Acceler8

What Acceler8 does

Acceler8 is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, providing tax preparation, accounting, and business advisory services to small business owners and individuals in the Phoenix metro area. Founded in 2005 by Kjell Andreassen and currently operating as a four-advisor team under the Arizona Business Advisors LLC umbrella, the firm expanded materially in 2010 when Michael A. Johnston, CPA, MBA — a practitioner with accounting experience dating to 1982 — combined his prior firm (Michael A. Johnston, CPA PC) into Acceler8 as Principal and Managing Partner. There is no proprietary technology underlying the offering; service delivery is human-advisor-led and supported by standard small-firm tools including a WordPress website, a ConvergePay payment gateway, and a SecureFilePro client document portal.

The service portfolio spans core compliance work (tax preparation and planning, accounting, bookkeeping guidance, compilations and reviews) and a suite of higher-value advisory modules including Key Points Business Plan, Strategies for Growth, Financial Performance Improvement, Sales Performance, Business Coaching, Internet Marketing, and Maximizing Transferable Value (exit planning). Revenue is generated through professional service fees billed on engagement-by-engagement or ongoing advisory terms, with a complimentary initial consultation serving as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism. The go-to-market is sales-led and regional: lead generation relies on direct outreach, Tempe Chamber of Commerce membership (held since 2007, including Board and Ambassadors Committee roles), Facebook community engagement, an educational blog, and an RSS newsletter. Named testimonial customers are SMBs across law, business services, franchise, and financial services, with no enterprise anchor accounts disclosed.

Acceler8 is registered as Acceler8 LLC in Arizona, is bootstrapped with no external institutional funding or M&A activity beyond the 2010 CPA-firm combination, and operates as the parent entity for JumpStartBiz, a semi-virtual business accelerator managed by the same ownership group. The firm maintains a single physical office (4409 S Rural Rd #202, Tempe, AZ 85282), carries no patents or disclosed certifications, and is led day-to-day by Johnston and Andreassen with no publicly disclosed broader management bench.

Name

Acceler8

Legal name

Acceler8 LLC

Website

https://acceler8.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Acceler8 is a privately held Tempe, Arizona-based professional services firm providing integrated tax preparation, accounting, and business advisory services to small business owners and individuals, delivered by a four-advisor team across the Phoenix metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting and Business Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Operations Support (Indirect Tax, Withholding, Compliance Admin) (BPAAAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Ledger & Close (Journal Entries, Month-End Close, Reconciliations) (BPAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Business advisory services
• Small business accounting
• CPA firm services
• Financial planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation & Planning Services: Tax preparation and planning services for individuals and businesses. Revenue generated through professional service fees for tax return preparation, tax planning consultations, and ongoing tax advisory services.
2. Accounting Services (Compilations & Reviews): Assurance services including financial statement compilations and reviews. Compilations present management's financial representations without opinion; reviews provide limited assurance through analytical procedures.
3. Business Advisory & Consulting: Business advisory services including business planning, strategy development, financial performance improvement, sales performance, business coaching, and exit planning. These are ongoing advisory engagements with business owners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Acceler8 is a Tempe, Arizona-based CPA and business advisory firm providing an integrated suite of tax preparation and planning, accounting (including compilations and reviews), and business advisory services designed for small business owners. The firm also serves individual tax clients and delivers specialized offerings such as strategic business planning, growth strategies, financial performance improvement, sales performance, business coaching, exit planning, and bookkeeping guidance.

