Accounting Leaders Podcast: Recent Episodes
Stuart McLeod
Join Stuart McLeod as he interviews the world's top accounting leaders to understand their story, how they operate, their goals, mission, and top advice to help you run your accounting firm.
eth Fineberg spent most of his professional career writing for the accounting industry. In this episode, he joins Stuart to share his new business venture, and how he's going to help bridge the gap between tech vendors and the community they serve.
Episode notes:
- Gaining the trust of customers is more important than ever for tech vendors (04:20)
- Helping all boats rise by supporting small businesses (05:30)
- Seth's business venture into Accountants Forward (08:25)
- Using quality content to help advance the accounting profession (10:00)
- Seth's journey from business journalism to AccountingWEB (11:30)
- How AccountingWEB found its purpose as a publisher (20:30)
- The transactional approach to customer relationships doesn't work anymore (25:00)
- The next big thing for accounting technology (30:20)
Alasdair McGill, Managing Director at Ashton McGill brings his client Colin Munro, Founder of Miconex, to share the journey they went on together that turned a small, local Scottish startup into growing global business.
- How Alasdair developed a service-oriented mindset at EY (02:00)
- Bringing a bespoke designer approach to accounting at Ashton McGill (04:34)
- Colin's journey from marketing to restaurants to a small business startup (07:30)
- The accelerated consumer desire to support the local economy (17:00)
- How Colin's firm, Miconex, is making it easy to shop local (18:55)
- When an accountant becomes a part of your firm's DNA (26:55)
- Do good work for good people (38:20)
- Where the future lies for Ashton McGill and Miconex (39:00)
Greg Daley is the Chief Visionary at Parable, an accounting firm focussing on the church niche. In this inspiring episode, Greg discusses his journey from being a pastor to starting an accounting practice with his wife and growing that into a business that serves 230 churches across 42 US states. He shares why churches are similar to any business, his plan to grow to 1,000 clients, why the journey to the cloud has never been more apt, and the literal life-changing impacts that his firm has on its clients.
Together, they discuss:
- Telling the Parable story on stage at Karbon X (2:00)
- The evolution from a side gig to a family company (4:00)
- Specializing in accounting for churches (9:00)
- The growth or decline of religion as an industry (13:00)
- How churches adapted during COVID (16:00)
- Taking technology to church (19:30)
- What client onboarding looks like for church clients (20:40)
- Parable's plan for growing to 1,000 clients (24:00)
- Other firms and accountants that are helping churches grow (27:00)
- Beyond bookkeeping and strategic services for churches (28:00)
- Being remote and adopting Zoom before it was cool (30:00)
- The staff who are attracted to working at Parable and identify with the mission (32:00)
- A mission or vision that's larger than themselves (33:00)
- Strategies to increase giving, and what that giving can do (36:50)
- The Karbon community (44:10)
Pedro Noyola is the CEO of Balanced Business Group, an outsourced accounting and bookkeeping firm serving small boutique wineries. In this episode, Pedro shares his career journey from working at Deloitte, to acquiring his 10th business. Stuart and Pedro also chat about cars, serving winery clients, and balancing family, fun, and career as an entrepreneur.
Episode notes:
- Pedro's Texas upbringing (2:31)
- What he learned from working at Deloitte (3:42)
- His first entrepreneurial venture (6:00)
- Meeting life-changing friends at a car startup (7:43)
- The rise and fall of the car startup (13:40)
- Acquiring Balanced Business Group (23:19)
- What makes winery accounting and winery clients so special (25:43)
- How Pedro and his wife use family OKRs to take on life's challenges (32:37)
- Enjoying life in San Francisco (42:49)
- What's next on Pedro's acquisition roadmap (48:26)
Susan Bryant is the Principal of MB Group, a public accounting firm headquartered in Plano, TX. Susan and her team are dedicated to transforming businesses by maturing their finance function. In this episode, Susan shares her journey to public accounting, leadership insights, and the secret recipe that consistently delivers financial success for her clients.
Together, they discuss:
- The return of live, in-person events (2:00)
- How Susan got into accounting (2:45)
- Susan's first job as a bank teller (4:10)
- Taking a pay cut from banking to public accounting (4:30)
- Learning the practice of public accounting on the job (5:20)
- Joining MB Group (8:24)
- Susan's take on the definition of leadership (9:30)
- How COVID differentiated businesses with solid financial advisors (12:26)
- Industries that thrived during the pandemic (14:25)
- The future of hybrid work and talent (15:20)
- Implementing technology to modernize the firm (18:57)
- Strategic planning for clients (21:49)
- How the MB Group helped ZigZag Stripe thrive during COVID (26:19)
- Celebrating clients' most successful moments (29:01)
Jamie Johns is the CEO & Founder of Australian firm, Sky Accountants. He also co-founded Wize Mentoring, along with Ed Chan and Brenton Ward to provide business coaching and personal development services to accounting firm owners who want to elevate their practice. In this episode, Jamie and Stuart discuss Jamie’s entrepreneurial journey to accountancy and business coaching, the life-changing impact of good mentors, and how Wize Mentoring is shaping the next generation of accounting talent and leaders.
Together they discuss:
- Friendy catchup with Jamie Johns (1:00)
- California has a larger GDP than Australia (02:49)
- How Jamie went into business instead of farming (05:38)
- The technology landscape in the late 90s and early 2000s (07:53)
- The early days of MYOB and accounting software (16:39)
- Teaching QuickBooks to local small businesses (17:37)
- The path to entrepreneurship (18:59)
- How Jamie’s first client built a sunglasses empire as a bricklayer (20:10)
- The devastating struggles of scaling up (29:59)
- Two motivators that kept Jamie going (32:36)
- Life-changing mentorship from Ed Chan (35:50)
- Growing Wize Mentoring (38:41)
- Booming mentoring services for accounting firms (40:16)
- Cooking up WizeTalent (43:07)
- The hiring methodology of Topgrading (43:37)
- Talents without borders (45:04)
This episode marks the Accounting Leaders Podcast’s 50th release. To celebrate, we flipped the tables on our show host and Karbon CEO, Stuart McLeod. No question was off limits. In this episode, Karbon’s Content Marketing Specialist, Jess Marcello, and Marketing Development Manager, George Connor, had a lively conversation with Stuart about the hardest part of running a growing firm, how to find meaning and purpose in work, Karbon’s culture, Stuart’s favorite Karbon employee, and everything in between.
In this episode, you'll find:
- A special note from the Karbon team (00:01)
- Welcome Jess and George (01:05)
- Karbon offices (03:00)
- Stuart’s childhood in Australia (4:30)
- Stuart’s pets and Karbon’s (secret) pet page (07:00)
- The hardest part about running Karbon (09:10)
- Challenges of keeping a growing team aligned (11:00)
- How to keep everyone in the company happy (13:00)
- How to find meaning and purpose in work (14:30)
- What is Karbon’s culture? (19:00)
- Karbon’s three objectives (21:00)
- Stuart’s dreams when he was growing up (24:30)
- Why Stuart was a terrible employee (28:00)
- The dream size of Karbon (29:30)
- Stuart’s fears (31:20)
- Freewill or destiny? (32:40)
- Hydrofoil surfing (35:00)
- Getting bored (36:00)
- Who is Stuart’s favorite employee? (37:10)
- Magic sword vs. magic shield (39:00
As promised at the beginning of this episode, you can read Stuart's letter to all employees regarding Karbon's recent company restructure, and find the list of talented ex-Karbon employees who are now available for work here.
Zane Stevens is the Director of Protea Financial—an accounting and bookkeeping firm specializing in wineries. In this episode, Zane talks about his life in South Africa, how he got into accounting, and what made him move to the US to start working in the winery consulting space. Zane and Stuart discuss what’s unique about winery accounting, how they attract clients, and what the future holds for Protea Financial.
