On a Mission to Raise $200M in 12 Months for Founders Using the S.E.E.D System | Guaranteed Investor Meetings To Close Your Round| $400M Raised

Raising capital is not a marketing exercise.
It is a positioning exercise.

Strong companies fail to raise every year. Not because the product is weak or the market is small. But because the raise is structured incorrectly.

- Round size misaligned.
- Narrative unfocused.
- Milestones not sequenced for investor logic.
- Outreach is reactive instead of engineered.

Stellar operates as a dedicated capital strategy function for founders preparing to raise meaningful rounds.

We integrate at the structural level, refining the raise narrative, pressure testing assumptions, aligning investor fit, and building a disciplined path from first conversation to signed term sheet.

The objective is simple:
Make the company fundable before it is marketed.

Most of our mandates are $2M+ raises across tech and real estate, primarily in the US and GCC markets.

If you are entering a raise cycle and want clarity before outreach begins, start with structure.

Shoot me a DM, and we'll map your specific situation, and I'll be direct about whether we're a fit.

Jamal K, ACA

Growing up, I wasn't the smartest kid in the room.
But I was the most stubborn.

The smartest kid would answer before the teacher finished asking.

Me? I'd sit there confused. Raise my hand anyway.
Ask questions that everyone laughed at.

Then go home and study for hours until it finally clicked.
I did all of this throughout my school life, and I was among the best-performing students.

In business, I'm exactly the same.

I'm not the smartest. There are people way smarter than me.

But I'm stubborn. If I start something, I finish it. No matter what.

Few weeks back, we were raising $1M for an AI startup.

Warm intros dried up fast. We hit a wall.

Most advisors would've said "let's pause and regroup."

Not me.

I spent 3 days researching local VCs in the founder's city.
Found 8 funds. Reached out cold to all of them - EXACTLY knowing what to say and how.

Got ignored by 6. Got 2 meetings. 1 soft commitment for $350K.

Now the raise has a different narrative and the founder has higher leverage in the next round of conversations..

I guess smart gets you in the room, but stubborn closes the deal.

$400M Raised | Making Companies Fundable Before They Market | $2M–$100M Institutional Rounds | 100+ Founders | KSA Market Entry For US & EU Founders

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Today, we hosted Pakistani founders in Islamabad exploring Saudi 🇸🇦 market entry.

One founder shared: “I flew to Riyadh three times. Bought tickets. Stayed in hotels. Got meetings. But no business.”

Another said: “We had a $1M deal on the table. Made one bad decision. Lost it all.”

These are not isolated instances. There are many horror stories around founders exploring KSA.

That’s because they use the wrong playbook for this market 

Saad Raja was there to share the RIGHT playbook.
 
He shared his journey. His $40,000 mistakes. What actually works on the ground.

The room went quiet.

Because they realized: KSA isn’t just another market. It’s trust-based. Relationship-driven. You can’t wing it.

That’s why we built Stellar Ventures  

→ We help you find your local partner
→ We facilitate your first customer
→ We open doors to B2B partnerships and investor groups

We’re on the ground with you. Not watching from the sidelines.

This is the first of many sessions across Pakistan, USA, and Europe.

Next: Webinar with a KSA expert and investor (60+ registrations).

We’re also opening our KSA Access Ecosystem to serious founders globally.

Inside, you get:
→ Free proprietary KSA Market Assessment (fundability + market readiness score)
→ Invite-only events with Saudi investors and partners
→ Access to our KSA Market Entry Playbook

Link in comments. 

For founders ready to move and take action.

Super excited for 2026 as we evolve into something bigger..

This is a natural evolution of work that has been unfolding quietly for the last two years.

Saad and I have been collaborating closely, aligning capital discipline with on-ground execution.

Saad has been active in the Saudi ecosystem for over a decade. Building ventures. Scaling inside the Kingdom. Navigating regulators, investors, and government programs firsthand.

Over the last 12 months, we have deepened that work.

Conversations with family offices, investors & VCs. Discussions with regulators. Engagement with accelerators and ecosystem players. Understanding how capital actually moves inside the region.

What became clear is that the problem is much bigger. The gap between founders and institutional ecosystems is bigger than capital support.

Founders don’t just need decks and introductions.

They need:

Structure.
Positioning.
Regulatory clarity.
Capital alignment.
Cross-border execution.

