CPA Trendlines Podcasts
Adam Lean: Why Accountants Are Stuck—and How to Escape the Trap | Accounting Influencers
"This is your chance to make a real difference."
Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown
Millions of accountants and bookkeepers are stuck in a cycle of overwork, undercharging, and undervaluation. In this episode of the Accounting Influencers podcast, Adam Lean, CEO and co-founder of TheCFOProject.com, delivers a wake-up call: The compliance model is broken—and the profession must change course to remain relevant.
Lean explains that for most clients, every accountant “looks the same.” They expect the books to be done and the taxes to be filed, and they rarely see the difference between high-quality and mediocre service. This makes it nearly impossible for accountants to raise prices or grow sustainably.
“Your clients don’t understand how to evaluate your work,” Lean says. “So they see you as interchangeable. That’s the trap.”
To earn more, accountants often take on more clients or work longer hours—neither of which leads to long-term career satisfaction or better client outcomes. And because software tools and tech companies now offer “automated accounting,” competition is intensifying.
