CPA Trendlines Podcasts

Balancing growth, profits, culture, and staff retention.

Gear Up for Growth.
With Jean Caragher.
For CPA Trendlines.

“Probably no surprise, the greatest challenge to growth in this industry is attracting and retaining talent,” said Kristin Murray, managing partner of Weinstein Spira. “Without that, there is no growth, and given the landscape of our industry right now, that's everybody's biggest challenge. If it's not, I'd be amazed.”

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efffective 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 The CPA Trendlines broadcast channel 

“Kristin was the person in her firm who stuck her neck out and took the risk back when she was a tax partner leading the HR and culture initiatives for the firm,”  says Jennifer Wilson, partner and co-founder of Convergence Coaching.

Differentiating Weinstein Spira’s environment to appeal to candidates is a key strategy. “One of the things that we've done on the tax side is to implement these positions called tax preparation coordinators,” explains Murray. “These individuals aren't necessarily accounting-degreed but are skilled with computers and organization. They handle preliminary tax preparation tasks, easing the workload of the accounting staff."

Additionally, Weinstein Spira has created client service rep roles to manage client communications, removing administrative burdens from senior accountants. This change allows their more experienced staff to focus on complex tasks, increasing productivity.

Wilson says Murray "had the guts to say, ‘Hey, guys, we have to be more flexible. We can't have standing office hours and force people to stay through dinner and come in on Saturdays.’ So, she abolished all of that."

More highlights:

– The six big themes from the National Pipeline Advisory Group and what firms need to do with this information.

– Why Weinstein Spira has succeeded in providing time and resources for the firm’s CPA candidates to prepare for the CPA exam.

– The real story behind Weinstein Spira’s Fun Brigade.

– How Weinstein Spira’s efforts have impacted the firm’s employee retention.

More about Kristin Murray: Kristin Murray has served as Weinstein Spira’s managing shareholder since 2018. Her clients include manufacturing, real estate, professional services companies, owner-managed businesses, and high-net-worth individuals. Weinstein Spira is a member of AGN International. She can be reached at [email protected].

More about Jennifer Wilson: Jennifer Wilson is a co-founder and partner with ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, a national consulting firm for CPAs. She has been named to Accounting Today’s Top 10 and Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting list, IPA's Top 10 Most Recommended Consultants and CPA Practice Advisor's Top 25 Thought Leaders and the Most Powerful Women in Accounting lists. She can be reached at [email protected]. More Jennifer Wilson at CPA Trendlines here.

Leadership beyond control means empowering others to succeed and, of course, eating last.

Accounting ARC
With Byron Patrick and Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

This episode of Accounting ARC offers a candid discussion on leadership with Byron Patrick, CEO and founder of VERIFYiQ, and vice president of Client Success at The B3 Method Institute.

SHOW NOTES here | MORE Accounting ARC: 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 

Alongside host Donny Shimamoto, founder of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies and the Center for Accounting Transformation, Patrick challenges traditional notions of leading a company. 

"People think you don’t answer to anyone, but that’s not true," he says, explaining that CEOs must remain accountable to the organization’s owners and the company’s future. Leadership, when done well, is about service.

The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Alicia Katz Pollock proves that you don’t need an accounting degree or formal bookkeeping training to be a hugely helpful resource for the QuickBooks community.

SHOW NOTES here | MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS:  Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First |Alan Whitman: Stop Accepting the Status Quo | Sean Duncan: Discover Your Own Genius | Ingrid Edstrom: True Wealth Is Not Financial | Caleb Jenkins: Firm Growth Requires Owners to Shift Roles | Chris Hervochon: Be the Leader You Want to Work For | Ira Rosenbloom: Don’t Merge for the Money | Adam Lean: Get Out of the Accountant’s Trap |

Pollock started teaching computers and Microsoft products and used QuickBooks in her own business. Then, people started asking her to teach them QuickBooks. She ran her QuickBooks set-up and methodology past a few bookkeepers, who told her, “Alicia, you have a knack for this.” So she dove in to learn as much as she could and is today one of the go-to experts for QuickBooks.

Capstone Conversations
By Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

The greatest challenge in marketing CPA firms is understanding the role of technology and how different generations of clients and prospects want to engage, Joe Kovacs, marketing and biz dev director at Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Capstone Conversations.