Together they discuss:
- Growing up and going to college in South Africa (00:30)
- The start of Zane’s accounting career (02:00)
- Zane’s experience at KPMG (04:00)
- Pivoting to consulting work (06:40)
- Moving to Cape Town and working in IT consulting (08:00)
- Leaving KPMG and moving to the US (09:00)
- Entering the winery consulting space (12:30)
- Characteristics of winery accounting (15:30)
- The process of building the structure (18:30)
- Balancing work and family (19:30)
- Ways to attract new clients (21:40)
- What’s next for Protea Financial (25:30)
- Client stories (29:20)
Jim Dunham is the President and General Manager of IRIS Software Group. With over 25 years of experience leading enterprise software companies across the public and private sectors, Jim is a seasoned executive in accountancy and tax markets. In this episode, Jim shares the story of his professional journey, his experience working in different industries, and how he ended up in accounting. Stuart and Jim discuss how cloud technology changed everything, how it developed over time, and where the most value is created.
Together they discuss:
- Jim’s role at IRIS (0:40)
- How Jim started with accounting software (2:00)
- Accounting payroll systems (6:00)
- Jim’s experience working in the military (9:00)
- Early years of operating systems (12:00)
- Jim’s underwater videography hobby (14:00)
- COVID’s influence on the US accounting market (18:00)
- Comparison between the UK and US markets (24:00)
- Acquisitions by IRIS (27:30)
- Creating value (33:00)
- Application of technology in the advisory services (35:00)
Michael Ly is the Founder and CEO of Reconciled—a virtual bookkeeping and accounting firm for busy business owners and entrepreneurs across the US. He is also a Co-Founder of PunchPay—a small micro-loan fintech startup that offers post-payment and micro-installment loans for small business expenses. In this episode, Michael shares with Stuart how his family escaped Cambodia as refugees and relied on entrepreneurship to survive the new world, his introduction to accounting, and the entrepreneurial spirit running throughout his family.
Together they discuss:
- Michael’s journey in accounting and entrepreneurship (1:20)
- The story of Michael’s parents (3:30)
- The experience of growing up in the US (5:00)
- Michael’s family’s entrepreneurial spirit (08:00)
- Skiing in Burlington, Vermont (10:00)
- The story of founding Reconciled (12:00)
- Growth management and the tech stack at Reconciled (14:30)
- The story of founding PunchPay (16:30)
- The niche of micro-businesses (19:00)
- The future of Reconciled and PunchPay (21:00)
- Growth strategy at Reconciled (22:00)
Joe Cox is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ecommerce Accountants LLP—the leading accountancy in the UK for e-commerce businesses. In this episode, Joe shares his story of being an e-commerce seller who spotted an opportunity to serve like-minded entrepreneurs in the accounting domain (eventually creating Ecommerce Accountants). Joe and Stuart discuss the trajectory of Ecommerce Accountants, their tech stack, the nuances of working in this niche, the impact of COVID and Brexit on e-commerce, and Joe’s passion for traveling.
Together they discuss:
- Joe’s trip to Karbon X (1:20)
- Growth and marketing at Ecommerce Accountants (2:30)
- Joe’s professional journey and the story of Ecommerce Accountants (5:20)
- The fun of being an e-commerce accountant vs. an e-commerce seller (8:00)
- Watching clients grow along the way (9:10)
- Impact of COVID and Brexit on e-commerce (10:30)
- What it’s like working at Ecommerce Accountants (13:30)
- Workforce and types of clients at Ecommerce Accountants (14:50)
- Plans on a geographical expansion (17:00)
- How Karbon can help with segmenting businesses geographically (18:10)
- The tech stack at Eccomerce Accountants (19:10)
- Reporting to clients (22:40)
- The idea of creating benchmarks for clients (25:00)
- The main supplier of e-commerce products (28:20)
- What’s going on in Joe’s life (29:30)
Andrew Hunzicker is the Founder of Dope CFO, a comprehensive cannabis accounting and tax training program, which helps firms in over 25 states unlock a new world of clients. In this episode, Andrew shares his professional journey, how he started working in the cannabis industry, and what cannabis accounting looks like. Stuart and Andrew also discuss the complexities that he faces in his work, and how the government treats cannabis businesses.
Together they discuss:
- Andrew’s journey in the cannabis industry (01:00)
- Living in Bend, Oregon (4:10)
- Early mountain climbing ventures (6:20)
- The employee shortage (7:40)
- Unappealing traditional accounting career journey (09:00)
- Cannabis accounting and social justice (10:20)
- Locations that are progressive with cannabis legalization (12:30)
- Accounting complexities in the cannabis industry (16:00)
- Point of sale technology in the industry (18:20)
- Complications of accounting systems (21:00)
- Mountain climbing (22:40)
- Old Nokia phones (25:00)
- Andrew’s climbing stories (27:30)
- Andrew’s family (30:00)
- Andrew’s upcoming family vacation (33:00)
- The current state of Dope CFO (36:20)
Graeme Tennick is the Founder and Chief Legacy Maker at Tennick Accountants. Before founding his own company, Graeme worked in a small accounting practice and eventually moved to senior roles in PwC and public sector organizations. In this episode, Graeme shares his professional journey, entrepreneurial passion from a young age, and business-first accounting second approach. Graeme and Stuart also discuss an accountant's purpose and the rewarding impact they can have on their clients’ lives.
Together they discuss:
- Graeme’s passion for business at a young age (0:30)
- Graeme’s path to accounting (2:30)
- Thoughts on the UK government (3:30)
- The beginning of Graeme’s business journey (5:30)
- Adopting technology (8:00)
- How Graeme started building structure in his business (9:30)
- Optimizing Karbon at Tennick Accountants (10:30)
- Building a feedback loop with software partners (12:00)
- The rewarding impact on clients’ lives (13:30)
- The story of the client embracing the journey with Tennick Accountants (15:00)
- What makes clients believe in their ability to scale (16:40)
- How the role of accountants has changed (17:50)
- Reframing the negative experience of COVID (19:50)
- How to instill important messages in your team (23:00)
- What’s next for Tennick Accountants (24:00)
- Being honest with clients (28:00)
- Graeme’s favorite cars (30:00)
Gary Bell is the Co-Founder and Partner at FLB Accountants, an independent firm of Chartered Accountants based in the UK. In this episode, Gary and Stuart chat about Gary’s experience attending the first-ever Karbon customer conference in Lake Tahoe, FLB’s rationale for going hybrid, working with high-profile clients such as Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon, and some exciting projects he’s working on in the renewable energy space.
Together they discuss:
- Gary’s experience at Karbon X (00:30)
- The accounting industry’s growing appetite for change and innovation (2:30)
- Limitations of legacy accounting systems (05:00)
- Accountants as trusted advisors (09:00)
- How FLB provides reporting for clients (11:00)
- Pros and cons of hybrid work (12:00)
- Remote work and company culture (17:00)
- EMEA economy outlook (20:00)
- FLB business divisions (22:45)
- TV, film, and entertainment studio clients (24:30)
- Attract and retain employees with interesting clients (28:00)
- Serving renewable energy clients (29:00)
- The most interesting carbon-neutral project at FLB (31:00)
- Greentech startups (34:10)
- Biotech startups (36:10)
- What Gary and Stuart would do if they weren’t running firms (36:30)
- VC investment and the future of technology (41:00)
- Gary’s plan for the rest of the year (46:00)
Martin Bown is the founder and managing director of My Management Accountant—an accountancy service that works with small businesses across the UK to help them save time and money. In this episode, Martin shares his professional journey, and the story of My Management Accountant and how they operate. Martin and Stuart also discuss his life outside of work, sports, and what it’s like to live in the village.
