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Welcome back to Session 11 of the Kelly+Partners Progress Pyramid.

This one’s about growth—and how to do it in a real, practical way.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve visited hundreds of businesses. Owners tell me all kinds of stories about what’s going on. But when I look at the scoreboard—the numbers—it often says, “You could be doing better.”

So how do we grow? Simple:
We master the basics.

Start with your USP – Your Unique Selling Proposition

Every business needs a clear USP. It answers two questions:

• Do you know how or what we do?

• Is that of interest to you?

Here’s how we frame ours at Kelly+Partners:

The problem:

• Your current accountant doesn’t give you forward-looking advice

• They don’t ask questions you haven’t thought of

• They’re hard to reach

• They send surprise bills

• There’s no system to help you reach your goals

Our solution:

• Forward-looking advice

• 24/6 access

• Fixed fees (no surprises)

• A structured Flight Plan to help you hit your targets

And the end result?

“We’ll make you Better Off.”

Once you’ve got your USP, write it down. Then teach it to every person in your business—front desk, admin, drivers—everyone.

A low-cost way to grow fast

When we started, we had $200K in fees.
Today we’re tracking at $90M+.

Here’s a no-cost strategy that helped us scale:

1. Make a list of everyone you know

   • Export your phone contacts

   • Pull connections from LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

   • Include family, friends, service providers, colleagues

2. Add people you know of

   • Your doctor, dentist, hairdresser

   • Sports teammates, real estate agents, neighbours

   • People from your gym, club, church

3. Decide to turn everyone you spend money with into a client—or get a referral

   • Ask: “Do you have a great accountant?”

   • If not, offer to help

That’s how I approach it. Every time I spend money, I ask for a chance to earn it back.
Every street is an opportunity to meet a new client.

What if they say no?

Some people say:

“I can’t ask my friends or family to be clients.”

If your family doesn’t want to work with you—who would?

Use them to practice your pitch. Worst case? They say no.
Best case? They help you improve, or even say yes.

Repetition builds confidence.
The more you explain your value, the more belief you build in what you do.

Use stories—they're more powerful than scripts

Think of it like this:
Even Jesus had 12 disciples and great stories.

You’re not Jesus—so you’ll need more stories and more people.

• Write down 3–4 real client stories

• Share what the person’s problem was

• Explain what you did and how it helped

• Teach these stories to your team

Don’t overthink it. This isn’t “selling”—it’s just explaining the difference you make.

Build your referral tree

• Start with one person who referred a client

• List everyone they referred

• Then ask: “Was that valuable for you?”

• If yes, say: “Would you be willing to do the same for someone else?”

People want to help. They just need to be asked.

Final thought

You get in life what you ask for.

There’s a reason it says:

“Ask, and you shall receive.”

That’s not just a quote—it’s a principle.

If you’re not asking, you’re not growing.
And if you’re afraid to ask, maybe it’s because you haven’t done the work yet. That’s okay—but start there.

Once you’ve done the work and believe in the difference you make—get out there.
Ask.
Explain.
Grow.

Hope that makes sense.