Solving that requires a broader identity & a bigger vision & mission

That is why we are evolving with a clear mandate to institutionalize ambitious companies and help them with capital, market & institutional support.

Transforming companies not only with capital but with ecosystem support, market access, and partnerships that change the trajectory of any business.  

Today, we consolidate years of work into a sharper vision.
Today, we become Stellar Ventures

Stay tuned for more updates.. 
We are planning something massive in the next 30 days.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way.
But 6 months after moving to Canada, I almost quit.

I was scaling my firm. Working with founders remotely.

But everything felt harder here.

Then I saw a PwC job posting for their Toronto office.

Senior Associate. Good pay. Benefits. Stability.

I stared at it for 3 days.

And I thought: "If I had just transferred to PwC Canada instead of leaving, I'd have the local market knowledge by now."

"I'd have the network. The credibility. The connections."

"I'd understand how Canadian investors think. How business works here."

Instead? I was starting from zero.

New country. No network. Building everything from scratch.

I almost applied.

Then I asked myself: "What happens in 2 years if you go back?"

Same ceiling. Same path. Same regret.

I'd be comfortable. But I'd still be asking 'what if?'

That's what pulled me back.

Not confidence. Just the fear of living the same regret twice.

Today? I'm glad I stayed the course.

P.S: Have you ever been that close to going back?

Excited to share our partnership with Eyad

This is about building the infrastructure international founders need to win in Saudi Arabia.

Our vision for KSA is clear - to make it possible for international founders to enter Saudi Arabia with the same level of preparation, positioning, and access that local founders have.

No more guessing. No more wasted trips. No more months lost to friction. Just a clear path from market entry to capital raise.

To the founders building toward Saudi Arabia: we're removing every barrier between your ambition and execution.


Mohammad Alkhater Saad Raja Stellar Ventures

We're excited to announce a strategic partnership between Stellar Ventures and Eyad, Saudi Arabia's leading company formation and business setup specialist.

This Memorandum of Understanding creates a direct bridge for international founders to establish credible operations in the Kingdom.

What This Partnership Delivers:
Through this collaboration, founders in our ecosystem gain end-to-end company formation support in Saudi Arabia — from entity structuring and licensing to regulatory compliance and operational setup.

Eyad specializes in helping international businesses navigate KSA's regulatory landscape with a blend of global standards and deep local expertise.

Combined with Stellar's cross-border fundraising experience, we're now offering founders a complete market entry solution: the right structure to operate and the right strategy to raise capital.

Why This Matters:
Saudi Arabia captured 67% of MENA startup funding in 2025, with $5 billion deployed into the ecosystem.

But raising capital requires institutional credibility. And credibility starts with proper incorporation, licensing, and local presence.

Most founders get this backwards. They chase investors before building operational legitimacy.

This partnership ensures you enter the market correctly from day one.

To international founders targeting KSA: we're removing the friction between ambition and execution.

More details on our KSA Access Ecosystem coming soon.

I'm connected with over 200+ angels on LinkedIn..
And 6 out 10 agree to get on a call with me whenever I ask them to..

Most founders are getting ghosted by the same investors.

Here is what I do differently...
(Founders, take notes)

→ I do my homework before I ever send a message
I read their content. Check their Crunchbase. Study their LinkedIn.
Preparation gets noticed.

→ I never lead with a pitch
No "let me send you some deals."
No "can we jump on a call so I can show you what we do."
The connection happens on a human level first. 
Transaction comes second.

→ I show genuine appreciation for their work
A thoughtful comment on their content. 
A message about something they wrote that resonated. 
Not flattery. Just real attention. Humans appreciate this..

→ I maintain the relationship even when I have nothing to send
Most people disappear when there is no deal on the table.
I stay in touch. That is what builds trust over time.
So by the time I share any deal, they know its vetted.

Does this take 30 to 60 days before a meeting happens?
Yes.

Does this guarantee that these angels will fund every deal I send across?
No.

But that's not the game. The game is much bigger than dealflow..

Investors are not ATMs.

They are people who have seen hundreds of founders take the shortcut.

When someone shows up prepared and patient, it stands out.

Not because it is impressive.

Because it is rare.

Stellar Ventures is hosting a live masterclass on market entry in KSA.

This is the definitive session for founders planning to enter Saudi Arabia.

