Bryce Morrison joins Nick to unpack how he went from a public accounting path at a growing Boise-area firm to launching Blacksmith CPA, a niche practice focused exclusively on nonprofit tax and compliance work. He shares how his early exposure to nonprofit returns showed him a gap in the market, why he left his prior firm without taking clients, and what it was like starting from scratch in May 2025 with no book of business. Bryce breaks down how joining state nonprofit associations became his best client acquisition strategy, especially through referral partners like bookkeepers, grant writers, auditors, and other nonprofit service providers, while LinkedIn and Facebook groups proved far less effective for generating quality leads. The conversation also covers his service mix, including Form 990 compliance, state filings, exempt organization formation, bookkeeping support through a subcontractor, and helping smaller nonprofits build stronger financial policies, procedures, and internal controls. Bryce walks through his tech stack, including CCH Axcess, CCH Engagement Essentials, Microsoft tools, QBO, and TaxDome, plus how he prices tax work as fixed-fee projects and handles bookkeeping or advisory work more hourly. They also dig into the realities of capacity planning in a new firm, why Bryce wants to avoid the traditional public accounting “sweatshop” model, how quickly steady work arrived after months of client hunting, and his evolving decision to hire rather than stay solo. They wrap with lessons on niche positioning, saying no to poor-fit clients, nonprofit conference booths as a referral engine, and the freedom that comes from building a firm around family, focused work, and a better version of public accounting. To connect with Bryce, visit his firm's website: https://blacksmith-cpa.com/ or follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brmorri If you would like to connect with us visit: https://sagaaccounting.com/ or to appear on the show, fill out a guest application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoshMXYliGh_4tU3OrHw2EjsVwZu3k8KbPi8fRMTCVjca1ig/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=102990742476444666854
