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CPA Trendlines Podcasts
All Episodes (97)
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1. Episode 421: Thinking Smart about New Tech: Byron Patrick
The intersection of technology and intentionality.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
An explosion of new tech tools is giving accounting firm owners the opportunity to improve efficiency, attract and retain talent, and serve their clients better, tech guru Byron tells Liz Farr in this exclusive interview.Not only do these tools help ease the pressure of capacity problems, but they may also provide firms with a new revenue stream when they extend that expertise into their clients’ businesses.
The greatest benefits will accrue to leaders who exercise intentionality across many areas of their firms: in their adoption of tech, in making changes to processes, in communication with clients and team members, in accepting the right clients, and in setting aside time for marketing.
For Key Takeaways and more, go here.
Aug 03,2022 38:13 -
3. Episode 419: Why the Future of Audit Is in Risk Advisory
Say Goodbye to Traditional Audit
Innovation Insights
With Donny Shimamoto
CPA Trendlines presents a Center for Accounting Transformation productionBecause audit work is nonlinear and highly complex, disparate workflow systems in the audit are not only an IT risk, but they're also a project nightmare. Jin Chang, the founder of Fieldguide, explained to Donny Shimamoto that the end-to-end project has many workflows that need to be templatized and automated along the project life cycle.
More hereJul 15,2022 24:24 -
4. Episode 418: How Auditors Can Improve Efficiency and the Budget
Innovation Insights, with Donny Shimamoto.
CPA Trendlines presents a Center for Accounting Transformation productionInnovation Insights: Five clicks in five minutes? Sounds too good to be true – but automation can be simple and life-changing.
With everyone going remote, it’s presenting auditors with new challenges. But technology can help, according to Colleen Knuff and Stefan Davis, in this interview with Donny Shimamoto.
Part of Wolters Kluwer, which was recently accepted to the ASC X9 (American National Standards Institute or ANSI), the industry setting body for financial institutions, Knuff and Davis explain not only how some solutions allow real-time collaboration versus working in silos, but also how data-driven audits increase capacity and allow more profitability while reducing risk and maintaining high peer-review standards.
(Recorded February 2022)
More hereJul 15,2022 35:21 -
6. Episode 416: The Disruptors: Why Doing Nothing Is Not an Option, with Rob Brown
If we don’t change, we'll be irrelevant, says Rob Brown.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr
for CPA Trendlines
It’s a changing world, and if we don’t change with it, we will cease to be relevant, U.K.-based accounting podcaster Rob Brown tells CPA Trendlines' Liz Farr.- More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=97277
A host of the Accounting Influencers podcast, Brown says what got us here won’t get us there in the fight to be relevant in our practices, with our clients and in our careers. Brown's podcasting partner is Martin Bissett, a CPA Trendlines contributor and world-renowned growth advisor to accounting firms.
The last two years demonstrated that accountants can make big changes very quickly. But those changes won’t be enough to assure our continued relevance as advisors and employers.
Younger business owners are using their accountants in different ways and expect more advisory services. Younger employees also have different expectations from their employers.
Firms that don’t address the needs of clients and employees will have a hard time attracting either.May 06,2022 51:33 -
7. Episode 415: The Seller's Guide to Getting the Best Price for Your Firm
Featuring Ira Rosenbloom, CPA (LR), "The Merger Master," with Rick Telberg, CPA Trendlines.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=97102
Take-aways:- Five Steps for Maximizing Your Sale Price.
- The ten signs your firm is headed for the exits.
- The ten factors for getting the best price when you sell.
- Calculate your firm's valuation strategy by considering:
- – Your strongest niches.
- – The metrics for the current and potential profits.
- – Recurring compliance fees.
- – High-margin consulting billings.
- – New and valuable synergies with a new firm.
- – Inherent potential in your staffing.
- – Demographics of clients, partners and referral sources.
- – Untapped potential in loyal contacts.
- – Reputation and brand recognition.
- – Flexibility in timing, titles and responsibilities.
CPA Trendlines PRO Members can download the slide deck, including the bonus "12-Point Checklist for Seller Readiness," and read the transcript here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=97102
(Login required.)
Not yet a PRO Member? Go PRO with one of today's best offers here: GoProCPA.com.Apr 29,2022 52:45 -
8. Episode 414: Is it CAS or CAAS? Getting Clarity
Apr 27,2022 00:00 -
9. Episode 413: The Disruptors: Blake Oliver Sees a Ponzi Scheme Ready for Collapse
The accounting firm's business model isn’t broken yet, but the pyramid is crumbling.
With Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
- More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=96758
Podcaster and enfant terrible Blake Oliver says the accounting firm is a pyramid scheme destined for collapse.
The system is simple and simply devious: Bring in staff, work them a ton of hours, and the profits flow to the top, Blake says.
But today, the model is being challenged by venture capital-backed tech startups delivering automated tax prep and bookkeeping, by CPA firms following the lead of Eisner Amper into non-CPA businesses, and by the booming growth of non-CPA startups like Acuity.