What We're Covering:
→ Vision 2030 sector alignment and capital logic
→ The 12-18 month market entry timeline (and why it matters)
→ How to build relationships before LEAP
→ Regulatory setup, licensing, and entity structuring
→ Which funds to target and how to get warm introductions

Your Speakers:

Saad Raja - Partner at Stellar Ventures
Insider perspective on the Saudi ecosystem. From outsider to trusted advisor in the Kingdom's fundraising landscape.

Amjad Shacker - Saudi Market Expert
On-the-ground intelligence from someone who understands how capital actually moves in KSA.

This isn't theory.

This is the playbook we use with founders entering the market right now.

__
The KSA Opportunity: Strategic Overview
10:00 PM KSA (March 15) | 2:00 PM EST (March 15) |  12:00 AM PKT (March 16)
 

Register now using link: https://luma.com/l0gsoj8f
See you Sunday.

Founders with less experience & scrappier products are raising capital.
While you're getting "I'll get back to you" for the 8th time.

A second-time 43-year-old founder told me last week, "I have 10x the traction. Better team. More experience. Why can't I close?"

I told him it's not his business. It's his weak positioning.

Founders who are raising capital are doing 3 things differently:
→ First, they create urgency. Multiple investors. Tight timelines.
→ Second, they position scarcity. They're selective about who they work with.
→ Third, they lead with momentum. Not desperation.

I asked him: "Are you too available? Too grateful for the meeting? Too willing to wait?"

He went quiet.

Then said: "Yeah. All of that."

That's the problem.
Investors smell it.

You deserve to raise. Your business deserves capital.

But the wrong strategy keeps you waiting.
The right strategy makes them chase you.

P.S: Are you still waiting on an investor to "circle back"?

Founders looking to get into KSA 🇸🇦

Saudi Arabia is one of the most exciting markets in the world right now. But most founders enter it wrong, and it costs them time, money, and relationships they can't get back.

My partner, Saad, has been building in KSA since 2019. He scaled his business, made mistakes, closed deals and learned market intricacies only possible with on ground presence.


This Friday he’s sharing his learnings so that you don’t make those mistakes and exactly know how to win in this market 

📍 NIC Islamabad
📅 Friday, 13 March 2025
⏰ 10:00 AM

If you're a founder with KSA on your roadmap, I'd love to see you there.

RSVP link in the comments 👇

https://lnkd.in/dmTYudix

We are proud to introduce Amjad Shacker as our guest speaker for the KSA Market Access session.

Amjad has spent over three decades at the heart of Saudi Arabia's most consequential institutions, not as an observer, but as a decision-maker and architect of strategy. His career spans some of the Kingdom's most influential public and private entities, and he has played a direct role in shaping initiatives that have put Saudi Arabia on the global map.

For founders trying to understand how Saudi Arabia really works — the relationships, the institutions, the unwritten rules, there are very few people in the world better positioned to offer that perspective.
We are honoured to have him in the room.

Register now, link in comments 👇

__
The KSA Opportunity: Strategic Overview
10:00 PM KSA (March 15) | 2:00 PM EST (March 15) | 12:00 AM PKT (March 16)
 
See you Sunday.

Growth Partner for 7-Figure CPA Firms | Ads & AI Automations Helping Firms Grow from $1M → $3M+ | Built 7–8 Fig Businesses | Ex-Private Banker | Founder | Investor

Most firm owners are brilliant at their craft.

But when it comes to growing their own business? They're lost.

Not because they're not smart enough. Because nobody ever taught them how to build a growth engine. So they duct-tape things together. They hire an agency that promises everything and delivers nothing. They lean on referrals and pray that next month looks like last month.

I've had this conversation hundreds of times. And every time, the frustration is the same.
I started BespokeAI because I kept seeing the same pattern: talented founders building great firms that were completely dependent on luck, relationships, and their own hustle. No system. No predictability. No real asset.

I wanted to fix that.

Today, I work with $1M-$10M CPA, CFO, and Financial Services firms to build what most of them have never had: a real, scalable growth engine. One that generates qualified conversations consistently, without the founder being the only rainmaker in the room.

This isn't marketing. It's infrastructure.

My Background:

15+ years scaling businesses. Ex-Private Banker. Founder and Investor through Black Sterling Group, a holding company focused on acquiring and scaling professional services businesses. I've sat on both sides of the table, building businesses and evaluating them. I know what makes a firm valuable, and I know what keeps most of them stuck.

