Accounting Leaders Podcast
75 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsJoin Stuart McLeod as he interviews the world's top accounting leaders to understand their story, how they operate, their goals, mission, and top advice to help you run your accounting firm.
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Episodes
Bringing value by doing what you love with Kellie Parks
March 02, 2022 17:55 - 43 minutes - 99.9 MBKellie Parks is a cloud accounting specialist and coach at Calmwaters Cloud Accounting. In this episode, Kellie and Stuart talk about the early days of cloud accounting, the further development of technology and how it changed the life of Kellie and her clients. As an early adopter of remote work, Kellie shares the stories of the adventures that cloud accounting allowed her to do. Together they discuss: Early days in cloud accounting (1:10) Lunch invitation from Karbon (2:30) Ke...
Running an accounting firm from an RV with Chad Davis
February 24, 2022 00:52 - 42 minutes - 96.9 MBChad Davis is a co-founder and partner at LiveCA LLP, who decided to pursue a career in accounting at a very young age. Join Chad and Stuart as they discuss the origins of LiveCA, the philosophy behind it, and how helping competitors might be beneficial for your company. Accounting aside, they also talk about living and working from an RV, non-traditional schooling for kids, and growing a beard while traveling. Together they discuss: Non-traditional schooling for kids (3:00) Late...
What it takes to grow your company, expanding verticals, and application of data analytics with Alastair Barlow
February 16, 2022 17:13 - 31 minutes - 72.4 MBAlastair Barlow is CEO and co-founder at Flinder. He has experience working with fast-growth businesses, transforming finance functions, writing for AccountingWeb, and being a part of global accounting and technology panels. In this episode, Alastair and Stuart discuss data analytics, the current position of Flinder and what’s in store for the future. They also share some interesting thoughts about rugby, ski trips, and the importance of relationships with your clients and colleague...
Living around the world, working with contractors, and construction accounting with Leeroy Beeby
February 09, 2022 18:53 - 31 minutes - 71.7 MBLeeroy Beeby is a co-founder of the innovative, technology-focused practice, Check The Level. He grew up in a family of small business owners and watched his parents struggle with time and money, which inspired him to establish a career in business. In this episode, Leeroy and Stuart talk about his experience living in different countries, and how his MBA helped him in his entrepreneurial journey, which later led him to start an accounting and bookkeeping firm for contractors. They ...
Entrepreneurship, content and professional journeys with Joyce Ong
February 02, 2022 19:01 - 37 minutes - 86.2 MBJoyce is a founder, entrepreneur, content creator, disruptor, rebel against boring, a savior from sucky training, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and human. In this episode, Joyce and Stuart talk about academic experience, the beginning of their careers, and their journey to becoming business owners. Learn how Tax Nuggets Academy was founded (and what’s coming up next), and how owning a business affects your personal life. Together discuss: Joyce’s background (1:35) Bachelor of ...
Cannabis accounting, government roadblocks and client stories with Katye Maxson Landis
December 14, 2021 00:48 - 52 minutes - 121 MBKatye Maxson Landis is the owner of Moxy Accounting LLC in Portland, Oregon and is one of few women in the United States actively filing taxes for small cannabis businesses. In this episode, Katye sheds light on the accounting challenges that cannabis businesses face, the advantages that they can bring, and shares stories of her very interesting clients. She also talks about the future of the cannabis industry and her very own educational program for cannabis accountants. Together ...
The importance of connection, shared values, and winning decisions with Timothy Munro
December 08, 2021 22:56 - 39 minutes - 89.6 MBTimothy Munro is the CEO & Founder of Change Accountants & Advisors, and Founder & Director of Change GPS. Timothy co-founded his first accounting firm at the age of 19, had a life-changing impact on his clients, and licensed his tools and processes to other firms through Change GPS. In this episode, Timothy and Stuart discuss the importance of establishing a positive relationship and shared values to achieve mutual success for you and your clients. They also talk about the future o...
Building a scalable, systematic firm that doesn’t drive you into the ground, with Ryan Lazanis
November 18, 2021 01:42 - 34 minutes - 79.4 MBRyan Lazanis joins Stuart on the Accounting Leaders Podcast for an inspiring chat around the future of the accounting profession, the model for a scalable, systematic accounting firm, and how to build a firm that can give you the life you want. Ryan founded Xen Accounting, a 100% cloud-based accounting firm, in 2013. Following its acquisition in 2018, he started Future Firm to provide content and coaching to help other accountants fast-track their own firm. Ryan and Stuart discuss:...
