Running the First Solo $1M Firm...on Just 4 hrs/Week

This story is about a former Big 4 CPA who went from 90 hours at $200K/yr.

To a 1-FTE $1M/yr remote firm where he now works 4 hrs/wk.

Bob used to joke that his Big 4 firm cubicle might as well have come with a pillow—he basically lived there.

Working 80-hour weeks, gulping down lukewarm coffee at 2 a.m., missing birthdays and family dinners.

A constant blur of spreadsheets and deadlines.

Sure, he was climbing the ladder, but the ladder was on fire. Stress was off the charts, and his personal life was in shambles.

One day after watching Pitch Your Firm something clicked in Bob’s mind.

He’d always assumed more money meant more hours.

Yet here were people claiming you could scale an accounting firm without giving up your life.

Bob felt a tingle of excitement and took a leap of faith: he left the Big 4 to build his own remote firm, determined to flip the script on the old “work yourself to death” model.

Fast-forward 18 months. Bob now runs what might be the world’s first 1 FTE, $1M remote accounting firm.

Bob zeroed in on forensic accounting for SMBs dealing with fraud.

Turns out, a lot of mom-and-pop shops need serious forensic help but can’t afford the Big 4 price tags. He became the go-to guy, charging premium rates due to his specialized skills.

He launched a subscription plan (think “fraud detection on autopilot”):

• 2,000 subscribers × $400/year = $800,000
• Each subscriber got automated transaction monitoring, AI-driven alerts, and monthly video tutorials on preventing fraud.

Plus, he sold a high-end Forensic Audit Package for $2K to an additional 100 clients yearly, adding another $200,000.

Total: $1,000,000 in projected annual revenue.

Instead of slogging through bank statements, Bob used AI-powered software to flag unusual transactions.

Chatbots handled 80% of client questions about subscription onboarding. With automated bookkeeping & reporting. He simply oversaw the exceptions and high-level strategy.

Bob hosts a weekly one-hour Zoom “Fraud Q&A” for his subscribers, which they love. It’s where he shines, answering complex questions and building trust. A virtual assistant handles the rest—client billing, appointment scheduling, and social media updates.

Bob’s Weekly Schedule

• 1 Hour: Community Q&A (live Zoom call)
• 1 Hour: Check dashboards, tweak AI settings, ensure everything’s running smoothly
• 1 Hour: Post a short LinkedIn video or article to keep his brand top of mind
• 1 Hour: R&D on new tech, chat with his VA, and handle big client escalations

And that’s it. No more frantic coffee runs at odd hours. No more missing out on real life. Today, Bob spends afternoons coaching his kid’s soccer team. What started as burnout in a Big 4 cubicle has blossomed into a future-facing, niche-driven accounting firm printing cash—backed by tech and that personal touch only Bob can deliver.

This of course was a hypothetical example--but is it?

How likely is it that the first solo, $1M, 4-hr/wk firm will be minted in 2025?

---
If you enjoyed this post check out my newsletter at firmlever.com.

I release weekly analysis and playbooks on accounting firm growth, pricing models, talent, valuation and more.