How We Work:

FOUNDERS

Building a growth engine: We design and install your Revenue Operating System™,  the marketing, sales, and automation infrastructure that turns unpredictable growth into a repeatable process.
Preparing for scale: We audit your current business, identify the biggest leverage points, and build the roadmap to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

INVESTORS

Black Sterling Group is actively building a portfolio of CPA, CFO, and Financial Services firms. If you are an investor, family office, or operator interested in the professional services acquisition space, I would like to connect.

Our Mission:

To build the systems that turn founder-led firms into high-value, scalable assets and give founders back the confidence to grow on their own terms.

seshan@bespokeai.io 
seshan@blacksterlinggroup.com

Seshan (Say-Shawn) Nissanka

Your close rate doesn't matter.

I said it to a 7-figure CFO firm owner last week.

He didn't like it. Then I showed him the math.

A CFO firm owner told me something on a call last week.

"Just put me in front of anybody. I can close the deal."

He's right. He can close.

But that's not his problem.

Most firm owners think closing is the hard part.

It's not.

Getting in front of the right person is.

He had 15 clients.

All from referrals.

Zero control over where the next one came from.

World-class closer.

No one to close.

Here's what that actually costs you.
You spend 80% of your energy getting good at the sale.
And zero percent building the system that fills the room.

So here's what to do this week.

Step 1. Write down exactly who your best client is. Industry. Revenue. Pain point. One sentence.

Step 2. Find 10 of them on LinkedIn today. Not tomorrow. Today.

Step 3. Send them one message. Not a pitch. One line about their specific problem.

Step 4. Do this every single day for 30 days.

You don't need to get better at closing.

You need more rooms to walk into.

Closing is a skill.

Deal flow is a system.

One runs out.

The other compounds.

Seshan  Nissanka

I Build Revenue Operating Systems for $1M-$10M CPA and CFO Firms | Growth Partner | Ex-Private Banker | 15 yrs Scaling Businesses

I got lazy with LinkedIn.

I grew my account from 250 followers to 10k+.

Some posts hit 800k-1M impressions.

DMs were active.
My calendar had booked calls.

And then something happened.

My ego got in the way.

I got comfortable.
I got complacent.
I got lazy.

I started relying on AI-generated content.
I stopped being consistent.
I stopped sending DMs.

I thought I had built a machine that could run on its own.

I was wrong.

The inconsistency killed momentum.

Impressions dropped.
Conversations slowed down.
Spam messages replaced real ones.

That experience taught me a few things about LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn is a relationship platform first. 
• Consistency beats talent every time. 
• Engagement drives distribution.
• Real, raw content cuts through the AI noise.
• DMs will outperform content every time.

Content opens the door.

Conversations create the opportunity.

If you’re struggling on LinkedIn, the answer usually isn’t the algorithm.

It’s the work.

The upside is massive.

But the platform rewards the people who keep showing up.

Helping $1M+ CPA & CFO Firm Owners Scale to $3M+ through Predictable Growth Engines | Growth Partner | Ex-Private Banker

80% of CPA firm owners will never take their pipeline seriously.
Until it's too late.

This is what I hear on almost every discovery call:


"I have more referrals than I can handle right now."

"I'm buried. I can't even onboard 2-3 new clients."

"I don't need a growth engine. I have referrals. I'll turn it on when I need it." 

"It's tax season." (My personal favorite.)


And I get it.

Tax season is brutal.

You're filing returns until midnight. 

You're chasing clients for documents they should have sent in January. 

You're putting out fires that exist because there's no documented process. 

You're doing the work, all of it because the team can't without you.


And when you finally come up for air in May?

The pipeline is empty. 
The referrals dried up while you had your head down. 
And suddenly everyone is calling agencies, asking about LinkedIn Ads, wondering why leads aren't coming in.

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

You cannot turn on a growth engine in 30 days. 
A pipeline takes months to build. 
The firm owners who have predictable revenue right now started building during their busiest season, when they felt like they didn't need it.

A few things I know from 60+ conversations with firm owners:

The busy work trap is real. 
Website updates, extra meetings, internal coaching, all of it feels productive. 
None of it generates revenue. Busy is not the same as effective.

