Accounting High

Episode 133 In this episode of Accounting High, host Scott interviews Jamie O'Kane, a CPA and Certified Tax Coach. Jamie shares her journey from high school to starting her own firm, discussing her experiences with clients, niche industries, firm hard numbers, scope and pricing, and more. She also shares valuable insights on outsourcing and unlocking time, as well as advice for accountants looking to grow their business and take care of their team. Overall, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the accounting industry and how to build a successful accounting firm. Interview: Early career: high school, tax years, consulting Moving to family office, helping clients, being a Doula Starting a firm, family and employees, no niche yet Cash break-even, trying things out, modeling good practices Firm hard numbers, scope and pricing, speaking events Keeping up with niche industry, using other consultants Accountability and coaches, rebranding, letting clients go Being stuck in the business, difficulty in finding accountants Helping people, taking care of the team Determining clients to keep, software, outsourcing, unlocking time Closing: Advice for biggest unlock Shoutouts: Randy Crabtree, Intuit’s Tax Advisor Summit, Nicole Glasson, Travis Baird, Ignition, QuickBooks, Karbon, Cognito Forms, Canopy, TaxDome

Episode 132 Accounting High is supported by our Booster Club Thank you LiveFlow!  https://www.liveflow.io/partnerships/accounting-high Get 20% off for 3 months with promo code HIGH In today’s episode of Accounting High, Scott interviews Chase Birky, CPA, about his journey from working at Deloitte to starting his own firm, Dark Horse CPAs. Chase talks about the impetus for pivoting his business, getting away from client work, and focusing on scalability. He shares his inspiration for the structure of his firm, the challenges of specializing and niching, and his big goals for the future. The episode also features a rap by Chase and a discussion on what it means to be a dark horse in the industry. Interview: Chase talks about realizing that audit wasn't the right fit for him and starting up his own firm. He discusses pivoting the firm, staffing, and getting funding for marketing and scalability. Chase talks about becoming CEO and the inspiration for the structure of the firm. He discusses the challenges and goals of Dark Horse and its niche in public accounting. Chase talks about the fear of external factors that could affect niches and the origin of the Dark Horse name. He wraps up with words of wisdom. Closing: The episode concludes with Chase discussing the importance of being a dark horse and black sheep in the industry. Shoutouts: QuickBooks, Xero

Season 4 Episode 131 In this episode of Accounting High, Scotty and Ackerman interview Geraldine Carter, a seasoned business consultant who has lived and worked in over 50 countries and now lives in Idaho. They discuss her background and the transformative power of travel, as well as her insights on the common mistakes CPAs make and the importance of value pricing and sales in accounting. Geraldine emphasizes the need for guidance rather than instruction for clients and the benefits of niching by vertical. She also shares her thoughts on spending versus waste and recommends a book. Tune in to learn more! Interview: Geraldine discusses her experiences traveling around the world and how they changed her perspective on life and business. She shares her decision to leave her first company and start her own business as a business strategist. Geraldine highlights three things CPAs are doing wrong, including not using value pricing, not seeing sales as necessary, and telling clients what to do instead of guiding them. She explains how niching by vertical can help CPAs differentiate themselves and attract ideal clients. Geraldine emphasizes the importance of having hard numbers and plans and distinguishing between spending and waste. Shoutouts: Jay Shetty, Climate Ride, Ron Baker

Episode 130 | Recorded August 29, 2022 Introduction: In this episode of Accounting High, Scott sits downs with Liz Scott, a consultant and entrepreneur who shares her journey of starting her own business and the importance of staying up to date with technology and cybersecurity. Liz talks about her passion for training others with apps and creating courses and the impact of Covid on her work. She also discusses the importance of cybersecurity and offers practical tips on staying safe from cyber threats. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, technology, and cybersecurity, this episode is definitely worth a listen! Interview: Liz discusses her experience starting her own business and pivoting to cloud-based services. She talks about her love for training and creating courses Liz shares firm hard numbers and the goals of her lab, as well as the origins and purpose of the Appy hour camp. The discussion also includes cybersecurity issues such as data leaks, security tips, and the importance of being prepared for a hack. Closing: The episode concludes with Liz offering advice on preparing for cybersecurity threats and emphasizing the need to be smart, not fearful. Shoutouts: Stacy Kildal, Slack, Rob Smith, Microsoft, Zapier, William Murphy, Dawn W. Brolin, CPA, CFE, Andrew Wall, CPA, CMA, 

