In Episode 45 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I’m joined by Robert Gauvreau, Founder and CEO of Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law and Advisory, a Canadian firm offering both accounting and legal services. Robert’s firm is unique in that he’s reached $20M in revenue as the only equity partner and has huge ambitions to scale to $100M while retaining full ownership and control. We also talk about the importance of coaching, and Robert’s story becoming a CPA Fellow and the significance of that achievement to him.

Follow Robert:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-gauvreau/

Check out his podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fbtl63a0UzCTqEduPMAd6?si=c3509d60c9844f51

Read Robert’s Book: https://gauvreaucpa.ca/the-wealthy-entrepreneur

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 44 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I share my opinion on PE in the accounting industry based on the deep dive I did into the data collected on Big 4 Transparency as well as conversations I had with guests in previous episodes.

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 43 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I’m joined by Marianne Galante, Founder of Galante Talent Strategies, and former Executive Director of Resource Management at KPMG. In this episode, we talk all about the impact that a strong back-office function can have on large firms and the role they play in a firm’s growth. We also talk about how resource management has evolved over the last decade, and the issues that were top of mind at KPMG.

Follow Marianne:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-galante-0299a01/

Referenced article: https://galantetalentstrategies.com/2024/11/19/from-data-to-decision-how-skills-kpis-elevate-workforce-planning/

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 42 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I’m joined by Brant Hansen, co-founder of Hansen Harding, an intermediary firm that works with Private Equity to facilitate deals with accounting firms. In this episode, Brant walks us through the reasoning behind these private equity deals, how PE generates their returns on these deals, and the factors that will most often lead to a deal’s outcomes. We get really into the details on multiples arbitrage, and the firm dynamics that will lead them to selling as well.

Follow Brant:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brant-hansen-0ba75a59/

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 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/