said it’s “reducing the need for certain roles.” More than half of these leaders said automation currently has the largest impact on their company’s accounts receivable and accounts payable operations, while nearly one-third said the biggest impact so far is on payroll, general ledger, and financial close operations.

Gen AI offers leading-edge learning opportunities

Using AI and automation for basic activities in these areas doesn’t just help employers prevent burnout. It also frees up time for employee skill-building, career development and mentorship, which can improve organizations’ internal candidate pipeline for more advanced roles. Some of that training and coaching should focus on using gen AI and thinking strategically about potential new applications. This approach can help employers stand out at a time when about half of Gen Z and millennial workers say they’re not getting enough gen AI training on the job.

When using and learning about gen AI become part of accounting jobs, these roles may have more appeal to talent that might otherwise pursue careers in data analytics or software development. In addition, an accounting team that’s skilled and strategic with gen AI may be able to find more ways to use it to make processes more efficient over time. That could result in cost savings that can be reallocated to compensation — an important consideration because pay is among the top three reasons younger workers gave for leaving their last job, along with burnout and lack of opportunities.

Offering competitive pay is always an advantage in a talent shortage, but it’s not the only way companies can attract and retain accounting talent. Using AI-backed automation and exploring gen AI use cases where appropriate can help bring better work-life balance to accounting roles and give employees the learning opportunities they look for when they’re deciding where to work.