Blake Oliver, CPA, is an accountant, entrepreneur, and podcaster specializing in technology. He is one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People and has been named a 40 Under 40 in the accounting profession by CPA Practice Advisor. Blake is the creator of Earmark CPE, an app that offers NASBA-approved CPE for listening to your favorite accounting and tax podcasts. He also co-hosts the Cloud Accounting Podcast, a Top 50 Business News show on the Apple charts and the most popular podcast for accountants and bookkeepers globally. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he likes to hike in the winter and swim in the summer.Apr 19,2022 39:13 -
10. Episode 412: The Disruptors: Martin Bissett Argues for the "Commercialization" of the Tax and Accounting Profession
With Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=96260To win the staffing wars, accountants must develop a talent pipeline, practice advisor Martin Bissett tells Liz Farr in this exclusive interview.
The firms winning in recruiting and retention are using a portfolio approach to nurture prospects who might be ready to join the firm at some point in the future, a world-renowned sales and marketing consultant, a long-time contributor at CPA Trendlines, and, most recently the co-host of the UK-based Accounting Influencers podcast.
More Take-Aways from Martin Bissett:
- A growing trend in the UK is the “commercialization” of the profession, where private equity firms invest in accounting firms, especially at the mid-tier level. With a change in governance to boards and a CEO/COO/CFO/CMO structure, firms are changing from accounting practices into accounting businesses.
- A desired result of commercialization is that clients will be better served: more financially literate, fewer insolvencies, and more economic prosperity for all, developing young professionals into commercially minded people who create value rather than provide services.
- What’s never been in place at most firms is discipline around business development, marketing, and selling, which we have labeled as ‘soft skills.’ If accountants don’t have skills in selling and marketing, how can we expect our clients to regard us as trusted advisors who will help them generate more sales?
- If you want to win clients of a higher caliber, you need to communicate why they are better off with you than where they are now because they will have to break a loyalty barrier to leave their current accountant.
- Most accountants have never been taught, coached, or trained to run a commercial enterprise. Likewise, most clients have no experience with firms that offer any kind of value proposition. Then the deciding factors are how close they are, how much they are, and do you get on with them.
- When you are providing a commoditized service, price is your enemy. Providing the additional value that justifies higher prices has not been part of the training or the education for accountants and is therefore not known.
- When you chase deadlines for a living and hire people to chase deadlines, that doesn’t allow for innovation or value creation. Instead, be willing to think about whether what you are doing is what you want to do. At what level of pain is it better to tolerate the discomfort of change so you can create something better?
Martin Bissett is the author of
- Winning Your First Client,
- Passport to Partnership,
- Meet Your New Best Client and
- Business Development on a Budget
Shop the Martin Bissett Practice Growth Collection
He is the founder of The Upward Spiral Partnership Ltd., the UK-based consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of professional selling and leadership skills in the next generation of accounting professionals.
And he is co-founder of AddviserPlus, a training and consulting hub for accountants and bookkeepers who are readApr 08,2022 46:47 -
11. Episode 411: The Disruptors: Brannon Poe Rejects the Status Quo
Apr 01,2022 34:02 -
13. Episode 409: Your Sales Tax Compliance Headaches Are Only Just Beginning
With Rick Telberg
For CPA TrendlinesThe changes wrought by COVID are still rolling through the business world, pushing many of them into online commerce and cross-border sales, according to Liz Armbruester, senior VP of global compliance at Avalara.
In the U.S. states are gearing up to crack down on the new sources of revenues, leaving many businesses and their accountants still ill-equipped to handle the new rules, Armbruester tells Rick Telberg for CPA Trendlines.
As SVP Global Compliance, Armbruester oversees global compliance operations at Avalara. With more than 20 years of leadership experience from a variety of technology sectors including software, media, and services.
From her perch, see tracks how governments at all levels and across the globe are capitalizing on the rapidly digitizing business world to automatically collect taxes due.
See more here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=95008Mar 08,2022 19:26 -
14. Episode 408: How Private Equity Changes Everything
Mar 19,2022 12:53 -
15. Episode 407: How FinTech Billions Are Re-Making the Accounting Business, with Rick Telberg for CPA Trendlines
Mar 12,2022 19:11 -
16. Episode 406: Matt Wilkinson: Think Small to Think Big – The Disruptors with Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
The Disruptors with Liz Farr
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=94950Matt Wilkinson’s Take-Aways
- Part of your marketing is attracting new talent. Make yourself look good talent as they do their due diligence. Update your website and make sure your social media is engaging.
- Business owners like Matt have been asking accountants for predictable monthly billing and help with KPIs for their businesses since the early 2000’s. It’s only recently that accountants are beginning to provide that. Exclusively for PRO Members.
- Accounting firm owners tend to have limiting beliefs about how to run their firms – billing by the hour, working in the office, and the partnership structure. The partnership structure itself can be problematic for growing a coherent firm, where each partner acts almost like a freelancer with their own clients, and decisions require agreement between groups that oppose each other’s ideas.
- Accounting firms don’t have scale issues that can be solved with technology and automation. Instead, they have quality issues or people issues. A better way to grow is to focus on doing a better job. Make small 1% improvements in areas like client communication or selling additional services to existing clients. Focus on being local or boutique – all the things that the biggest firms can’t do.
- Times change, people don’t. People skills will always be essential.
- Instead of trying to “make a dent in the universe” as Steve Jobs did, try to model being a good person and what a good company looks like. Those changes will ripple out and impact more than your clients and your team. Thinking smaller can be thinking bigger.
About Matt Wilkinson
Matt Wilkinson has been a marketer for over 20 years. He’s run campaigns promoting everything from a Paul McCartney concert to a skincare brand used by Madonna. Since 2010, he’s worked exclusively with accountants and bookkeepers. His goal is to help them become small business heroes.
