Simple Beats Clever: The Operating System For Businesses That Actually Grow
Consistency beats hype. Clients > vanity metrics.
If you only take one thing from this post, take that.
Most firms don’t need a breakthrough idea. They need to make it easier to buy, show up every week, and measure the numbers that pay the bills. Here’s the plain-English playbook we use across accountancy, legal, finance and advisory.
1) Simple > Clever
Clever looks great in a pitch deck. Simple wins on a Tuesday afternoon when your client is busy and half-distracted.
Make it simple:
One promise. “From messy books to clear numbers—fast.” Not six promises.
One path to buy. Book call → Proposal same day → Start date agreed. Three steps, max.
Plain pricing. Three packages, clear boundaries, no asterisks.
Default templates. Proposal, onboarding, update email. Reuse 100 times.
30-second test: Could a new visitor explain what you do, what it costs, and how to start—in one scroll? If not, cut words or steps until they can.
2) Consistency > Hype
Bursts of effort create spikes. Consistency compounds trust.
A basic cadence:
Marketing: 1 useful post, 1 case study line, 1 warm DM—every week.
Delivery: Onboard within 3 working days, monthly update by the 5th, 90-day review booked at handover.
Team: Weekly priorities, a visible kanban, and a short “stop doing” list.
Set the rhythm. Protect it. Everything else is optional.
3) Clients > Vanity Metrics
Followers don’t fund payroll. Clients do.
Scoreboard that matters:
Lead → proposal conversion
Proposal → win rate
Average revenue per client (ARPC)
Gross margin by service
Lead-to-cash cycle time
12-month retention + referrals
De-prioritise: raw follower count, awards, “brand buzz”. Nice, not decisive.
4) The Simple Operating System (SOS)
Steal this and adapt it to your firm.
Promise — one headline in plain English.
Path — 3 steps to buy, same every time.
Pricing — 3 options, published or pre-priced.
Proof — short case studies (problem → action → result).
Process — checklist for onboarding, delivery, review.
Pulse — weekly cadence for marketing, delivery, team.
Panel — the scorecard above, reviewed every Monday.
If a task doesn’t support one of those P’s, it’s probably noise.
5) A 7-Day Reset
Day 1: Write your one-sentence promise.
Day 2: Cut to 3 packages. Add “what’s included / not included”.
Day 3: Map the client journey and delete two steps.
Day 4: Build a one-page proposal + onboarding checklist.
Day 5: Set cadences (marketing, delivery, team). Put them in the diary.
Day 6: Launch a simple scorecard with six numbers.
Day 7: Message three warm leads: “Here’s how we can help this month.”
6) Examples (so you can see it)
Accountancy (AD style):
Promise: “From chaos to clean books in 30 days.”
Path: Discovery → Same-day proposal → Kick-off call.
Pricing: Essentials / Growth / Full Finance Team.
Process: Apron + Xero workflow, monthly update by the 5th, 90-day review.
Scorecard: VAT on-time %, month-end cycle time, ARPC, gross margin, retention, referrals.
Legal (AD Solicitors):
Promise: “Plain-English contracts and clean cap tables—fast.”
Path: Audit → Fixed-fee Sprint → Ongoing support.
Pricing: Sprint / Retainer / GC-on-Call.
Scorecard: Matter cycle time, fixed-fee recovery, NPS, referral rate.
Financial Planning (ADFS):
Promise: “A simple plan that saves tax and funds your life.”
Path: 30-min Money MOT → Plan → Implementation.
Scorecard: Plan completion %, client retention, assets under advice per client, advice margin.
7) Common Traps (Avoid These)
Everything, everywhere: 11 services, none delivered brilliantly. Pick the ones you can win and scale.
Proposal lag: If you can’t send a proposal the same day, your process is too heavy.
Custom one-offs: If you can’t template it, price it high—or say no.
Free work creep: Clear boundaries stop “just one more thing” from killing margin.
Measuring vibes: If it doesn’t show up on the P&L or the scorecard, it’s not a key metric.
8) Tools (keep it light)
Website: One headline, one paragraph, one button.
CRM: Stages that match your Path to Buy.
PM/Kanban: Visible, boring, followed.
Templates: Proposal, onboarding, monthly update, renewal.
Boring tools, well used, beat fancy tools abandoned after a week.
Final Word
Simple beats clever. Consistency beats hype. And clients—real people who pay, stay and refer—beat every vanity metric on the internet.