RMI LLP was founded in Calgary in 2011 with one thing in mind: be the kind of accounting firm that business owners actually want to call.
Not just at tax time, but when they are making big decisions, structuring their business, navigating a CRA audit, or figuring out how to grow without drowning in complexity.
Fifteen years later, the firm has grown every single year expanding from core tax and accounting into U.S./Canada cross-border taxation, assurance, crypto and e-commerce accounting, and strategic advisory work. Today RMI operates as a four-partner firm serving corporate and individual clients across Canada and the United States.
On the occasion of the firm’s 15th anniversary, we sat down with Managing Partner Irfanali Moledina to talk about what has changed in the market, what he has learned, and where RMI is headed next.
What's Changed for Calgary Business Owners in 15 Years
Looking back 15 years, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in how business owners think about accounting?
As tax loopholes and planning strategies have been closing and CRA audits are becoming more common, and as the overall tax burden on businesses has increased, owners have started taking their financial records far more seriously.
There is a lot more intentionality now. People are not just scrambling at year-end anymore. They are investing in proper bookkeeping systems, they want to understand their financial landscape, and they are planning ahead for the tax bills that are going to come regardless.
What’s one mistake you see business owners make over and over again?
Not setting up a proper bookkeeping system from day one. When bookkeeping falls behind early, businesses quickly lose track of their GST obligations and payroll taxes.
Those are amounts CRA expects on a fixed schedule, and once you are behind, it is very hard to catch up. The penalties compound, the stress compounds, and it puts real strain on the business at exactly the moment when you need your energy focused on growth.
Get the system in place before you think you need it.
Where are businesses leaving money on the table right now?
The biggest gap right now is not financial, it is capacity. Good businesses in Canada are struggling to find the people and talent they need to scale.
And when you cannot grow by hiring, you have to grow through efficiency. The businesses that are pulling ahead are the ones that have leaned into technology: automating workflows, using better tools, reducing the manual work that used to eat up hours every week.
The ones that are not adapting are leaving real money on the table — not because they are doing anything wrong, but because their competition has already moved.
What Makes Calgary’s Business Community Different
What’s unique about Calgary business owners compared to other markets?
Calgary is one of the largest cities in Canada, but it operates like a small town when it comes to business. It is deeply relationship-based.
News about people and companies travels quickly, and reputation matters in a way that is different from larger, more anonymous markets.
What drives that, I think, is the entrepreneurial culture here. People in Calgary are not scared of starting a business, owning one, running one. That mindset creates energy – new opportunities, new innovations, a stronger economy overall.
It is one of the reasons RMI has been able to build the kind of long-term client relationships that have sustained the firm through tougher cycles.
What challenges are you seeing in Calgary specifically right now?
Calgary is built to adapt. People here are not scared of change. But the current uncertainty around Canada-U.S. trade relations is doing something a bit different: it is making people hesitate.
Business owners who had plans are sitting on them. Decisions that were ready to be made are being deferred. That uncertainty is real and understandable, but it also underscores why having a clear financial picture matters more than ever.
The businesses that come through uncertain periods in the best shape are the ones that already know their numbers and have done their planning ahead of time.
How RMI LLP Has Grown and What’s Driven It
What allowed RMI to grow consistently when many firms stay flat?
Relationships. That is the honest answer. At RMI, we have always invested time in actually knowing our clients – not just their tax situation, but what is happening in their business, what their goals are, what is changing for them.
That gives us the context to do real planning work, not just reactive compliance. And it means clients feel like we are on their team.
That approach builds something more durable: clients who trust you, who refer people they care about, and who come back year after year because the relationship is worth something to them.
What did you do differently early on that paid off long-term?
We never ran from a challenge. When something was hard or unfamiliar, we worked through it rather than deflecting.
That built credibility with clients early. They could see that we actually cared about solving their problem, not just about the easy cases.
It is part of why RMI moved into areas like cross-border tax and crypto accounting earlier than most firms. Those are complicated spaces with real stakes for clients, and showing up for that kind of work is how you demonstrate that you are genuinely trying to help.
What does the next 5–10 years look like for business owners, and how should they be preparing?
AI is changing the operating environment faster than most people are ready for. Efficiency is going to be the deciding factor – the businesses that build leaner, smarter workflows will have a structural advantage over the ones still doing things the slow way.
That does not mean every business needs to become a tech company. It means being honest about which parts of your operation could be better, and actually doing something about it.
The firms and businesses that adapt now will have a much easier time in ten years. The ones that wait will find themselves playing catch-up in a market that has already moved on.
Ready to Work With an Accountant Who Gets Your Business?
Even after fifteen years in, we are still looking forward to meet the businesses we have not yet had the chance to work with.
If you are looking for a team that will actually get to know your company and help you plan for what is ahead, we would love to connect.
Book a free consultation or call 403-457-4232 today!
