What is a bird dog?
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What work will I do?
I am not a business broker. I will not take part in your acquisition. I’m a paid bird dog that finds sellers and turns them over to you.
Who do I pitch?
What do I tell them?
With over 50 years in accounting and 23 acquisitions under my belt buckle, I know exactly how to find your next best deal.
The sales process to find firms that are not listed with a broker
For example, in the Denver metro, there are 2,800 firms, but we may find that only 1,500 fit your selection criteria.
I’m going to call the 1,500 and ask if they want to sell this year; if not now, when?
Your name is not mentioned or brought into the conversation until the firm indicates they would like to meet to talk about a deal.
Why buy an accounting firm?
In 2026, acquiring other firms remains a premier strategy for accountants to achieve rapid growth by bypassing the time-intensive process of organic client acquisition.
Acquisition provides a comprehensive "shortcut" to scale through the following advantages:
1. Immediate Scale and Market Share
Instant Client Base: Buying a firm provides an immediate "book of business" with established revenue streams, which is significantly faster than winning individual clients one by one.
Geographic Expansion: It allows for rapid entry into new regional or national markets without the overhead of building a brand from scratch in those areas.
Competitive Reduction: Rapidly acquiring smaller firms eliminates local competitors and consolidates market share.
2. Rapid Talent and Expertise Acquisition
Subject Matter Experts: Firms can instantly gain specialized talent in high-growth niches like cybersecurity, forensic accounting, or complex tax advisory.
Addressing Talent Shortages: With persistent staffing shortages, acquiring a firm is often the most efficient way to secure a fully trained and operational workforce.
Leadership Depth: New partners and managers from acquired firms bring additional leadership potential and fresh perspectives to the larger organization.
3. Accelerated Technological and Service Capability
Tech Adoption: Acquiring firms with advanced cloud-based systems, AI tools, or proprietary software can be faster and cheaper than developing these capabilities internally.
Service Line Expansion: Acquisitions allow generalist firms to pivot quickly toward hyper-specialization (e.g., dental practices or crypto-assets), which often commands higher margins and stickier client relationships in the 2026 market.
Cross-Selling Opportunities: The acquiring firm can immediately offer its existing higher-value services (like advisory or strategic forecasting) to the new client base, boosting the profitability of the acquisition almost instantly.
4. Operational and Financial Synergies
Economies of Scale: Combined firms can spread fixed costs—such as regulatory compliance and software licensing—across a larger revenue base, improving overall profit margins.
Faster ROI: Because the acquired practice already has a steady workflow, the return on investment is typically quicker compared to the multi-year timeline required to start a new practice branch.
Succession Opportunity: Many firm owners are nearing retirement in 2026, creating a "buyer's market" where prepared accountants can acquire well-established practices with favorable terms.
KC Truby will work the phone until he finds your next best acquisition.
The one secret that makes buying an accounting firm
the best deal ever in 2026.
In 2026, for the first time, over 75% of the CPA firm owners in the US are receiving Social Security checks. We are the oldest industry in the country now.
That means that tens of thousands of owners are going to retire because of age or health over the next year or two. These demographics will never happen again.
Getting in front of this tectonic shift could put you in a position to buy enough firms to build a multi-million-dollar practice over the next two years.
What is the business model for acquisition?
A firm billing $1,000,000 will probably sell for around 1.2 million. But if you roll up three million dollar firms, and get the profit margin to 40% because of economy of scale the valuation formula changes to 5 or 6 times net.
That could mean your three million dollar firm at 40% net generates 1.2 million profit and would sell for five times earnings, or around six million when you decide to retire yourself.
It is a lot easier to buy three firms doing one million each than it is to build a one-million-dollar firm organically by referrals and advertising.
Can you finance the deal so that you have a positive cash flow?
Yes, you will probably be able to secure a 10-year business loan on a firm that is generating 25% net income. That puts you at a positive cash flow right out of the gate.
The sales process to find firms that are not listed with a broker
For example, in the Denver metro, there are 2,800 firms, but we may find that only 1,500 fit your selection criteria.
I’m going to call the 1,500 and ask if they want to sell this year; if not now, when?
Your name is not mentioned or brought into the conversation until the firm indicates they would like to meet to talk about a deal.
What about the money?
When you close on a firm, I get 2% as a finder’s fee. As an example, for a half-million-dollar acquisition, I get a $10,000 bonus when your deal is done.
I get an hourly retainer based on how much time you want me to be on the phone.
I will only do this work for 8 firms, and each must be in a separate city. I will only work for one firm in a market such as Denver or Dallas, or NYC. The service is sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
There are no contracts; you may fire me at any time.
You will have access to our database, so you’ll see who we are talking to and what they said, all in real time.
You will approve all emails, letters, and social media post in advance.
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