Episode 129 | Recorded January 30, 2023 Accounting High is supported by our Booster Club Members Thank you AppStream! Powered by the GrowthLab Music Video for Simple Tasks! In this episode of Accounting High, Scott interviews Keila Hill-Trawick, a CPA who is doing things differently in her own firm called Little Fish Accounting. Keila shares how she got into accounting and the story behind the unique name of her firm. She also discusses her team, niche, priorities, and the apps they use to improve productivity. With a focus on community, Keila shares some great insights on how to stay motivated and continue to grow in the profession. This is an episode you won't want to miss! Interview: Keila talks about her journey into accounting and starting her own firm They discuss the importance of doing things differently and why she chose to focus on smaller clients Keila shares the hard numbers of her firm and her role in it They discuss the importance of having a strong team and niche Keila talks about her priorities, communication tools, and the apps she uses to increase efficiency and capacity They touch on the importance of community and how March Appness can help choose the right tools Keila also talks about the books that inspire her and the importance of embracing failure and taking breaks Closing: The Simple Tasks rap Scott and Keila wrap up the episode Shoutouts: ClickUp, Slack, Karbon, Keeper, Drake, Tallyfor, Zapier, Fathom, QuickBooks, TaxDome, Thriveal, David Barrett, Expensify

Episode 128 | Recorded March 1, 2023 Introduction: In this episode of Accounting High, host Scott interviews Ed Kless, a meta-consultant and business iconoclast. Together, they explore the art of asking effective questions, the value of strengths and weaknesses, and the importance of breaking the rules. Ed shares his insights on connecting music to superabundance and the accounting business, confronting our freedom, and confronting the challenges of the profession, including the cancerous timesheet. This thought-provoking episode challenges listeners to think differently about their work and the industry as a whole. Interview: what makes a good question? Bringing gifts and identifying strengths and weaknesses Ed shares how he met Ron Baker and how they became friends. The importance of reading and becoming a Guide Ed shares his love for musical theater and raps You Got Trouble. The connection between music, super abundance, and the accounting profession Breaking rules and The Chesterton Fence The negative impact of timesheets on the accounting profession, alternative value-based pricing methods The importance of managing the work, not the people The value of questioning the present and confronting our freedom

Episode 127 | Recorded November 18, 2022 In this episode, Scott talks to Serena Shoup, CPA about her journey from college to becoming a CPA and eventually starting her own business. They also discuss motherhood, work-life balance, personal branding, and the importance of being intentional with social media. Tune in to learn more about Serena's story and insights on building a successful career while still prioritizing family and personal growth. Who is Serena? Ambitious side hustles to motherhood Building the business so that there was more family time Business development and helping others Music and creativity The employees What is work? Family burnout, little sacrifices Delegation Wanting to throw in the towel Personal brand issues Rebrand Ego, teams, soft skills Being relatable Self-confidence and age The future, the burnout bridge, social media You are the product Social detox Social media manager Being intentional Wrapping up All the Shoutouts: ADP, Microsoft Dynamics, Upwork

Episode 126 | Recorded August 1, 2022 In this episode of Accounting High, Scott hosts Amber Gray-Fenner and Mary McDonald to discuss various topics related to accounting and art. Amber shares her childhood and move to New Mexico, her experience in Albuquerque, and her insights on changes in the accounting industry. Mary discusses her origin story, the size of her firm, and how tax and accounting can be like a puzzle. They also talk about accounting as an art, the importance of authenticity, and finding creative outlets. The guests wrap up the discussion by emphasizing the importance of tax therapy and thanking Scott for his time and insights. Interview: Amber's childhood, moving to New Mexico, and experience in Albuquerque Changes in the accounting industry over the last 10 years and why she chose to take on accounting Getting an EA versus a CPA Tax with "nano-business," pricing, and writing and creative outlets Tax therapy and not just focusing on the numbers Dealing with good and bad clients, referring out and making mistakes, and retiring from employees Automation and workflow management, working with paper, and waiting on clients Mary's origin story, the size of her firm, and being a teacher Tax and accounting as a puzzle, accounting as art, and getting connected to artists Tiara squad, kids, and mother vibes Being authentic and salty, sassy, and savory Closing: Wrapping up the discussion on accounting and art Emphasizing the importance of authenticity and finding a creative outlet.

