When Madeline Reeves, with Fearless Foundry, launched Advisory Amplified, she wanted to revive something the accounting profession hadn’t seen in a while: small, hands-on roadshows where firms could roll up their sleeves and learn how to transform their practices. “Ten years ago was the firm of the future roadshow,” Reeves said. “It was a really interesting time in the profession. And I think that the time that we're in now kind of mirrors that.”
The new series, Advisory Amplified, spans six cities, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Atlanta, and Boston, and gives accountants a full day to learn how to move from compliance to advisory. “It was a bit inspired by spending some time with some folks that I used to roadshow with,” Reeves said. “I just told him, I really feel like we were making an impact. What if we were to bring that idea back?”
Each stop focuses on the “how” of advisory, including how to productize services, price them effectively, and deliver client conversations with confidence. “Firms are walking away with a 40-page workbook that has exercises that match all the content that they're learning during the day,” Reeves said. “People are saying, I'm going to go sit down with all my team members. We're going to go through this content together.”
Reeves said one surprise was how many attendees were meeting peers in their own cities for the first time. “Most people do not know each other,” she said. “What I love about what we're seeing is that people are not just coming and learning from us. They're learning from each other and they're building community right there in their local region.”
Much of the program’s energy comes from guided exercises and candid discussions with industry leaders such as Keila Hill-Trawick and Valerie Heckman. “One of the other things that has resonated a lot with folks is we're doing these hands-on exercises around productizing advisory as a service,” Reeves explained. “It's taking things from being theoretical and esoteric to really figuring out how would you implement that as a service structure.”
She noted that many accountants “are doing what my friend Geni Whitehouse refers to as random acts of consulting.” The goal, Reeves said, is to help firms recognize the advisory work they already perform and “figure out how would you implement that as a service structure.”
Reeves also sees artificial intelligence as a turning point for the advisory profession. “I really feel like there is a continuance of this conversation that wouldn't have been possible even three years ago if it wasn't for the introduction of AI,” she said. “Suddenly you have this ability to create that meeting agenda, deliver those follow up tasks, create an SOP for the team.”
She said firms are “unlocking the power of AI for advisory services” and seeing tools emerge that “will not only build the agenda, build the follow up, build all the takeaway resources.”
For Reeves, the broader mission is about empowering accountants to design practices that align with their lives. “It is about building the practice that's right for you,” she said. “It’s not up to a tech company or an industry influencer or even me as a creative consultant that works with firms to tell you the kind of practice you're here to lead.”
She sees technology and advisory together as a chance for a renaissance in accounting.
“I think we're going to see a real shift where there's going to be a lot of smaller firms that are able to be highly successful because they're going to be able to deliver really quality services that are rooted in deep relationships,” Reeves said.
After six in-person stops, Advisory Amplified will conclude with a virtual event on November 18. “We did make the decision as a team that we would like to do a virtual version of this event,” Reeves said. “People will get the workbook, people will get the five CPE credits. I'm just really excited for this opportunity to bring it to an even bigger audience.”
Reeves added that the timing is intentional: “Firms are in this really critical moment in Q4 where we're assessing what are the services we're going to offer next year, what are the tech or processes that we need to put in place, who are the clients that worked well and who are the clients that we're ready to say goodbye to.”
Her hope, she said, is to help firms step into 2026 with clarity and confidence.
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This article was written with the assistance of AI and edited by a human.