Who's Really the BOSS?

By Marcus Dillon, Rachel DillonBusiness

Who's Really the BOSS? episodes

October 26Doing More With Less
Marilyn Melendez grew up in her mom’s accounting firm, and taking it over meant trading a “never say no to business” mindset for one built around fit, time, and peace of mind. She joins Marcus and Rachel to talk about honoring a founder’s legacy while changing how things are done, why her ideal client is a type of person rather than an industry, and how her accounting firm got smaller while still making about the same money.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
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Download the Earmark CPE App
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(00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro
(01:05) - Marilyn Background and Bilingual Firm
(03:10) - Best Advice Avoid Burnout
(05:42) - Firm Story and Succession Shift
(09:44) - Niche Beyond Industry
(12:33) - Advisory Alignment and Client Fit
(18:22) - Letting Go of Wrong Clients
(20:39) - Succession Planning Lessons
(26:00) - Pricing Mindset and Protecting Team
(33:29) - Culture Investments Team Retreats
(38:37) - Sabbatical and Fresh Perspective
(44:05) - Human Connection in an AI World
(45:44) - Culture Tip Listen Deeply
(49:51) - Closing Thanks and Wrap Up
53 min
October 12Who Are You Choosing to Do Life With?
When an accounting firm is busy keeping up with changes in technology and the industry, its team and clients can quietly get pushed to the side. Returning guest Matt Kidd joins Marcus and Rachel to talk about staying intentional with both. He covers the flexibility and everyday appreciation that keep his team engaged and the deliberate choices he makes about which client relationships get his time. He also shares how he built a financial planning practice around the clients he enjoys working with most.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome Back Matt Kidd
(01:30) - Matt Intro and Michigan Roots
(02:37) - How We Know Matt
(03:44) - Walk Up Song Banter
(04:33) - Book Advice and Habits
(05:36) - Firm Growth and Remote Setup
(08:15) - Checks Cash and Office Ops
(09:38) - Building the RIA Platform
(12:30) - Helping CPAs Start Planning
(17:15) - People First in an AI World
(18:36) - Flexibility and Team Check Ins
(19:34) - Innovation Meetings and AI Wins
(23:16) - Testing Trust and Rabbit Holes
(23:58) - Scaling Tools vs Headcount
(27:29) - Team Size Complexity
(28:17) - Daily Appreciation Habits
(31:44) - Feedback Builds Trust
(35:07) - Client Relationships Strategy
(37:49) - Client Events That Work
(43:42) - Gifts and Personal Touch
(46:57) - Build Community by Choice
(50:31) - Wrap Up and Farewell
53 min
September 28How to Buy a $400K Accounting Firm for $20K Out of Pocket
SBA loan broker Eric Rabinovich joins Marcus and Rachel to break down what actually gets a bank to say yes to a firm acquisition, from debt service coverage ratios to the rule changes taking effect October 1st. They work through real numbers, including how a $400,000 firm can close for $20,000 out of pocket and why existing firm owners can sometimes finance a deal with no cash down at all.
Connect with Eric
linkedin.com/in/eric-rabinovich-deals,
sbaloanlab.com
calendly.com/eric-sbaloanlab.