Marketing is not what you think it is. 
It's not ads.
It's not a rebrand. 
It's messaging, positioning, and a clear offer in front of the right people. 

That's the whole thing.

One referral source retiring can cut your pipeline in half. 

Most firms have 2-3 sources. 
That's not a strategy. 

That's a single point of failure.

The slow season panic is predictable. 

Every year, the same firms who said they didn't need help are the ones scrambling in Q3. 
Every year.

Common challenges I see:

- No documented process for bringing in new clients outside of referrals. 

- No clear offer that can be communicated without a 45-minute discovery call. 

- No follow-up system for warm leads that went cold. 

- No pipeline data, so they can't even see the problem until it's already a crisis.


Success is built on timing, consistency, and infrastructure.

Not on waiting until the pain is bad enough to act.

The question isn't whether you need a growth system.

You do.

The question is whether you'll build it now or wait until slow season forces your hand.

Which one are you?

March 2023, I almost ended it all.

Then I remembered who I was really working for.
 
March 2023.
 
I was working for a portfolio company.
 
20-hour days.
 
Nothing I did was good enough.
 
The organization was in chaos:
 
• No infrastructure
• No appreciation
• No end in sight
 
I remember one night, sitting alone, thinking:
 
"What's the point?"
 
I'd left private banking to build something meaningful.
 
But I'd traded one nightmare for another.
 
And this time?
 
I couldn't see a way out.
 
That night, I opened my Bible.
 
Matthew 11:28-30:
 
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
 
And something broke.
 
I realized:
 
I'd been building for the wrong master.
 
I was trying to prove something to:
 
• My old colleagues
• The guy who didn't appreciate me
• Myself
 
But that's not why I left banking.
 
I left because I wanted to build something that mattered.
 
Not just survive someone else's chaos.
 
So I made a decision:
 
Stop working for people who don't value you.
 
Start building for the One who does.
 
That shift changed everything.
 
Because when you're building for ego?
 
You'll take any client.
 
Work any hours.
 
Accept any treatment.
 
Just to prove you can.
 
But when you're building for the Kingdom?
 
You get to choose.
 
Choose who you work with.
 
Choose what you build.
 
Choose who you help.
 
That's why I started BespokeAI and Black Sterling Group. 
 
Not to be the biggest agency and HoldCo. 
 
But to build something that honors God by serving people well.
 
Every client I take on now, I ask:
 
"Is this person building something that matters?"
 
"Are they faith-driven?"
 
"Will this partnership honor God?"
 
If the answer is no, I pass.
 
Because I've worked for the wrong people.
 
I've built for the wrong reasons.
 
And I almost didn't make it out.
 
Now?
 
I only work with founders who are building for something bigger than themselves.
 
Founders who:
 
• Value people over profit
• Build with integrity
• Understand that business is a ministry
 
Because when you're building for the Kingdom?
 
Everything else falls into place.
 
The strategy.
 
The partnerships.
 
The mission.
 
And honestly?
 
That's the only kind of founder I want to work with.
 
Are you building for ego or for eternity?

undefined undefined

Co-Founder & CEO

Founder & Principal

Business Growth & Operator

Business Development

Private & Business Banker

The growth guy for $1M+ CPA, CFO & Financial Services Firms | Ex-Private Banker | Founder & Investor

𝟭𝟬 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜’𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝟳-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳:
 
𝟭. The people who love you most will hand you beliefs that limit you.  
Not on purpose. It’s just the only system they know.  Love them. Don’t inherit everything.
 
𝟮. Never trade greatness for belonging.  
I spent years shrinking to fit rooms I’d already outgrown.  That cost more than failure ever did.
 
𝟯. Struggling isn’t humility.  It’s what happens when you hide your gifts.  
The world doesn’t need you smaller. It needs you useful.
 
𝟰. You’re not afraid of failure.  
You’re afraid of going all-in and having no excuse left.  Half-effort protects your ego. It also keeps you stuck.
 
𝟱. You are not your past environment.  
Stop carrying penalties for things you didn’t create.
 
𝟲. Environment beats willpower. 
Every time. You don’t need more discipline.  You need better rooms.
 
𝟳. Inconsistency isn’t a work ethic problem.  It’s an identity ceiling.  
You’ll always fall back to who you believe you are.
 
