Success and happiness: The real gift to accounting firm coaches

“The best bit about the business is that we track the financials or our firms we work with. So, we know how they’re going and we can ask them about how it feels. You know, we can ask our clients for example, how does it feel to earn four and a half times as much as last year, or in their entire life,” she said.

“What does that even feel like? It’s not that I like tracking the numbers. I just love asking them about the impact on their life. How does it feel to be you and to have achieved something so amazing?”

When asked how she felt about helping clients reach that goal, McClafferty said she never took people’s trust for granted and ensured she hired the best possible coaches who knew how to achieve success, run profitable businesses and make tough decisions.

McClafferty noted Slipstream Group only hired coaches who had successfully run and exited their own accounting and financial planning firm, which added an extra layer of trust, experience and understanding that clients needed from a coach.

“One of our values is to be worthy of people’s trust. And that’s not something you get and then just sit still, we constantly have to, and want to upskill, listen to what’s happening in the market and continue to learn.”

“As much as we’re having loads of fun, it’s not just a rinse and repeat – we’re constantly learning and evolving to help our clients achieve their goals.”

Although McClafferty is neither an accountant nor a financial planner, she said her love and passion for the industry stemmed from being the daughter of a partner at an accounting firm and having always held the view that it was a profession to be respected.

“I have a massive amount of respect for the work that accountants do. And I think, you know, anyone who had their eyes open during the pandemic could see we're always talking about frontline workers. But what I don't think was acknowledged enough was the frontline workers in accounting that were doing really hard work during that period.”

“Accountants are so selfless, and they would take a bullet for their clients. There’s that saying, “I’ll set fire to myself to keep you warm”, and I think a lot of accountants are stuck in that status quo where clients come first, and they’re not putting their own oxygen masks on.”

McClafferty added that because coaches have their finger on the pulse of their clients' finances, they could see what will happen, how a client’s life will change and the potential impact it will have long before they see it.

“There is no better feeling than when one of our coaches says, 'This client and what is ahead of them will be magnificent'. None of this growth happens by accident.”

“It’s a hard journey, but it’s pretty cool being surrounded by people whose lives are improving and are about to be even more amazing.”