Knowing your purpose, educating, and building communities with Jason Blumer
November 11, 2021 03:18 - 49 minutes - 113 MBFew encapsulate the title of accounting leader more than this episode’s guest, Jason Blumer. Together, Jason and Stuart discuss the background and success of Thriveal, the network Jason founded to help other entrepreneurial CPA firm owners connect, learn and grow. They also discuss the trend of larger firms acquiring smaller firms, the challenges of growth, why you need to know your strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use that knowledge to define your purpose, lean into it, an...
Balancing work with family, avoiding burnout, and running a female-only firm, with Kylene O'Connor Carse
November 04, 2021 03:07 - 31 minutes - 72.2 MBKylene O'Connor Carse from BWCO CPAs joins the Accounting Leaders Podcast this week to share her story with Stuart. In an honest chat, they discuss the challenges of constantly being busy and how to balance that when you also have a family. Kylene also talks about capacity planning, burnout, running a female-only firm, and even Peloton. Any accountant who has ever felt the pressure of deadlines and an always-growing workload will relate to this episode. Together they discuss: The...
Accounting in rural New Zealand, the talent shortage, and what young accountants need to know, with Marilyn Davies
October 28, 2021 03:45 - 36 minutes - 83.3 MBThis week, Stuart is joined by Marilyn Davies, Director of Tandem Group, an accounting firm founded more than 100 years ago in the Taranaki region of rural New Zealand. Marilyn discusses the impact of COVID-19 on New Zealand businesses, the challenges of finding great staff, advice for the younger generation of accountants, and much more. The impact of COVID-19 in New Zealand, and affects on the supply chain (3:00) Different types of clients and specialities (7:00) The embraceme...
The inside story of GoProposal’s acquisition by Sage, with James Ashford
October 18, 2021 02:53 - 23 minutes - 53.2 MBWe're interrupting your podcast feed for a bonus, shorter episode to discuss some breaking industry news. Last week, pricing and onboarding app GoProposal announced that they had been acquired by Sage. To give you the inside story, we brought back one of our earlier guests, the co-founder of GoProposal James Ashford. In this episode, James shares why he made this decision, what it means for GoProposal's customers and the wider profession, what accountants can learn from his M&A expe...
Navigating the crypto and tax world, and the trends you need to know, with Zach McClure and Arthur Teller
October 13, 2021 06:40 - 41 minutes - 95.5 MBThis week, Stuart is talking all things cryptocurrency with Arthur Teller and Zac McClure from TokenTax, the leading crypto tax platform and cryptocurrency tax accounting company. Together they discuss a broad range of crypto topics including how this movement is giving the younger generation a way to gain wealth, the global implications, and the trends in cryptocurrency that everyone in the accounting profession should know about. They even provide an answer to Stuart’s question; “...
What success really means, the state of UK accounting, and the strength of community, with Heather Townsend
October 06, 2021 00:51 - 48 minutes - 111 MBThis week, Stuart is joined by Heather Townsend, founder of The Accountants Millionaires' Club, author of 6 books, and highly-regarded influencer, speaker and coach to accounting firm owners. They explore the intricacies of her career, her capacity to be well prepared, and the growth that she's helped many partners and firms achieve over the years. Together they discuss: How Heather fell into the accounting profession (1:40). Being an educator, taking the complex and making it s...
Improving life for your customers, powering prosperity, and not doing it on your own, with Jorge Olavarrieta from Intuit
September 30, 2021 00:14 - 46 minutes - 106 MBThis week, Stuart is joined by Vice President of Product Management and Design for Intuit, Jorge Olavarrieta. In a wide-ranging chat, Jorge shares the path that brought him to Intuit, how the business is solving its customer’s biggest problems, and what’s coming next. Together they discuss: Jorge’s education at Texas A&M University (2:30). The path that led him to a company that employs more than 10,000 and brings in $10billion annual revenue, and working under different Intuit l...
Being responsively responsive, adopting technology, and providing expert evidence in court, with Ohran Gobrin
September 22, 2021 22:39 - 43 minutes - 99.1 MBThis week Stuart is joined by a friend and accounting industry colleague, Ohran Gobrin from Fuller Landau in Canada. Together they discuss: Stuart and Ohran catch up (0:59-2:00). Ohran’s journey from engineering to accounting (2:00-8:20). Being responsibly responsive to a changing environment (8:20-14:03). Rolling out a hybrid model in your firm (14:03-18:48). How Ohran went from living in South Africa to Canada (18:48-22:59). Ohran’s different experiences and roles in the account...
Working with your dad, creating the ultimate client experience and technologies that the industry needs, with Bernie and Jason Ackerman
September 16, 2021 02:24 - 37 minutes - 85.7 MBThis week Stuart is joined by the father-son accounting duo: Bernie and Jason Ackerman. Together they discuss: The hunt for the world’s best scrambled eggs (0:55-5:35). Bernie’s career journey and how he got his son, Jason, to join his firm (5:35-8:08). Loyal clients and low turnover is part of the reason why BNA is doing well today (8:08-9:13). When you join your dad’s company, it's in your best interest to upgrade the tech stack (9:13-12:26). Creating the ultimate client experie...