Matt is co-founder and CEO of New Zealand-based Bizink, which specializes in websites and online marketing for accountants throughout the English-speaking world. Bizink helps busy accountants and bookkeepers grow by improving their marketing. They do that with high-performance websites, engaging content and modern marketing tools. Everything Bizink does is built for accountants and bookkeepers and streamlined so they can run their practices in the knowledge their online marketing is in safe hands.
Mar 09,2022 35:38 -
17. Episode 405: Corey Schmidt on Re-Inventing Your Firm – The Disruptors with Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
The Disruptors with Liz Farr
See more here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=94934
Corey Schmidt's Take-Aways- Offer your staff different paths to being successful.
- Pinpoint the talents you have on your staff, and nurture those special skills.
- Carve out time for people to work on those skills, not just the backlog.
- Challenge your people earlier in their careers so they have three years of experience rather than one year repeated three times.
- Create roles for the kinds of skills your people have.
- A forgotten metric is client happiness. If we provide a service that makes them feel good about what they’re getting, they’re going to be willing to pay more and will stick around much longer.
- Firms should own who they are. A firm with a hard-driving culture that values working long hours should seek out team members who like that kind of work culture.
- Think about where you want to be in five years, and start hiring people who fit that kind of work culture. Build in the people, processes and systems around that end goal.
- Stop doing what you did last year. Start with a blank slate. Following SALY is easier than figuring out how to do things differently. This requires carving out the time for meaningful planning.
- Challenge everyone on the audit team to come to the planning meeting with ideas for doing things differently, whether that’s using data or being efficient.
- Start rewarding the behaviors that are in line with the vision of the firm you want five or ten years in the future.
- Partners with high billable hours send the message to younger people that the way to get ahead in a firm is to do that, even if those same partners also talk about building a flexible data-driven culture.
- Let people pick their own career paths that make sense for them and for the firm.
- The need for a historical financial statement will be gone sooner rather than later.
- Firms need to adapt to the needs of the stakeholders.
- Banks only care about a few key metrics on the financials, so providing those on a real-time basis rather than an entire set of financials three or four months after year-end may be more useful.
About Corey Schmidt
Corey Schmidt, CPA, Manager of Audit Innovation, joined ACCOUNTability Plus, LLC with a decade of diverse public accounting experience, focused on providing audit and assurance services to clients in a variety of industries. He is dedicated to finding provocative and inventive ways to help move accounting firms and A&A practices into the future. Corey relies on his analytical abilities to assist his clients in gaining a thorough understanding of their financial situation and how certain decisions will impact their organization. He is passionate about working with all levels of the organization to provide accurate financial data and improve future results. Outside work, Corey likes to golf, fish, travel, and spend time with his family.
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Mar 05,2022 25:45 -
18. Episode 404: Geraldine Carter: Saving Accountants from Themselves – The Disruptors with Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
The Disruptors with Liz Farr
Geraldine Carter is on a mission to make accounting more attractive as a profession, and to make accountants more profitable, particularly soloists and small firms.
In this episode of The Disruptors with Liz Farr, Carter explains the trouble with "orphan 1040s," how to "level up" your firm, the priceless value of emotional intelligence, and why giving your all is too much (80 percent is enough.)
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/02/14/geraldine-carter/Feb 14,2022 31:10 -
19. Episode 403: Re-Inventing the Accounting Firm with Tyler Anderson – The Disruptors with Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
With accounting talent so scarce, tax and accounting firms may be surprised to find untapped talents within their current staff, according to Tyler Anderson, partner and director of A&A innovation at Accountability Plus tells Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/01/28/disruptors-tyler-anderson/Jan 28,2022 25:16 -
20. Episode 402: Closing the Sale, with Sarah Dobek and Ty Hendrickson
Jan 19,2022 12:12 -
21. Episode 401: The Disruptors: New Padgett COO Amanda Aguillard Explains How to Scale
“Process, process, process” and other lessons in scaling an accounting business.
With Liz Farr
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/01/13/the-disruptors-new-padgett-coo-amanda-aguillard-explains-how-to-scale/To beat the staffing shortage, tax and accounting firms will need to rank technology skills as important as accounting skills, Padgett COO Amanda Aguillard says in this episode of The Disruptors, a new CPA Trendlines series of conversations between special contributor Liz Farr and leading change-makers in the profession. This is the first of the series.
“We will have to be creative about who we hire,” Aguillard says. “Knowledge of accounting is important, but it’s not the only thing… Being tech-curious is just as important.”Take-Aways
- We will have to be creative about who we hire. Knowledge of accounting is important, but it’s not the only thing. Being tech-curious is just as important.
- Specialization isn’t just vertical niches, but we can gate a practice around particular services. Building practices around services like outsourced controllership, tax resolution, or monthly accounting can make hiring easier because the candidates don’t have to be good at all of the different things.
- Process is the key to scale. Build and document processes around the idea that you will scale, even when the firm is just one person. Don’t be the bottleneck. Add technology on top of the process so that when the technology changes, you can find another one to take its place.
- A key skill for the future will be tracking data flow. Understanding where the data is coming in, and where the data will end up will help with developing processes and choosing technology.
- Ask for what you’re worth. Clients engage you in a business relationship, so they anticipate having to pay you. This is not charity.
- What firms are doing now is working well enough, but the people coming behind us aren’t interested in good enough. They want to work to live. They want to work just enough to do the things they love.
