CPA Life Rewind features accounting firm coach Geraldine Carter this week, as we look back on the highlights of her two-part conversation with John Randolph on Episode 73. With a background in engineering, Geraldine’s experience in founding her own business led her to realize the challenges many CPAs face as business owners themselves. She talks about how to simplify your practice and create value for your clients that they want to pay you more for, reducing your hours while increasing your income, narrowing your focus and niching to make your work easier both to do and to market, and more absolutely brilliant insights. If building a thriving, fulfilling practice is your goal, then the first thing you need to do is listen to Geraldine’s insights in this episode.

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CPA Life welcomes Yuri Kapilovich, #TheFunCPA, back to the podcast to talk to host John Randolph about his newly created Mentors Count community. The managing partner of Kapilovich & Associates, Yuri saw the need for mentors in public accounting due to the decline of available time and the pipeline problem within the industry, so he founded Mentors Count to serve as a community where up and coming accountants could go to regain some of that lost mentorship. From tax technical support, essential career development advice, mental health discussions and more, Mentors Count is designed to be open and welcoming, especially when folks have questions they might not feel comfortable asking at work.

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John Randolph sits down with Joy Lutz, founder and CEO of Aligned CPA in Lake City, Florida, on Episode 71 of CPA Life. Joy has been “right behind the trailblazers” in the profession as she’s grown her firm from two to eight employees within the past four years, and the knowledge and experience she’s gained are keys to this discussion. Joy has placed Aligned’s focus directly on helping service-based businesses simplify their financials, optimize tax strategies, and develop growth plans, all while avoiding billable hours and utilizing a full-service, monthly recurring revenue model that incentivizes her employees to give great service. She discusses proper talent acquisition and running a firm like a business while highlighting her belief in community engagement and mentoring as cornerstones to success in Accounting, evidenced by Aligned being named the Small Firm of the Year by PASBA for 2025.

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Matt Patrick, the president and founder of Patrick Accounting and Whirks, has felt called to entrepreneurship since a remarkable sequence of events that occurred early on in his initially very traditional career. He joins John Randolph on Episode 70 of CPA Life to discuss the vision he’s executed to build a modern, efficient, people-centric accounting firm. While focusing on the importance of retaining great employees, creating a family-friendly work environment, and developing a sustainable business model, Matt also delves into the challenges accounting faces today, the impact of technology, and the keys to retaining talent. The episode underscores the significance of hiring based on core values and fostering a culture of continuous learning and trust, while also seeking out advice from others who have been there before and made the same mistakes you’re making.

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Ronnie Withaeger’s journey in Accounting has led him to currently running five businesses, including a sauna, and he talks to John Randolph about doing things his way on Episode 69 of CPA Life. The owner and founder of Ronald Withaeger CPA in Las Vegas, Ronnie started his career at a traditional firm but ultimately established his own practice focused on family-friendly, sustainable growth, and he shares his insights through his accounting community initiative, Launch Your Firm. Highlighting the importance of confidence, client relationships, and flexible work structures in running a successful firm, Ronnie is motivated by the opportunity to support other accountants in starting their own practices.

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John Randolph dives deep into a discussion on reshaping the public accounting space with Chris Williams, owner and CEO of System Six, on Episode 68 of CPA Life. A remote, cloud-based accounting firm, System Six’s culture-driven, employee-focused environment serves as a model for balancing employees' professional growth with their personal lives. They delve into the dynamics of private equity in professional services and as someone with a finance background, Chris has a unique perspective on the firm’s strategy for growth through both organic methods and strategic acquisitions. Ultimately, the episode underscores the importance of adapting management practices for a remote workforce in order to maintain employee satisfaction and client retention.

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John Randolph concludes his conversation with Rob Brown of Accounting Influencers on Episode 67 of CPA Life. Focusing on talent and leadership in accounting from multiple perspectives, they delve into the need for entrepreneurial spirit, and the importance of taking risks and overcoming the fear of judgment. They analyze the pandemic-induced shift to remote and hybrid working, noting that while it’s clearly better for the rank-and-file, it’s not without negatives, particularly the loss of mentorship and osmosis-style learning. They highlight the importance of intentionality and deliberate actions by leaders to maintain culture and productivity in the fact of this, touching on what a complex problem talent acquisition and retention is. The fact that a large proportion of accountants are nearing retirement age and that the pipeline shows fewer new entrants into the profession just underscores the problem further. With this backdrop, they emphasize the critical need for firms to better articulate what makes them unique to attract and retain talent effectively, stressing the power of storytelling and personal testimonies in showcasing a firm's culture and values.

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Join John Randolph for part 1 of his special two part interview with Rob Brown, the founder of Accounting Influencers, on Episode 66 of CPA Life. The concept of “story” figures heavily into their conversation about talent in the profession, highlighting the value of both personal and employer branding to drive better outcomes. Rob looks at the role of thought leadership as pivotal insofar as changing the paradigmatic, Big Four-oriented story that permeates the general perception of accounting, and they agree that there is a shared responsibility between individual accountants and firms that are making a difference in the space, to rebuild some of the lost trust and prestige accounting has lost in recent years.

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Episode 65 of CPA Life is a particularly special episode—a re-broadcast of John Randolph’s appearance on Who's Really The BOSS with Rachel and Marcus Dillon of Dillon Business Advisors! In this collaboration, John shares insights into the recruiting landscape in public accounting from his perspective as Principal at Benaiah Consulting, delving into what he sees as keys to healthy recruitment: work-life balance, a positive firm culture, flexible working arrangements, and decisive leaders, to name but a few. Rachel and Marcus recount their recent recruiting experience where they found going it on their own wasn’t working out, and they have been thrilled with their experience letting John and Benaiah handle things. John is full of practical advice on hiring practices, compensation ranges, and fostering lasting employee relationships—this is one episode you won’t want to miss.

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John Randolph concludes his conversation with Allan Fisher of Premier Financial Search on Episode 64 of CPA Life. Delving into the evolving dynamics of the accounting profession, the two discuss how the competitive landscape has expanded beyond local firms to national competition, the advantage boutique firms have had as that landscape changed, and some of the myths surrounding accounting recruitment. Allan emphasizes that firms need to tell a compelling story, explores the challenges posed by private equity in the industry, and touches on talent shortages, offshoring, CPA credentialing issues, and strategies firms can adopt to retain top talent. Allan’s valuable insights on how firms can align better with market expectations are content you don’t want to miss.

Get the full show notes and more resources at CPALifePodcast.com