In this episode of the AmiSights Podcast, we chat with Michael Ly, the founder and CEO of Reconcile. Michael shares his journey of starting the company in 2016, driven by a mission to support entrepreneurs by handling their daily bookkeeping and accounting needs, allowing them to concentrate on their core business strengths.

Today's episode will explore why rapid growth doesn't immediately translate into cash flow, as the need to hire more employees increases. We'll also discuss the challenges of finding qualified accountants, a task made even more difficult since the pandemic, which saw 300,000 accountants leave the industry. Lastly, we'll dive into strategies for building a strong company culture within a fully remote environment.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Chris Schalleur, CEO of Christo IT Services, which has been helping small businesses for the past 25 years. He explains the importance of cybersecurity in today's digital landscape.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we speak with Elizabeth Convery, founder of The Confident Agent: A System for Growth and Success for Women in Real Estate. She shares how her transition from the corporate world right after college helped her become a more effective entrepreneur.

The main topics of today's episode will be how falling forward and learning from her missteps shaped her into a successful entrepreneur, how radical discipline and the confidence to delegate duties helped her transition to starting a second business, and why real estate agents need to have an authentic online presence.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Lil Roberts, CEO and founder of Xendoo, which specializes in online bookkeeping and accounting, focusing on small business owners. Through a blend of cutting-edge technology and a dedicated team, Xendoo provides speedy access to financials with predictable pricing, seamless technology, and expert support.

“Business owners can't get their financials in a timely way and have visibility to operate their business from the traditional CPA industry,” she said. “Not to say that CPAs are bad because CPAs are great, wonderful people. It's that they don’t have the tools in that industry to be able to serve their customers in a timely manner…I'm not a CPA or an accountant. I'm just a fellow small business owner and entrepreneur and want to level the playing field by being able to deliver timely financials.”

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Bradley Baer, founder and CEO of Crafted Action, an innovation consultancy that enables organizations to create impactful and seamless visitor experiences, both onsite and online. He began his career as an architect but soon realized his business acumen, which led him to become an entrepreneur.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to health and performance coach Danny Martoe, owner of Agent of Change, which empowers individuals and organizations to reach new heights of personal and professional success. He explains how changing your health habits can change your business.
“What happens with a lot of successful men and women and professionals is they tend to put the business before themselves, but then they realize that when they start putting themselves first, that they show up even better for their business – and that’s the aha moment,” he said.

The main topics of today's episode will focus on how the former sports agent transitioned into life coaching and how specific life wake-up calls often prompt people to seek out a life coach. We'll also explore how accountability, self-awareness, and strategic planning are essential ingredients for sticking with a healthy life plan.

Connect with Danny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-martoe-7b5b3025/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Deanna Walker, CEO of Venturity, a professional services firm that helps small and medium-sized companies with all aspects of their back office accounting and finance needs. She explains how, in 2012, the company made a purposeful effort to invest in its culture. 

“That's really where Small Giants comes into the picture,” she said. “We got introduced to that organization, and it really resonated with us – a lot of values, alignment, investing in your people and doing the right thing.”

The main topics of today's episode will be how transferring into an ESOP company has made all team members more committed and accountable, how having an in-house trainer and recruiter has helped the company deal with the accountant shortage, and how adopting open-book management has educated all team members on how they can make an impact on the company.

Connect with Deanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannacwalker/

Check out Venturity Financial Partners: https://venturity.com/

Recorded on 5/17/24

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Verne Harnish, owner and CEO of Scaling Up, a global executive education and coaching company with over 260 partners on six continents. Verne discusses the vital importance of field reporting and accounting in business operations.

“We were given speech a 100,000 years ago. We were only given Excel spreadsheets 50 years ago. I think we're much more highly developed to feel and sense patterns and get a good gut feel for the business by speaking and hearing the data instead of staring at Excel spreadsheets.“

The main topics of today's episode will cover how wealth is created through transactions and acquisitions, the importance of having your fundamental bookkeeping and accounting sheets in order before making strategic business decisions, and how you can achieve what a private equity firm can do for you, without the associated costs.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Peter Winick, founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, a company that helps thought leaders, authors, consultants, and speakers monetize and scale their content and products. Despite their backgrounds or professions, thought leaders all have several traits in common.  

“The problem with a lot of thought leaders is that it's the curse of the expert. They're so good at what they do, and some of them are literally the best in the world, that they've lost the beginner's mindset in other things. So when you start to make changes and move the business in different directions, it's like, uh-oh, I might not be the greatest at that. Like no, you might not, but that's okay.”

The main topics of today's episode will be how thought leadership is the most cost-effective way to elevate your brand and acquire new clients in different spaces. We will also discuss why setting a strategy in place is the top priority in developing a thought leadership plan. Peter will also share how building a strong referral network helps all facets of a business. 

In this week's episode of the AmiSights Podcast, Ami talks with Pete Heald, CEO of Signature Analytics, and Jason Kruger, President and Founder of Signature Analytics, a firm specializing in outsourced CFO and business advisory services. They delve into why they started the business, emphasizing the crucial role of accounting and finance in driving value, and discuss the risks associated with relying on a single individual for accounting tasks.

“What I saw back then, and continue to see now, is the need for these types of companies in the small mid-market – they deserve better than what they're getting,” Kruger said. “A lot of them are looking at accounting and finance as a necessary evil. And what we want to do is educate them and show them how accounting and finance can drive value to their business.”

The main topics of today's episode will be how CEOs and leadership team members need to understand their financials and fundamentals, especially as they scale and grow. We will also discuss why it is critical to not have just one person in control of all of the financials. We will also talk about how, as a business owner, it is important to know every aspect of your business.