𝟴. Rejection isn’t a verdict.  
Its direction. The meaning you assign decides everything.
 
𝟵. It’s okay for things to feel easy.  
That’s what alignment feels like.  Stop apologizing for being good.
 
𝟭𝟬. The highest form of love is building something that changes your family’s trajectory.  Staying in struggle isn’t loyalty.  Building leverage is.

 
Which lesson resonates most with you right now?

I walked away from a six-figure salary.

Everyone said I was crazy.

They weren't wrong.

Private banking.

Good money.
Stable job.
Safe path.

My colleagues thought I had it made.

But every morning I walked in and thought the same thing.

"I'm building someone else's dream."

I was good at the job.

I knew finance.

I could read a P&L in minutes.

I spoke ROI. I spoke enterprise value.

But I wasn't building anything.

I was just maintaining.
And that was slowly killing me.

So I made a choice.

Leave the safety. Build something real.

People came out of the woodwork.
"You're throwing away a great career."
"You have no idea what you're doing."
"Just stay. It's safe."

But here's what I knew.

Safe and alive are not the same thing.

I could stay 30 more years.
Collect the pension.
Never take a risk.

And die wondering what if.
Or I could leave.

Build from zero.
Risk it all.

And actually feel something.
I chose to feel something.

I started this journey. 
Not for the money.
For the mission.

Now I work with firm owners every day who are stuck in the same place I was.
Not in banking.
In their own firms.

Maintaining instead of building.

Playing it safe instead of scaling.

The world has enough people who play it safe.

It needs more people willing to bet on themselves.

Ever walked away from safe to build something real?

I Grow & Acquire Founder Led CPA & CFO Firms | Ex-Private Banker

Every CPA firm owner I talk to thinks marketing is a switch.

Flip it on. Get clients.

Flip it off. Get back to work

That is not how it works.

That has never been how it works.

While you were filing returns at midnight 
A competitor was building their pipeline.

While you were telling yourself referrals are enough 
Another firm was closing the clients you never knew you lost.

You are not losing because you are less talented

You are losing because you are invisible to everyone who doesn’t already know you.

Now let’s run the math.
The average CPA firm retainer is $3,000 a month.

That is $36,000 per client per year.

If waiting 12 months costs you 3 clients that is $108,000 in annual recurring revenue you will never see.

Not because the clients didn’t exist.

Because you weren’t visible when they were looking.

The pipeline you don’t build this month is the revenue you won’t have next year.

Most firm owners understand this when I put it this way.

Then they go back to waiting for referrals anyway.

And honestly? I still haven’t figured out what finally makes someone act before the pain hits.

What would 3 new retainer clients mean for your firm this year?

Do you remember when you realized the problem wasn’t the business?
 It was you.
 
I was leading a team.
 
Numbers were trending down.  
Same meetings.  
Same conversations.  
Same underperformance.
 
And every week I told myself:
 
“Give it more time.”  “I can turn this around.”
 
I thought leadership meant fixing people.
 
So I invested in the wrong ones.
 
C players?
 
• More coaching  
• More patience  
• More chances
 
I called it leadership.
 
It wasn’t.
 
It was avoidance.
 
Firing felt like failure.  
Admitting I hired wrong felt worse.
 
So I delayed the decision.
 
And while I was busy trying to rescue people who didn’t want to be rescued…
 
My A players were watching.
 
Carrying the weight.  
Doing extra work.  
Slowly disengaging.
 
The revenue saw it before I did.
 
When the numbers got bad enough, I couldn’t explain it away anymore.
 
So I made the call.
 
• Let go of the C players  
• Doubled down on B players with upside  
• Only hired A players moving forward
 
What happened next was immediate:
 
Revenue increased.  
Energy shifted.  
A players re-engaged.  
The culture reset.
 
Nothing new was added.
 
Just the wrong people removed.
 
Here’s the truth most founders avoid:
 
Your job isn’t to fix everyone.  
Your job is to build the right room.
 
Keeping the wrong people isn’t kindness.
 
It’s a tax on your business  and your best people.
 
The moment you stop avoiding the hard decision…
 
Everything changes.
 
What are you still holding onto  that you already know needs to go?

I used to get 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗸-𝟱𝟬𝟬𝗸+ 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁.
 
Now?  Some of my posts barely move.
 
That wasn’t random.  And it wasn’t the algorithm.
 
So I decided to figure out exactly why.
 
Instead of guessing, I built a system to track it.
 
