Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

Rob Brown and Donny Shimamoto discuss reform, transformation, and change in the accounting profession at individual accountant and CPA plus practice levels.

Accountants must adapt to new value measures to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Accounting ARC
With Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

Join host Donny Shimamoto as he chats with Bailey Lenart, founder of World Changing Business and Collective Flow. Bailey shares her journey from traditional accountant to ESG advocate, tackling non-financial metrics like emissions and biodiversity.

SHOW NOTES here | MORE Accounting ARC here

Discover how her passion for sustainability and joy in work has shaped her innovative career.  

Tune in to hear about: 

Your clients may need a lot of empathy and not just tactical advice. Plus 13 key takeaways.
 
 The Disruptors
With Liz Farr
 
Terrell Turner started his “journey of doing things differently” on April 1, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. While “2020 was the reset button for everyone,” that reset offered Turner a tremendous opportunity to create a new kind of firm. “We don't have any history in doing this,” Turner recalls thinking. “So how would we do this in this new environment that we're in?” 

His path to founding a firm was unusual – from public accounting to industry and back to public accounting. He credits his time in industry with providing a “really solid foundation” in connecting processes with the impact on the financial statements. “I think being able to connect those dots is something I would have never been able to do had I not worked in industry for some time,” Turner says. 

THE TAKEAWAYS: Terrell Turner Disruptor Notes | MORE: Disruptors | MORE CPA TRENDLINES PODCASTS and VIDEOS:  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 | SEE THEM ALL here.

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

With Jean Caragher. 
For CPA Trendlines. 

In a business not always comfortable with notoriety, it takes bold ideas to position an accounting firm in the marketplace, according to Kristen Lewis, director of marketing at EisnerAmper and a member of the Association for Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame.

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

"CPA firms are conservative," Lewis tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Capstone Conversations. "They're compliance-driven environments. They generally want to see what other people are doing before they take a leap. And that makes the bold ideas that will help differentiate you a harder sell."

Listen to, read, or watch our Capstone Conversation, and find out:

The profession's problems are the profession's own fault.

Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

Tim Brackney, CEO of a private equity-backed CPA and advisory firm, is challenging the widespread notion that private equity harms the accounting industry.

Full show notes here | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here

"Private equity is not killing public accounting," Brackney tells Rob Brown in Accounting Influencers. "Public accounting was killing public accounting." 

Brackney says private equity could be the key to revitalizing a sector struggling with outdated models, a growing talent shortage, and the looming costs of re-tooling for artificial intelligence.

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

With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

When the Covid pandemic hit Grassi CPAs, chief marketing officer Sarah Cirelli launched a "SWAT" program to stem the losses and reap an extra $2 million in new fees.

Full show notes 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 Friuday with Gear Up for Growth here |

From $70 milliion to $450 million: The power of positivity, strategic planning, and going international.

Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

Richard Kopelman, CEO and managing partner of PE-owned Aprio, shares his philosophy of staying positive and never giving up, the importance of having a well-written strategic plan, and his vision of truly global accounting firms.

Complete show notes here, including takeaways, background, analysis and transcript | See Part 1: Richard Kopelman: Inside Aprio’s Bold Makeover | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here | Aprio Sells Majority Stake to Charlesbank Capital Partners | Cited: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

In the second part of a two-part Accounting Influencers, Kopelman tells Rob Brown that a growth mindset drives Aprio's tremendous growth from $70 million to $450 million in revenue.

Lessons from dozens of strategic mergers & acquisitions.

Accounting Influencers
with Rob Brown

Richard Kopelman, CEO and managing partner of PE-owned Aprio, reveals the firm's dramatic transformation and rebranding into a global business advisory and accounting firm.

See Part 2: Richard Kopelman: Aprio’s Plans for Global Conquest | More Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown here | Aprio Sells Majority Stake to Charlesbank Capital Partners here | Cited: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

In this first part of a two-part Accounting Influencers with Rob Brown, Kopelman analyzes the high demand for accounting services due to changes in business, regulatory requirements, and technology. According to Kopelman, a key challenge for accounting firms often lies in mindset, requiring a shift from a risk-averse outlook to a more "positive," entrepreneurial one.

Leveraging social media and other digital platforms allows firms to attract talent without relying on traditional job boards or recruiters.

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

"You actually have to be a good firm,” Katie Thomas, CPA, founder and owner, Leaders Online LLC, replied when asked about the factors needed for an organic inbound recruitment strategy to work.

Full show notes here | Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effective 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 

“And that may seem obvious, but if you are doing the things that people aren't attracted to, no, it doesn't matter how great your marketing team is, they can't make you stand out if you don't have leading ideas and leading thoughts of things that you're doing to change the firm or change the profession and have people actually want to come work with you.” 

Thomas was a guest on Gear Up for Growth, a new show hosted by Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing, and powered by CPA Trendlines. Thomas' recruitment strategy focuses on getting more accountants to stay in the profession and realize there are firms doing things differently. Thomas’ solution is an organic inbound recruitment strategy that leverages social media and other digital platforms. 

“This approach is built around the 4C method: choosing the right platform, connecting with talent, starting conversations, and creating content that showcases a firm’s unique culture,” explains Thomas. It allows firms to attract talent without relying on traditional job boards or recruiters.

More highlights here

How will proposed tax reforms impact businesses and tax professionals in the 2024 election cycle?

Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto
Center for Accounting Transformation

The 2024 election is poised to bring significant changes to tax policy, and the accounting profession is bracing for the potential impact.

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 

As political candidates propose tax reforms, tax professionals must be prepared to understand and communicate the implications of these changes to their clients. 

The latest episode of Accounting ARC highlights the challenges and responsibilities that accountants face in navigating the intersection of politics and tax policy.