Accounting Leaders Podcast

Kellie Parks is a cloud accounting specialist and coach at Calmwaters Cloud Accounting. In this episode, Kellie and Stuart talk about the early days of cloud accounting, the further development of technology and how it changed the life of Kellie and her clients. As an early adopter of remote work, Kellie shares the stories of the adventures that cloud accounting allowed her to do.

Together they discuss:

• Early days in cloud accounting (1:10)
• Lunch invitation from Karbon (2:30)
• Kellie’s background in marketing and branding (4:20)
• Introduction to cloud technology (5:20)
• Entering accounting space (6:30)
• Skier and adventurer (8:00)
• Living on the lake (10:00)
• Stuart and his family (11:20)
• Cloud technology helping the client (14:00) 
• Lifestyle benefits for clients (17:00)
• Karbon team moving to the US (18:30)
• Karbon’s offices around the world (20:00)
• KarbonX (22:00)
• Sacking clients (25:00)
• Rehoming a client (26:30)
• Niche service (29:00)
• ‘Five-star’ clients (31:30)
• Rescue work and file cleaning (33:10)
• The panel at Accounting Web Summit (35:40)
• Nomad life (36:20)
• Trip to New Zealand (38:00)

Chad Davis is a co-founder and partner at LiveCA LLP, who decided to pursue a career in accounting at a very young age. Join Chad and Stuart as they discuss the origins of LiveCA, the philosophy behind it, and how helping competitors might be beneficial for your company. Accounting aside, they also talk about living and working from an RV, non-traditional schooling for kids, and growing a beard while traveling.

Together they discuss:

• Non-traditional schooling for kids (3:00)
• Latest news from Karbon (6:10)
• Accountants underserved and used as a channel (7:00)
• Relationship with cold calls and emails (8:00)
• Approach to unqualified leads (10:20)
• Level of inbounding (12:40)
• The founding story of LiveCA (14:10)
• Philosophy of founding LiveCA (15:30)
• Working from the basement (17:00)
• Introducing Receipt Bank in Canada (18:40)
• Newsletter hints (20:00) 
• Technical updates (21:10)
• Next Karbon releases (23:40)
• Karbon X (25:50)
• Staff reinforcement for Karbon (27:00)
• Chad’s summers (28:10)
• Traveling in an RV (29:10)
• Job search platform for accountants (31:30)
• COVID bringing people together (37:00)
• Expectations from Karbon in 2022 (38:10)

Alastair Barlow is CEO and co-founder at Flinder. He has experience working with fast-growth businesses, transforming finance functions, writing for AccountingWeb, and being a part of global accounting and technology panels. In this episode, Alastair and Stuart discuss data analytics, the current position of Flinder and what’s in store for the future. They also share some interesting thoughts about rugby, ski trips, and the importance of relationships with your clients and colleagues.

Together they discuss:

• Six Nations rugby tournament (1:00)
• COVID-19 impacting travel plans (1:50)
• Accounting leaders going skiing (3:40)
• Creative juices in an informal environment (4:30)
• Flinder’s client and staff ski trips (5:20)
• Relationship between Alastair and his co-founder Luke (7:00)
• Where Flinder is today (8:40)
• Plans for the future (10:00)
• Investing in data analytics (12:30)
• Realm of verticals (14:30)
• Laboring and finding staff (17:00)
• What it’s really like to work at Flinder (18:50)
• Working with challenging but interesting businesses (20:50)
• Strategy for 2022 (22:50)
• Complex data reach sectors (25:20)
• Complexities of expanding verticals (26:20)
• Developing an internal team of experts (28:20)
• Prediction for rugby in February (29:40)

Leeroy Beeby is a co-founder of the innovative, technology-focused practice, Check The Level. He grew up in a family of small business owners and watched his parents struggle with time and money, which inspired him to establish a career in business. In this episode, Leeroy and Stuart talk about his experience living in different countries, and how his MBA helped him in his entrepreneurial journey, which later led him to start an accounting and bookkeeping firm for contractors. They also discuss technology, operations, and life-changing impact on his clients’ lives.