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro
(01:10) - Eric’s Background and Passions
(02:29) - Best Advice Don’t Nibble
(04:08) - Why M&A Is Heating Up
(06:41) - Eric’s Niche Small Firm Deals
(11:27) - Should You Acquire to Grow
(19:04) - Marcus’s Acquisition Journey
(22:03) - Funding a First Acquisition
(25:44) - Prepping to Buy
(26:45) - Deal Structure Basics
(27:32) - Winning in a Sellers Market
(29:28) - Educated Buyers and Rollups
(32:50) - What Banks Underwrite
(34:15) - Debt Service Coverage Math
(39:05) - Scaling with Acquisitions
(41:34) - Expansion Rules and 100 Financing
(44:56) - Alternative Practice Plays
(47:28) - Action Steps and Resources
(52:56) - Closing and How to Reach Eric
55 min
September 14One Year Post Firm Acquisition: Retention, Revenue, and What We'd Change
A year after closing their second acquisition of 2025, Marcus and Rachel Dillon bring in Amy McCarty to tally up what actually happened once the ink dried. They walk through the KPIs that mattered most, the client and staff turnover nobody puts in the deal memo, and how the acquisition finally pushed DBA past a revenue plateau they'd been stuck at for years. It's a candid look at what integration actually requires once tax season hits and the excitement wears off.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro
(02:10) - Meet Amy McCarty
(04:16) - Why Acquire EBS
(08:13) - Deal Fit and Values
(13:05) - Growth Strategy and Risk
(18:21) - First 90 Days Lessons
(22:43) - One Year Numbers
(30:20) - Deal Protections Explained
(33:17) - Team Retention and Roles
(37:12) - Operational KPI Surprise
(43:55) - Course Correction Tech
(46:13) - Whats Next and Wrap
52 min
August 31Building a Firm That Fits Your Values
Sandra Koch returns to share how she's built a firm around flexibility, trust, responsiveness, and genuine care for both her team and clients. She discusses leading a fully remote team, creating a people-first culture, and why aligning your firm with your own values is more sustainable than trying to follow someone else's blueprint.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome Back Sandra
(02:59) - Life Moves Mexico Build
(06:17) - Rest And Perspective
(09:09) - Pause And Parking Lot
(11:55) - Firm Snapshot Services
(14:01) - Remote Tech Stack
(19:53) - AI Tools And Training
(29:18) - Flexibility Ground Rules
(32:45) - Client Experience Responsiveness
(40:38) - Team Meetings Pep Rally
(44:27) - Book Club Favorites
(48:05) - Final Values And Community
(51:29) - Thanks And Wrap Up
53 min
August 17The Tax Advisory Plan: Pricing, Team Structure, and Why It's Not on Our Website
Marcus and Rachel break down their Tax Advisory Plan (TAP), the $500/month individual tax offering built for high-income clients, referrals, and business owners exiting their companies. They cover pricing, onboarding fees, the "team of three" structure, and why they deliberately cap new TAP clients at 10 per year and keep the service off their website.
Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss Podcast
(01:02) - Why Create TAP
(02:24) - Lessons From AIM
(04:28) - TAP Pitch and Inclusions
(05:50) - Pricing and Add Ons
(08:44) - Who TAP Is For
(10:01) - Off Ramp Client Story
(15:13) - Onboarding Fees Explained
(21:31) - Team of Three Handoff
(26:46) - Role Breakdown and Workflow
(34:28) - Capacity Goals for TAP
(36:07) - Jerry Case Study
(46:59) - Kickoff and Early Wins
(52:16) - Wrap Up and Secret Menu
55 min
August 03Stop Guessing, Start Hiring: A FACT-Driven System for Accounting Firms
Fletcher Wimbush of Discover.ai returns to break down his FACT system for hiring at accounting firms: Focus, Attract, Candidate Evaluation, and Training. He explains why most firms don't have a job posting problem, they have a talent market access problem, and why waiting until you're desperate to hire almost always leads to a bad match. Marcus and Rachel dig into real examples from their own hiring history, from overvaluing big-name resumes to the questions that actually reveal whether a candidate wants full-time work at all.
Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Link Access Hiring Resources
https://2pmby.share.hsforms.com/2uVddML85SK-D-sca6e4OcA
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro
(01:00) - Fletcher Origin Story
(03:55) - Discoverai Background
(05:43) - Why Hiring Still Hard
(06:23) - Measure Twice Cut Once
(08:39) - Fact Driven Hiring Mindset
(09:59) - Talent Market Access
(13:44) - Build Your Talent Bench
(16:07) - Define Roles and Scorecards
(18:15) - Hire for Integrity
(22:43) - Winning System Overview
(24:51) - Proactive Sourcing Playbook
(27:30) - Employee Referral Engine
(30:08) - Referral Gratitude Wins
(31:41) - Avoid Desperation Hiring
(33:21) - Define the Job Clearly
(36:28) - What Top Candidates Want
(41:28) - Build Employer of Choice
(44:15) - Onboarding for Year One
(50:57) - Interview for Schedule Fit
(54:54) - Final Hiring Advice
57 min
July 20How We Landed 20 New Clients in 6 Months
Marcus and Rachel set a goal of 15 new monthly clients for all of 2026 — and blew past it by June, landing 20. They walk through the $101,415 in onboarding fees that came with those clients, why 85% of that growth traces back to referrals and existing relationships instead of paid marketing, and what a 75% jump in PTO usage tells them about their new flexible time-off policy.
Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Retreat Recap Setup
(01:15) - Mexico Travel Lessons
(03:07) - Goals And Metrics
(07:22) - New Client Wins
(14:22) - Onboarding Fees Breakdown
(19:22) - Tax Plan Adds
(20:17) - Flexible PTO Results
(23:14) - PTO Policy Evolution
(26:31) - Why Unlimited PTO
(28:36) - Onboarding Workflow
(35:14) - Two Week Onboarding
(41:19) - Where Clients Come From
(54:13) - Relationship Marketing Tips
(56:07) - Wrap Up And Contact
58 min
July 06Building a Director-Led Accounting Firm
Marcus and Rachel break down how Dillon Business Advisors moved from an owner-led firm to a director-led one, walking through the seven components they use to define every director role, from ownership and KPIs to the weekly question that keeps people accountable. They also share how scorecards and monthly reviews keep decisions from flowing back up to the owners. It's a practical framework for firms that have outgrown a single person holding everything together.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome and Catch Up
(01:36) - Custom Closet Sticker Shock
(05:41) - Sales Value and Vacations
(07:23) - Why Go Director Led
(16:12) - Improvement Season Explained
(18:37) - Seven Parts of Director Roles
(23:55) - Not Responsible For Clarity
(33:09) - Director Roles at DBA
(43:31) - Scorecards and Accountability
(51:45) - Resources and Wrap Up
53 min
June 22The Year Everything Changed at Once
Marcus is back from five weeks on the conference circuit, from Collective's Recharge to Intuit and ADP councils to Accounting Today's Firm Growth Forum, and he and Rachel unpack what it signals for firms. They cover the surge in roll-ups and private equity moving down market, the tension between staying autonomous and centralizing operations, the AI agents landing inside nearly every platform, and the QuickBooks sunsets and price increases hitting this summer. They close with a preview of Gather and a case for using the slow season to act on what you learn, not just collect more sessions.
Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
(03:00) - San Diego With The Girls
(06:21) - Why Attend These Rooms
(07:50) - Firm Growth Awards
(09:17) - M&A Market Breakdown
(14:47) - Centralize Or Stay Decentralized
(22:57) - Rebrands And Proprietary AI
(25:05) - AI Agents And Token Costs
(32:47) - Platform Shifts And Price Hikes
(37:24) - Gather Event Preview
(43:22) - Improvement Season Takeaways
(45:22) - How To Get Involved
47 min

About Who's Really the BOSS?

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"Who's Really the BOSS?" highlights the joys and challenges of running a CPA firm with your spouse or family. From hiring and terminating to improving capacity, cash flow, and culture, our…