- The next big thing will be high-touch client relationships. We need to stop using technology as a shield, and use it to provide value to our clients. How can we help our clients, shoulder to shoulder?
About Aguillard
Aguillard
Amanda Aguillard was only 16 years old when she realized she wanted to become a CPA, and she’s used that passion ever since to encourage innovation in the industry she loves. That commitment lives on through her work as the Chief Operating Officer of Padgett Business Services, one of North America’s largest accounting service and business consulting providers.
Amanda is responsible for providing operational and logistical guidance for the company’s network of franchisees. This includes identifying and incorporating the latest cloud technologies into the Padgett firm operating model. She also is focused on developing and facilitating the necessary training to ensure these platforms and tools are successfully implemented by Padgett firms.
Amanda, who was named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting in 2018 and 2019, is the author of Xero: A Comprehensive Guide for Accountants and Bookkeepers. She was the Xero Evangelist of the Year in 2016 and used her experience as a Xero Certification instructor to co-found Elefant, a continuing education company for accountants and bookkeepers.
Prior to joining the executive team at Padgett, she ran Aguillard Accounting LLC, focusing her efforts on providing unparalleled client support service through a cloud-based practice that could be done anywhere in the world. Amanda also is the founder of
Jan 13,2022 29:31 -
25. Episode 48: The Keys to Better Client Relations, with Jeff Pawlow
What do clients really want? Mostly, it’s not what you’re giving them now.
Seventy percent of clients are barely aware of the extra services you can provide, and 80 percent want something specific that you, in fact, provide. They just don’t know that they can go to you for help.
See the video here
Dec 18,2021 03:51 -
26. Episode 47: How to Hire the Best, with Josh Fisher
Dec 15,2021 14:12 -
27. Episode 46: Staffing in the Age of COVID, with Pasha Malick
Dec 12,2021 20:26 -
31. Episode 44: Growing Revenue Through Client Service, with Sarah Dobek and Ty Hendrickson
With Sarah Johnson Dobek and Ty Hendrickson
Inovautus ConsultingSales is sometimes presented as this abstract notion of convincing someone to buy your product, but it actually follows a simple framework.
It may seem like an obvious answer, but there’s some science behind the why.
Key Takeaways:
- What makes a good business developer.
- The skills professionals need for business development.
- The professional’s role in growth.
Nov 30,2021 14:29 -
32. Episode 43: How Covid Changes Recruiting, with Ronald Kranzler
Nov 26,2021 22:08 -
34. Episode 41: EisnerAmper CEO Explains the Firm's Private Equity Deal
EisnerAmper CEO Charly Weinstein calls the firm’s deal to take on private equity a new wrinkle in the profession’s decades-old struggle to secure fresh capital for expansion in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
More here: http://cpa.click/WeinsteinPE
Pictured: Charly WeinsteinNov 22,2021 28:59 -
40. Episode 25: Gary Cokins: Mythbusting Performance Management
Feb 01,2021 28:25 -
41. Episode 4: IRS Notice 2021-29 “drops a bomb” on the Employee Retention Credit.
The “Uncle Billy” Problem with the ERCWith Bradley Burnett, JD LLM
With 18 months of water under the bridge, we’re three-fourths of the way through the Employee Retention Program, the IRS changed their mind on an extremely important issue that changes many, many tax situations.
The IRS did a complete about-face, now saying if you’re a 50-percent-plus owner and you have a living relative, or half relative, or an ancestor, or a descendant, or a multi-level marketing sponsor, or even an Uncle Billy you haven’t heard from in years… They say you’re not eligible.
The question is: Who’s eligible? And who’s not?
It’s crazy! It’s just plain wonky.
So what do we do now?
Many practitioners in good faith have claimed the ERC. Now, do we have to amend? Or, can you let this ride? Congress is already asking IRS to change its position. Will the IRS reverse itself? Hard to say.
You’ll need to break out Form 827 for uncertain positions with your next filing.
There’s a lot to out sort out here.RELATED: The “Ludicrously Lucrative” Employee Retention Credit | “Brand Spanking New!” IRS Notice on Employee Retention Credit. | Answered! Your Top 11 Questions about the Employee Retention Credit. |
Aug 27,2021 05:39 -
43. Episode 2: Flash Briefing: A “Call to Arms” after Private Equity Deal
With Dom Esposito and Anthony ZeccaEisnerAmper’s deal to take on private equity and spin off its attest firm represents a new path forward for firms seeking capital to remain competitive in talent and in technology, according to Dom Esposito and Anthony Zecca, two veteran big-firm leaders, in this exclusive CPA Trendlines Flash Briefing webinar.
See more here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2021/09/26/flash-briefing-a-call-to-arms-after-private-equity-deal/Nov 14,2021 58:41 -
44. Episode 2: Pasha Mailk: Four Ways to Beat the Staffing Shortage, with Richard Rothstein for CPA Trendlines
Kill the billable hour, embrace remote work, stay flexible, get social, says Pasha Malik of Thyor.
Twitter and Linkedin are the go-to resources for finding new talent at the McLean, Va.-based Thyor group of companies, founder and CEO Pasha Malik tells Richard Rothstein for CPA Trendlines.
But he has much more to say about fixing the accounting business to make it more competitive for attracting the best people. In fact, his group of companies may be a model of the next-generation CPA firm, offering through various entities outsourced CFO services, tax planning, technology consulting, and venture capital advisory services.
