Building a Business Advisory Practice: From Compliance to Business Advisory


Date: Jul 7, 2026

CPD hours: 2 Hours

Time: 15:00 - 16:00

Event Type: Webinar

Presenter: Nestene Botha

AI and automation are squeezing compliance margins. Shift from a compliance filer to a high-value business advisor with this practical, South African-focused session. Learn to uncover hidden client opportunities , implement value-based pricing , scale your team efficiently , and ethically leverage AI —backed by IFAC, SAIPA, and IRBA research.

Overview

  • Transitioning a traditional accounting practice from purely dependable tax and compliance work into a high-value business advisory practice.
  • Software and AI are rapidly automating routine compliance and squeezing profit margins. However, compliance demand remains, creating an opportunity for firms to layer advisory services on top of their existing compliance foundation.
  • Specifically focused on the South African accounting and regulatory landscape.
  • The session is grounded in research from prominent bodies (IFAC, ICAEW, ACCA, SAIPA, and IRBA). It utilizes real-world examples, short video insights from leading practitioners, and a hands-on roadmap designed for immediate application.
  • Identifying hidden advisory work, implementing value-based and tiered pricing to escape hourly billing, scaling firm structure without practitioner burnout, and ethically leveraging AI for data governance and client insights.

Webinar Content

The webinar is structured across six fast-moving modules, broken down into the following specific units:

  • Unit 1: From Compliance to Advisory: Focuses on the case for change (driven by AI, fee pressure, and the South African "trusted advisor" mandate) and provides a jargon-free definition of business advisory.
  • Unit 2: Finding Advisory Opportunities: Teaches how to use a structured business "health check" and improved client communication to uncover and properly frame advisory work that is currently being given away for free.
  • Unit 3: Pricing and Packaging Advisory for Value: Focuses on escaping the hourly billing trap, anchoring fees to client outcomes, building tiered (bronze, silver, gold) proposals, and communicating pricing confidently and ethically.
  • Unit 4: Building a Firm to Deliver Advisory at Scale: Explores how to break the "key-person bottleneck" via role design, delegation, standardization, and niche specialization to prevent overwhelming senior staff.
  • Unit 5: Using AI to Build and Run an Advisory Firm: Covers practical, ethical ways to automate routine tasks, scale advisory methods, and sharpen client insights while maintaining data governance and professional skepticism.

Competencies Development

Participants will develop the following professional competencies:

  • Strategic Positioning of the Practice: Ability to assess the risks of running a compliance-only model and build a credible case for moving to a compliance-plus-advisory firm within the South African market context.
  • Identifying and Framing Advisory Opportunities: Proficiency in using structured tools (like business "health checks") and advanced conversation techniques to surface existing client needs and translate them into chargeable engagements.
  • Value-Based Pricing and Packaging: Mastery in moving away from hourly billing to price services based on value, design tiered proposals, and communicate fees ethically.
  • Structuring a Firm to Deliver Advisory at Scale: Skills to eliminate operational bottlenecks through role design, standardization, and delegation so advisory services can scale without overloading senior partners.
  • Applying AI to Build and Run an Advisory Practice: Competency in responsibly implementing AI tools to automate grunt work, scale advisory methodologies, and deepen client insights with proper data governance.

Presenter

Nestene Botha

Nestene Botha is a registered Chartered Accountant and the Academic Programme Leader for the BCom Accounting Programme at Mancosa. With a Masters Degree in Auditing Education, she has worked with approximately 10 higher education institutions globally and is deeply passionate about education. Nestene has a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence and its applications in the accounting profession, integrating AI and technology into her lectures and research. She is recognized as one of the top 35 under 35 Chartered Accountants in South Africa by SAICA and one of the top 50 women in accounting worldwide by Practice Ignition. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Explore ProTech, an entrepreneurial haven with the vision of saving the global economy - one small business at a time.


CPD

Attending this webinar and the successful completion of the online assessment will secure a certificate of completion for 2 hours of CPD.


Event Investment

Free for Tax Technician, Tax Practitioner, Tax Accountant CPD subscribers and Practice Packages. Not a CPD subscriber yet? Click here to register now.

  • Regular price:  R460.00
  • Group booking discounts available when you register for a group.

Payments and cancellations

  • All payments must be made by EFT or by credit card, at least three working days before commencement of an event.
  • Kindly note that should payment not be received two days after the event, legal action will be taken.
  • Proof of payment will be requested at registration if payment does not reflect in The Tax Faculty’s bank account.
  • Only written notice of cancellation will be recognized.
  • Conditions:
    • If the cancellation occurs more than four working days prior to the event no cancellation fee will be charged.
    • If the cancellation occurs less than four working days prior to the event, a 100% cancellation fee will apply.
  • Delegates who book and fail to attend will be liable for the full event fee.
  • The Tax Faculty’s liability in the case of an event being cancelled will be limited to a refund or credit of the event fee.
  • Please click here for the full terms and conditions.

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