While everyone’s debating whether AI will replace them…  
I’m using AI to 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
 
Because in this environment, 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.
 
I’ve always believed this:
 
Data tells the truth.  
Data shows patterns.  
Data exposes what you don’t want to admit.
 
So I built a Claude-based app to analyze my own content.
 
Not comparing myself to other creators.  Just tracking 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀:  
• What topics hit  
• What formats perform  
• When engagement drops  
• What actually drives conversations
 
Here’s what the data showed:
 
My drop in impressions came down to two things:
 
1. I stopped engaging
2. I stopped posting consistently
 
That’s it.
 
No mystery. No conspiracy.
 
LinkedIn rewards people who stay active on the platform.  
Not just posting but participating. (As it should be)
 
When you disappear, your distribution does too.
 
AI didn’t fix my content.
 
It exposed my behavior.
 
That’s the real use case.
 
Not replacing thinking but forcing you to confront reality.
 
If your content isn’t performing, don’t guess.
 
Track it. Analyze it. Fix the inputs.

How are you leveraging AI?

This prompt saves CPA and CFO firm owners 3 hours a week.
Most firm owners have no idea which clients are about to leave.

They find out when the client goes quiet.
Or sends the "we're going in a different direction" email.
By then, it's too late.

Here is the prompt I use to fix that.
Copy this exactly into ChatGPT with your client data:

"Act as a CFO advisor. Review this client list and identify which clients have the highest churn risk based on engagement frequency and revenue trend. Flag the top 3 and explain why."

What comes back is a prioritized list.
The clients you need to call this week.

Before they start looking elsewhere.

You are not replacing your judgment.

You are just making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Most firms lose clients not because the work was bad.

But because nobody was paying attention at the right time.

AI does not get tired. It does not forget.

It just flags what you already know but haven't looked at in 30 days.

Try it this week. Takes 10 minutes to set up.

What would you do with 3 extra hours every week?

P.S. The firms that figure out how to use AI for client retention first are going to have a serious edge over the ones still doing it manually. That gap is opening right now.

Building Revenue OS to Grow & Exit Founder-Led CPA & CFO Firms | Founder | Ex-Private Banker

My RevenueOS Framework for CPA & CFO Firms.
Method to the engine that scales with you

60+ conversations with firm owners doing $1M-$10M. 

Same three problems. 
No system to fix them.
 
 
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲
 
Most firms don't have one. They rely on hope and wishful thinking. 
 
No defined ICP. They serve everyone and attract no one. 
No USP. "We're relationship-focused." So is every other firm. 
No repeatable channel. 
57% of CPA firms run entirely on referrals.
 
Fix it by answering three questions before spending a dollar on marketing: 
1. Who exactly do you serve? 
2. What problem do you solve for them? 
3. Why you, not the firm down the street?
 
 
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺
 
Most firms are bleeding here and don't know it.
 
78% of clients sign with the firm that responds first. 
Most CPA firms respond when they have capacity. 
By then, the deal is gone. 
The average B2B sale requires 5-8 follow-up touches. 
Most owners follow up once and move on. 
No documented sales process. 
Every call is improvised. 
Every proposal built from scratch.
 
Fix it with three things: 
1. A response SLA same day, no exceptions.
2. A follow-up sequence - at least 5 touches, automated where possible. 
3. A discovery call framework, same questions, same structure, every time.
 

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲
 
Most firm owners are making growth decisions on gut feel.
 
They can't answer: 
Where did my last 10 clients come from? 
What is my close rate on discovery calls? 
Which service line has the highest margin?
 
Without that data you're not running a business. 
You're running on feelings. 
 
Fix it by tracking three numbers weekly: 
1. Lead source. 
2. Pipeline value. 
3. Close rate.
 
Three numbers. 
Reviewed weekly. 
It will change how you run every conversation.

 
Every quarter, run your firm through this framework.
 
Where is your Acquisition Engine leaking? 
Where is your Conversion System breaking down? 
Where is your Intelligence Engine flying blind?
 
The firms growing predictably right now are not smarter than you.
 
They just stopped leaving growth to chance.
 
A referral is luck. A system is an asset.
 
P.S: Which component is the biggest gap in your firm right now? 
Acquisition, Conversion, or Intelligence? 
Drop it below.

Your referral network is not a pipeline.

