Customer Story

JSC Advisers

JSC Advisers

A Lewisburg, Pennsylvania-based firm, JSC Advisors offers a full spectrum of tax, accounting and advisory services. Starting out as a father-son business, the firm has transformed over the years, adopting leading technologies that support premium client service and security.

The back story

Jeremy St. Clair, CPA and Principal at JSC Advisers took his career down a familiar path. He started out at a large firm, but soon found that working for one of the “big guys” wasn’t for him. After leaving, he did some consulting work on his own until he finally landed at his father’s small firm.

“Working for a big firm didn’t put me close to clients, and that’s what I wanted. Working for my dad gave me that small business experience I needed. This helped me a great deal when I decided to buy my own practice,” Jeremy recalled.

While becoming a firm owner was the right move, Jeremy admitted that he needed help moving out of old, traditional habits. “I learned so much from my dad, but I found myself going down a few of the same paths as he did…like working long hours and taking on a lot of the work myself. I knew that I had to make some big changes.”

Change started when he joined Rightworks Academy.

“Rightworks Academy truly changed my life, because it changed my perception of what my firm could be. When I started with Rightworks, I knew I needed to make changes to my firm, but I didn’t know where to start. I quickly got the answers that changed the culture of my firm and helped bring my team together to build a business we could all be proud of.”

“Rightworks Academy truly changed my life, because it changed my perception of what my firm could be. When I started with Rightworks, I knew I needed to make changes to my firm, but I didn’t know where to start. I quickly got the answers that changed the culture of my firm and helped bring my team together to build a business we could all be proud of.”

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Getting the answers he needed to build a modern firm

The experience he gained working directly with clients at his dad’s firm was what gave Jeremy the confidence and passion to operate his own. But he learned quickly that he would need to build a very different kind of firm. He just didn’t know where to start.

“I needed answers. I was very overwhelmed and began praying for direction on my firm and my life. I remember doing a basic Google search to figure out how I should price engagements. From there, I stumbled on to Rightworks, so I kept digging because I really liked what they were saying,” Jeremy stated. “I felt like they were talking directly to me; they understood my challenges. I felt like they could really help me.”

Jeremy went on to read “The Intentional Accountant,” a book authored by Darren Root, Chief Strategist of Rightworks. “He was telling my story. Everything he talked about with starting his own firm was what I was going through—long hours, being tied to working in my firm…all of it. It really resonated with me.”

After attending his first Rightworks event at the company’s dedicated Indianapolis member learning center, Jeremy said he was inspired. He received the dose of motivation he needed to turn his firm around.

“I was very frustrated coming into the event. And I could see that my frustration was rubbing off on my staff. This weighed heavy on my mind. Within the first day of listening to Darren and his team, I was inspired to turn things around,” Jeremy said.

And he did just that.

Jeremy began making changes immediately after returning from the event, and quickly saw positive results. This included seeing his staff excited and empowered again.

“I started by creating a clear vision for my firm, and then I shared it with my staff. They all bought in. We were a team again. As we built the firm together, staff felt empowered, and I could finally see that I was making the right changes and building a very different firm. For the first time in a while, I was excited again about my firm.”

“When you make your staff part of the process, it really changes the culture. It helped bring my team together to build a business we could all be proud of,” Jeremy said.

Final words…

The “old way” of running a firm simply does not work for those looking to build a scalable, profitable, long-term practice. Jeremy St. Clair knew this, and he did something about it.

“I live by Rightworks’ mantra: ‘Build a business that supports the life you want to live.’ And that’s what I am doing,” Jeremy stated.

Since joining Rightworks Academy, Jeremy St. Clair reported that he has built a business with an exceptionally positive culture—where staff feel empowered to help implement change and improve the firm, and where clients see the value of their services. And that’s exactly why he’s grown from just 2 to 14 staff members strong.

“I know we still have a ways to go. Building a successful firm takes time. But today my staff is happy, and we are all well on our way to living the lives we want. My prayers were answered. I give a great deal of credit to my membership in Rightworks Academy for getting us to where we are today!”