CPA Trendlines Podcasts

From free speeches to paid engagements, thought leaders discuss breaking into the speaking circuit and what they’ve learned along the way.

Accounting ARC

With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.

Center for Accounting Transformation

In this episode of Accounting ARC, Donny Shimamoto, Liz Mason, and Byron Patrick dive into the world of paid speaking engagements. They share their experiences, the evolution from free to paid gigs, and how speaking has become a key part of their careers. Learn about the challenges, the feedback, and how each seasoned speaker maintains authenticity on stage. For anyone looking to break into speaking, this episode offers invaluable insights on honing your craft, connecting with audiences, and transitioning to the paid model.

MORE Accounting ARC: Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education | Bailey Lenart: From Ledger Sheets to Transformational Change | Election Tax Plans: What CPAs Need to Know | Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the Profession

Find your unique voice in the profession, and don’t be afraid to innovate. 

Accounting ARC

With Donny Shimamoto.

Center for Accounting Transformation

Greg Kyte defies every stereotype of the typical accountant. Kyte, a licensed CPA and in-house accountant for a company managing medical office buildings, is also a stand-up comedian. 

In a recent interview on Accounting ARC, hosted by Donny Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA, Kyte discussed his unconventional journey and how he uses humor to engage audiences in the accounting field. 

MORE Accounting ARC: Rachel Bashore: A Lawyer's Case for Reinventing Accounting | Beyond the Basics in Ethics Education | Bailey Lenart: From Ledger Sheets to Transformational Change | Election Tax Plans: What CPAs Need to Know | Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the Profession

Before entering accounting, Kyte spent over a decade teaching middle school math. Reflecting on the shift, Kyte recalls, “After 10 years, I realized I wasn’t enjoying teaching anymore, and I knew it was time for a change.” Driven by his longstanding interest in numbers and the promise of stability, Kyte made the leap to accounting. “I had always loved math and organization, so accounting was a natural fit,” he adds. 

Kyte’s current role as an in-house CPA for a commercial real estate company involves a blend of accounting and property management, including overseeing financial operations, contract reviews, and even some maintenance oversight. 

"I get to make up my title to fit whatever circumstance I'm in," he says with a laugh. "If I want to flex on somebody, I'm the CFO. If I'd like to dodge responsibility, I'm an accounts payable clerk." 

The future of accounting will be strategy, communication, analysis, and proactive support.
 
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Rebecca Driscoll went out on her own at a young age when a partner at the CPA firm where she was working encouraged her. “You're not cut out for this path that we have in a traditional accounting firm,” Driscoll recalls him telling her.  “You're different, so you should go be different.” 

She already had a book of business as a staff accountant, but on the traditional path at that firm, it would be another decade before she could be considered for partnership. 

At the end of 2023, faced with the challenges of parenting two kids under two and recognizing that leading a growing firm wasn’t her passion, she sold 80% of her firm and retained just a few clients. Driscoll reports that when she “canceled out the noise and busyness of all these clients and the employees, I would net out at the same take-home that I was already making.” Her husband has also joined her firm, taking over the bookkeeping side of the business.

The name of her business, Conscious Accounting, came from a client who remarked that she was different from “regular accountants” because she was conscious and aware of her clients' issues and proactive about providing them with what they needed.

14 MORE TAKEAWAYS: More Rebecca Driscoll Disruptor Notes 

MORE: Disruptors 

MORE CPA TRENDLINES PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Rory Henry: Create the Return on Relationships | Mike Mksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | Kelly Mann: Be the Bull in the China Shop | Alicia Katz Pollock: Create a Human-Centric Business | Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First | Alan Whitman: Stop Accepting the Status Quo | The Disruptors | Sean Duncan: Discover Your Own Genius | Ingrid Edstrom: True Wealth Is Not Financial | Chris Hervochon: Be the Leader You Want to Work For | Caleb Jenkins: Firm Growth Requires Owners to Shift Roles |Ira Rosenbloom: Don't Merge for the Money | Adam Lean: Get Out of the Accountant's Trap | Geraldine Carter: Charging More is Better for Your Clients 

SEE THEM ALL here.

Challenging the CPA mindset.

Capstone Conversations 
With Jean Caragher 

Rea & Associates is transitioning from a traditional CPA-centric model to a broader advisory role, aiming to offer services such as IT consulting and wealth management.

Becca Johns, director of practice growth, tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Capstone Conversations that the move demands major shifts in the firm’s internal mindset and culture, including redefining roles, retraining staff, and effectively communicating the new value proposition to clients.   

Full show notes here | More Capstone Conversations here | Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher every Friday with Gear Up for Growth here |    

Prune your existing portfolio to create a revenue pipeline.

Accounting Influencers

with Rob Brown

Ed Warren, a veteran sales executive in the accounting industry, shares expert insights on growing accounting firms through client advisory services and leveraging technology to stay ahead of the competition in this episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast with host Rob Brown.

Full Show Notes Here | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here

Warren shares his insights on how the accounting industry has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and what the future may hold for the industry. He believes that while the accounting firm space is in a good place given the circumstances, there is also a bit of complacency as they have weathered the storm reasonably well. However, staffing is a huge issue right now, and the industry will have to figure out how to adjust to players with values different from those of the legacy partner.

Be a client-centric human in a world of AI and technology.
 
The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Several years ago, Rory Henry asked himself, “Why don’t financial advisors and CPAs work together?” It boggled his mind because both work with the client’s finances but are not always in sync. “We’re advising them on their businesses, and then the wealth advisor takes over and manages the finances,” Henry says. “But really, one decision affects another.” 

