Why Accountants Are the Most Underestimated Entrepreneurs in America

There are roughly 90,000 accounting firms in the United States. Over 90% of them are run by solopreneurs or small teams. And yet, when most people think of their accountant, they picture someone hunched over tax returns — not someone building a website, closing sales calls, managing a tech stack, and hiring employees.

That disconnect is one of the biggest blind spots in the profession.

Fady Hawatmeh, founder and CEO of Clockwork.ai — and a former outsourced CFO himself — puts it bluntly: accountants who run their own firms are entrepreneurs, full stop. They are responsible for marketing, sales, payroll, vendor management, client retention, and everything else that comes with building a company from scratch. They just happen to also do accounting.

The problem is that the industry has not caught up to this reality. The traditional model — bill by the hour, first in first out, grind through busy season, repeat — was never designed for entrepreneurial growth. It was designed for compliance output. And for decades, that was enough. But the market has shifted.

Today's accounting firm owners are not the stereotypical number-crunchers of the past. At events like QuickBooks Connect, you will find firm owners who understand digital marketing, customer experience design, value-based pricing, and AI-driven service delivery. These are business builders who happen to hold CPA licenses.

The shift matters for clients, too. Working with a firm that operates like a business — not a practice — means faster turnaround, proactive financial insights, and technology-forward service delivery. It means your accountant is not just filing your taxes; they are helping you understand your cash position, plan for growth, and make decisions with data instead of gut instinct.

For firm owners reading this: stop underestimating yourself. You are running a business in one of the most complex regulatory environments in the world. You deserve to price accordingly, invest in technology that multiplies your capacity, and build a firm that serves your life — not the other way around.

And for clients: the next time you interact with your accountant, recognize that you are working with an entrepreneur who chose one of the hardest paths in professional services. The best ones are worth every dollar — and then some.