Together they discuss:

• KPMG Capetown (1:25)
• Growing up in South Africa (2:15)
• Entrepreneurial lessons from parents (3:35)
• Family (5:00)
• Moving to Canada (6:20)
• Networking in Toronto (7:35)
• Living in Bermuda (8:15)
• MBA at the University of Toronto (9:50)
• Applying academic knowledge in real life (11:00)
• Streamlining around one customer (12:00)
• Impact of recession on construction companies (14:20)
• Job costing system (15:00)
• Check The Level business management tool (17:15)
• Product standalone vs software (18:55)
• Journey of Check The Level (21:00)
• Rapid growth (22:30)
• Making a true impact (23:30)
• Example of amazing client experiences (24:30)
• Where to next (27:20)

Joyce is a founder, entrepreneur, content creator, disruptor, rebel against boring, a savior from sucky training, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and human. In this episode, Joyce and Stuart talk about academic experience, the beginning of their careers, and their journey to becoming business owners. Learn how Tax Nuggets Academy was founded (and what’s coming up next), and how owning a business affects your personal life. 

Together discuss:

• Joyce’s background (1:35)
• Bachelor of Commerce in Melbourne University (2:45)
• Stuard’s academic journey (4:40)
• Role of hard work in the modern world (6:40)
• What is Tax Nuggets Academy (8:20)
• Australian Taxation Office (10:50)
• Early job (11:20)
• Reasons to become a business owner (12:10)
• Goals for Tax Nuggets Academy (13:10)
• Quitting Tax Office (14:00)
• Stuard’s experience of becoming a business owner (15:00)
• Ways of funding Tax Nuggets Academy (17:00)
• Engaging freelancers (18:10)
• Sources of revenue (20:20)
• Joyce’s “unfair” advantages (21:45)
• Tax Nuggets Academy moving forward (22:40)
• What made Stuard take his business to the next level/Enneagram (25:00)
• Personality traits affecting relationships (27:10)
• Responsibility for employees (28:05)
• Its time to take it to the next level (29:30)
• Increasing subscriber base (31:40)
• Digital Marketing (32:30)
• Radical Transparency (34:10)

Katye Maxson Landis is the owner of Moxy Accounting LLC in Portland, Oregon and is one of few women in the United States actively filing taxes for small cannabis businesses. In this episode, Katye sheds light on the accounting challenges that cannabis businesses face, the advantages that they can bring, and shares stories of her very interesting clients. She also talks about the future of the cannabis industry and her very own educational program for cannabis accountants.

Together discuss:

• Origins of Moxy Accounting (2:25)
• Need of a robust tax professional in the industry (4:25)
• Federal law vs State law (5:50)
• Tax difference between regular businesses and cannabis businesses (6:50)
• Operating cannabis growing business in a tough environment (8:35)
• No privilege for American cannabis (10:20)
• The passion of business owners (11:35)
• It’s not a choice, it’s the law (13:35)
• Pervasive view on future of accounting in the cannabis industry (15:50)
• Government is reactive rather than proactive (17:00)
• Opportunities of taxing cannabis sensibly (18:20)
• Problems of the at-will taxing regiment (21:35)
• Importance of tax courtesy or discourtesy (23:45)
• Booker Schumer weed bill (24:30)
• Being a champion of a small business (27:40)
• Advocacy for cannabis users (28:25)
• Privilege to introduce business owners to the normal economy (30:00)
• There is really something about this plant (31:20)
• Katye’s first cannabis client (32:35)
• Dispensary consultation (37:50)
• Problems of banking for cannabis (40:20)
• Striving to create a defensible paper trail (41:50)
• Educational program for accountants in the cannabis industry (42:50)
• Practical case studies (46:00)
• Go paperless with Karbon (48:05) 
• Cannabis Katye (51:00)

Timothy Munro is the CEO & Founder of Change Accountants & Advisors, and Founder & Director of Change GPS. Timothy co-founded his first accounting firm at the age of 19, had a life-changing impact on his clients, and licensed his tools and processes to other firms through Change GPS. In this episode, Timothy and Stuart discuss the importance of establishing a positive relationship and shared values to achieve mutual success for you and your clients. They also talk about the future of how to choose the right clients to work with, emissions reduction, and favorite personal vehicles.

