How Steve Tonkin & Company Is Building a Future-Ready Accounting Firm with Digits

Steve Tonkin & Company is a small, family-run accounting firm based in the Denver area, focused exclusively on bookkeeping, accounting, and controllership services. Led by owner Steve Tonkin, the firm serves small businesses seeking responsive, high-quality financial support without the complexity of tax preparation services.

With more than 20 years of accounting experience and over 40 years working with accounting systems, Steve’s mission is simple: deliver efficient, high-value accounting services while remaining accessible and responsive to clients.

“I look at accounting as more of a verb than a noun,” Steve explains. “If a client needs help, we’re there to provide it.”

By adopting Digits, Steve is increasing operational efficiency, reducing administrative friction, and building a firm designed to scale without sacrificing personalized service.

The Challenge: Inefficiencies Slowing Productivity

Before adopting Digits, Steve relied heavily on QuickBooks Online and Excel. While functional, these tools introduced significant inefficiencies—especially as platform performance and support challenges increased.

By January of this year alone, Steve had spent 12–15 hours on QuickBooks support calls—time that couldn’t be billed to clients. While five to six seconds per action may seem minor, multiplied across hundreds of transactions and dozens of client accounts, the delay became significant.

“When you’re working through a large number of transactions, those seconds add up quickly,” Steve notes. “It became clear that I needed a more efficient solution.”

What should have been value-added client time was increasingly being consumed by outdated platform friction.

Discovering Digits

Steve first learned about Digits through an episode of Jason Staats’ The Accounting Podcast. Intrigued by its AI-driven approach and streamlined workflows, he began evaluating the platform as a potential replacement for traditional accounting tools.

“That podcast was all it took,” he says. “I started researching Digits immediately and realized it offered the efficiency I’d been looking for.”

Early Impact: Faster Workflows and Greater Efficiency

Although still in the early stages of transitioning clients, Steve has already observed meaningful improvements in his firm’s operations:

• 20% immediate time savings simply by moving away from legacy systems

• Projected 30–50% overall efficiency gains as client adoption scales

• Faster reconciliation workflows and more responsive reporting

“The reconciliation process alone is significantly faster,” Steve explains. “Everything is more intuitive and efficient.”

With five clients already on Digits and plans to onboard additional clients throughout the year, Steve expects the majority of new business to run entirely on the platform.

“My goal is to grow beyond 30 clients this year, with most new clients using Digits from the start.”

Strengthening Client Relationships Through Innovation

Digits has also enhanced Steve’s ability to serve clients more effectively. By reducing administrative workload, he can respond quickly to client inquiries, often within four hours, and focus more on strategic insights.

Clients have responded positively to the transition, particularly appreciating the improved visibility into their financial data, including up-to-date balances, spending trends, and reconciled transactions without waiting for end-of-month reports.

“When clients see the system, they like it immediately. It gives them clearer, more timely insight than they had before.”

Additionally, introducing Digits has helped position Steve as a forward-thinking advisor, generating new opportunities through referrals and professional networks.

A Vision for the Future of Accounting

Steve believes the accounting profession is entering a transformative period driven by automation and real-time financial data, and for him, this shift isn’t theoretical, it’s strategic positioning.

“Firms that adopt AI and modern platforms will stay competitive,” he says. “Those that don’t will find themselves buried in manual work and forced to compete on price.”

For Steve, Digits represents a foundation for the future—not only for his firm but for the next generation, as he builds a practice his family may one day continue.

“My goal is to build something sustainable and efficient—something that allows us to focus on our clients, not repetitive tasks.”

Why Digits Stands Out

After evaluating alternatives such as Xero, Wave, FreshBooks, and enterprise-level ERP systems, Steve found Digits to be the first platform in decades that meaningfully improves the core accounting workflow rather than layering new features onto old architecture.

“In over 40 years working with accounting software, Digits is the first solution that feels like a fresh breath of air.”

By delivering real-time financial visibility and streamlined processes, Digits enables Steve and his clients to make faster, more informed decisions, moving beyond static reports and toward proactive financial management.

The Verdict

Steve actively recommends Digits to other accounting professionals and small business advisors seeking greater efficiency and insight.

“For most firms and small businesses, there’s no reason not to adopt Digits. It’s efficient, intuitive, and built for the future.”

Ready to Build a More Efficient Accounting Firm?

Like Steve, you can streamline workflows, reduce administrative drag, and build a future-ready accounting firm.

If you’re ready to modernize your firm and eliminate the friction holding back your growth, Digits is built for you.