The business was launched as virtual with a far-flung remote workforce, and remains so today, giving it a headstart on other firms still making the transition. Meanwhile, Malik plays the role of CEO, CFO-for-hire, tax advisor, strategist, data scientist, startup advisor, wealth adviser adventure capitalist.
Educated in Cambridge and London, Malik has traveled the world in public accounting, from BDO in Singapore to PB Mares in Washington, D.C., before launching Thyor.For the video and the transcript, go to: https://cpatrendlines.com/2021/08/01/three-strategies-to-crack-the-staffing-shortage/
Aug 03,2021 20:26 -
45. Episode 1: Google Ad Tips for Accountants with Becky Livingston
Here's how to stand out online and attract new clients -- the right kind of clients -- to your tax and accounting practice.
Let Becky Livingston be your guide. She's a seasoned digital marketer for accounting firms and the author of The Accountant's Social Media Handbook and SEO for CPAs: The Accountant's Handbook, both published by CPA trendlines at https://cpatrendlines.comendlines.com/shop.
Ge the transcript, handouts and other downloads for this episode here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=89410
See Becky Livingston's latest articles at CPA TrendlinesOct 07,2021 01:00:56 -
46. Episode 1: Gary Cokins on Predictive Accounting with Steven Sacks
With Steven Sacks
The NEW FundamentalsThe main problem with the annual budget process as a fiscal exercise done by the accountants is that it is disconnected from the executive team strategy.
Corporate finance expert Gary Cokins says that allows too much room for bad habits, such as the use-it-or-lose-it mindset of allocated resources, as well as incorporating last year's inefficiencies in processes into the current year.
Five Key Take-Aways:
- There is interest now in corporate performance management because executives are frustrated with strategy failure. They are good at formulating strategy, but meeting expected goals is a real problem.
- The way to get rid of spreadsheet budgeting is to view the amount of spending of any organization as the result of the confluence of two streams. The first is going to be repeatable work. It tends to be operational. The second is non-repeatable because it involves capital, risk management, and strategy projects.
- Accounting must carefully identify and construct key performance indicators. But not every type of measurement is key.
- Activity-based costing is just full absorption costing done correctly, without the “butter spreading” on spreadsheets of labor hours or units produced or sales dollars or full-time equivalent headcount or square feet. None of those reflect the unique consumption that the products or service lines actually consume.
- Many people have heard about the balanced scorecard, but it's just a feedback mechanism. The real intelligence is in the strategy map.
Jul 02,2021 23:01 -
50. The Disruptors with Hitendra Patil
Jan 10,2023 46:04 -
52. Work Less, Earn More: Build the Accounting Firm of Your Dreams
Erik Solbakken: Create a firm you'd love working in.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
Erik Solbakken, a.k.a. “The Heavy Metal CPA,” is on a mission to free accountants from an oppressive business model. Solbakken spent 18 years working his way up to be a partner in a firm in Canada, but when the partnership fell apart, he was liberated to create a new kind of firm, where he and his staff never worked overtime, and he made more money. Today, he acts as the guide he wishes he’d had when he started, empowering accountants to create firms they love working in.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=105849Dec 12,2022 01:04:19 -
54. Donny Shimamoto: Future Firm Growth Requires a Mindset Shift
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr
Donny C. Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, is the founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC, a specialized CPA firm dedicated to helping small businesses and middle market organizations leverage strategic technologies, proactively manage their business and technical risks, and enable balanced organizational growth and development. Donny also works with larger organizations as a trusted business advisor, facilitating organizational strategic planning and execution, IT governance and planning, enterprise architecture, information architecture and assurance, business process improvement, and business intelligence initiatives.
Click here for more Donny Shimamoto
As the founder of The Center for Accounting Transformation, Shimamoto is leading a movement to improve the world by empowering and equipping accountants with leading-edge tools and techniques.
Donny was the first Certified Information Technology Professional (CPA.CITP) in Hawaii and is one of only four in the state. The CITP credential is a specialty designation of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), that identifies Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) with the unique ability to bridge between business and technology, meeting the strict requirements for a CPA license as well as additional training and experience in technology strategic planning, IT architecture, business process enablement, system development and acquisition, IT audit and control, and IT governance.
The immediate past chairman of the AICPA’s IMTA Executive Committee, Donny has been both influential and critical in several AICPA initiatives, including the development of an IT Competency Model for CPAs and redesign of the CITP Credential. Donny previously co-chaired the AICPA’s Business Intelligence Working Group, researching and creating practice aids in the area of Evidence-based Management, Application & Data Integration, and Information Assurance. Donny has also been involved in the authoring of guidance published by the AICPA on IT Considerations for Risk-Based Auditing and Enterprise Business Intelligence. As a subject matter expert, Donny is often invited at national and international webinars and is a familiar keynote speaker at national-level conferences.