 The ultra-wealthy have long used the family office model to bring a staff of CPAs, attorneys, and advisors to provide governance, legacy planning, and intergenerational wealth planning. At Arrowroot Family Office, Henry is leveraging technology to bring the benefits of the family office model to everyone. “So it's really integrating these solutions, using technology, using relationships, to really provide for the many needs of the business and the personal finances of your clients.” 

14 MORE TAKEAWAYS: More Rory Henry Disruptor Notes 

MORE: Disruptors 

MORE CPA TRENDLINES PODCASTS and VIDEOS:  Mike Mksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | Kelly Mann: Be the Bull in the China Shop | Alicia Katz Pollock: Create a Human-Centric Business | Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First | Alan Whitman: Stop Accepting the Status Quo | The Disruptors | Sean Duncan: Discover Your Own Genius | Ingrid Edstrom: True Wealth Is Not Financial | Chris Hervochon: Be the Leader You Want to Work For | Caleb Jenkins: Firm Growth Requires Owners to Shift Roles |Ira Rosenbloom: Don't Merge for the Money | Adam Lean: Get Out of the Accountant's Trap | Geraldine Carter: Charging More is Better for Your Clients | Vimal Bava: When Working Smarter, Not Harder, Is the Only Option |

SEE THEM ALL here.

With Jean Caragher 
For CPA Trendlines 

Lucas LaChance brings an auditor’s eye to marketing as the partner in charge of practice growth at Dallas-based Lane Gorman Trubitt, where he drives digital strategies that have fueled 143 percent revenue gains.

More Capstone Conversations here | Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher every Friday with Gear Up for Growth here |  

But the bigger challenge, LaChance tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Capstone Conversations, is winning the competition for a shrinking pool of CPAs. “Human resources and marketing have to work hand in hand,” he says.

How nontraditional professionals leverage their skills to bring innovation and growth to the accounting profession.

Accounting ARC
With Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

The accounting profession is experiencing a wave of disruption, and nontraditional professionals are leading the charge. In a recent episode of Accounting ARC, host Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, sits down with Rachel Bashore, the director of operations at Herbein, to discuss her journey from attorney to accounting professional and the valuable perspective she brings to her firm.

SHOW NOTES here | MORE Accounting ARC: Leadership for the Future: Stakeholders, Sustainability, and Strategic Vision | In-Person Conferences Still Essential | Non-Accountants in Accounting: A Game-Changer for the Profession | Rubik Yeriazarian: Smaller Firms Offer Big Opportunities for Rapid Skill Development in Forensic Accounting | Accounting ARC | AI Will Steal Your Job. And That’s a Good Thing | Accounting ARC | The Right Kind of Lazy: Innovative Approaches to Streamlining Workflows | Accounting ARC 

"Accounting is ripe for change, and that’s what excites me," Bashore says, reflecting on how her varied career—from IT consulting to trial law—helped prepare her for the challenges of modern accounting. Bashore has a unique path into the industry. After years working with IBM, she transitioned into law, specializing in litigation before moving into banking and fintech. 

Bashore’s background exemplifies adaptability. She explains how her role at IBM involved solving technical conflicts, which led her to study law and become a trial lawyer. Eventually, she shifted into operations, helping companies grow and manage risk. Her entry into accounting came through Herbein, where she saw opportunities to bring fresh perspectives to an industry on the verge of transformation. 

"Accounting is becoming more about advisory services and helping clients succeed beyond just tax returns and audits," she remarks. "I’ve done that with software, law, and banking. Now, I get to help a firm expand into new areas." 

Diversify your revenue streams with video and build a virtual accounting career.

Accounting Influencers

with Rob Brown

Kate Josephine Johnson owns Heritage Business Services, LLC, a virtual bookkeeping firm serving small businesses across the United States. She is also the Chief Hustler at Bookkeeping Side Hustle, where she helps other accounting professionals build virtual accounting careers they love.

Full Show Notes Here | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here

Johnson shares her insights on how accounting professionals can diversify their revenue streams. She discusses various strategies, including eBooks, monthly membership for DIY clients, vendor referral links, YouTube, and sponsorships of newsletter and video content. She emphasizes the importance of using video in your business. Johnson shares statistics about the rise of video and explains that you need two skills to make videos: creating and communicating. She also provides different ways to use video, such as internal operations, clients and hot prospects, and external “Know/Like/Trust” marketing.

"Just having a title or a position doesn’t make you a leader. You have to earn the trust and respect of the team that you're leading."

Gear Up for Growth

With Jean Caragher

For CPA Trendlines

In the latest episode of Gear Up for Growth, Carla McCall, managing partner of AAF CPAs and chair of the AICPA, shares valuable insights into leadership transitions within CPA firms. As the industry faces a generational shift—with 75% of current CPAs expected to retire in the next 15 years—McCall's experience highlights the importance of planning for the next wave of firm leadership.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effficient growth in today's competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth every Friday here.| More Capstone Conversations with Jean Caragher every Monday | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

During the conversation, McCall recounts her journey, beginning when she joined AAF in 1995, then becoming a partner at AAF in 2003, and eventually becoming a co-managing partner in 2011. She emphasizes the importance of having a firm-wide succession mindset, where every leader is responsible for mentoring and developing their potential successor. One key factor in AAF’s smooth transition was a structured Managing Partner in Training (MPIT) program designed to prepare future leaders for the complexities of running a CPA firm.

McCall reflects on her challenges in building trust and influence as a new leader. She stresses that leadership goes beyond simply holding a title—it requires earning respect through authenticity, feedback, and focusing on helping others succeed. Her journey to sole managing partner in 2020 demonstrated the power of aligning leadership around vision and strategy while empowering operational leaders to make day-to-day decisions.

McCall's advice to CPA firm leaders? Start succession planning early, foster a culture of candid feedback, and align your team around a shared vision. With the right mindset and preparation, transitioning leadership can lead to a stronger, more resilient firm.