How AR & B Advisors Transformed Their Practice

Founded in 1990, AR & B Advisors is a Perth based accounting firm that has grown steadily over the past three decades. Adam Passmore joined in 2004 and became a partner in 2008, helping lead the business through a phase of expansion by acquisition between 2006 and 2015.

From a typical suburban practice with 15 staff, AR & B has evolved into a dynamic advisory focused firm driven by innovation, technology, and a commitment to staying ahead of the curve in an increasingly digital profession.

The Turning Point: From Compliance to Advisory

By 2015, the firm faced a major turning point when one of the founding partners passed away. With just two partners left, AR & B Advisors found itself navigating operational and strategic challenges. Organic growth was hard to achieve, and the team was searching for a new direction.

The breakthrough came in 2018 when the firm started piloting forward-looking advisory services with select clients. Shifting from purely tax and compliance to offering real-time reporting, budgeting, and strategic advice sparked new conversations and deeper relationships with clients.

That pilot program led to the development of AR & B’s quarterly advisory product, essentially a VCFO service. Clients responded positively, and within a year, demand grew rapidly. Advisory services became a core revenue stream.

Scaling Up: Challenges in Growth and Resourcing

As the advisory side of the business grew, so did the need for internal transformation. AR & B Advisors invested in training, brought in a business coach, rebranded, and restructured. Partners Adam and Mark moved into strategic operational leadership roles. The firm also introduced new bundled service offerings and overhauled its marketing strategy.

However, with demand growing faster than internal capacity, the firm faced a new challenge: how to scale sustainably without compromising service quality.

Working Smarter: Technology and Transformation with FYI

For years, AR & B had operated on legacy systems, which proved restrictive and costly. IT overheads were high, and the system didn’t integrate well with cloud-based tools like Xero.

The decision to move to the cloud was critical. With the business merger and a clearer strategic vision, AR & B Advisors transitioned to Xero as their core accounting platform and implemented FYI, a purpose-built document and practice management system for accountants.

“Moving to FYI was a game-changer. It removed the friction of outdated systems and gave us the flexibility and automation we needed to work more efficiently.”
Adam Passmore
AR & B
  • Move away from a terminal server environment, and dramatically reduce IT support costs
  • Easily collaborate across teams based in Australia and Philippines
  • Streamline workflows using automations
  • Free up valuable time for higher-value client work
  • Set the stage for further tech integration and process automation

The transition wasn’t without its hurdles, but the efficiency gains and scalability it enabled were well worth it.

Unlocking Growth with BASE Global Solutions

As part of their strategy to scale and meet growing demand, AR & B Advisors turned to BASE Global who provide offshore staffing solutions for accounting firms.

While the idea of offshoring had been considered in the past, it wasn’t until the post-COVID resourcing crunch in WA that the firm decided to act. With recruitment proving difficult locally, BASE Global helped AR & B quickly build out a reliable offshore team in the Philippines.

“Partnering with BASE gave us immediate access to experienced, scalable talent something that had become incredibly hard to find onshore.”

Today, AR & B has 8 offshore staff through BASE Global, supporting everything from compliance work to bookkeeping. This has allowed the local team to:

  • Focus on advisory and client relationships
  • Maintain service levels during high growth
  • Scale without a proportional increase in onshore costs
  • Build a stronger, more diverse team culture

BASE Global also provided structured onboarding and support, making the offshoring process seamless.

With the combined power of FYI and BASE Global, AR & B Advisors has:

  • Doubled advisory revenue in the post covid period
  • Grown its full-time equivalent (FTE) team significantly, without increasing IT overheads
  • Enhanced client service delivery while onboarding new clients
  • Built internal capability by establishing an advisory team to deliver advisory services

They’ve gone from a partner-centric model to a team-based advisory approach, empowering staff to take ownership of client relationships.

The next phase includes:

  • Refining internal reporting systems for better visibility on jobs and WIP
  • Continuing to leverage automation through FYI and their broader app stack
  • Further developing their brand and market presence
  • Building out strategic marketing to better reflect who they are and the value they provide
“We’re not finished yet but we’ve laid the foundations. With the right systems, the right people, and the right support, we can focus on what matters most: helping clients grow and building a sustainable business for the future.”

Book in for a Platform Tour to learn more about how FYI could help transform your business, or contact Base Global.