Donny obtained invaluable knowledge and exposure to a wide range of industries and sectors (retail, hospitality, state government, defense, and higher education) while earning his CPA license as a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Business Assurance Services, Operational & Systems Risk Management Services, and Management Consulting Services lines of business. With ITK he has expanded his industry expertise to include not-for-profit (social services, foundations, and membership organizations), professional services, small businesses, technology, and mobile professionals.Dec 01,2022 47:05 -
55. Jennifer Wilson: Empower Young Workers to Build the Firm Everyone Loves
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA Trendlines
Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), and Boomplay (Africa).Nov 28,2022 51:51 -
56. Mike Whitmire: Re-Think Your Hiring and Training Practices
Training can triumph over textbooks in the talent wars.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA TrendlinesMike Whitmire wants to transform the role of accountants in industry from mere counting beans (though that’s not a bad skill to have) to an operational role that leverages accountants’ knowledge of company finances and operations to drive efficiency throughout an entire organization.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=103950
Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), and Boomplay (Africa).Nov 23,2022 36:07 -
57. Mike Whitmire: Re-Think Your Hiring and Training Practices
Training can triumph over textbooks in the talent wars.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA TrendlinesMike Whitmire wants to transform the role of accountants in industry from mere counting beans (though that’s not a bad skill to have) to an operational role that leverages accountants’ knowledge of company finances and operations to drive efficiency throughout an entire organization.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=103950
Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), and Boomplay (Africa).Nov 23,2022 36:20 -
58. Mike Whitmire: Re-Think Your Hiring and Training Practices
Training can triumph over textbooks in the talent wars.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA TrendlinesMike Whitmire wants to transform the role of accountants in industry from mere counting beans (though that’s not a bad skill to have) to an operational role that leverages accountants’ knowledge of company finances and operations to drive efficiency throughout an entire organization.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=103950
Subscribe to CPA Trendlines podcasts anywhere: Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, Deezer, Amazon Music and Audible, Player FM, Audacy, Gaana (India), and Boomplay (Africa).Nov 16,2022 00:00 -
59. Ed Kless: Clients Don’t Want Outputs. They Want Outcomes!
Too busy? Raise your prices.
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr for CPA TrendlinesWhat do clients – or, as Ed Kless prefers, customers – want from their accountants? It’s not the tax return or the financial statement but the outcome for the customer, which is most often peace of mind.
To remain relevant in disruptions like online tax preparation and automated bookkeeping tech firms like Pilot, accountants need to think about other ancillary services they can provide above and beyond those basic services.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/11/13/ed-kless-clients-dont-want-outputs-they-want-outcomes/
Nov 13,2022 39:59 -
61. The Six Pillars for Finance Transformation with Chris Ortega
Career Reflections
With Amy Welch
After years in public accounting, Chris Ortega decided he wanted something different.
Armed with his MBA in corporate finance from the University of Indianapolis, as well as multiple years of experience, Ortega created Fresh FP&A to provide CFO services to companies, helping them transform their finance departments and businesses. And, while many business owners start with dreams and plans, Ortega says his company operates with six key pillars in mind.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/10/14/the-six-pillars-for-finance-transformation/Oct 14,2022 06:36 -
62. CSR for CPAs: The Missing Ingredient
Transformation Talks: Corporate social responsibility reporting all starts with transparency, and leaders should prioritize this, not just for communities but also for sustainability.
James Ross, the CSR leader at Buzzacott, a 500-person accounting firm based in London, talks to Donny Shimamoto, for the Center for Accounting Transformation. Published by CPA Trendlines.Oct 06,2022 31:30 -
63. O.D. Lanier: The Four – or Five – Steps for Moving into Consulting
Transformation Talks: A leader at one of the fastest growing firms in the country describes transforming his career, pros and cons of building versus buying and the four (or five) steps to becoming a consulting firm.
Transformation Talks
With Bill Penczak, Center for Accounting Transformation
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/09/28/rick-thisthe-four-or-five-steps-to-moving-into-the-consulting-business/Sep 28,2022 35:51 -
64. Hector Garcia: How Niche Knowledge Drives Success
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr
for CPA Trendlines
Any accountant who has ever met Hector Garcia will likely use the adjective ‘generous’ to describe him.
Since 2011, he’s been sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of QuickBooks on a YouTube channel that has generated millions of views. Because of that YouTube channel, he hasn’t printed business cards for two years.
In this discussion, he shares tips for transitioning to value pricing, provides a step-by-step blueprint for offering additional advisory services to clients, and discusses two strategies for finding new clients. Instead of hoarding our specialized knowledge as a means to give us job security, Hector believes we should share that knowledge widely to help reduce the misinformation around taxes and accounting.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=98347Sep 21,2022 01:07:01 -
65. Career Advice and Success Planning for Accountants from Mike Maksymiw
Transformation Talks
With Bill Penczak
<a href="https://improvetheworld.net/">Center for Accounting Transformation</a></em>
After 16 years of working in firms, Mike Maksymiw, CPA, CGMA, was done. Or, so he thought.
Maksymiw discussed his career path in the latest episode of Transformation Talks with Bill Penczak, the chief transformation officer for the Center for Accounting Transformation. Maksymiw, who is now the leader of Aprio's Alliance-Firm Foundation, offers career advice for new CPAs and those considering succession planning.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/2022/09/12/secret-to-success-a-growth-and-abundance-mindset/Sep 13,2022 33:53 -
66. Disruptor: Jason Staats Shakes Up the Status Quo
Sep 09,2022 50:21 -
67. Innovation Insights: Early Adopters Gain the Edge in Audit
Innovation Insights: Paving the way for ESG reporting.
Innovation Insights
With Donny Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA
Center for Accounting TransformationThose who hesitate to adopt mature technologies could find themselves too far behind to easily catch up, according to tech experts Pete Myers, CEO of Auvenir, and Donny Shimamoto, founder and managing partner of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies.