It is a single point of failure acts up as a strategy.

Here is what this actually looks like inside a $2M firm.

80% of revenue comes from 3 clients.

Those 3 clients came from 2 relationships.

Those 2 relationships are 6 years old.

Nobody built that. It just happened.
And now the entire firm depends on those relationships staying warm.

No new channel. No system. No control.

Just hope that the phone keeps ringing.
I see this in almost every firm I talk to.

The work is excellent. The delivery is tight.

But the growth engine was never built.

So here is the one thing to do today.
Pull up your CRM.
Filter every client by source.
Add up the revenue from referrals only.

If that number is above 60% of your total revenue, 
you do not have a growth strategy.

You have a dependency.

And dependencies do not scale. They collapse.

What does your number look like?

Drop it in the comments. 

P.S. The CRM audit takes 10 minutes. The existential crisis that follows is free. lol

Building Revenue OS to Grow & Acquire Founder-Led CPA & CFO Firms | Founder | Ex-Private Banker

The most common thing I hear on discovery calls?
"We tried marketing before. It didn't work."

And every single time, I ask the same follow-up.

"What did you try?"

The answers are always some version of this.

Hired an agency. Ran some ads. Posted on LinkedIn for a few months.
Spent somewhere between $5K and $30K.
Got a few leads. Nothing closed.
Stopped doing it.

Then they went back to referrals.
And called it a day.

Here is what I never hear them say though.
"We had a clear offer that spoke to one specific type of client."
"We knew exactly what problem we solved and for who."
"We tracked every lead and knew our close rate."

Not once.

Because that work was never done.

So the marketing didn't fail.

The foundation wasn't there.

You can't pour traffic into a broken container and expect it to hold.

Most firms that say "marketing doesn't work for us" actually mean
"we skipped the hard part and hoped the channel would fix it."

It never does.

The channel is the last thing you build.

Not the first.

Have you ever stopped a marketing effort and gone back to referrals?

What made you pull the plug?

P.S. I have never met a firm owner who regretted slowing down to fix the foundation. I have met plenty who regretted not doing it sooner.

Most CPA firm owners will never sell their firm.
Not because nobody wants to buy it.

Because there is nothing to buy.

A firm built around one person is not a business.
It is a job with a logo.

Buyers do not pay multiples for jobs.

They pay multiples for systems. Recurring revenue. Transferable client relationships. A team that runs without the founder.

Here is the hard truth.
If you walked away tomorrow, 
would the firm still generate revenue next month?

Most owners already know the answer.

They just don't like it.

The firms that sell for 4 to 8x revenue have a few things in common.

Revenue that does not depend on one person.
A client base that is spread across many, not concentrated in a few.
A team that delivers without the founder on every call.
A pipeline that generates new clients without referrals.

None of that happens by accident.

It gets built on purpose, years before the exit.

The best time to start building a sellable firm was 5 years ago.
The second-best time is right now.

What would your firm be worth if you tried to sell it today?

P.S. Most owners ask me this question in year 12 of a 15-year plan. The answer is usually uncomfortable. But at least we still have time to fix it, unlike their retirement timeline.

I've seen this too many times.

Deal goes quiet. Owner panics. Drops the rate.

Then spends the next 12 months regretting it.

Here is what actually happened.

The prospect did not understand the outcome they were buying.

That is not a pricing problem. That is a conversion problem.

Most firm owners do not have a documented way to sell. 

No process. 
No framework. 
No system for connecting what they charge to what the client actually gets.

So when the deal stalls, the only lever they know how to pull is the price.

Inside the Conversion Engine, we fix this with one shift:

Stop selling your time. Start selling the outcome.

Before you drop your rate, ask this:

"What would it mean for your business if this problem was solved in the next 90 days?"

Let them answer.

Then attach your price to that number. Not your hours. Their outcome.

When the price is tied to something they care about, it stops feeling expensive.

It starts feeling obvious.

The firms that close at full rate are not better at negotiating.

They have a repeatable conversion process that makes the value clear before the price ever comes up.

That is what the Conversion Engine is built to do.

P.S. The clients who negotiate hardest before the engagement starts are usually the ones who make you question your rates at 11pm on a Tuesday. Just something I've noticed.

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Seshan (Say-Shawn) Nissanka

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The Battle

Jamal K, ACA

Seshan (Say-Shawn) Nissanka

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