The Winery Accountant: Zane Stevens On Building a 7-Figure Niche Firm

From 100-hour workweeks to building a firm with 40 team members across two continents — Zane Stevens has built something truly unique in the accounting world.   Originally from South Africa, Zane moved to California and started his firm in 2014 with just a handful of clients and no formal marketing plan. Fast forward to today, and his firm, Protea Financial, serves over 170 wineries with $3.6M in annual revenue — all while operating fully remote, with a hybrid US–South Africa team structure.  In this episode of the 7 Figure Accountant podcast, Zane shares how he:   Transitioned from doing it all to building a business that thrives without him Doubled down on the wine industry and created deep operational expertise Replaced himself in every area — from delivery to leadership — without sacrificing growth Built a high-performing business focused on people, systems, and long-term sustainability   Whether you're niching down or trying to step out of the day-to-day, tune in now to hear Nick Sinclair’s conversation with Zane. It’s packed with lessons for firm owners who are ready to roadmap their scaling strategy.