From Manual to Automated: A Financial Transformation

Host Kalil Merhib sits down with Graham Stanton, co-founder and CEO of Avise, to unpack the transformative power of AI in modern accounting. From Graham’s early days wrestling with manual close processes at Peloton to leading a startup in the AICPA & CPA.com accelerator, he offers a candid look at how automation is reshaping Client Accounting Services (CAS) and corporate finance teams.

Graham begins by revisiting the pain points he experienced at Peloton: month-end close dragging into multiple weeks, brittle spreadsheets crashing under scale, and team burnout from repetitive journal-entry tasks. That firsthand frustration sparked his vision for Avise—an “AI copilot” designed to automate accruals, depreciation, intercompany consolidations, and other rote tasks. By integrating seamlessly with leading cloud ERPs and general ledgers, Avise ingests transaction data, applies standardized calculations, and outputs audit-ready workpapers in minutes rather than days.

Beyond pure efficiency gains, Graham stresses that AI’s real advantage lies in scaling human expertise. When accountants are freed from manual drudgery, they can pivot to high-value activities: analyzing trends, advising clients, and shaping strategic decisions. Firms adopting Avise report fourfold growth without adding headcount, as automation unlocks capacity and accelerates insight delivery. In-house finance teams, too, gain real-time visibility into cash flow, deferred revenue, and performance metrics—enabling proactive decision-making at the executive level.

A critical theme of their conversation is the importance of good data. “AI craves structure,” Graham notes: clean GL hierarchies, real-time integrations, and standardized workflows form the bedrock of reliable automation. Even the most sophisticated model struggles with inconsistent inputs. By first establishing a unified tech stack—connecting expense systems, billing platforms, and the GL—organizations set themselves up for automation success and minimize error rates.

Kalil and Graham then explore how CAS leaders can prioritize automation initiatives. They recommend starting with a close-management checklist to map existing workflows and identify daily pain points—common culprits like manual revenue recognition or intercompany eliminations. Piloting automation on a single process area not only demonstrates rapid ROI but also builds team confidence. As wins accumulate, firms can layer on broader use cases, steadily transforming their entire service delivery model.

With the close process condensed from weeks to days, accountants reclaim bandwidth to serve as strategic advisors. They can delve into client performance metrics, spot growth opportunities, and craft proactive recommendations—fueling deeper client relationships and new revenue streams. As Graham observes, accountants often understand their clients’ businesses better than anyone; automation simply gives them the time to share those insights.

Looking ahead, Graham envisions a composable finance landscape: modular, best-of-breed tools connected via APIs, all orchestrated by AI assistants. As models evolve and integrations deepen, the potential for real-time accounting, predictive analytics, and self-service finance will only expand. For firms ready to embark on this journey, his advice is clear: map your processes, engage your team, start small, and build momentum through quick wins.

Whether you lead a growing practice or helm a corporate finance function, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies to automate the mundane, scale your expertise, and unlock the strategic power of AI in accounting.

Additional Resources: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamstanton/

https://avise.com/ 

https://accelerator.cpa.com/ 

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