Product overview

Acceler8 is a single-source business advisory firm offering integrated tax, accounting, and business advisory services designed for small business owners. The core offering consists of Tax Preparation & Planning and Accounting Services, supported by Business Advisory services. The service portfolio includes multiple specialized modules: Key Points Business Plan (strategic planning), Strategies for Growth (growth consulting), Financial Performance Improvement, Sales Performance Services, Business Coaching, Maximizing Transferable Value (exit planning), Compilations & Reviews (financial assurance), Bookkeeping Services, and Internet Marketing Services. These services are delivered through a consulting/advisory model rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Preparation & Planning Tax preparation and planning services for individuals and businesses, providing personalized attention throughout the tax return process and ongoing tax advisory.
• Accounting Services Business accounting services including financial statements, budgeting, financial planning, and assistance keeping stockholders and creditors informed for small business clients.
• Business Advisory Ongoing business support program helping entrepreneurs and small business owners realize goals through practical advice, ideas, and hands-on tactics to increase revenues, profits, and transferable business value.
• Compilations & Reviews Financial statement services providing different levels of CPA assurance, ranging from management-representation compilations to analytical procedure-based reviews for small businesses.
• Bookkeeping Services Bookkeeping support and guidance for small businesses, covering accounting systems, daily records, and software usage.
• Business Coaching Coaching for business owners covering sales, marketing, management, and team building, delivered through hands-on mentoring and day-to-day advice.
• Maximizing Transferable Value (Exit Planning) Exit planning services that identify value drivers and maximize business value in preparation for sale or transfer to a new owner.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client doubled sales in short order through business planning process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tempe Chamber of CommercecoreOthersAcceler8 has been a proud member of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce since 2007. The Chamber has been supporting Tempe's business community for over a century. Acceler8 actively supports the community through Board of Directors service, Chair of the Ambassadors Committee, participation in Coffee Connections Leads Group, and serving as Mentor in the Women in Business mentoring program.
• The Centers for Habilitation (TCH)minorOthersNon-profit organization serving disabled community members. Acceler8 hosts annual Benefit BBQ events supporting TCH, raising funds ($500 per event) and hosting document shredding services (ASDD Document Destruction, a division of TCH) that collected nearly 1,700 pounds of paper at events.
• JumpStartBizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJumpStartBiz is a public & private partnership business accelerator managed by Arizona Business Advisors LLC (the entity that Acceler8 operates under). Acceler8 serves as the parent entity providing consultancy services while JumpStartBiz is a semi-virtual incubator helping develop jobs and economic growth in Fountain Hills and surrounding areas.
• Arizona Business Advisors LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArizona Business Advisors LLC is the operating entity that Acceler8 is a partner in. The entity also operates JumpStartBiz and comprises the staff of CPAs and business advisors. Kjell Andreassen is Managing Partner.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• H&R Block: Largest U.S. retail tax preparation chain serving individuals and small businesses. Comparable to Acceler8 in delivering tax preparation and planning services to SMB and consumer clients, though at vastly greater scale and through a franchise/retail model rather than integrated advisory.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm providing tax, audit, wealth advisory, and consulting to private businesses and individuals. Comparable in serving owner-led SMBs with integrated tax and advisory services, though at significantly larger scale and with deeper specialty practices.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: National tax preparation chain operating through retail locations and franchisees. Comparable in offering tax preparation and planning to individuals and small businesses, though without the integrated business advisory component that differentiates Acceler8.
• Intuit TurboTax Live: Dominant DIY tax preparation software platform with a paid human-assist tier (TurboTax Live). Competes directly with Acceler8 on individual and small business tax preparation, offering a lower-cost alternative that pressures the firm's basic compliance pricing.
• BDO USA: Global accounting and advisory firm serving middle-market and SMB clients across industries. Comparable to Acceler8 in offering tax preparation, financial statement services, and business advisory, though with dramatically broader capabilities and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• AccountingDepartment.com: Outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services provider for small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable to Acceler8's accounting and bookkeeping offerings, but delivered as a scalable subscription service rather than a local CPA-led engagement.
• 1-800Accountant: Virtual accounting and tax service for small businesses and entrepreneurs, offering ongoing bookkeeping, tax preparation, and advisory support. Comparable to Acceler8's SMB target market and core tax/accounting offering, but delivered via a tech-enabled remote model rather than local in-person advisory.

Direct peers

• Anders CPAs + Advisors: Mid-sized regional CPA firm offering integrated tax, accounting, and business advisory services to privately held businesses and individuals. Closely mirrors Acceler8's single-source CPA + advisory model and SMB target market, but at significantly larger scale and multi-city footprint.
• Eide Bailly: Top-25 U.S. accounting firm providing tax, audit, and advisory services to mid-market businesses and individuals. Comparable to Acceler8 in combining traditional CPA services with business advisory (including exit planning and growth consulting) for owner-led companies.
• Wipfli: Major regional CPA and advisory firm focused on middle-market companies and SMBs across multiple industries. Comparable integrated tax + accounting + advisory service stack and similar SMB/owner-led client focus to Acceler8.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acceler8

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acceler8