Together they discuss:

• Win at Xero Awards (1:10)
• Origins of Change GPS and Change Accountants (03:00)
• Going separate ways with previous business partner (04:40)
• The third version of Change GPS (5:50)
• Wealth Transfer Plan App (8:45)
• Importance of values and not working with assholes (11:50)
• Problems with the largest client (12:20)
• Defining moment to say “no” (15:00)
• Repetition of emphasis (18:20)
• Establishing connection with the client (19:50)
• Capacity to make winning decisions (21:20)
• You and your family (23:50)
• Why clients love Change GPS (24:30)
• Last vehicle and travel plans for 2022 (25:40)
• First overseas trip (27:40)
• Best financial advice an accountant can ever get (30:15)
• Emissions reduction future (32:00)
• The Deficit Myth (35:00)
• What happens if the whole world goes bankrupt (35:40)

Ryan Lazanis joins Stuart on the Accounting Leaders Podcast for an inspiring chat around the future of the accounting profession, the model for a scalable, systematic accounting firm, and how to build a firm that can give you the life you want. Ryan founded Xen Accounting, a 100% cloud-based accounting firm, in 2013. Following its acquisition in 2018, he started Future Firm to provide content and coaching to help other accountants fast-track their own firm.

Ryan and Stuart discuss:

• Founding Xen Accounting in 2013 (1:30)
• How Ryan got into accounting and was exposed to entrepreneurship from a young age (3:00)
• Creating a new kind of model for accounting (6:20)
• How the accounting industry has evolved (8:00)
• The decision to sell Xen Accounting (10:20)
• Establishing Future Firm to help accountants grow a scalable, systematic firm that they love (12:20)
• Accountants have never been taught to run a business (14:30)
• Why more is not better for a firm’s tech stack (15:50)
• The model for creating a scalable, systematic accounting firm (17:00)
• The future of Future Firm (20:00)
• The differences (and similarities) between a software company and a service company (22:00)
• The freedom and flexibility that comes with leading Future Firm (27:10)
• Pilot, Botkeeper and the future of accounting technology (29:40)
• How to learn more from Ryan (33:00)

Few encapsulate the title of accounting leader more than this episode’s guest, Jason Blumer. Together, Jason and Stuart discuss the background and success of Thriveal, the network Jason founded to help other entrepreneurial CPA firm owners connect, learn and grow. They also discuss the trend of larger firms acquiring smaller firms, the challenges of growth, why you need to know your strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use that knowledge to define your purpose, lean into it, and help your own firm thrive.

Together they discuss

• The origin of Thriveal (3:40)
• The importance of resilience and perseverance (5:50)
• “Whistleblower” podcast, basketball and referees (6:40)
• The biggest changes in accounting in the last decade (9:00)
• The evolution of accounting conferences and education (11:00)
• Why large firms acquire smaller firms (13:30)
• The advantages for smaller firms of selling to larger firms (16:00)
• Challenges scaling your firm (16:50)
• Building culture when your team is virtual (19:00)
• Equity, staff compensation and partnerships (22:30)
• Success stories from Thriveal Deeper Weekend (27:20)
• Teaching accounting firm growth in different ways (30:30)
• The firm that went through turmoil and then thrived (31:45)
• Quality over quantity (36:00)
• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a pretty cool place to be (37:50)
• Why every accounting firm needs a purpose (40:40)
• The impact of the global pandemic on the accounting industry (42:10)
• The value of experience (45:00)

Kylene O'Connor Carse from BWCO CPAs joins the Accounting Leaders Podcast this week to share her story with Stuart. In an honest chat, they discuss the challenges of constantly being busy and how to balance that when you also have a family. Kylene also talks about capacity planning, burnout, running a female-only firm, and even Peloton. Any accountant who has ever felt the pressure of deadlines and an always-growing workload will relate to this episode. 

Together they discuss:

• The story of BWCO CPAs and Kylene’s entry to accounting (1:40)
• Growing up with your clients (5:20)
• What it means to be a female-only firm (7:20)
• Being proud of who you are (9:40)
• Figuring out where you want to go and how you want to grow (10:00)
• Marchternity and being over-capacity (12:10)
• Avoiding burnout (16:20)
• Getting on the Peleton bike (19:20)
• Lessons from Jason Blumer and Thriveal (21:00)
• The pitfalls of Slack and Zoom (21:50)
• Raising kids when you own an accounting firm (23:20)
• Storms and changing tax deadlines (28:20)