Episode 125 | Recorded November 8, 2022 Accounting High is supported by our Booster Club Thank you LiveFlow!  https://www.liveflow.io/partnerships/accounting-high Get 20% off for 3 months with promo code HIGH Introduction: In this episode, we talk with Nick Pasquarosa, the CEO and founder of Bookkeeper360, about building a technology team at your accounting firm. Interview: Nick shares about his background and how he started Bookkeeper360. He discusses how he found Xero and integrated it into his business. The conversation touches on the importance of technology and people in building a successful accounting firm. Nick also talks about building a management team and the role of a board of directors. The conversation delves into the difficulties of articulating a vision and bridging the imagination gap. Nick shares his experiences of going remote and being disruptive in the industry. He also talks about his goals and visions for the future, including subscription and value pricing. The interview concludes with Nick sharing about his mindset and work-life balance. Closing: Thank you for listening to this episode. Don't forget to tune in next time for more insightful #PeerReview conversations. As a bonus, Nick shares a story about go-karting drama with Zachary Call.

Episode 124 | Recorded July 14, 2022 Enrico Palmerino, CEO of Botkeeper is an automated accounting platform that uses human-assisted machine learning and AI to deliver the fastest, most accurate, and lowest cost bookkeeping available to accounting firms. He is also an investor and advisor to several business venture funds and sits on the Technology Advisory Committee & Board of Corporators at Fidelity Bank. We discuss how regretful situations can blossom into blessings from the ground up. This episode is not short of inspiration and snippets in the life Enrico and how he went from making lighting more efficient and cost-friendly to innovating in the accounting space. 4 - What do you think of Accounting High? 5 - Botkeeper: The cool kids of the Accounting Space 7 - A way to make meetings cool? Have it in the pool! 8 - I’m like my best self and that’s myself I’m putting out there, unapologetically, unfiltered 9 - We can all evolve. We're still us at our core, we're never gonna really change who we 12 - Go out, you know, take risks, make changes, make mistakes, just learn from them, but never regret the life Shoutout to Daniel Pink’s The Power of Regret 13 - Enrico’s lose-a-car, gain-a-family story 14 - The difference on our hosts’ need for speed Shoutout to Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE, ThinkLite 15 - ThinkLite: Enrico’s college business turned into a multi-million dollar company 19 - Botkeeper: the back office for accounting firms Shoutout to Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA 22 - I was like bored, stiff, and like couldn't sit still. And then was also just feeling like I lost my identity 24 - Think like a lot of entrepreneurs: Your next game is to tackle the problem you had at the prior business 27 - So more businesses demanding accounting, fewer accountants to do it. So I'm like, aha! Light bulb moment 28 - It wasn't to be like we're replacing accountants in the accounting industry. It was that if you make one accountant, do the work of three 35 - It’s way easier to sell advisory to the existing clients you have and upsell them than it is to go and find new clients and convince them Shoutout to James Ashford’s Untapped 37 - Unknowns are very scary for a lot of us accountants 38 - AI Unchained: Hands-on, sleeves up, get sh*t done conference. This 9/25 - 9/27 in Boston Shoutout to Karbon, Thriveal 42 - If we make firms highly efficient, standardized, next-level cloud, and they're not a Botkeeper user today, they become the best and easiest, like potential users for Botkeeper 44 - We don't necessarily know how to be good owners, managers, CEOs, people Shoutout to Hap Klopp, Brad D. Smith Dark Horse CPAs, AICPA Engage, Joyner Lucas