Why Most Accounting Firms Are Designed for Burnout: Key Takeaways from the Finsmart Webinar

Long hours. Weekend work. Tax season chaos. Missed family events. Constant client demands.

Since the emergence of accounting as a profession, this has been the norm of the industry. Everyone accepts this is how it is and should be. Nobody complains, nobody tries to change a thing – everyone thinks it is a problem of their own.

This way of working and surviving has been so normalized that often, not just accountants but firm owners wear this overwork and overwhelm as a badge of honor. As if exhaustion is proof of commitment. 

But what if burnout isn’t a consequence of running an accounting firm

It’s become so normalized that many firm owners wear it as a badge of honor.

Almost as if exhaustion is proof of commitment.

But what if burnout isn’t a consequence of running an accounting firm? 

That was the question explored during a recent webinar called 30-hour work week: Fantasy or Leadership Choice, hosted by Maanoj Shah, featuring Sharrin Fuller, Debra Kilsheimer, and Randy Crabtree.

While the conversation was framed around a 30-hour work week, the discussion quickly moved beyond just the hours.

The real topic wasn’t whether accountants can work less. It was whether firm owners are willing to build differently.

Because as the panel repeatedly pointed out, burnout is rarely caused by a single busy season. It’s usually built into the business long before tax season arrives.

We’ve Romanticized Burnout for Too Long

While reflecting on her early days in public accounting, Debra mentioned a revealing moment. She described a situation that many accountants will be able to relate to.

Tax season was over – the work was done – the team was exhausted – and yet nobody was allowed to leave.

“I said to the partner, ‘Could we go home? We’re tired. We’re exhausted.’ He goes, ‘No, I pay you to sit there.’”

Maybe not always someone says this openly. And this exchange that happened more than four decades ago continues to be relevant. 

Even today, the expectation is that long hours equal dedication.

The belief is that suffering is simply part of the profession.

The assumption is that every generation should endure the same hardships as the one before it.

Debra’s reaction was immediate.

“I can’t do this. I cannot do this for the next 50 years.”

This is something that more firm owners should start asking themselves. This way of working and living, can I sustain this for the next 20 or 30 years? Do I want this life for myself? 

If experienced professionals don’t want to spend the next 20 years working this way, why would the next generation be excited to join the profession?

The accounting industry often talks about talent shortages.

Perhaps a better question is whether the profession has created a model that talented people actually want to be part of.

Because younger professionals are paying attention.

They’re watching how leaders work.

They’re watching how firms operate.

And they’re deciding whether that future looks appealing.

The Biggest Threat to Your Firm Might Be You

Almost all firm owners eventually reach a point where they feel overwhelmed – too many client requests, too many decisions, too many things requiring their attention.

They assume the business has become too busy. Sharrin Fuller challenged that assumption. Her argument was much more uncomfortable.

“You are the dependency trap.”

This statement captures one of the most prominent yet less talked about problems in the industry – the owner becomes the answer to everything.

Client questions flow through them.
Team decisions flow through them.
Processes exist inside their head.
Approvals require their involvement.
Relationships depend on them.

Over time, the business becomes inseparable from the owner. And then the owner wonders why they can never truly step away, why vacations feel stressful, why growth creates more pressure instead of more freedom, or why every new client seems to create more work.

Sharrin pushed the idea even further. “Nothing can depend on you.”

At first glance, that sounds unrealistic. After all, most firm owners built their business through expertise, relationships, and personal involvement.

But that’s exactly the point.

A firm that is dependent on a single person is never scalable. It is fragile. The more dependent the business becomes on the owner, the more likely burnout becomes.

Not because the owner lacks discipline. But because the business was never designed to operate without them.

Burnout Isn’t Caused by Tax Season

One of the most common explanations of burnout is the busy season. But that is hardly ever the case. Burnout isn’t just another tiring day. It is an accumulation of several other things that are happening simultaneously. 

It’s easy to point at tax deadlines and conclude that the profession simply demands long hours.

Randy Crabtree disagrees. Strongly.

“Burnout is 1000% avoidable.”

That’s a bold statement in an industry where burnout is often treated as inevitable. But Randy wasn’t arguing that accounting work disappears. He was arguing that burnout is often the result of decisions firms continue making year after year.

“Burnout is a factor of not being willing to change.”

That’s where many firms get stuck.