Together they discuss:
- Martin’s entrepreneurial story (01:40)
- Martin’s family story (03:40)
- Trip to India with the team (05:00)
- When Martin started his own company (07:00)
- Naming his business (09:30)
- The story of Martin’s surname (13:00)
- My Management Accountant today (14:00)
- Work setting at My Management Accountant (15:10)
- Services at My Management Accountant (16:20)
- Tech stack at My Management Accountant (19:20)
- Reporting software (23:20)
- What clients need (26:00)
- What companies My Management Accountant work with (27:10)
- Martin’s life outside of work (30:00)
- Playing cricket (32:00)
- Raising a family in a close-knit village (36:50)
- Playing football and running marathons (38:10)
- What’s next for My Management Accountant (41:40)
- Challenges of raising children with additional needs (44:20)
- Balancing work with family (46:20)
Twyla Verhelst is the Head of FreshBooks Accountant Channel, leading the Accounting Partner Program, and has been recognized as one of Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting. In this episode, Twyla and Stuart discuss the state of the accounting profession, how COVID forced the industry to evolve and why there is a shortage of young professionals in the industry. They also talk about the importance of diversity, the accounting community, and what running a marathon and running a business have in common.
Together they discuss:
- How Twyla started with accounting (1:00)
- The beginning of Twyla’s entrepreneurial journey (3:00)
- The start of working with FreshBooks (4:30)
- Working with a local company (6:50)
- Where Canada is on the advisory journey (8:00)
- Accounting cloud technology taking over (10:00)
- How COVID-19 accelerated technology (12:00)
- Reactive vs. proactive approach to technology (13:00)
- Shortage of young professionals in the industry (16:00)
- The evolution of the accounting profession (18:30)
- The role of influence by loved ones in pursuing a career in accounting (22:00)
- Twyla’s diversity efforts at FreshBooks (24:20)
- Running marathons (28:40)
- Similarities between running a business and a marathon (31:00)
- Twyla’s passion projects this year (35:00)
- Listening and inspiring people in the industry (37:30)
Kyle Bryant is the Managing Partner of Market Street Partners in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kyle oversees the firm’s operations and has provided assurance, tax, and business consulting services for over a decade. In this episode, Kyle and Stuart discuss the rapid growth of Chattanooga, what attracts businesses to invest in the region, and what the projections are for the future. As a manager of the largest transaction in Chattanooga’s history, Kyle is a top-tier professional in his city and gives an insight into how accounting is developing the Tennessee market.
Together they discuss:
- The story behind Market Street Partners (01:00)
- Kyle’s journey as a private CPA (2:30)
- Kyles work at the Lamp Post Group (3:30)
- Serving a new group of clients in Chattanooga (4:30)
- The size and profile of Market Street Partners (5:30)
- Local and remote employees at Market Street Partners (07:30)
- The competitive landscape in Chattanooga (08:30)
- Market Street Partners’ mission (9:50)
- What retirement looks like for Kyle (11:00)
- Market Street Partners’ media strategy (12:45)
- Why accountants are reluctant to delve into business development and sales (14:20)
- Chattanooga’s local economy and development (16:15)
- What types of businesses come to the South East (18:30)
- The shortage of young accounting professionals (19:30)
- What Kyle does outside of work (21:10)
- Market Street Partners’ tech stack (21:40)
- The game plan for the near future (23:30)
Chris Williams is the CEO of System Six, a modern accounting firm focused on providing dream accounting careers to their team members and superior services for their clients. In this episode, Chris explains how to achieve just that, including the criteria for selecting System Six for acquisition and what challenges he faced along the way. Besides Chris' journey with System Six, he and Stuart also discuss life outside work, the best golf spots in the Bay Area, and how his wedding preparation is going.
Together they discuss:
- Chris’ experience at AccountingWeb Live Summit 2022 (01:00)
- Chris’ journey in the accounting industry (4:00)
- What Chris was looking for in a company to acquire (6:00)
- Why Chris didn’t choose a software company to acquire (08:00)
- Why Chris chose to acquire (rather than starting from scratch) (10:30)
- The process of acquiring System Six (11:30)
- The experience for the System Six team during the transition (14:30)
- System Six’s internal mission (16:00)
- Adapting the marketing and go-to-market strategies to increase growth (18:20)
- The clients System Six typically service (20:00)
- Building niches (21:30)
- Managing teams and working remotely (23:40)
- Getting the System Six team together in Denver (25:00)
- What’s next for System Six (26:30)
- The most important systems inherited by System Six (28:30)
- Maximizing the efficiency of using systems and data (30:00)
- Allocating team members with work they like to do (33:00)
- What keeps Chris busy outside of work (34:30)
- Spending time in the Bay Area (37:00)
- Stuart and his family living in Tahoe (39:00)
- The Great Resignation (41:30)
- The importance of helping accountants (43:40)
Andrew Jordon is the CEO and Founder of Connect4, a meeting platform that enables structured and efficient client meetings. Apart from a successful business career, Andrew is also the youngest trustee and treasurer at Prison Fellowship, the world's largest Christian non-profit organization for prisoner and justice reform. In this episode, Andrew and Stuart talk about Andrew's early career, the story of finding Connect4 and where it's heading. They also discuss charity, and how Andrew's values in business align with values outside of work.
Together they discuss:
- Andrew’s background (1:00)
- Why Andrew decided not to pursue a career in accounting (2:00)
- Andrew’s time in Brisbane, Australia (4:00)
- Andrew’s return to the UK and time at Fathom (5:00)
- The story of founding Connect4 (7:30)
- The solution for poor client communication and education (9:00)
- Is proactive communication embraced by the accounting industry? (10:30)
- Andrew’s experience with Connect4 so far (12:30)
- Client feedback on the Connect4 product offering (14:00)
- Potential verticals for Connect4 (16:00)
- Future plans for Connect4 (17:00)
- Andrew’s interests outside of work (18:00)
- Andrew’s experience as a trustee and treasurer at Prison Fellowship (19:00)
- Andrew’s plans for the rest of the year (22:00)
Dave is the Founder of Tidemark Capital. He has 20+ years of experience in investing, advising, and building technology companies. In this episode, Dave and Stuart discuss the difference between technology companies in 1999 vs. 2021, how technology in accounting has been developing, and why Dave chooses to work with B2B software companies. Dave also talks about his passion for venture capital, and what the future holds for him and his company.
Together they discuss:
- Dave’s early career (00:40)
- Dave’s introduction to venture capital (2:00)
- Tech companies in 1999 vs. 2021 (4:00)
- Dave’s journey into B2B SaaS companies (6:40)
- Why Dave chose to work with B2B companies, and Karbon in particular (9:00)
- Why Dave loves working with accountants (11:30)
- The special relationship between accountants and their clients (14:10)
- Dave’s story of investing in Xero (16:00)
- What makes companies from New Zealand special (18:00)
- Opportunities for small business platforms today (23:00)
- What the next biggest innovation in accounting is going to be (25:00)
- The state of small business software globally (29:00)
- Dave’s journey and the idea behind Tidemark (31:00)
- The ideal model for Tidemark in the future (35:00)
- Foundation for non-profit businesses (37:00)
- Dave’s long-term view on Karbon (40:20)
The information presented in this podcast is for illustrative purposes only and is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any private fund managed or sponsored by Tidemark or any of the securities of any company discussed. Companies discussed in this podcast may include current Tidemark portfolio companies and/or prior investments made by Tidemark employees while at other investment firms. These companies identified in this podcast are not necessarily representative of all Tidemark investments, and no assumption should be made that the investments identified were or will be profitable. The information in this podcast is not presented with a view to providing investment advice with respect to any security or making any claim as to the past, current, or future performance thereof.
