Profit First Professionals

What Profit First Professionals does

Profit First Professionals (PFP) is a global membership and certification organization founded in 2014 by Ron Saharyan and Mike Michalowicz, the author of the best-selling book "Profit First." The organization certifies and trains accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaches in the Profit First methodology, a cash-management system that allocates revenue into separate accounts (Income, Profit, Owner's Pay, Tax, OpEx) to prioritize profitability before expenses. PFP operates as the exclusive certifier of the methodology, with global membership exceeding 500 professionals across nearly 25 countries, supported by a small internal team of 11-50 employees based in Morris County, New Jersey.

The product portfolio centers on three tiered monthly memberships (Designer invitation-only, Builder, and Master Builder) that bundle certification (Advanced or Master), training, peer community, one-to-one Guide coaching, marketing and sales enablement, and an annual conference. Adjacent products include the Profit First App for client cash-flow management, the Grow My Accounting Practice Podcast, the Client Advisory Roadmap, a Fractional CFO Training Guide, and a Money Habit Mentors sub-brand for personal finance. A core strategic partnership with Relay banking operationalizes the methodology with no-fee multi-account structures and 1% APY on Profit and Tax accounts. PFP also layers in containerized AI tooling to reinforce delivery consistency across its member network.

PFP generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly subscription fees across membership tiers, with additional licensing and certification economics. Distribution is community-led and direct, supplemented by international affiliate sites in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Go-to-market combines content marketing, podcasting, speaking engagements, email, and member referrals. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped with no disclosed venture or private equity investment.

Name

Profit First Professionals

Legal name

Profit First Professionals LLC

Website

https://profitfirstprofessionals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Profit First Professionals is a global membership organization, founded in 2014, that certifies accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaches in the Profit First cash-management methodology, serving over 500 member firms across nearly 25 countries through tiered subscriptions, certification, and a banking-integrated software ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional certification and advisory training services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education & Training Providers (EDABALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD), Small Business & Self-Employment Personal Finance (Income, Expenses, Cash Reserves) (EDAAAJAL)

Keywords

• Fractional CFO services
• Cash management methodology
• Advisory certification training
• Membership for accountants
• Small business advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain Lakes

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. Membership Subscriptions: Three-tier monthly membership (Designer, Builder, Master Builder) providing certification, training, coaching, community access, and resources for accounting/bookkeeping/coaching firms to offer Fractional CFO services using the Profit First methodology.
2. Certification in Profit First Methodology: Members receive certification (Advanced or Master levels) in the Profit First methodology as part of their membership tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Profit First Professionals is a global membership organization that recruits, certifies, and trains accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaches in the proprietary Profit First methodology so they can deliver fractional CFO advisory services to small and mid-sized businesses. The core product is a tiered monthly membership (Designer, Builder, Master Builder) that bundles certification (Advanced or Master), training, community access, business coaching from Guides, and the Profit First App for client implementation.

Product overview

Profit First Professionals is a global membership organization, not a traditional SaaS software company. Its primary product is the Profit First methodology — a cash-management system for small businesses — delivered through a tiered membership and certification program. The offering portfolio consists of: (1) the core Profit First Professionals Membership, which provides certification, training, community, coaching (via Guides), and marketing resources; (2) the Profit First App, a software tool enabling business owners to implement the methodology through bank account integration, cash flow tracking, and automated transfers; (3) tiered certification credentials (Advanced/Master) tied to Builder, Designer, and Master Builder membership levels; (4) the Relay banking partnership for Profit First-compatible business accounts; (5) the Grow My Accounting Practice Podcast; and (6) educational resources including the Fractional CFO Training Guide, Client Advisory Roadmap, Profit First Resources, and Profit First Friendly Banks directory. The Profit First App is the principal software component; all other offerings are service, training, or community-based.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Profit First App: Mobile application for cash flow management using the Profit First methodology.
• Relay (Official Banking Partner)
• Grow My Accounting Practice Podcast
• Money Habit Mentors