The effect of having a designated motivator, defining the why, and creating an all-star tech stack, with Dawn Brolin
September 08, 2021 09:16 - 57 minutes - 132 MBThis week Stuart is joined by Connecticut-based CPA and author Dawn Brolin. Together they discuss: How experiences from coaching softball can be utilized in your accounting firm (1:14-8:45). Why you need a designated motivator (8:45-13:20). How to find the motivation (13:20-16:28). The importance of defining the WHY in your work (16:28-24:23). Trends in the industry (24:23-28:39). Dawn’s experience fighting against fraud (28:39-35:40). Innovation in accounting and the operational ...
Networking, the benefits of running a small firm and saying ‘no’, with Gary Wood
August 31, 2021 22:00 - 36 minutes - 82.7 MBGary Wood from CRC, a small accounting firm in Missouri, joins Stuart on this week's episode. Together they discuss: The value of conferences, with a little sprinkle of hockey playoff talk (0:53-4:48). The importance of networking with accountants in similar-sized firms (4:48-6:44). Dealing with legislative changes and government resources during COVID-19 (6:44-9:55). Burnout, overworking and saying ‘no’ (9:55-12:12). Having deep, instead of wide, client relationships (12:12-15:29...
Helping clients tell their story, building long-lasting partnerships and automating the accounting industry, with Steph Hinds
August 25, 2021 22:26 - 54 minutes - 125 MBLong-time friend of Stuart, Steph Hinds from Growthwise, joins the podcast to talk about topics from accounting to Australia (and everything in between). Together they discuss: How Steph’s business and clients are handling the impact of COVID-19, how different areas of the world are handling the situation, and how community has been critical during the past 1.5 years (1:32-21:00). The importance of telling your story (21:00-24:45). Loving what you do and who you work with (24:45-2...
Hiring effective workers, scaling your company and utilizing marketing for firm growth, with David DiNardo
August 18, 2021 07:10 - 42 minutes - 96.6 MBOur first Canadian Guest, David DiNardo, joins Stuart on this week's episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast. Together they discuss: How Envolta and their clients are doing throughout Covid-19 (0:36-4:39). Preventing burnout and focusing on mental health in the never-ending tax season (4:39-8:24). Specializing in a specific vertical/niche (8:24-11:36). The importance of marketing (11:36-20:04). David’s career path to owning a bookkeeping company, plus the lessons he learned alon...
Calculated risks and lifetime learning are the keys to success, with Bruce Phillips
August 11, 2021 06:20 - 34 minutes - 79.4 MBThis week Stuart sits down with seasoned CPA and cloud technology advocate, Bruce Phillips from Aprio Cloud. Together they discuss: When traditional accounting was simply accounting (1:58-4:42). Mentorship and advice for the early years of your career (4:42-7:07). The biggest changes in accounting from getting rid of file rooms to cloud accounting (7:07-9:19). Global accounting (9:19-11:06). Relationship building, networking and lifetime learning (11:06-12:42). Owning a smaller fi...
Making a difference through closing deals, selling services and client relationships, with James Ashford
August 06, 2021 22:03 - 46 minutes - 105 MBIn the second episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast, Stuart sits down with James Ashford from GoProposal. Together they discuss: His career path from magician to GoProposal, and everything in between (2:12-20:10). What happens when the complex meets the complicated (20:10-25:45). Vertical vs. horizontal software (25:45-29:34). How the caring nature of accountants is their greatest strength and biggest weakness (29:35-33:29). What’s next for accounting industry, GoProposal and ...
What got us here might not get us there, with Jeremy Allen
July 27, 2021 20:29 - 45 minutes - 105 MBJeremy Allen, founder of System Six, joins Stuart in the inaugural episode of the Accounting Leaders Podcast. Working for a cloud-based company (2:46-5:00). Small town living (5:00-6:47). How Covid has affected System Six, their clients and the future of the accounting industry (6:47-20:00). Jeremy's career path and the lessons he learned along the way (20:00-26:58). Company growth and acquisition vs. being acquired (26:58-33:32). Company culture and work-life balance (33:33-39:03)...
Welcome to the Accounting Leaders Podcast
July 15, 2021 18:40 - 1 minute - 2.92 MBWelcome to the Accounting Leaders Podcast, a weekly podcast where our host, Stuart McLeod, goes behind the scenes with the worlds top accounting leaders. Each week Stuart will have an open conversation with his guests about anything and everything accounting. Whether you are looking for benchmarks for your firm, want to learn how the best leaders in the world of accounting do their thing or simply want to enjoy some mindless banter between people in your industry, this podcast is ...