Martin Chee is the CFO and Co-Founder at Amaka, an accounting integrations system that allows firms to automate their data entry processes. In this episode, Martin and Stuart dive into the story of Amaka, how it delivers value to clients, and the challenges and complexities that Martin faces in this niche. They also discuss Martin’s professional journey, how to work with clients efficiently, and the impact the pandemic had on his business.
Together they discuss:
- Martin’s background (01:00)
- Valuable lessons learned in hospitality (3:00)
- Impact of COVID on Martin’s family (4:30)
- Amaka’s adjustments and processes during the pandemic (6:00)
- Working with clients efficiently (8:00)
- Establishing and managing trust (10:00)
- Martin’s introduction to accounting (13:50)
- The evolution of technology in the accounting industry (17:00)
- Two major disruptions that were happening in accounting simultaneously (19:40)
- Working with tax authorities (21:30)
- Martin’s involvement with accounting work (22:45)
- Growing and managing an international team (25:00)
- The story of building Amaka (27:20)
- Reacting to challenges and complexities in the accounting integration system (32:00)
- What’s next for Amaka (35:00)
- Simplifying the system for clients (39:40)
Simon is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stamped Technologies, a tech-enabled audit firm focusing on year-end compliance services that leverage technology, purposely built AI, and seasoned CPAs. In this episode, Simon and Stuart discuss the technological advancements in the accounting industry, Simon’s career journey, and the story of Stamped. They deep-dive into the application of AI in the industry and how Simon sees the development of Stamped in the future.
Together they discuss:
- Simon’s background (1:00)
- Simon’s experience playing American football (2:30)
- First job at PwC (6:00)
- The story of finding Stamped (9:00)
- Roadblocks for further advancement in the accounting industry (13:00)
- The gap in skillset in the industry (15:30)
- Experience as a founder of an accounting software company (18:00)
- Ensuring accuracy and correctness of a model and learning systems (19:50)
- Employee count at Stamped and plans for the future (21:20)
- White-labeling Stamped into other firms (23:30)
- The Canadian accounting industry (24:50)
- Expansion and competitive landscape in North America (27:40)
- What’s next for Stamped (29:20)
- Exit plan (31:00)
Jeremy Hyman is the Founder and Principal of Jeremy Hyman Associates, an IT services and consulting company that helps firms make sound IT decisions. With over 25 years of experience in the professional services sector and a degree in law, Jeremy is an IT manager, partner, software developer, and management consultant. In this episode, Jeremy and Stuart discuss multiple technological breakthroughs over the last two years, as well as some things to keep an eye out in the future. They also chat about remote work, the new reality of virtual meetings, and how technology distracts us on a day-to-day basis.
Together they discuss:
- Jeremy’s and Stuart’s geographical locations (2:00)
- Karbon’s team growth in Australia (5:00)
- Impact of COVID on tech firms (7:20)
- Working in the office vs. remote (8:30)
- Virtual offices and the metaverse (11:00)
- Physical, hybrid, and virtual meetings (16:30)
- Evolution of traveling in a hybrid world (20:00)
- Isolating from the internet to be productive (26:00)
- Fighting destruction and multitasking (28:00)
- Ethics creep (30:00)
- Being alert on vacation (33:00)
- Responsibility of software companies (36:00)
- Jeremy’s world view (40:30)
- The beauty of search engines (42:00)
- Impact of COVID on small and large firms (46:20)
- What’s next for Jeremy Hyman Associates (49:00)
Edward Chan is a Co-Founder of Wize Mentoring and a Non-Executive Chairman at Chan & Naylor. He started Chan & Naylor from his kitchen table and grew it to 10 offices around Australia with 160 staff and 15,000 clients. He then co-founded Wize Mentoring, which is now in 47 countries, connecting over 125,000 accountants. In this episode, Ed shares his tips on how to grow your business without sacrificing your life. He and Stuart dig into the success of Chan & Naylor, what the process of expanding the company looked like and what you need to do to find yourself.
Together they discuss:
- The story of Wize Mentoring (02:00)
- Ed’s background (04:00)
- Ed’s first business and business partner (6:30)
- Dealing with overworking (7:30)
- Overcoming challenges as a business owner (9:30)
- How to be more efficient (11:30)
- The beginning of Chan & Naylor (15:00)
- Chan & Naylor’s business model (16:00)
- How to be in control of your business (19:30)
- The biggest lessons Ed has learned (23:30)
- The process of expanding business (25:30)
- Ed’s biggest success and biggest catastrophe (28:00)
- Greatest technological changes in accounting (29:30)
- Being a generalist vs. being a specialist (35:30)
- Ed’s experience of finding himself in his early career (38:00)
- Mentorship and hobbies (40:00)
- What is next for Wize Mentoring (44:00)
Matthew May is the VP of Sales & Marketing at Acuity, a virtual accounting solution for entrepreneurs. In this episode, Matthew and Stuart discuss how important it is to have a partner and mutual support in both rewarding and challenging times. They also talk about how Acuity has transformed throughout the years and the main challenges of a company's growth. Tune in for this inspirational discussion that dives deep into the challenges of partnership and leadership.
Together they discuss:
- Latest at Acuity (1:00)
- Matthew’s family (2:00)
- Importance of having a business partner (3:00)
- Similarities of running a business and sports (5:00)
- Matthew’s experience of working with Kenji Kuramoto (7:00)
- The good cop and the bad cop (9:00)
- Lessons Matthew learned while working at Acuity (10:20)
- The challenges of high growth organizations (12:00)
- Availability of capital in the professional services industry (14:30)
- The Great Resignation (18:30)
- Being an authentic company (22:00)
- Future plans and use of technology for Acuity (26:00)
- Merger with Catching Clouds (27:30)
- Lessons learned from acquisitions (32:30)
- Acuity’s sales and marketing model (34:30)
- Acuity's ideal clients (40:00)
- The process of working with potential clients (42:00)
- Email selling (44:00)
- Identifying the right clients in the funnel (46:00)
- Matthew’s plans for 2022 (50:00)
Jeff Phillips is the CEO of Padgett, one of the largest tax and accounting firms in North America. He also founded the recruitment platform Accountingfly in 2012 and has been recognized as one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People for helping solve the hiring challenges of CPA firms. In this episode, Jeff and Stuart discuss combining work with vacation while being remote, the story of Accountingfly, and what it takes to be a great leader. They also talk about holidays, Jeff's trip to Costa Rica, and how taking mangoes from someone's tree is acceptable.
Together they discuss:
- Jeff’s background and hobbies (1:10)
- Jeff’s and Stuart’s families (4:00)
- Gap year and college (5:45)
- Family vacations (8:00)
- Trip to Costa Rica (9:00)
- Remote work (13:00)
- COVID impacting geographical wage difference (18:00)
- Stuart’s theory of the Great Reshuffle (21:00)
- Remote work uncovering opportunities for innovative firms (23:30)
- Foundations of Padgett (28:00)
- Work at Accountingfly (31:30)
- What makes a perfect firm (33:50)
- Employment as a two-way relationship (39:20)
- Challenges of being a leader of a company (42:50)
- The pivot of Accountigfly (45:30)
Kenji Kuramoto is the Founder & CEO of Acuity, one of the largest CAS accounting firms in the US. Kenji has provided thousands of companies with a full range of financial solutions, from high-level strategic financial counsel to virtualized bookkeeping and tax services. In this episode, Kenji and Stuart discuss the challenges of growing a company, building a strong culture, and the importance of being flexible for employees. They also talk about discussing sensitive topics in the workplace, and what’s coming next for Acuity.