Products and services

• Profit First Professionals Membership A global tiered membership association (Designer, Builder, Master Builder) that certifies and trains accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaches in the proprietary Profit First methodology so they can deliver fractional CFO services to small and mid-sized businesses. Members receive certification (Advanced or Master), business-growth coaching, one-on-one Guide support, an exhaustive resource library, marketing/sales/pricing training, group accountability pods, annual conferences, and access to the Profit First App for client implementations.
• Profit First App A mobile and web application (available on iOS and Android) that enables business owners and Profit First Professionals to implement the Profit First cash-management system, including bank account setup, cash flow tracking across Income, Profit, Owner's Pay, Tax, and OpEx accounts, automated Profit First transfers, and monitoring of financial health. It is sold via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as a standalone paid product that complements the membership.
• Money Habit Mentors Certification A certification program under the Profit First Professionals sub-brand Money Habit Mentors that trains and certifies individuals to apply behavior-based principles derived from Profit First to personal household finance, enabling coaches and advisors to deliver profit-first habits to consumer clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue growth of 187% in net profit in first year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RelaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelay is an Official Banking Partner of Profit First Professionals. The partnership enables members and their clients to open up to 20 business accounts with no monthly fee, name accounts for Profit First categories (Income, Profit, Owner's Pay, Tax, OpEx), schedule automatic Profit First transfers, and earn 1% APY interest on Profit and Tax accounts. Relay provides the banking infrastructure to execute the Profit First methodology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canopy: Canopy is a practice management and client engagement platform built for accounting firms, with workflow, document, and client portal capabilities. It is comparable to PFP in serving the modernizing accounting-firm segment, though its offering is software-led rather than training/certification-led.
• TaxDome: TaxDome is an all-in-one practice management platform for accounting and tax firms, providing CRM, document management, client portal, and billing. It sells into the same accounting firm buyer PFP targets and competes for the same wallet share around firm modernization.
• Karbon: Karbon is a workflow and practice management SaaS platform built specifically for accounting firms, helping them standardize client delivery and scale advisory services. It targets the same accounting-firm buyer PFP serves and overlaps on the advisory-practice transformation thesis.
• The Abundant Accountant: The Abundant Accountant is a coaching and training membership for accounting firm owners led by Ben Robinson, focused on helping accountants build advisory practices and escape the compliance trap. It is the closest analog to PFP in target market (accounting firm owners) and business model (paid coaching community).
• Accountants Accelerator: Accountants Accelerator is a training and mentorship program designed to help accountants transition from compliance to advisory and fractional CFO services. Its mission, customer (accounting professionals), and advisory-services positioning make it a direct comparable to PFP's training and certification business.
• Sleeter Group: Sleeter Group is a long-standing accounting technology consulting community that helps accountants adopt modern tools and advisory workflows. It overlaps with PFP on helping accountants modernize away from compliance-only models.
• Future Firm: Future Firm is a training and community organization helping accounting firms build advisory practices through marketing, pricing, and service-line education. It targets the same accounting-firm buyer PFP recruits and overlaps on the advisory-transformation curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• Bill.com: Bill.com is a financial operations platform for SMBs that integrates closely with accountants and bookkeepers. It shares PFP's customer ecosystem (SMBs and their accountants) and the thesis of automating cash and expense workflows, but operates at a much larger scale.
• CPA.com: CPA.com is the AICPA's commercial arm providing technology, practice resources, and advisory transformation programs to CPA firms. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with PFP on helping accounting firms adopt advisory services, but at a larger scale and with the AICPA brand.
• Intuit QuickBooks: Intuit QuickBooks is the dominant cloud accounting platform serving SMBs and the accountants who advise them. Its accountant channel (QuickBooks ProAdvisor program) competes for the same professionals PFP recruits and offers its own training, certification, and advisory enablement content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profit-first-professionals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Profit First Professionals