What Holiday Shopping Can Teach Us About Running an Accounting Firm

In this insightful episode of the "Growing Your Firm" podcast, brought to you by Jetpack Workflow, host David Cristello is joined by special guest Adam Lean, CEO and co-founder of The CFO Project.  Adam shares his expertise on how accountants can go beyond traditional number-crunching by engaging with clients through meaningful conversations that resemble therapeutic sessions. By asking open-ended questions about clients' businesses and aspirations, accountants can foster a deeper connection and provide greater value. Adam also delves into the importance of CFO advisory services as a scalable way for accountants, CPAs, bookkeepers, and enrolled agents to grow their firms and increase their earnings. The episode discusses the rise of advisory services in the accounting industry, from integration in mid-market firms to adoption by smaller practices as a lucrative service offering. Listeners will learn about the importance of asking clients questions to get them talking, the benefits of adding CFO advisory services to accounting firms, and the current state of advisory services in the industry.

On this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello interviews Daniel Hood, the editor-in-chief of Accounting Today. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Daniel shares insights into the evolving trends in accounting firms and the push for advisory services. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the future of accounting and the role of technology in shaping the industry. The listener will learn about the evolution of accounting firms, advisory services, trends in the accounting profession, and the impact of AI on the industry.

On this episode of Growing Your Firm, David Cristello interviews Scotty Scarano, the self-titled wrapping custodian at Accounting High. Scotty, who is also the founder of a $2 million accounting firm and serves on various tech company boards, shares insights on OKRs and his rap career. Tune in to learn more about Scotty's journey and his unique approach to the accounting industry. The listener will learn about Scotty Scarano, his journey from rap to running a profitable firm, growth strategies, challenges faced, importance of trust in a team, holding employees accountable, saying no to certain opportunities, staying on the same page with team members, mindset of business owners when selling a firm, incentivizing growth, performing rap at accounting conferences, and OKR.

In this episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast, host David Cristello welcomes John Seiffer, a seasoned business owner and remote CEO, to discuss the concept of Output Thinking and its application in team management. John, a business coach and former president of the International Coach Federation, shares insights on how to make managing teams easier by focusing on visible, measurable outputs. The conversation touches on culture, values, and attitudes in a unique way, offering valuable perspectives for the audience. Tune in to learn how Output Thinking can transform the way you lead your team and firm. The listener will learn about the concepts of culture, values, and attitudes, and how to apply them to make managing a team easier. The importance of defining outputs for employees, creating processes, and investing in employee happiness will also be discussed.

In this episode of Growing Your Firm, brought to you by Jetpack Workflow, host David Cristillo sits down with Tyler Winn, the founder and CEO of Cirrus Payroll. Tyler shares his journey of falling into the payroll business in 2012 and subsequently building a seven-figure firm that specializes in processing payroll for small businesses. Alongside running Cirrus Payroll, Tyler operates a coaching business for accountants called Payroll Profits (Formally, Winning with Payroll), where he debunks the myth that payroll services are inherently unprofitable and unpleasant to manage. He discusses the benefits of separating payroll services from an existing accounting firm, which can lead to a symbiotic relationship between the two entities and provides opportunities for cross-marketing services. The episode aims to help accounting firms understand how they can grow by incorporating payroll services and leveraging them as a strategic tool for expansion.

On this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello interviews Fred Tate, the Managing Director of CFO Shield. Fred discusses how CFO Shield takes a consultative approach to create tailored solutions for clients, offering fractional CFO services along with bookkeeping and payroll support. Fred also emphasizes the importance of understanding and meeting individual client needs, showcasing the unique approach of the firm. Tune in to learn more about how CFO Shield stands out in the industry and prioritizes client service. You will learn about the importance of connecting people together to create an ecosystem, launching a CFO firm, as well as how CFO Shield tailors solutions to specific client needs and provides a variety of services including bookkeeping and payroll.

Today on the Growing Your Firm Podcast, David Cristello sits down with guest Kane Polakoff, a principal client advisory services practice leader at CohnReznick. They delve into the world of client advisory services, discussing how to scale it, the tech stack involved, and the execution for high performance.  Kane’s extensive experience working with various organizations in advisory capacities brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation. Join them on this exciting journey into the realm of client advisory services. The listener will learn about client advisory services, scaling, tech stack, executing in a high-performance manner, focus on verticals, building proposals, collaborating with clients, communication, coordination, capacity building, API automation, financial metrics, resource allocation, talent crunch, and industry insights.

In this insightful episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello, founder and CEO of Jetpack Workflow, welcomes Tammy D. Little, CEO and founder of the FTC Group. The discussion centers around Tammy's journey from working as a controller/CFO for a large construction firm to launching her own firm, the FTC Group.  Tammy shares her experiences in creating effective systems and processes for her business, as well as her strategies for team resourcing that includes both onshore and offshore components. Listeners will learn about the tools and technologies that Tammy and her remote team utilize to manage tasks for clients, such as using Loom for video instructions and Jetpack Workflow for task management and recurring job assignments.  Tammy also recounts how a request from a tax accountant to help clean up a client's messy books led her to realize her passion for details and problem-solving, which ultimately sparked the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey. Join us as we explore Tammy's transition from full-time employment to entrepreneurship, her passion for fixing complex problems, and her commitment to developing a scalable, systemized approach to running a successful firm in the accounting and finance industry. This episode is sponsored by LiveFlow. LiveFlow empowers you with flexible, powerful reporting tools to create customized dashboards that meet your specific needs. Connect to all your clients’ QuickBooks accounts and import their financial reports from QuickBooks into Google Sheets in no time. Learn more and book your demo here.

In this episode of Growing Your Firm, brought to you by Jetpack Workflow, host David Cristello interviews Jennifer Ryan, the owner of Bookkeeping Direct. Jenny shares her journey from initially joining the firm as a contractor to eventually buying the business in 2016. She highlights the company's impressive growth of 140% in the past year and discusses how the firm expanded its staff to four members. This episode is sponsored by LiveFlow. LiveFlow empowers you with flexible, powerful reporting tools to create customized dashboards that meet your specific needs. Connect to all your clients’ QuickBooks accounts and import their financial reports from QuickBooks into Google Sheets in no time. Learn more and book your demo here.

In this episode of Growing Your Firm, David Cristello interviews Brad Schuchardt, founder of BTBK Accounting Services. Brad specializes in providing full-service accounting solutions to restaurants, offering accurate financial information and strategic business insight.  They discuss Brad's journey into his niche, marketing strategies, and scaling up his firm. They also touch on the importance of building a strong team and partnerships.  This episode is sponsored by LiveFlow. LiveFlow empowers you with flexible, powerful reporting tools to create customized dashboards that meet your specific needs. Connect to all your clients’ QuickBooks accounts and import their financial reports from QuickBooks into Google Sheets in no time. Learn more and book your demo here.