“We need to stay current, not just in knowing the technology, but how consumers are using it and making decisions,” Kovacs says. “Especially since the pandemic, the digital brand experience has become essential. Understanding that digital brand experience is essential. “It’s a never-ending challenge. It’s exciting but also a little terrifying sometimes.”

Four more takeaways:

Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

Demand for tax services emboldens CPAs to fire clients and deliberate about the clients they choose to work with. 

Two practitioners share their strategies for accepting new clients through structured intake forms and firing clients who are not a good fit for their firms in this episode of Gear Up for Growth, with Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, and powered by CPA Trendlines Research. 

“It just took firing 7 percent of our client base,” says Mike Sylvester, managing partner, SBS CPAs, “and realizing that our revenue went up, our staff was happier, our profit went up, and realizing that in this environment, you can easily replace them.”

More CPA Trendlines podcasts here | More Jean Caragher here

“I think 10% of your clients give you 90 percent of your problems,” says Sylvester, “when you come to the conclusion that you can replace them and that it's more profitable, it's easier and easier to do. And I'm excited.”

“It’s important to become more selective in onboarding the new clients and being particular and specific about the type of client you'd like to work with and bring into your firm,” says Ryan Pulice, managing member of the Pulice Group. 

“When the processes move as designed, and everyone deals with nice and professional clients, it creates a better atmosphere,” Pulice says. “The staff are happier, which leads to improved results overall, and less inefficiencies in the office.”

Five more takeaways: 

 Know How Korner
With Donny Shimamoto.
Center for Accounting Transformation

In a world where technology evolves at lightning speed, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for professionals in any field, especially accounting. Recognizing this need, a group of ambitious students from Brigham Young University has created TechHub.training — a free online learning platform designed to help users from all skill levels master essential software tools and applications used in the accounting industry

More here

Rely on your professional network for answers you don't know.

The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

Nancy McClelland never intended to start a firm, but after leaving a toxic work environment, she took on a few part-time gigs. Because she’d never worked at a CPA firm, she built her firm “the way it made sense” without bumping up against the traditions of “This is how it should be done.”

The name of her firm – The Dancing Accountant – reflects her passion for dancing and membership in several dance troupes, including one where she wears miniskirts and go-go boots. Sharing that passion with her clients means putting herself “out there” and having faith that her clients respect her work as an accountant. “And you hope that they don't laugh too hard at your dancing or that they're not disappointed to find out that you're just doing silly, fun stuff.”

13 MORE TAKEAWAYS: More Nancy McClelland Disruptor Notes 

MORE: Disruptors 

MORE CPA TRENDLINES PODCASTS and VIDEOS: 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.

Plus: The marketing myths that plague accounting firms. 

Capstone Conversations. 
With Jean Caragher 
For CPA Trendlines

Being a managing partner is tough enough, but now accounting firm leaders must master two new superpowers. And CPE won't help.   

Complete show notes here.  |  Get more Capstone Conversations every Monday.  |  Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines.  |  Get Caragher's international best-seller, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms.  |  Catch Jean Caragher with Gear Up for Growth every Friday.  |  And browse all the shows on the CPA Trendlines Podcast Channel 

The world for CPA firm marketing professionals is getting more complicated, too. Today, the first thing a marketing executive must do in a CPA firm is not marketing. It's mastering the art of...

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Capstone Conversations
Informal and informative discussions with leading growth strategists from the nation's most dynamic CPA firms.

With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

Brenda Sleeper reflects on her path to the Association for Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame, where she joins an elite few as Bruce W. Marcus Lifetime Fellowship Members. Brenda is a Business Resource Network Relationship Director for the BDO Alliance, working with BDO alliance firms nationwide.

In this episode, Sleeper reveals:

Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

Is the accounting profession facing an identity crisis? Can it adapt to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape? Rob Brown brings together a panel of industry experts to discuss the future of accounting. Jeff Phillips, Maureen Dillmore, Samantha Louis, and Sandra Wiley share their perspectives on the profession's challenges and opportunities.

More episode notes here
More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here

The panelists share their thoughts on various topics, including the talent shortage, the impact of technology, the changing business model, and the need to rebrand the accounting profession.

They discuss the importance of work-life balance, the role of private equity, and the need for firms to adapt to survive in a competitive landscape. The conversation also touches on the potential of AI, the importance of strategic technology adoption, and the need for better compensation models to attract and retain talent.

5 Key Takeaways: