The Big 4 Transparency Podcast

In Episode 41 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I’m joined by Michael Hoover, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer at Bennett Thrasher. In this episode, we cover what Bennett Thrasher does differently to remain fiercely independent and entrepreneurial at scale, how that makes them a unique place to work, why so many firms are doing PE deals and the positives and negatives of these deals.

Follow Michael:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwhoover/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 40 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I’m joined by Tim Petrey, CEO of HD Growth Partners, a regional accounting firm that was acquired this year by Ascend, a platform for firms backed by PE. Tim shares his journey with the acquisition, what it’s like working with Ascend, and how the acquisition has changed things for his team. Tim also talks about his views on the accounting industry as a whole, and what drove him to start a payroll practice while running his firm as well. We also talk about Tim’s investment in Big 4 Transparency - he recently came on as an investor and shares the thought process that drove his decision.

Follow Tim:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petreycpa/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 39 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Sharrin Fuller, CEO of Glass Wallet, an advisory group focused on helping firms scale more effectively as well as CEO of Core Financial Pros, an accounting firm focused on the health & wellness sector. In this episode, Sharrin and I discuss where many firm owners get stuck, and some really simple changes to make to your firm and your contracts that can make a world of difference when selling your firm.

Check out our Sponsor, Anchor: https://hubs.la/Q02R2ygD0

Follow Sharrin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharrinfuller/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 38 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Mike Sylvester, Partner at SBS CPA Group, and most recently the founder of the collaboration room, a community for accounting professionals. In the episode, we talk about Mike’s late career pivot into accounting, how he and his wife scaled their firm together, and how they are currently doing their succession planning to retire while setting up their employees for success. We also touch on a few current topics, like the debacle with Intuit’s “Break-up with your tax pro” campaign, and we talk about the launch of the collaboration room.

Follow Mike:

Twitter: https://x.com/MikeSyl36625988

The Collaboration Room: https://thecollaborationroom.circle.so/c/join-now/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 37 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Tony Wilson, Founder of Acquip, a virtual CFO firm for digital agencies, and Tax-Minded, a community for professionals in the tax space. In this episode, we discuss how Tony decided his area of specialization and the niche for his firm to focus on. We also cover rotational programs and the type of student jobs that will set you up for success later in your career.

Follow Tony:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-wilson-cpa/

Tax-Minded: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1M96sKABOxD8telA0HIbnN_5ng2jpP36LKeMFQvFWbAOrag/viewform

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 36 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Ben Wann, Owner of CFO Consultants LLC, a firm built up by acquisitions. Ben walks us through how he’s made 3, and maybe soon to be 4 acquisitions in the accounting space over the last 18 months. We also get deep into the details of how he financed these acquisitions, where he found these firms, and how he’s working on integrating them all. We also discuss private equity’s involvement in the space, and how an acquirer can get more out of a firm acquisition by keeping their staff happy.

Follow Ben:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wann/

Twitter: https://x.com/BenWann_CMA

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 35 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Tal Ben Bassat, CFO and COO at Anchor. Tal has a background as a CPA as well as an attorney working in prosecuting white collar crime. He shares how being educated in both areas gave him the base he needs to be a great generalist in the business world when it comes to finance and operation and how that led him to a COO and CFO position at Anchor.

Check out our Sponsor, Anchor: https://hubs.la/Q02R2ygD0

Follow Tal:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talbb/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 34 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Blake Oliver, host of the Accounting Podcast, and CEO / Founder of Earmark. In part 2 of this interview, we discuss the new generation of accountants and what people are seeking from their careers, where remote work is falling short, and the flaws in the current firm model.

Check out our Sponsor, Forwardly: https://www.forwardly.com/partner-referral?referral_partner_id=Big4Transparency&referral_partner_name=Dom%20Piscopo

Follow Blake:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver/

Twitter: https://x.com/BlakeTOliver

Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.com/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 33 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Blake Oliver, host of the Accounting Podcast, and CEO/Founder of Earmark. In part 1 of this interview, we discuss Blake’s early career, transitioning to music all the way to selling his cloud-based accounting firm and how he taught himself how to build the firm along the way. We also dive deep into the topic of processes and the increasingly important role software plays in firm operations.

Check out our Sponsor, Forwardly: https://www.forwardly.com/partner-referral?referral_partner_id=Big4Transparency&referral_partner_name=Dom%20Piscopo

Follow Blake:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver/

Twitter: https://x.com/BlakeTOliver

Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.com/

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 32 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Dean Blachford, an independent tax lawyer specializing in tax disputes in Canada. In this episode, we cover what differentiates tax law, and the different streams within it, Dean’s story of how he launched his own practice, and a story of stepping up to the plate when faced with career adversity. We also talk about the Blachford Tax Law Charity Softball game, an annual event which I believe to be the perfect blend of philanthropy, networking and marketing for Dean’s firm. I think a lot of firms could greatly benefit from similar events, and get more fulfillment from their work by driving community impact through this type of philanthropy.

Check out our Sponsor, Forwardly: https://www.forwardly.com/partner-referral?referral_partner_id=Big4Transparency&referral_partner_name=Dom%20Piscopo

Follow Dean:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-blachford-57042a44/

Earn Free CPD with Dean’s Tax Dispute Webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WAgD-P3XQx2z3eNLE8svYw#/registration

Get in touch with me:

Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/

Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/