Professional Services
Sterling Tax Group
Turned a tax practice into a year-round advisory firm with content and a client portal that retains.
- Brand
- Web
- Content
+71%
Year-round advisory revenue
Industry
Professional Services
Engagement
Brand · Web · Content
Timeline
90-day operating window
Headline result
+71% Year-round advisory revenue
The challenge
What we walked into.
Sterling did beautiful tax work but ran on a brutal seasonal curve — 70% of revenue in 14 weeks, then crickets. The brand looked like a CPA stamp from 1998, and clients had no reason to think of them outside of April.
The approach
How we ran it.
01
Workstream 1
Advisory-first reposition
Repositioned the firm around year-round tax planning and entity strategy, not just compliance — with services, packaging and language to match.
02
Workstream 2
Client portal
Shipped a secure portal for document exchange, e-signature, and a clear status feed so clients stop emailing 'is this done yet?'
03
Workstream 3
Always-on content
Built a monthly content engine — newsletters, short videos, planning checklists — timed to the IRS calendar, not the marketing one.
Measurable results
The numbers that moved.
Outcomes after 12 months
+71%
Year-round advisory revenue
63%
Clients on retainer (up from 12%)
−40%
Email volume during tax season
The compounding effect
What it unlocked.
The work didn't end at handoff — it became the operating system the team runs every day.
— ParkWest engagement notes
Sterling has hired two advisory-focused associates against the new revenue line and no longer staffs seasonal contractors during peak filing weeks.
More work
