Onboarding that's finished on a checklist, not a feeling.
The Onboarding Edit is the onboarding system my firm runs, from the client's yes to their Initial Insights meeting. Five stages, a clear owner at every step, a 30 day boundary the client hears about up front, and a defined moment when onboarding is actually done.
- Six modules
- 15 downloads
- Up to 3.5 verifiable CPD hours
One time payment plus applicable tax. One year of access, starting right away.
The client said yes. Then it got messy.
Documents trickle in for a month. The client emails you directly because you answered them directly the first time. Three weeks in, someone notices their GST filings are behind and nobody asked. Onboarding never really finishes. It just quietly turns into the file.
Here's what you might have said this year.
- “We're still waiting on documents from a client who signed a month ago.”
- “Every new client ends up emailing me directly.”
- “It depends who handled the file that week.”
- “Nobody told them that was extra.”
- “We set them up, and then we didn't talk again until year end.”
You trained them. You just didn't do it on purpose. Onboarding is the only window where you can set the standard.
Hi, I'm Michelle.
I built this system in my own firm. I teach it. I believe in it. And I still catch myself trying to get around it.
There are days a document is missing and I think, don't worry about it, I'll sort it out later, let's just move the file forward. My admin's answer is the same every single time. No. We built it this way for a reason.
She's right. The standard is the same for every client, and that's what makes the system work for the hundredth client and not just the first. It took years of evolving it, making mistakes and late nights to get here. It's all in this course, including how we run it in Financial Cents and how to run the same system with nothing more than Word and email.
Michelle
Six modules, in the order they build.
Work through them in order the first time. After that, each one is a reference you come back to when you refine your intake, tighten up how you collect documents and CRA access, or a file stalls in the middle.
WelcomeWelcome to The Onboarding Edit
How the course is built, a short video on why I built this system (The Messy Middle, about four minutes), and your pre work. The course stands alone, so you don't need The Lead Edit first.
Module 1Why Your Onboarding Process Is Costing You
The onboarding window, the first few weeks when your client learns how you operate, and the five training failures that quietly teach them the wrong things. No downloads on purpose. This one is the diagnosis.
Module 2The Onboarding System
A short video, then the whole frame: where onboarding starts, who owns what in a solo firm, a firm with admin support and a firm with managers, the five stages and what closes each one, and the completion signal. Then two clients, a corporation switching firms and a first year sole proprietor, run through all five stages side by side.
Module 3The Onboarding Questionnaire
The heaviest module. The four sections every questionnaire has, why every question has to earn its place, four kinds of conditional logic, where the engagement letter lives, and what each answer sets in motion. Two worked walkthroughs, then you adapt one template into a working draft.
Downloads: Corporate, Sole Proprietor, Personal Tax and Bookkeeping Questionnaires, Jordan and Apex Questionnaire Walkthroughs, Onboarding Tooling Maturity Ladder
Module 4Authorization and Documents
The lighter one. Why the signed engagement letter is the start line, CRA authorization in plain language, four principles for collecting documents, and what to collect from each client type.
Downloads: CRA Authorization Instructions, Onboarding Document Checklist
Module 5Holding the Line
Why the middle drifts, the nudge cadence with or without a CRM, Stage 4 partner review and the green, yellow and red stoplight, the 30 minute Initial Insights meeting, and the call you make at Day 30: a final push, a pause, or a close out.
Downloads: Onboarding Email Templates, Onboarding Complete Email
Module 6Implementation
The rollout order, front to back, the three mistakes that derail it, and one decision: the date you start.
ClosingWrap Up
Where to go next, and the Download Library with every file in one place.
Things you'll actually build and keep.
- Four lists, one for each client type you onboard: everything you need every single time, no exceptions.
- One working onboarding questionnaire for the client type that matters most to your firm right now.
- Your CRA authorization instructions, with your firm name and identifier filled in.
- Your document checklist by client type, trimmed to your actual practice.
- A 30 day boundary statement in your own voice for your first document request.
- A stoplight colour on every existing client, and a start date on your calendar.
The downloads
- Four onboarding questionnaires (corporate, sole proprietor, personal tax and bookkeeping), each as a clean Word file and a version with the logic notes
- Jordan Questionnaire Walkthrough and Apex Questionnaire Walkthrough
- Onboarding Tooling Maturity Ladder
- CRA Authorization Instructions
- Onboarding Document Checklist
- Onboarding Email Templates (four templates)
- Onboarding Complete Email
Fifteen files in all. They're starting points to make your own, not forms to copy.
Up to 3.5 verifiable CPD hours
Based on the lessons, downloads and video in the course. You get a certificate when you complete it.
This doesn't include the time you spend applying it in your own firm, which you can log as unverifiable CPD.
How to work through it. Modules 2 and 3 are the longest because they're the core of the system, so do Modules 1 and 2 in your first session. Once you start, most firms have the front end in place within a week, and the full system runs on a real client within 30 to 60 days, depending on when the next one signs.
“As an accountant myself, I know how we think. You'll want everything to be technically perfect before you start. Resist that for now.”
Before you enrol
Do I need special software?
No. The questionnaire templates are Word documents, and the Tooling Maturity Ladder walks through five levels, from plain Word and email up to full automation. My firm uses Jotform and Financial Cents and I show you how, but this isn't a software course. The system works in any tool.
Do I need The Lead Edit first?
No. The Onboarding Edit picks up the moment a proposal goes out, and it stands alone. If you've taken The Lead Edit, it hands off exactly where that one ends.
Is this right for a solo firm owner?
Yes. The course maps the work for a solo practitioner, a small firm with admin support and a larger firm with managers. Solo, you run both tracks for now, and the admin side is ready to hand off the day you hire.
How is it delivered, and how long do I have access?
The Onboarding Edit is self paced and online, with immediate access to every module. You have one year of access from your purchase date, including any updates made in that time.
Does this count toward my CPD?
Yes. The Onboarding Edit qualifies for up to 3.5 verifiable CPD hours, based on the lessons, downloads and video in the course, and you get a certificate when you complete it. Time you spend applying the material in your own firm is real learning too, and you can log it as unverifiable CPD. Check your own professional body's requirements for how to record it.
Do you offer payment plans?
Not right now. The Onboarding Edit is a one time payment of $1,497 CAD plus applicable sales tax.
What's your refund policy?
All sales are final. Because it's a digital course and you get access right away, we can't offer refunds. Please read our Terms and Conditions and send us any questions before you enrol.
I have a question that isn't answered here.
Email us at support@buildthefirmco.com and we'll help before you decide.
From November 2, every Edit is also part of The Full Firm Edit: all six Edits together for $6,497 CAD plus applicable tax, with one year of access.
Give every new client the same good start.
All sales are final. By enrolling you agree to our Terms and Conditions, including the no refund policy. Access starts as soon as you buy.
Built by Michelle Arnason, CPA, owner of Arnason Accounting & Co., a team of seven in Airdrie, Alberta.