They know what’s coming.

They know the workload.

They know the bottlenecks.

They know which clients create the most chaos.

And yet they continue operating exactly the same way. Not because the current system works. But because change feels risky. And Randy explains this clearly: 

“We see that short-term pain that is so intense because we look at change as pain. We ignore the long-term gain.”

That long-term gain could be better systems.

Better technology. Better client selection. Better processes. Better boundaries.

But reaching those outcomes requires confronting something uncomfortable: The possibility that the current way of working isn’t sustainable.

Stop Being the Hero

Perhaps the most practical lesson from the webinar came from a story Debra shared about a client email.

The situation will sound familiar to most/

A client reached out during Christmas week needing help. Debra saw the message. She knew she could solve the problem. And yet she deliberately chose not to respond. Not because she didn’t care. Because she understood that responding will come at a cost. It will be a message to the client that will not be undone.

“If I respond to this and help her out during Christmas week, I’m teaching her that it’s okay to email me at the last minute.”

Most accountants would have answered. Many would have felt proud about doing so. After all, client service is deeply ingrained in the profession.

But Debra challenged the idea that constantly rescuing clients is good service.

In many cases, it’s the opposite.

It creates unhealthy expectations.

It rewards poor planning. And it trains clients to rely on urgency rather than process. The most powerful line came moments later. “I don’t want to be a hero.”

And that is something a lot of businesses deliberately function on. Because hero culture is one of the biggest drivers of burnout. 

• The hero answers emails at night.
• The hero takes calls during vacations.
• The hero fixes every problem.
• The hero never says no.

Eventually, the hero becomes exhausted. Not because the clients demanded it. Because they trained everyone around them to expect it. As Debra put it:

“You train people how to treat you.”

That applies to clients, team members, and most importantly to owners themselves. 

The Firms That Thrive Operate on Boundaries, Not Sacrifice

Throughout the discussion, one word kept surfacing.

Boundaries.

Not productivity. Not hustle. Not discipline.

Boundaries.

When asked about the first thing firm owners should do if they want a different kind of business, Sharrin’s answer was immediate.

“Set your boundaries first.”

The reason is simple. Without boundaries, every decision becomes reactive. Every request feels urgent. Every client becomes a priority. Every interruption becomes acceptable.

And before long, the owner’s calendar belongs to everyone except themselves. The panel wasn’t advocating for working less simply for the sake of working less.

They were advocating for intentionality.

Designing a firm around what matters.

Designing client relationships around expectations.

Designing systems around efficiency.

Designing work around life rather than the other way around.

The firms that successfully create freedom aren’t necessarily the ones with the fewest clients. They’re the ones that operate with clarity. Clarity about who they serve.  Clarity about what they offer. Clarity about what they will and won’t tolerate.

Maybe We’ve Defined Growth Incorrectly

Toward the end of the conversation, Randy shared an idea that reframed the entire discussion.

“Growth doesn’t necessarily mean money.”

For many accounting firms, growth has traditionally been measured through revenue, headcount, or client count. But those metrics don’t tell the whole story.

A firm can double its revenue and still leave its owner exhausted. A firm can add clients and simultaneously lose freedom. A firm can grow larger while becoming harder to run.

Perhaps growth should be measured differently.

• More time with loved ones.
• More flexibility.
• Better health.
• Less stress.

The ability to unplug without everything falling apart.

The confidence that the business can operate without constant owner involvement. Those outcomes don’t appear on financial statements. But they may be the most important indicators of success.

The Real Question Isn’t Whether a 30-Hour Work Week Is Possible

The webinar began with a simple question:

Can a 30-hour work week really work?

By the end of the discussion, it became clear that this wasn’t the right question.

The real question is: What kind of firm are you building? Because a 30-hour work week isn’t created by productivity hacks. It isn’t created by working faster. And it certainly isn’t created by sacrificing quality.

It’s created by design.

The design of your client relationships.

The design of your processes.

The design of your systems.

The design of your boundaries.

And perhaps most importantly, the design of your expectations.

Burnout isn’t always a workload problem.

Sometimes it’s a design problem.

And the firms that recognize that distinction are the ones most likely to build businesses that grow without consuming the people who built them.
Want to know more about what was covered in the discussion? Listen to the complete webinar here: https://youtu.be/eim_x–ClnE?si=7HhGw7pGIeKl5Ca2