Every year, February has a very specific role in my business: it’s when I review my prices.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because a coach told me to. But because it’s the one moment in the year where I have complete clarity on the work we do and the value we deliver.
For most accountants, January is intense, despite all the planning throughout the year before, it’s always the busiest month. My team and I work flat out to make sure every self‑assessment is filed on time. No fines. No penalties. No crossed fingers. We put the hours in — late nights, reminders, chasing, checking, and double‑checking. Whatever HMRC needs, whatever our clients need, we do it.
And when you come out of that month, you can see very clearly what your service is truly worth.
That’s why February is the right time for me to look at our pricing.
Our price increase happens on 1st March, every year. Clients get early warning in February — because transparency matters. People deserve notice, not surprises.
What I’ve Learned From Doing This Every Year
Here’s something that surprised me when I started this process:
Most clients stay. Most clients don’t argue. Most clients don’t shop around.
They stay because they trust us.
And whether they say it or not, the fact that I back my own value actually increases their confidence in us. When you show people that you take your own work seriously, they take it seriously too.
Do we lose clients each year? Yes. But almost always for reasons that have nothing to do with price. They were already thinking about going elsewhere or doing their own accounts, the annual increase just gives them permission to make that choice.
And that’s okay. People outgrow services. Businesses evolve. It’s part of the process. And there will always be new business owners needing a good accountant.
How This All Started
CBC launched in 2018, and like most new business owners, I guessed my prices at first.
When I took on new clients and saw what they had been paying their old accountant, it became obvious: They were paying significantly more elsewhere — for less support.
That wasn’t sustainable on my end. At the time, it was just me and an admin assistant, and word of mouth was bringing in clients faster than we could handle.
I knew I had to fix my pricing, not randomly double it, like another accountant advised, but properly review it.
So, in February 2020, I sat down with a spreadsheet and looked at every client individually.
I asked myself:
- Am I doing bookkeeping for someone only paying for year‑end accounts?
- Am I acting like someone’s FD on a basic package?
- Who’s on mates’ rates?
- Who negotiated me down in the early days when I didn’t know my worth?
It was eye‑opening.
The truth was: I wasn’t charging consistently. And more importantly, I wasn’t charging fairly.
My best clients are the ones who listen, implement, and they get results, they were paying the same as clients who needed significantly more time and input (and repeated hand-holding and guess what? They don’t even appreciate the support most of the time).
That wasn’t right, for them or for me.
So, I changed it.
What This Means for You
This isn’t really a story about pricing. It’s about running a business with fairness, clarity, and sustainability.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
If your expertise has grown… If your service has improved… If your clients get more from you than they used to…
Your prices should reflect that.
Not increasing your prices doesn’t make you generous — it makes your business harder to run and your client experience harder to maintain.
So, here’s my question:
When did you last increase your prices?
And if the answer is “never” or “a long time ago,” what’s stopping you?
Your work has value. Your experience has value. Your time has value.
And those things only grow — they don’t shrink.
Your Turn
I’d genuinely love to know:
What’s your version of this? When did you realise your prices no longer reflected the work you do?
Send me a message (email or WhatsApp) — I always enjoy hearing how others navigate this part of business.