More here: cpatrendlines.com/?p=100196Sep 03,2022 26:56 -
68. From Tax to Transformation
Aug 26,2022 32:03 -
69. The Disruptors: Penny Breslin on Facing Your Staffing Challenges Head-On
With Liz Farr
for CPA Trendlines
The accounting profession has faced staffing issues for years now and, especially post-pandemic, the problem has compounded.
Penny Breslin, CPA Trendlines contributor and the founder of MoneyPenny, talks about how firms are facing the hiring challenges and popular solutions that seem to be working, including using predominantly cloud-based apps for collaboration and engagement and taking a true evaluation of the talents and skills needed for each position.
More here: https://cpatrendlines.com/?p=98359Aug 15,2022 01:02:07 -
70. Nancy Fox: Winning the Mind Game of Success
Apr 29,2021 26:35 -
72. Steven Braunstein: Learning How to Lunch Online
Staffing, Recruiting and Retention for the COVID Age.
With Richard Rothstein
Click here for more by Richard RothsteinSteven Braunstein, managing partner of Snyder Cohn in North Bethesda, Md., talks about the impact of COVID on staff recruiting and retention -- including virtual "Lunch with Steve" sessions.
Braunstein describes the culture at the 100-year-old, 80-person firm and how that makes a difference in recruiting.
Snyder Cohn has also implemented some interesting ideas to promote retention during the pandemic that go beyond work life like “Lunch with Steve” and having more virtual time together through shared lunches.
Transcript
Richard Rothstein 0:10
Hi, there, this is Richard Rothstein and I am talking to Steven Steen of Snyder Cohn, in Bethesda, Maryland. And we're gonna be talking again a little bit about how his firm has handled recruiting this year and this crazy year, both before and after COVID. So, Steven, how you doing?I'm doing great. Thanks for having me, Richard.
So if you could start out by telling, how were you handling recruiting accounts pre COVID?
Steven Braunstein 0:46
Sure, pre COVID there were multiple different avenues where we would recruit accountants. We work with agencies, I mean, that's always been something that we always talk to them, sometimes they can get some candidates that we're not getting, we would talk with different referral sources that we work with lawyers, bankers, investment advisors, and always just ask them, we're always looking for good people if you know someone. So we did a little bit of that. We did some work on LinkedIn with our HR person. And we had a handful of college campuses where we recruited entry level accountants from so all of those things were done in the pre COVID world.Richard Rothstein 1:48
Are there any referral sources in particular that you found to be helpful?Steven Braunstein 1:53
Over time, I would say, No, but because I think it just kind of depends, you know, does somebody know someone who's looking? So we were doing that. The other thing we did, but we didn't have great results, is offering an incentive for employees if they knew someone, we we did some of that over the years, and but not as much as I would have liked.Richard Rothstein 2:26
The next step to that is once you find the people is, how you how you make competitive offers. So, what what were you doing to make sure that Snyder Cohn was as a competitive opportunity for people to consider?Steven Braunstein 2:45
So I think we're always looking at different salary surveys to make sure that we're aligned on salary trends. But we also like, we feel strongly about our culture. And we think we have a good culture we had, for years, we've had a flexible work environment where we allow some people to work remotely, work remotely part of the time work, remotely all of the time. So we have always had that, and we think that's important. We always had a number of people who were part time, because some people with small children may not have that the full time 40 hours a week available. So that was a cultural thing. I think that the family friendly environment that we had, is people felt that when they would interview with us, that coupled with what we felt was a a competitive starting salary with, the traditional benefits health insurance 401k match. We felt that we were able to stay competitive, although I think that over the last couple of years that they're therMar 12,2021 14:10 -
75. Bill Carroll on The Art & Science of Hiring, with Matt Solomon for CPA Trendlines
With Matt Solomon for CPA Trendlines
Bill Carroll, CEO of Hoops HR, reveals the three keys to smart hiring for accounting firms, in this conversation with Matt Solomon.
"We look at retention in really three key areas," Carroll says. "It's security for that person. A lot of that has to do with income, but a lot of that has to do with how they're treated internally as a person. How does the organization engage in conflict? How do they solve a conflict? Is there ultimately a resolution? There's a security aspect to that, and pay is just a portion of that."
"Care is another," Carroll adds. "Security plus care. We look at care as benefits packages or access to benefit packages. Then there's retirement and perks, which should really be aligned with your core values."
The third element is appreciation. "Appreciation will ultimately lead to retention. We all know that experiences drive beliefs, beliefs drive behaviors, and behaviors drive results."
Matt Solomon: Hello, everybody. Matt Solomon here, CEO of the Center for Enlightened Business. It is my honor, my deep pleasure and privilege to introduce everybody to Bill Carroll, the founder and CEO of Hoops HR. Bill and his team are on a mission to revolutionize the way that companies hire, and I can attest to the fact that they are absolutely doing that. Bill, welcome, man. Great to have you here and thanks for spending time with us today.
Bill Carroll: Hey, thanks for having, Matt. Excited to be here and spend a few minutes with you.
Matt: Me too, it's a privilege. I know you have a lot of knowledge and information, especially as it comes to hiring. Here's the deal. I want to start off with the question, for most people hiring, it's an art and a science that they just can't seem to manage, that they can't seem to get right. What do you see as the common pitfalls, the common mistakes or challenges that people are doing in the hiring process? What are they missing, Bill?