Together they discuss:
- Impact of COVID on Acuity (2:00)
- Parenting during COVID (4:00)
- Growth of Acuity (7:15)
- Developing the culture at Acuity (8:15)
- Most challenging issues of scaling (10:00)
- How Acuity maintains its culture (13:40)
- The weather in Atlanta (16:00)
- Acuity in the office vs. remote (17:00)
- The Great Resignation and creating a positive work experience for employees (20:50)
- Impact Karbon faced after leaving the Bay Area (26:50)
- Political affiliations and discussion in the US (31:00)
- The risk of debilitating personal differences in the US (33:40)
- The impact of written communication (38:00)
- What’s next for Acuity (40:20)
- Reasons for Acuity becoming a certified B Corporation (43:30)
- Drink While You Think podcast (47:00)
As the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at AICPA, Crystal Cooke focuses on increasing the representation of minority groups in the accounting profession. In this episode, Crystal explains the current state of diversity and inclusion in the accounting industry, including ways to promote it and what AICPA is doing about it. Join Crystal and Stuart as they dissect the typical profile of the US accountant, and delve into the statistics around minority professionals.
Together they discuss:
- Crystal’s background (2:30)
- Crystal’s and Stuart’s school experience (3:30)
- Life in Ohio state (4:40)
- Crystal’s journey of becoming an accounting professional (6:40)
- Crystal’s journey with diversity and inclusion (9:00)
- Leaving KPMG (11:40)
- Crystal’s career trajectory (12:40)
- Facing bias as a senior at KPMG (16:30)
- Starting the DEI work (19:00)
- The state of diversity in the accounting industry in the US (22:00)
- How to promote and attract diversity in the industry (28:50)
- Lack of financial literacy in the business world (34:00)
- Focus areas at AICPA (35:10)
- Challenges of promoting DEI and ways to solve it (38:00)
- Success highlights of Crystal’s career (43:10)
- Why accountants do what they do (46:00)
Joe David is the Founder and Managing Director of two UK-based firms: Nephos and a leading crypto accounting firm, Myna. In this episode, Stuart and Joe discuss crypto accounting and regulations, what the future of this space might look like, and how it can change our lives. Tune in for a great chat to learn about crypto and the future of podcasts in the metaverse.
Together they discuss:
- Ukraine and Russia conflict affecting crypto (1:00)
- Joe’s story of becoming a crypto accounting specialist (2:00)
- Operations at Nephos and Myna (4:00)
- Starting a crypto firm (5:40)
- Direction for Nephos (8:30)
- Ideal clients for Nephos (9:30)
- Crypto transactions as capital (11:00)
- Tech stack to manage crypto (13:30)
- Community of crypto accountants (16:30)
- State of crypto space in the UK (17:30)
- Crypto environment around the world (20:20)
- The volatility of bitcoin (24:30)
- Taxation treatment of crypto (25:20)
- Benefits of Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) (28:30)
- What’s next for Myna and Nephos (30:20)
- Financial services and crypto in the UK (32:20)
- VR and the metaverse (34:30)
- Future of meetings and human interaction (36:00)
- Podcast in the metaverse (38:20)
Katie Bryan is the CEO and Founder of Propeller Advisory—a successful multi-figure accounting and business advisory firm based in Melbourne, Australia. She’s a business owner, mum to a newborn, wife, sister and also helps her clients build businesses and lives they deserve. In this episode, Stuart and Katie discuss the accounting industry, the story of Propeller Advisory, and what made Katie open a venture to inspire women business owners.
Together they discuss:
- COVID restrictions (2:00)
- Living in Melbourne (3:00)
- Technology allowing equalization of the industry (7:00)
- Catalysts for Katie’s for success (8:40)
- Mentoring (11:00)
- How COVID impacted business (12:30)
- Propeller’s purpose (15:00)
- Team size and staff geographical distribution (17:10)
- Offshoring and outsourcing staff (18:40)
- The genesis of PropelHer (22:00)
- Experience in building a female-focused niche (23:50)
- The types of clients at PropelHer (26:40)
- Support from family, clients, and the industry (28:40)
- Community of the industry (29:50)
- What’s next for Katie and her team (32:40)
- Support for PropelHer ( 34:40)
- Australian accounting industry (37:00)
- Adaptation of accounting tech around the world (39:00)
- What Katie is excited about (and acquiring a firm) (42:00)
Scott Scarano is the President of Padgett Business Services in North Carolina. He leads a team of unique advisors who share his passion for helping small businesses thrive. In this episode, Stuart and Scott discuss the impact of social media on productivity, Scott’s journey with Padgett, the parallels between cartels and accounting, and interacting with people in a post-COVID world. Scott also shares his unique story of learning how to run a business and what led him to be a podcast host.
Together they discuss:
- Scott’s family (0:30)
- Scott’s relationship with his kids (2:00)
- Thoughts on Karbon (4:20)
- Content marketing at Karbon (6:00)
- Impact of social media (9:00)
- Discussing accent and intonation (10:00)
- Adjusting how you talk to suit your audience (13:30)
- Recent big news (15:00)
- Accounting workflow vertical (16:30)
- Anatomy of tech stack at Padgett (19:30)
- Application of Karbon at Padgett (20:40)
- Importance of managing time (22:40)
- The reality of working with people (26:10)
- Karbon X (27:40)
- The podcasting world and interacting with people (29:00)
- The story of Padgett (31:00)
- Changes at Padgett (35:00)
- Scott’s story of joining Padgett (37:00)
- Learning how to run a business in a unique way (40:30)
- The parallel between cartels and accounting (42:30)
- What’s next for Scott (43:50)
- Finding your “why” (46:00)
Enrico Palmerino is the CEO and Founder of Botkeeper, a platform that provides accountants with an automated bookkeeping practice using human-assisted machine learning and Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, Enrico and Stuart share their thoughts on the development of the accounting industry and how tech firms enable it to evolve. Learn what it takes to build a successful tech firm, the importance of choosing the right investment partner, and how watching sports can help you close a deal.
Together they discuss:
- What the start of the year looks like for the Botkeeper team (1:50)
- The genesis of Botkeeper (5:20)
- State of the accounting industry (8:40)
- VC experience and raised funds at Botkeeper (11:30)
- Enabling the accounting industry (16:20)
- Adaptation of the accounting industry (17:20)
- Different regions pushing fintech (20:40)
- Technology adoption in Canada (24:00)
- Enrico's background and sports in Massachusets (26:00)
- Going to a Patriots game with an investor (28:50)
- What is next for Botkeeper (30:00)
- The Botkeeper operating system (31:00)
- Number of staff and geographical strategy (33:10)
- Benefits of Botkeeper (36:00)
- Clients creatively using Botkeeper (38:30)
- Holiday plans (41:10)
Kellie Parks is a cloud accounting specialist and coach at Calmwaters Cloud Accounting. In this episode, Kellie and Stuart talk about the early days of cloud accounting, the further development of technology and how it changed the life of Kellie and her clients. As an early adopter of remote work, Kellie shares the stories of the adventures that cloud accounting allowed her to do.
