Solo CPA Scaling With a Dedicated Remote Team

How a Solo CPA Doubled Capacity With a Dedicated Remote Team and AI Enabled Tax Workflow

A solo CPA in Florida needed more capacity to grow but was trapped in daily production work. Safebooks helped build a dedicated remote team for bookkeeping and tax support and introduced AI assisted workflows that freed the CPA to focus on advisory and firm development. The result was a larger client base, higher revenue, and fewer peak season hours.

Safebooks uses a similar capacity building model across Bookkeeping and Accounting, Tax Support, and Back Office Support.

Client Overview

The CPA managed a high mix of individual and small business clients while also offering monthly bookkeeping. Before engaging Safebooks, the workload included:

• Three hundred twenty individual returns
• Sixty business returns
• Twenty five bookkeeping clients
• One local assistant and a seasonal contractor

This created long hours and limited bandwidth for planning, advisory, and firm building.

The CPA wanted to adopt AI assisted workflows but had no time to evaluate or set up tools such as SurePrep, Intuit Link, or AutoScan. This challenge mirrors insights from Why Offshore Bookkeeping Is the Smartest Move for US Businesses.

Challenges Before Safebooks

Not Enough Time for Firm Growth

The CPA was responsible for tax prep, bookkeeping, client communication, and basic administration. There was no time left for creating better client experiences or building new revenue lines.

Inconsistent Processes

Each client had a different workflow, folder structure, and expectations. The lack of standardisation created bottlenecks, rework, and frequent back and forth communication.

Interest in AI With No Bandwidth to Implement

The CPA followed industry news about AI powered tax workflows but could not pause the practice to research or deploy tools. This added to the sense of being stuck in production mode.

Safebooks Solution

Safebooks created a three part solution to expand capacity, introduce structure, and enable an AI supported workflow.

Phase 1: Capacity and Role Design

Safebooks mapped all recurring tasks and divided them into three tiers to determine what could be shifted to a remote team.

Tier Structure

• Tier 1 included data entry, document organisation, bookkeeping, and reconciliations.
• Tier 2 included straightforward tax prep supported by AI assisted tools selected for the firm.
• Tier 3 included advisory, complex planning, and final review which remained with the CPA.

This structure allowed the CPA to keep high value work while shifting production activities to trained offshore staff.

Phase 2: Building the Dedicated Remote Team

From Safebooks remote accounting and tax talent pool, the CPA onboarded:

• One full time bookkeeper
• One full time tax associate with experience in 1040 and small business returns
• One part time admin and coordinator

Safebooks provided HR support, payroll, supervision, and ongoing training. This ensured the team worked exclusively for the CPA, similar to the dedicated team model used by well known offshore providers.

The CPA gained immediate leverage without local hiring delays. This model aligns with the structure described in Why Outsourcing Accounting With a Dedicated Team Makes Business Sense.

Phase 3: AI Assisted Workflow Enablement

Safebooks assisted the CPA in selecting and configuring AI enabled tools that supported tax preparation and document intake.

Safebooks Implemented

• AI assisted intake systems that automatically organised uploaded documents
• Workpaper tools compatible with the CPA’s tax software
• SOPs that defined when offshore staff should run returns through AI tools
• Exception documentation and escalation steps to ensure clean handoffs

This modern workflow reduced manual steps and helped the CPA maintain review level oversight without being stuck in data entry.

Results After Eighteen Months

Revenue More Than Doubled

The firm increased revenue while the CPA worked fewer peak season hours, reporting about 65 to 70 hours per week instead of more than 80.

Shift to Advisory Driven Work

Advisory and tax planning grew to about 30 percent of total revenue from a previous level of about 10 percent. The CPA finally had time to focus on relationship driven and higher value services.

Better Client Experience

The dedicated admin and coordinated Safebooks team improved response times, organised communication, and ensured proactive outreach. Clients experienced smoother processes and faster turnaround.

What This Case Shows About Safebooks

Solo CPAs often reach a stage where firm growth is limited by personal bandwidth. Safebooks supports these firms by providing a dedicated remote team, consistent SOPs, AI enabled preparation workflows, and secure access practices. This combination makes it possible for a solo CPA to scale without sacrificing quality or client relationships.

The CPA selected Safebooks because of its ability to provide both capacity and structure while supporting modern AI workflows.

To explore a dedicated remote team for your firm, contact Safebooks through Get Started.