From Accountant to Advisor: The Journey Nobody Plans

What happens when an accountant’s desire to help people becomes the driving force behind their entire career? In this episode of Advisory Conversations, Tim and Deb are joined by James Twigger, a chartered accountant, business coach and fractional CFO, to explore his journey from audit and practice ownership into a much more advisory-led role. James shares how community initiatives like Torbay Hour and his daily COVID webinars helped him build relationships and grow his practice, without setting out to “market” his services. He also talks openly about the downside of always wanting to help, taking on too much, becoming the person everyone wanted to speak to, and eventually experiencing burnout. The conversation then moves into James’s fractional CFO work, where he is helping businesses navigate growth, cash flow and strategic decisions, while his own team runs the day-to-day accountancy practice without him needing to be there all the time. Along the way, we explore what advisory really looks like in practice, why regular conversations with clients matter, and how accountants can help business owners move from simply surviving to planning for what comes next.