James Kennedy welcomes back Eamon O’Sullivan, partner at OSA McQuillan, to unpack how he transformed a traditional, deadline-driven accounting practice into a “service-as-a-subscription” model. Eamon shares the playbook: moving from feast-or-famine annual work to predictable monthly revenue, switching referrals to marketing-led growth, going remote, and the billing tech that makes it hum. If you run a professional services firm (accounting, legal, fractional CFO, consulting), this one’s a blueprint for a calmer business with better margins.
About Eamon O’Sullivan
Eamon runs a Dublin-based accountancy firm serving SMEs and owner-managed companies in Ireland and beyond. After years of operating the classic “shoebox two weeks before deadline” model, he rebuilt the firm around recurring monthly services, remote delivery, and modern marketing – now with ~80% of clients on subscription, 20%+ annual growth, and 25% of clients outside Ireland.
What You’ll Learn
- Why subscriptions beat deadlines: Smoother cash flow, steadier workload, and fewer last-minute fires when you shift annual accounts into monthly service bundles.
- Designing the offer: Packaging bookkeeping, VAT/payroll, and year-end into a clear monthly fee (and how to keep annual-only work as a minority).
- The marketing pivot: Moving from 60% referrals to inbound, Website “buy now” moments, and messaging that sells the benefits (not just compliance).
- Ops & tooling that matter: Recurring billing, payment rails, and lightweight scheduling so clients self-book and your AR shrinks.
- Metrics that prove it works: 7-year journey; 80% of revenue now monthly; ~20% YoY growth for years (COVID year flat); majority remote team.
- How to start (and not stall): Don’t wait for a “big breakthrough” – stack 1% improvements; convert existing clients first; then market only the subscription.
Episode Highlights
- “It’s a straight swap – time for money – unless you redesign the model.”
- “Money coming in every month is way less stressful.”
- “Work by design, not by drift.”
- “Stop hunting for one big move; small percentage changes add up.”
- “Put the ‘buy now’ button on your site – make it easy to engage you today.”
More About Eamon’s Role
At OSA McQuillan (Dublin), Eamon’s team delivers monthly subscription accounting for SMEs: bookkeeping, VAT/payroll, management accounts, and year-end – plus annual-only engagements when appropriate. The firm operates largely remote, serves a growing international client base with Irish entities, and focuses on predictable cash flow and proactive support over last-minute compliance.