Together they discuss:
- Early days in cloud accounting (1:10)
- Lunch invitation from Karbon (2:30)
- Kellie’s background in marketing and branding (4:20)
- Introduction to cloud technology (5:20)
- Entering accounting space (6:30)
- Skier and adventurer (8:00)
- Living on the lake (10:00)
- Stuart and his family (11:20)
- Cloud technology helping the client (14:00)
- Lifestyle benefits for clients (17:00)
- Karbon team moving to the US (18:30)
- Karbon’s offices around the world (20:00)
- KarbonX (22:00)
- Sacking clients (25:00)
- Rehoming a client (26:30)
- Niche service (29:00)
- ‘Five-star’ clients (31:30)
- Rescue work and file cleaning (33:10)
- The panel at Accounting Web Summit (35:40)
- Nomad life (36:20)
- Trip to New Zealand (38:00)
Chad Davis is a co-founder and partner at LiveCA LLP, who decided to pursue a career in accounting at a very young age. Join Chad and Stuart as they discuss the origins of LiveCA, the philosophy behind it, and how helping competitors might be beneficial for your company. Accounting aside, they also talk about living and working from an RV, non-traditional schooling for kids, and growing a beard while traveling.
Together they discuss:
- Non-traditional schooling for kids (3:00)
- Latest news from Karbon (6:10)
- Accountants underserved and used as a channel (7:00)
- Relationship with cold calls and emails (8:00)
- Approach to unqualified leads (10:20)
- Level of inbounding (12:40)
- The founding story of LiveCA (14:10)
- Philosophy of founding LiveCA (15:30)
- Working from the basement (17:00)
- Introducing Receipt Bank in Canada (18:40)
- Newsletter hints (20:00)
- Technical updates (21:10)
- Next Karbon releases (23:40)
- Karbon X (25:50)
- Staff reinforcement for Karbon (27:00)
- Chad’s summers (28:10)
- Traveling in an RV (29:10)
- Job search platform for accountants (31:30)
- COVID bringing people together (37:00)
- Expectations from Karbon in 2022 (38:10)
Alastair Barlow is CEO and co-founder at Flinder. He has experience working with fast-growth businesses, transforming finance functions, writing for AccountingWeb, and being a part of global accounting and technology panels. In this episode, Alastair and Stuart discuss data analytics, the current position of Flinder and what’s in store for the future. They also share some interesting thoughts about rugby, ski trips, and the importance of relationships with your clients and colleagues.
Together they discuss:
- Six Nations rugby tournament (1:00)
- COVID-19 impacting travel plans (1:50)
- Accounting leaders going skiing (3:40)
- Creative juices in an informal environment (4:30)
- Flinder’s client and staff ski trips (5:20)
- Relationship between Alastair and his co-founder Luke (7:00)
- Where Flinder is today (8:40)
- Plans for the future (10:00)
- Investing in data analytics (12:30)
- Realm of verticals (14:30)
- Laboring and finding staff (17:00)
- What it’s really like to work at Flinder (18:50)
- Working with challenging but interesting businesses (20:50)
- Strategy for 2022 (22:50)
- Complex data reach sectors (25:20)
- Complexities of expanding verticals (26:20)
- Developing an internal team of experts (28:20)
- Prediction for rugby in February (29:40)
Leeroy Beeby is a co-founder of the innovative, technology-focused practice, Check The Level. He grew up in a family of small business owners and watched his parents struggle with time and money, which inspired him to establish a career in business. In this episode, Leeroy and Stuart talk about his experience living in different countries, and how his MBA helped him in his entrepreneurial journey, which later led him to start an accounting and bookkeeping firm for contractors. They also discuss technology, operations, and life-changing impact on his clients’ lives.
Together they discuss:
- KPMG Capetown (1:25)
- Growing up in South Africa (2:15)
- Entrepreneurial lessons from parents (3:35)
- Family (5:00)
- Moving to Canada (6:20)
- Networking in Toronto (7:35)
- Living in Bermuda (8:15)
- MBA at the University of Toronto (9:50)
- Applying academic knowledge in real life (11:00)
- Streamlining around one customer (12:00)
- Impact of recession on construction companies (14:20)
- Job costing system (15:00)
- Check The Level business management tool (17:15)
- Product standalone vs software (18:55)
- Journey of Check The Level (21:00)
- Rapid growth (22:30)
- Making a true impact (23:30)
- Example of amazing client experiences (24:30)
- Where to next (27:20)
Joyce is a founder, entrepreneur, content creator, disruptor, rebel against boring, a savior from sucky training, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and human. In this episode, Joyce and Stuart talk about academic experience, the beginning of their careers, and their journey to becoming business owners. Learn how Tax Nuggets Academy was founded (and what’s coming up next), and how owning a business affects your personal life.
Together discuss:
- Joyce’s background (1:35)
- Bachelor of Commerce in Melbourne University (2:45)
- Stuard’s academic journey (4:40)
- Role of hard work in the modern world (6:40)
- What is Tax Nuggets Academy (8:20)
- Australian Taxation Office (10:50)
- Early job (11:20)
- Reasons to become a business owner (12:10)
- Goals for Tax Nuggets Academy (13:10)
- Quitting Tax Office (14:00)
- Stuard’s experience of becoming a business owner (15:00)
- Ways of funding Tax Nuggets Academy (17:00)
- Engaging freelancers (18:10)
- Sources of revenue (20:20)
- Joyce’s “unfair” advantages (21:45)
- Tax Nuggets Academy moving forward (22:40)
- What made Stuard take his business to the next level/Enneagram (25:00)
- Personality traits affecting relationships (27:10)
- Responsibility for employees (28:05)
- Its time to take it to the next level (29:30)
- Increasing subscriber base (31:40)
- Digital Marketing (32:30)
- Radical Transparency (34:10)
Katye Maxson Landis is the owner of Moxy Accounting LLC in Portland, Oregon and is one of few women in the United States actively filing taxes for small cannabis businesses. In this episode, Katye sheds light on the accounting challenges that cannabis businesses face, the advantages that they can bring, and shares stories of her very interesting clients. She also talks about the future of the cannabis industry and her very own educational program for cannabis accountants.
Together discuss:
- Origins of Moxy Accounting (2:25)
- Need of a robust tax professional in the industry (4:25)
- Federal law vs State law (5:50)
- Tax difference between regular businesses and cannabis businesses (6:50)
- Operating cannabis growing business in a tough environment (8:35)
- No privilege for American cannabis (10:20)
- The passion of business owners (11:35)
- It’s not a choice, it’s the law (13:35)
- Pervasive view on future of accounting in the cannabis industry (15:50)
- Government is reactive rather than proactive (17:00)
- Opportunities of taxing cannabis sensibly (18:20)
- Problems of the at-will taxing regiment (21:35)
- Importance of tax courtesy or discourtesy (23:45)
- Booker Schumer weed bill (24:30)
- Being a champion of a small business (27:40)
- Advocacy for cannabis users (28:25)
- Privilege to introduce business owners to the normal economy (30:00)
- There is really something about this plant (31:20)
- Katye’s first cannabis client (32:35)
- Dispensary consultation (37:50)
- Problems of banking for cannabis (40:20)
- Striving to create a defensible paper trail (41:50)
- Educational program for accountants in the cannabis industry (42:50)
- Practical case studies (46:00)
- Go paperless with Karbon (48:05)
- Cannabis Katye (51:00)
Timothy Munro is the CEO & Founder of Change Accountants & Advisors, and Founder & Director of Change GPS. Timothy co-founded his first accounting firm at the age of 19, had a life-changing impact on his clients, and licensed his tools and processes to other firms through Change GPS. In this episode, Timothy and Stuart discuss the importance of establishing a positive relationship and shared values to achieve mutual success for you and your clients. They also talk about the future of how to choose the right clients to work with, emissions reduction, and favorite personal vehicles.
