Meet John Peterson and the Best Practice Group Team

Advisers to Accounting and Advice Firms

Who do you call when the business that needs advice is your own? At Best Practice Group (BPG), we work with accountants, financial advisers and practice owners across Australia and New Zealand. John Peterson founded BPG to give the people who advise other businesses somewhere to turn for help with their own team, growth and succession.

You might be a sole practitioner whose clients still ring your mobile for everything. You might be one of three partners trying to agree on who will eventually buy into the firm. Those situations call for different conversations. Here’s who we are and where we’d suggest starting.

Why John Peterson founded Best Practice Group

John started his career at Yellow Pages in the late 1980s. Working with small businesses there gave him a close look at how owners found customers. His next roles took him into leadership development and then executive recruitment, where he learned how businesses chose the people they trusted to lead.

That combination shaped BPG. An accountant could ask a marketing consultant how to attract more clients, then ask a recruiter how to find another accountant. But who would help the owner decide which problem to tackle first? John brought those disciplines together in one advisory firm.

Today, John is our founding director, with more than three decades in business performance and organisational change. He is also the author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Mastery, and BPG has guided 157 practice transactions over 25 years. Read John Peterson’s articles on leadership, growth and succession.

Meet the Best Practice Group team

Different members of our team bring different perspectives to a practice decision. Billy works on mindset and success coaching. Emily manages business development, and Stuart’s work spans business development and strategy. Anna works in recruitment. If you’re weighing up a sale or merger, Mike works on that side of the business.

There are people behind the day-to-day work, too. Meet the people behind Best Practice Group. 

Here’s how those skills fit together. Imagine a partner who wants to hire a senior accountant so she can take Fridays off. Before drafting the job ad, she could look at the last Friday she worked. Did she spend it reviewing complex advice, approving routine emails or introducing clients to a new manager? Each points to a different need. She might need an experienced hire, clearer authority for the team she already has, or time to hand over relationships personally.

Which BPG service fits your accounting or advice practice?

You set priorities at your partners’ meeting, then client work takes over

Where to start: The Best Practice Program offers coaching, mentoring and follow-through on agreed actions. Private consulting gives your partners space to work through a particular decision.
A useful question to bring: Which decision have we carried over for three meetings?

Work keeps coming back to one partner for approval

Where to start: Business by Design reviews roles, workflows and technology. Leadership development helps managers take responsibility for decisions.
A useful question to bring: What could a manager sign off if we agreed on a review standard?

You need an experienced hire or a future partner

Where to start: Recruitment and executive search cover professional staff and equity partners. Talent development helps you consider the people already in your firm.
A useful question to bring: What should this person be able to take off a partner’s desk?

New clients are coming in, but the work leaves little margin

Where to start: Growth consulting covers pricing, how you package services and sales conversations. Digital marketing helps when reaching the right prospects is the issue.
A useful question to bring: Which engagements would we happily take on again at the same fee?

You want to build a business advisory offering for existing clients

Where to start: Advisory education and accreditation help practitioners develop their advisory skills.
A useful question to bring: What decision do clients already ask us to help them make?

A partner wants to reduce their hours or pass ownership to the next generation

Where to start: Succession and equity planning look at future partners, ownership and the handover of responsibility.
A useful question to bring: Who could lead the relationship with a major client before ownership changes?

You’re considering an acquisition, external sale or merger

Where to start: Buy, Sell, Merge covers valuations, finding a counterpart and working through the transaction and integration.
A useful question to bring: What matters most to us about the future of our staff and clients?

You can explore all BPG programs and services, see what private consulting involves PRIVATE CONSULTING, or look more closely at buying, selling or merging an accounting practice.

What to bring to your first conversation with BPG

Bring one example from the past fortnight. “I want more time” is a fair starting point. “I spent Thursday afternoon approving six client emails my manager had already reviewed” gives us something we can work with. It tells us which task is taking your time, who is already involved and where a change might help.

If you have several partners, try answering the same question separately before you meet: What would you like to be doing less of this time next year? One partner may want fewer file reviews while another wants to give up responsibility for bringing in new clients. Knowing that early makes it easier to choose a service and agree on what progress would look like.

FAQs: working with Best Practice Group

Can I work with BPG as a sole practitioner?

Yes. We work with sole practitioners as well as multi-partner firms. If you’re thinking about your first hire, a useful starting point is to list the work you can hand over now and the work that still requires your judgement.

Does BPG work with financial planning firms?

Yes. We work with financial advisers who are building or changing their advice practices. That conversation might cover who owns client relationships, how to develop a future leader or how to prepare the practice for a change in ownership.

Can you help if I want to step back but keep my stake in the firm?

Yes. Reducing your working hours and transferring equity are separate decisions. Our succession planning and equity dilution work can help you explore who will lead the practice, when responsibilities can move and how a change in ownership might fit your plans.

Is there a way to get to know BPG before booking private consulting?

Yes. Our live events include masterclasses and Map Your Firm sessions. Established practice owners can also explore the Inner Circle Club for ongoing conversations with peers. See BPG’s upcoming live events.

Are BPG’s services only for members of a professional body?

No. Many of the firms we work with are members of CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants ANZ, but membership isn’t required. We focus on how your practice runs, not on your accreditation.

Talk to Best Practice Group about your practice

If one of these situations sounds familiar, tell us what happened the last time it came up. We can talk through where to start and which person or service fits your practice. Your first consultation is free.

Book a free strategy call with Best Practice Group or call us on 1300 274 636.