Accounting High

Episode 142 CLASS: #GuidePosts FACULTY: Dr. Sabine Charles TITLE: Who Are You? Cracking Your Code with the CPA Doctor In this episode, Scott interviews Dr. Sabine Charles, CEO of Charles Financial Strategies LLC and TAPA Institute, a global audit executive, instructor, author with a background in consulting, a certified hypnotist. Sabine shares her journey from being a language major to becoming a doctor in emotional intelligence and running her own firm. Sabine discusses her work in hypnotherapy, leadership training, meditation, and how to deal with a job that doesn’t resonate with your passion. Sabine Charles talks about beings language major and her PHD in emotional intelligence Sabine talks about starting TAPA Institute Sabine discusses her work as a certified hypnotist Scott and Sabine discuss colors She talks about here Cracking the Code program and how to get unstuck Sabine shares her experiences with meditation Sabine explains the process of her hypnotherapy sessions She talks about her weight loss journey, self-sabotage, travel and climate awareness The episode concludes without Sabine hypnotizing Scott and advice for listeners about outsourcing Shout Outs: Brene Brown, Dave Barrett, Ron Baker, Simon Sinek, Expensify

Episode 141 CLASS: #CoolKids FACULTY: Cecilia “Cece” Leung, CPA TITLE: Accounting Soup for the Soul In this episode, Scott interviews Cece Leung, author of Dear Accountant and host of the Dear Accountant Podcast. Cece shares her journey from Hong Kong to Canada and back again, how she got into accounting, and her experience with different cultures. They also discuss her book, Dear Accountant, and how she hopes to show people who accountants are and can be.  Cece tells her story from Hong Kong to Canada She explains how she is a blend of both cultures Scott and Cece discuss education and creativity Cece explains how she got into accounting Cece recalls her time in corporate Cece talks about going back to Hong Kong They talk about toxic work culture Cece and Scott discuss topics of her book They ask who are accountants, really? Cece talks about showing the industry in a book Scott asks about COVID's impact on Cece and her book They talk about the next generation of accountants Cece talks about her upcoming plans and bringing creativity to the accounting industry

Episode 140 CLASS: #VarsityTips FACULTY: Michelle Weinstein “The Pitch Queen” TITLE: How to Make Varsity Part 2: The Picky Paradox is Provoking Passion when Playing the Potential Prospect Game In this episode, Scott welcomes back Niks’ substitute PE Coach, Michelle Weinstein, aka the Pitch Queen aka Coach Queen. They discuss various topics related to finding out which clients qualify to be on the varsity team. Throughout the episode, Michelle emphasizes the importance of working with clients who are a good fit for your business goals and expertise and how niching down can help you find those clients. They discuss the criteria for vetting clients and share their own experiences. Michelle and Scott introduce the idea of varsity clients Michelle gives examples of taking on bad clients Michelle goes over the criteria for varsity Scott and Michelle talk about their vetting processes Michelle explains why you should niche down Scott and Michelle discuss “edge cases” and the unlock of niching They also discuss the importance of communication and setting expectations with clients Michelle explains how her tips eliminate bad clients and turn others into premium clients Michelle and Scott summarize and tease the topic of the next Varsity Tips episode

Episode 139 CLASS: #PeerReview FACULTY: Jimmy Capparelli, CPA TITLE: Price it High or Say Goodbye: Transforming Tax Season In this episode of Accounting High, Scott and Jason are joined by Jim Capparelli, Co-founder of Hiline. They discuss how Hiline is changing the tax season and what the tax roadmap looks like. They also touch on pricing, verticals, and the automation of simple tasks. Additionally, they delve into the topics of burnout, therapy for business owners, and school mascots. Finally, they wrap up the conversation with some golf talk. Tune in to this insightful and engaging conversation on Accounting High. Interview: Hiline's tax roadmap and how they are changing prices and clients. Verticles in the industry and how Hiline navigates taxable events, state taxes, and additional fees. The profitability of Squad pods and failures in scaling VCFO services. The importance of therapy for business owners and automation of simple tasks. Branding squads and the automation of data from Karbon and other products. How Hiline is managing burnout and what else is happening at the firm. Jim shares advice for accounting firms and discusses his love for golf, school mascots, and introvert/extrovert personalities Shoutouts: Hiline, Peter Wen, Spencer Christeck, Salesforce, PandaDoc, Karbon, Dialpad