Together they discuss:
- Win at Xero Awards (1:10)
- Origins of Change GPS and Change Accountants (03:00)
- Going separate ways with previous business partner (04:40)
- The third version of Change GPS (5:50)
- Wealth Transfer Plan App (8:45)
- Importance of values and not working with assholes (11:50)
- Problems with the largest client (12:20)
- Defining moment to say “no” (15:00)
- Repetition of emphasis (18:20)
- Establishing connection with the client (19:50)
- Capacity to make winning decisions (21:20)
- You and your family (23:50)
- Why clients love Change GPS (24:30)
- Last vehicle and travel plans for 2022 (25:40)
- First overseas trip (27:40)
- Best financial advice an accountant can ever get (30:15)
- Emissions reduction future (32:00)
- The Deficit Myth (35:00)
- What happens if the whole world goes bankrupt (35:40)
Ryan Lazanis joins Stuart on the Accounting Leaders Podcast for an inspiring chat around the future of the accounting profession, the model for a scalable, systematic accounting firm, and how to build a firm that can give you the life you want. Ryan founded Xen Accounting, a 100% cloud-based accounting firm, in 2013. Following its acquisition in 2018, he started Future Firm to provide content and coaching to help other accountants fast-track their own firm.
Ryan and Stuart discuss:
- Founding Xen Accounting in 2013 (1:30)
- How Ryan got into accounting and was exposed to entrepreneurship from a young age (3:00)
- Creating a new kind of model for accounting (6:20)
- How the accounting industry has evolved (8:00)
- The decision to sell Xen Accounting (10:20)
- Establishing Future Firm to help accountants grow a scalable, systematic firm that they love (12:20)
- Accountants have never been taught to run a business (14:30)
- Why more is not better for a firm’s tech stack (15:50)
- The model for creating a scalable, systematic accounting firm (17:00)
- The future of Future Firm (20:00)
- The differences (and similarities) between a software company and a service company (22:00)
- The freedom and flexibility that comes with leading Future Firm (27:10)
- Pilot, Botkeeper and the future of accounting technology (29:40)
- How to learn more from Ryan (33:00)
Few encapsulate the title of accounting leader more than this episode’s guest, Jason Blumer. Together, Jason and Stuart discuss the background and success of Thriveal, the network Jason founded to help other entrepreneurial CPA firm owners connect, learn and grow. They also discuss the trend of larger firms acquiring smaller firms, the challenges of growth, why you need to know your strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use that knowledge to define your purpose, lean into it, and help your own firm thrive.
Together they discuss
- The origin of Thriveal (3:40)
- The importance of resilience and perseverance (5:50)
- “Whistleblower” podcast, basketball and referees (6:40)
- The biggest changes in accounting in the last decade (9:00)
- The evolution of accounting conferences and education (11:00)
- Why large firms acquire smaller firms (13:30)
- The advantages for smaller firms of selling to larger firms (16:00)
- Challenges scaling your firm (16:50)
- Building culture when your team is virtual (19:00)
- Equity, staff compensation and partnerships (22:30)
- Success stories from Thriveal Deeper Weekend (27:20)
- Teaching accounting firm growth in different ways (30:30)
- The firm that went through turmoil and then thrived (31:45)
- Quality over quantity (36:00)
- Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a pretty cool place to be (37:50)
- Why every accounting firm needs a purpose (40:40)
- The impact of the global pandemic on the accounting industry (42:10)
- The value of experience (45:00)
Kylene O'Connor Carse from BWCO CPAs joins the Accounting Leaders Podcast this week to share her story with Stuart. In an honest chat, they discuss the challenges of constantly being busy and how to balance that when you also have a family. Kylene also talks about capacity planning, burnout, running a female-only firm, and even Peloton. Any accountant who has ever felt the pressure of deadlines and an always-growing workload will relate to this episode.
Together they discuss:
- The story of BWCO CPAs and Kylene’s entry to accounting (1:40)
- Growing up with your clients (5:20)
- What it means to be a female-only firm (7:20)
- Being proud of who you are (9:40)
- Figuring out where you want to go and how you want to grow (10:00)
- Marchternity and being over-capacity (12:10)
- Avoiding burnout (16:20)
- Getting on the Peleton bike (19:20)
- Lessons from Jason Blumer and Thriveal (21:00)
- The pitfalls of Slack and Zoom (21:50)
- Raising kids when you own an accounting firm (23:20)
- Storms and changing tax deadlines (28:20)
This week, Stuart is joined by Marilyn Davies, Director of Tandem Group, an accounting firm founded more than 100 years ago in the Taranaki region of rural New Zealand. Marilyn discusses the impact of COVID-19 on New Zealand businesses, the challenges of finding great staff, advice for the younger generation of accountants, and much more.
- The impact of COVID-19 in New Zealand, and affects on the supply chain (3:00)
- Different types of clients and specialities (7:00)
- The embracement of Xero (10:10)
- The state of distributed teams versus in-office teams in a post-COVID world (12:40)
- Battling Zoom meeting exhaustion (14:10)
- The industries that have suffered and those that have thrived during the pandemic (15:30)
- The secrets to Xero’s success (19:30)
- Marilyn’s experience using Karbon at Tandem (21:40)
- The challenges of finding great staff when you’re not in a big city (24:00)
- Succession planning (26:50)
- The tax return as a by-product of what accountants actually do (30:00)
- Advice for young up-and-coming accountants (31:00)
- Incredible client stories (32:10)
We're interrupting your podcast feed for a bonus, shorter episode to discuss some breaking industry news. Last week, pricing and onboarding app GoProposal announced that they had been acquired by Sage. To give you the inside story, we brought back one of our earlier guests, the co-founder of GoProposal James Ashford. In this episode, James shares why he made this decision, what it means for GoProposal's customers and the wider profession, what accountants can learn from his M&A experience, and most importantly, what comes next.
James and Stuart discuss:
- Making the decision to sell GoProposal at day 1 (2:15)
- Wrestling with your ego and testing the market (4:10)
- What accountants can learn from James’ experience (6:50)
- Deciding to sell GoProposal to Sage (9:30)
- Prioritizing the GoProposal team and ensuring their buy-in every step of the way (10:45)
- The positive and negative reactions from GoProposal customers (12:00)
- What will happen to GoProposal’s integrations with Sage competitors? (15:30)
- The next chapter for James (16:30)
- A deeper integration between GoProposal and Karbon (21:30)
This week, Stuart is talking all things cryptocurrency with Arthur Teller and Zac McClure from TokenTax, the leading crypto tax platform and cryptocurrency tax accounting company. Together they discuss a broad range of crypto topics including how this movement is giving the younger generation a way to gain wealth, the global implications, and the trends in cryptocurrency that everyone in the accounting profession should know about. They even provide an answer to Stuart’s question; “what is going to 20x in value in the next two years”!
Together they discuss:
- Bitcoin or Ethereum (1:20)
- Arthur’s journey toward involved with crypto and TokenTax (3:00)
- Zac’s experiences in Zimbabwe and India (5:00)
- Discovering cryptocurrency and the birth of TokenTax (7:50)
- Being here for the long-haul (13:00)
- The IRS’ approach to cryptocurrency (14:00)
- The transition from the corporate world to the crypto world (17:20)
- Navigating crypto’s complexities and ambiguities (19:10)
- The countries showing the most progression and maturity toward cryptocurrency (22:40)
- The mistakes occurring in the US (25:40)
- The impact of the generational shift (27:00)
- What happens when the young become rich (30:10)
- Generations interacting and adapting to a whole new concept of economics (33:00)
- The importance of (and problem with) common sense (36:50)
- Zac and Arthur’s predictions for the coins or tokens that will 20x over the next two years! (38:00)
This week, Stuart is joined by Heather Townsend, founder of The Accountants Millionaires' Club, author of 6 books, and highly-regarded influencer, speaker and coach to accounting firm owners. They explore the intricacies of her career, her capacity to be well prepared, and the growth that she's helped many partners and firms achieve over the years.
Together they discuss:
- How Heather fell into the accounting profession (1:40).
- Being an educator, taking the complex and making it simple (6:30).
