The Corner Office: Fueling Growth by Empowering Client Success

Bev Betteridge was a successful CPA with a 25-year-strong resume and a consulting position at a premier firm in Regina. But as she says in a recent interview with RBC, “I just didn’t fit their mold.” The variety was interesting, but the hours put a strain on her family – and she needed to make a decision that was best for her. So, she stepped away. After testing the waters as a self-employed consultant, she realized her reputation in the business community could buoy her pursuit as a solopreneur.

Once she went out on her own, the phone never stopped ringing.

A business built on credibility and referrals

After two years as an independent consultant, Betteridge had more work than she could handle alone. She quickly diversified from consulting to outsourced accounting and bookkeeping and hired her first CPA. “That was a game changer because I was getting the recognition that I was building something. The credibility meant a lot in the market – that I was now attracting other CPAs who wanted to do the same thing, and achieve the work/life balance I sought,” says Betteridge.

Betteridge reveals that for the first five years of business, The Corner Office was 95% referral-based from other firms. “Because I wasn’t doing tax accounting, they didn’t view us as competitors, so they referred clients that needed help in areas they didn’t service.” More recently, however, as cloud accounting became mainstream, Betteridge and her team began building on their own reputation. “For the last 11 years we have marketed ourselves – our customers are more community-based, and our referrals are as well.”

Beyond accounting: End-to-end services help fuel growth

Betteridge reveals that her team has a large growth agenda. From 2019 to 2020, they grew 112%. Even during COVID, they grew 10-12% and following the pandemic they have grown more than 30% every year. “We are growing our team and we have expanded our space – and we are constantly selling,” shares Betteridge. “We’re always talking to new people and constantly hiring for growth. We have nine CPAs on our roster, including me, and we have a long list of people we are either talking to or targeting right now.”

What has been the secret to such consistent growth? While there are several factors that contribute to their success, a key factor is the breadth of services they provide. For instance, their data and systems analysts provide a full range of technology services for clients – from data migration to dashboards and reporting to resource optimization. “For example, we have clients who are on old software and can’t do the reporting they want, because the data isn’t there for them. So, we put in software that enables them to make decisions. We do work that the average accounting firm can’t do,” says Betteridge by way of example.

She adds that it’s the technology side of their business that will likely expand the most in the coming year. “We’re always looking for the next technology advancement that’s going to make things better for our clients.”

The other major contributor to growth is their focus on relationships – both creating and maintaining them. “We do a lot of networking and keep relationships close. We do a lot of open houses and sponsor many local events,” says Betteridge.

Betteridge adds their relationship with RBC has supported its growth plans through strategic financing that has allowed them to invest in the resources and infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving market. Betteridge adds, “Royal Bank has been a crucial partner in the growth of The Corner Office, providing exceptional support and guidance as we expanded our business. The local representatives at Royal Bank have been instrumental in understanding our unique needs and offering tailored financial solutions to help us scale. The strong relationship we’ve built with Royal Bank has been an essential factor in our success, and we are grateful for their continued support as we move forward.”

Creating client success stories

As The Corner Office expands its team and capabilities, they also enable the growth of their clients. As Betteridge jokes, “there are businesses that are flourishing so much that they can hire their own accounting team, their own CFO – and we work ourselves out of a job.” But this is a good problem to have, and Betteridge relishes in the successes of her clients. “We expand as they expand.”

By offering services that extend beyond what typical accounting firms do – and providing end-to-end solutions that tie systems together – The Corner Office can truly act as a partner that helps businesses thrive. And that’s a partner any business can appreciate.