**recorded live in front of a YouTube audience** CLASS: #TechLabs FACULTY: Byron Patrick, Jason Staats, Brandon Bruce, Jared Smith TITLE: 2023 ABC Tournament Rap-Up Recap In this episode, Scott and Byron host the final battle between Jason Staats and Brandon and Jared from Uncat for the Accountant Bracket Challenge, ABC Tournament, aka March Appness. The contestants discuss their journey to the finals. Scott and Byron recall the making of the tournament and announce the winners of the Hawaii trip and the ABC tournament. Hear about Scott’s exclusive Victory Rap Parody, the leaked Lazanis and Uncat files, while Brandon tells the story of the famous Felonious Slinky Paws picture in this exciting finish to the first-ever ABC March Appness Tournament! Scott Introduces the final contestants Scott and Byron recall how Uncat was the "Undercat" Jared shares his opinions on upcoming Excel features Jason Staats retells his journey to the finals and his interactions with Uncat before the tournament Scott and Byron talk about what the winner gets and how it was decided Jason recalls the nomination phase Jason talks about being a firm owner and content creator Jared lectures about cryptographically secure random numbers Hawaii Trip winner announced Other prize winners announced Winner of the ABC tournament announced Scott performs the Uncat Rap Scott talks about the making of the Uncat Rap Jason talks about the leaked Lezanus and Uncat files Brandon tells the story of the famous Felonious Slinky Paws picture Everyone gives final thoughts Shout Outs: Adam Slack, Ryan Lazanis, Blake, David, Cloud Accounting Podcast, Fin Daily, FreshBooks, Twyla Verhelst, Felonius Slinky Paws

Episode 138 CLASS: #GuidePosts FACULTY: Jason Blumer, CPA TITLE: Thriving Through Collaboration: The Benefits of Group Play In this podcast episode, Scott interviews Jason Blumer, an entrepreneur and accountant who founded his own firm and co-founded the Thriveal community. Throughout the episode, Jason shares his experiences and insights on entrepreneurship, community building, and overcoming failures. He talks about how he started his own accounting firm and his motivations for growing it, as well as the challenges he faced in building the Thriveal community. Jason tells his story of becoming an accountant and his passion for music Jason recalls the early days in business with his father Jason explains what motivated him to grow his business Jason talks about the founding and early days of Thriveal Scott and Jason discuss failure and bouncing back from it They also talk about getting out of your own way and letting people help you Scott and Jason compare running two companies to growing multiple crops Jason is asked to become Accounting High faculty Shout Outs: Jason Statham, Jason Bateman, Jason Ackerman, Jason Staats, Jason Presley, Jason Lee Sudakis, Julie Ship, Greg Kite, Ron Baker, Verisage, Doug Sleeter, Darren Root, RootWorks, Simon Sinek, Ian Basin, Karbon

Episode 137 Faculty: Michelle Weinstein “The Pitch Queen”  Class: #VarsityTips In this episode, Scott interviews Michelle Weinstein, aka The Pitch Queen, aka The Abundant Accountant, aka Niks’ substitute teacher, on the truth about sales and beliefs about sales. Michelle shares her story of how she became The Pitch Queen and how to get on the varsity team at your firm by describing the mindset shifts you will need to run the mile. Michelle shares her Three P's She tells how she got into the accounting niche She addresses common objections to raising fees Michelle and Scott discuss the mindset shift needed to price right Michelle tells of her time working at Fitsy Foods and the birth of The Pitch Queen She explains her Abundant Millionaire Mastermind Program Scott realizes the similarities between Michelle and Niks Michelle encourages listeners to check their sales beliefs and break limiting beliefs Michelle and Scott talk about how selling is being a guide Michelle gives steps to being the head coach at your firm. She explains “Be, Do, Have” Scott explains how to correctly fake it till you make it The two talk about how “sales is not about you” Shoutouts: Abundant Millionaire Mastermind Program, Justin from Justin's peanut butter, John Lee Dumas, Shark Tank, Amy Vetter, James Ashford