- Acknowledging that you can’t do everything (9:00).
- The 3 ways to grow an accounting practice (10:30).
- Pricing and increasing your fees (12:00).
- Going after the wrong goals and having the wrong ideas of success. (16:00).
- Recruiting challenges and the impact of COVID-19 (22:10).
- Outsourcing and offshoring staff (28:30).
- Teaching the wrong skills to young accountants (35:40).
- The consolidation of technology (39:40).
- The future of compliance (41:40).
- The Accountants Millionaires' Club and the strength of community (45:30).
This week, Stuart is joined by Vice President of Product Management and Design for Intuit, Jorge Olavarrieta. In a wide-ranging chat, Jorge shares the path that brought him to Intuit, how the business is solving its customer’s biggest problems, and what’s coming next.
Together they discuss:
Jorge’s education at Texas A&M University (2:30). The path that led him to a company that employs more than 10,000 and brings in $10billion annual revenue, and working under different Intuit leaders and CEOs (14:30). Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and accepting it as a form of currency (20:40). How marketplaces influence technology adoption (23:10). Competitors, partners and providing the best solution to the customer (28:30). Intuit’s approach to practice management and the decision to partner with Karbon (39:00).
This week Stuart is joined by a friend and accounting industry colleague, Ohran Gobrin from Fuller Landau in Canada. Together they discuss:
Stuart and Ohran catch up (0:59-2:00). Ohran’s journey from engineering to accounting (2:00-8:20). Being responsibly responsive to a changing environment (8:20-14:03). Rolling out a hybrid model in your firm (14:03-18:48). How Ohran went from living in South Africa to Canada (18:48-22:59). Ohran’s different experiences and roles in the accounting industry (22:59-27:05). Technology adoption in the accounting industry (27:05-32:27). Ohran’s experience providing legal expertise and expert evidence in the Ontario courts (32:27-35:16). What’s on the horizon for Fuller Landau and the accounting industry (35:16-42:31).
This week Stuart is joined by the father-son accounting duo: Bernie and Jason Ackerman. Together they discuss:
The hunt for the world’s best scrambled eggs (0:55-5:35). Bernie’s career journey and how he got his son, Jason, to join his firm (5:35-8:08). Loyal clients and low turnover is part of the reason why BNA is doing well today (8:08-9:13). When you join your dad’s company, it's in your best interest to upgrade the tech stack (9:13-12:26). Creating the ultimate client experience (12:26-18:28). What technologies and improvements the accounting industry needs (18:28-22:36). The downfalls of the partnership model (22:36-25:26). What’s in store for Jason’s future and BNA’s future (25:26-29:58). Computers are not replacing accountants anytime soon (29:58-31:40). PPP loans and some positive impacts COVID-19 had on the accounting industry (31:40-36:41).
This week Stuart is joined by Connecticut-based CPA and author Dawn Brolin. Together they discuss:
How experiences from coaching softball can be utilized in your accounting firm (1:14-8:45). Why you need a designated motivator (8:45-13:20). How to find the motivation (13:20-16:28). The importance of defining the WHY in your work (16:28-24:23). Trends in the industry (24:23-28:39). Dawn’s experience fighting against fraud (28:39-35:40). Innovation in accounting and the operational technology stack (35:40-47:11). Running a virtual-first company, and the opportunities it allows (47:11-49:11). All about Powerful Accountants Inc and their clients (49:11-56:51).
Gary Wood from CRC, a small accounting firm in Missouri, joins Stuart on this week's episode. Together they discuss:
The value of conferences, with a little sprinkle of hockey playoff talk (0:53-4:48). The importance of networking with accountants in similar-sized firms (4:48-6:44). Dealing with legislative changes and government resources during COVID-19 (6:44-9:55). Burnout, overworking and saying ‘no’ (9:55-12:12). Having deep, instead of wide, client relationships (12:12-15:29). Client retention and communication (15:29-17:54). Work-life balance (17:54-19:30). The benefits of working for a small firm (19:30-22:55). How does the accounting industry change its recruiting pitch to get young professionals into the industry (22:55-26:47). Why accountants love seeing their clients succeed (26:47-31:36). Creating a blueprint for running a small firm (31:36-35:20).
Long-time friend of Stuart, Steph Hinds from Growthwise, joins the podcast to talk about topics from accounting to Australia (and everything in between). Together they discuss:
How Steph’s business and clients are handling the impact of COVID-19, how different areas of the world are handling the situation, and how community has been critical during the past 1.5 years (1:32-21:00). The importance of telling your story (21:00-24:45). Loving what you do and who you work with (24:45-26:39). When larger companies come into your town (26:39-31:52). Automating the accounting industry (31:52-41:39). The state of the Australian economy (41:39-53:40).
Our first Canadian Guest, David DiNardo, joins Stuart on this week's episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast. Together they discuss:
How Envolta and their clients are doing throughout Covid-19 (0:36-4:39). Preventing burnout and focusing on mental health in the never-ending tax season (4:39-8:24). Specializing in a specific vertical/niche (8:24-11:36). The importance of marketing (11:36-20:04). David’s career path to owning a bookkeeping company, plus the lessons he learned along the way (20:40-26:31). Growth and acquisitions (26:31-28:42). Building a performance-based team (28:42-29:57). Cloud-based work allows you to have it all (29:57-30:59). Scaling your company (30:59-32:51). Creating and maintaining and online company culture (32:51-35:26). Companies, and company characteristics, to keep your eye on (35:26-38:09). The best part of being an accountant (38:09-41:26).
This week Stuart sits down with seasoned CPA and cloud technology advocate, Bruce Phillips from Aprio Cloud. Together they discuss:
When traditional accounting was simply accounting (1:58-4:42). Mentorship and advice for the early years of your career (4:42-7:07). The biggest changes in accounting from getting rid of file rooms to cloud accounting (7:07-9:19). Global accounting (9:19-11:06). Relationship building, networking and lifetime learning (11:06-12:42). Owning a smaller firm vs. being part of a large firm (12:42-16:43). Changes in the talent market and how firm’s can meet current and potential employee expectations (16:43-26:43). The different cycles of accounting functions and the need for them to be automated (26:43-29:58). Why stop working when you can work from your boat (29:58-31:23). Advice for the next generations of accountants (31:23-33:55).
In the second episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast, Stuart sits down with James Ashford from GoProposal. Together they discuss:
His career path from magician to GoProposal, and everything in between (2:12-20:10). What happens when the complex meets the complicated (20:10-25:45). Vertical vs. horizontal software (25:45-29:34). How the caring nature of accountants is their greatest strength and biggest weakness (29:35-33:29). What’s next for accounting industry, GoProposal and James (33:30-45:15).
Jeremy Allen, founder of System Six, joins Stuart in the inaugural episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast.
Working for a cloud-based company (2:46-5:00). Small town living (5:00-6:47). How Covid has affected System Six, their clients and the future of the accounting industry (6:47-20:00). Jeremy's career path and the lessons he learned along the way (20:00-26:58). Company growth and acquisition vs. being acquired (26:58-33:32). Company culture and work-life balance (33:33-39:03). Questions that Stuart is asking as he plans the future of Karbon (39:03-45:03).
Welcome to the Accounting Leaders Podcast, a weekly podcast where our host, Stuart McLeod, goes behind the scenes with the worlds top accounting leaders.
Each week Stuart will have an open conversation with his guests about anything and everything accounting. Whether you are looking for benchmarks for your firm, want to learn how the best leaders in the world of accounting do their thing or simply want to enjoy some mindless banter between people in your industry, this podcast is for you. So grab a cup of coffee and sit down with Stuart as he dives deep with the leaders of the accounting industry.