Bill: I think what we see the most, and it makes sense, we work with a lot of organizations that are sub 200 employees, typically entrepreneur-led, and hiring is a second thought as opposed to a more proactive. I would say one of the biggest pitfalls we see is moving too fast through the process and not taking their time to really understand the kind of candidate they're looking for, how does that candidate align with their culture? Not only just the job responsibilities, but all of the other intangibles that that candidate needs to bring and then really be thoughtful through that process to determine the right fit.
Matt: I love that. We've made some mishires in our past and it's amazing. Sometimes, there's top performers that are just totally the wrong cultural fit. It's so hard to make a move like that, but the cultural side of it is so important. The other side of it is we've had people who were great cultural fits that just couldn't do the job and finding the balance of those two things is always a challenge. Certainly, the business can't move forward when those things are not perfectly in alignment, so I love that. Could you tell me, Bill, what are the great misconceptions around hiring? What do you see people are coming to the table with that maybe information that's not accurate or practices that are not accurate for hiring top-down?
Bill: The one that we see the most is that the person with the skill is the person I should hire when really, we need to look at it in a more holistic view. Skill is absolutely important. Even intelligence, IQ is the other piece of it, but then there's this whole other side of the
Dec 18,2020 13:57 -
76. Blockchain 101 for Business, featuring Jack Shaw
Dec 04,2020 30:55 -
77. David Bergstein - What's a Bot?
Nov 13,2020 11:19 -
80. Robert Fligel: COVID Infects CPA Firm M&A Deals
Oct 05,2020 22:28 -
81. David Bergstein: Your Competition Isn't Who You think It Is
Oct 02,2020 33:51 -
82. Eileen Kennedy on Managing Client Experience in the Covid Age
Aug 16,2020 39:12 -
83. Stephen Nelson on Three Hidden Surprises in PPP Loan Forgiveness
Aug 16,2020 03:49 -
84. Judy Trepeck on How to Think Beyond Accounting
Aug 13,2020 25:32 -
85. Bill Reeb talks with Steven Sacks on Management in the COVID Era
Jul 27,2020 32:11 -
86. Gabby Luoma on the Covid Crisis
Jul 19,2020 20:42 -
88. Zach Gordon, NYSSCPA Cannabis
By Liz Gold
A strong network in cannabis, staying up-to-date on all the moving parts of legislation and reading constantly keeps Zach Gordon, CPA well-informed as co-practice leader of Janover LLC’s Cannabis Industry Practice Group. He’s also the chair of the New York State Society of CPAs’ Cannabis Industry Committee and planning the upcoming NYSSCPA’s 2019 Cannabis Conference in conjunction with the Foundation for Accounting Education. He’s taken on these leadership roles as a senior manager in a firm that he’s been at for less than a year.
Sep 12,2019 27:45 -
89. [The Cannabis CPA] Ben Curren of Green Bits
Green Bits: Helping Cannabis Retailers Stay Compliant
With Liz Gold
cannabizcpa.pro at cpatrendlines.com
After selling his former company, Outright, to GoDaddy in 2012, Ben Curren stayed at the company for a year and then started considering what he would do next. After listening to cannabis-related news and realizing the inventory problems that were emerging due to compliance, Curren got excited to tackle some of the issues plaguing many cannabis dispensaries.
As a result, he jumped into the cannabis industry, leveraging his skills and background as an engineer at QuickBooks to create a new technology to help legal cannabis retailers stay compliant.
Founded in 2014, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with another office in Portland, Ore., Green Bits serves more than 1,000 cannabis retailers across 13 states and processes more than $2.7 billion in sales annually through its point-of-sale platform.
Jun 24,2019 28:17 -
90. [The Cannabis CPA] Sean Robinson, Tebaja Consulting
Jun 22,2019 22:58 -
91. [The Cannabis CPA] Cristina Garza, CannaComply
Jun 22,2019 15:32 -
92. [The Cannabis CPA] Matt Karnes, Greenwave Consultants
In a tsunami of institutional investors flooding the market, Karnes sees opportunity.
By 2022, Matthew Karnes, CPA, said he expects every state in the country will have implemented either a medical-only or a fully legal cannabis market to reach $35 billion in retail sales. Karnes is founder of GreenWave Consultants, one of the industry's leading Wall Street analysts.
http://www.CannaBizCPA.Pro at https://cpatrendlines.com More: https://cpatrendlines.com/2019/06/15/the-cannabis-cpa-podcast-matt-karnes-greenwave-consultants/
Jun 22,2019 21:07 -
93. [The Cannabis CPA] Laura Durham, Kind Accounting
Required of clients: a legal bank account or detailed cash logs.
With Liz Gold
http://cannabizcpa.pro | https://cpatrendlines.com
A proponent of marijuana since college, Laura Durham, CPA, went into private industry after a stint at Arthur Andersen. She worked at a beef company, a software company and later at a manufacturing company.
It was during this time the course of her life changed. Recently divorced, with primary custody of two children, she found herself overwhelmed by the demands of full-time corporate life. So, when a consultant colleague asked her if she’d consider going out on her own to help cannabusinesses in need, Durham gave it some thought and decided to go for it, launching Kind Accounting out of her home in Loveland, Colorado.
Jun 21,2019 27:31 -
94. [The Cannabis CPA] Alex Glueckler, Silver Leaf CBC
Jun 21,2019 26:52 -
95. [The Cannabis CPA] Rich Wortmann, Leading the Way in Pa.
May 21,2018 15:32