Episode 136 Faculty: Dan Luthi & Dan Gertrudes Class: #TechLabs Accounting High is supported by our Booster Club Members Thank you AppStream! Music Video for Simple Tasks! In this podcast episode, Scott interviews Dan Luthi, Partner at Ignite Spot Accounting Services and Dan Gertrudes, CEO & Co-Founder of GrowthLab. They discuss the benefits of workflow automation and how AppStream can help businesses save time and money. They also talk about the origin of the company's name and the story behind the AppStream rap music video. simple tasks! Gertrudes talks about the idea of selling workflow automations as a subscription Scott and Gertrudes recount using Scott’s firm as a sandbox for AppStream Gertrudes talks about what led to the creation of AppStream Gertrudes tells the origin story of AppStream’s name The story of the AppStream rap and Luthi’s hand in the filming of the music video Luthi explains how his firm managed automation before AppStream The group discusses how humans slow the process due to simple tasks Scott and Luthi recall the AppStream solutions to their firms’ simple task issues Gertrudes explains why  they focus on the pain point of onboarding Luthi lists the added benefits of working with AppStream The group discusses where to start automations The Group talk about Chat GPT and why tech and automation won't replace human interaction Luthi talks about the ROI of using AppStream Luthi talks about app fatigue Simple Tasks Rap Music Video Gertrudes explains the AppStream pricing model Shoutouts: Steven Byler, Heather Satterly, Accounting Avengers, Todd Robinson, Zapier, Korey Cournoyer, Johnny Uzola,Karbon, Ignition, Xero, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Dialpad, Google Phone, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Stripe

Episode 135 In this episode of Accounting High, host Scott interviews Sean Duncan, CPA, founder of a successful advisory-only firm. They discuss Sean's journey from a quarter-life crisis to starting his own firm, turning down the FBI, and getting comfortable with value pricing. Sean also shares insights on his hiring process, sticking to core values, and letting go of clients. Interview: Sean discusses his quarter-life crisis and how he ended up in accounting. The interview focuses on Sean's firm and its transition to an advisory-only practice. They also discuss the firm's focus on bookkeeping clients, real estate, and wealth management. Sean emphasizes the importance of core values and sticking to them, as well as the hiring process and getting comfortable with value pricing. They talk about letting go of clients and the challenges of finding the right staff to do the work. Shoutouts: SMD Consulting & Accounting, QuickBooks

Episode 134 In this episode of Accounting High, host Scott interviews Ms Smiles aka Alex Miles, a social media marketer and former employee of T-Sheets. Alex talks about her journey from high school pranks to her passion for social media marketing, and how she used her skills to connect with others and brighten their days. She also shares insights into the power of community, the importance of being authentic on social media, and the value of in-person meetups. Alex's infectious energy and positive attitude make this episode a must-listen for anyone looking to find their own passion and connect with others in the accounting industry. Interview: Alex shares the story behind her "Smiles" moniker She talks about the power of community building and the role social media plays in it Alex discusses her time at T-Sheets, including her involvement in the ABC Tournament and the T-Sheets raffle She also talks about meeting David Barrett and connecting with the Intuit community Alex shares her philosophy on social media, which includes being authentic and not judging others She also discusses her passion for comedy and making people laugh Finally, Alex talks about the importance of in-person meetups and getting help from and giving help to others Alex wraps us up by discussing the power of community and the importance of being yourself on social media. Shoutouts: FreshBooks, Hubdoc, Xero, MailChimp, QuickBooks, TSheets, Expensify, David Barrett, TurboTax, John Garrett, Misty Megia, Twyla Verhelst, CPA, Laura L. Lynn Ed D, MBA, MS, CFE, EA, Sherrell T. Martin, Slack, Ron Baker, Jason Staats, CPA, Terrell A Turner, CPA, Nikole Mackenzie,