Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
Published by Jetpack Workflow
Business
Management
Growing Your Firm is the top podcast for ambitious firm owners to find tips, tactics, and strategies on how to grow their firm (or practice). In this podcast we'll be interviewing unique thought leaders in accounting, tax, and bookkeeping about topics including: practice management, marketing, social media, succession planning, partner relations, hiring, pricing, and much more.
Are you running an accounting practice that can survive independent of your personal production, or are your key successors already looking for the nearest exit? In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Ira Rosenbloom, CEO of Optimum Strategies, known across the industry as the "Merger and Profitability Optimizer." With over 25 years of hands-on experience as a practicing CPA and managing partner, Ira pulls back the curtain on how to navigate the complex crossroads of generational change, standardizing client management, and securing maximum value for your firm. Whether you are a managing partner trying to transition equity, a CPAs starting a firm, or an operations manager driving software adoption, this masterclass changes how you view structural firm health. Inside This Episode, We Unpack: The Valuation Multiplier Trap: Why the fastest way to explosive growth isn't just jacking up client fees—it's analyzing fee tiers to identify where leakage actually occurs. Preventing Scope Creep: How to eliminate standard-to-actual time gaps by aligning your team with automated tracking and project margin thresholds. The "Gen-Z" Partnership Disconnect: Why your "locked-in" junior leaders are turning down partnership tracks—and how to redesign firm culture around outcomes instead of clock-punching. The Real Cost of Private Equity: A look at the 50-50 staff retention reality after a roll-up and what a boardroom buyout means for your long-term team autonomy. The Alternative Practice Model: How boutique independent firms can replicate private equity structures by integrating non-CPA advisory services to remain fiercely competitive. Ira's Golden Rule Checklist: The explicit strategic milestones every owner needs to implement between ages 55 and 65 to protect firm lineage. Key Metrics & Operational Takeaways For Firm Managers: Shed Equity Early: Why passing down fractional client liaison-ships ahead of retirement protects your client stickiness from a sudden talent walk-out. Client Tier Consolidation: Shifting bandwidth away from low-margin $3,500 compliance accounts to high-value strategic advisory. Featured Guest: Ira Rosenbloom
Whether you're a CPA starting a firm, an operations manager, or a managing partner looking at succession options, understanding what actually drives firm valuation in today's intense M&A market is critical. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Mike Payne, a veteran M&A consultant who has spent nearly two decades facilitating accounting firm mergers, acquisitions, and private equity investments. Mike pulls back the curtain on transactions ranging from $1M to over $100M to explain exactly how buyers evaluate practices and why the traditional metrics you read about are often just hearsay. In this episode, we explore: The Revenue vs. EBITDA Shift: Why the accounting world has fundamentally shifted from gross revenue multiples to Adjusted EBITDA valuations. The Private Equity (PE) Reality: How the massive influx of outside capital is reshaping deal structures, increasing cash at the table, and forcing traditional firms to change. The CAS and Tax Premium: Why a strong Client Accounting Services (CAS) department and recurring, sticky tax revenue can instantly add multiples to your firm's value. The "Airport Test" for Culture: Why early-stage deal-making fails without alignment on culture, leadership, and operational tech stacks. Stress-Testing Internal Succession: Real-world tactical advice for firm owners who want to successfully pass the baton to the next generation of junior partners. The Fiercely Independent Path: Why selling isn't your only choice, and how to build a highly profitable, independent firm by playing defense against consolidation. Key Benchmarks Mentioned: Healthy Profitability: Why 30% to 35% bottom-line profit (pre-owner compensation) is the gold standard benchmark for an attractive firm. Partner Billable Hours: The hidden red flag of high partner-level billable hours that can tank your valuation during due diligence. Featured Guest: Mike Payne
Can you run a hyper-profitable tax and advisory firm while heavily restricting your personal work hours? Most accounting firm owners and managing partners assume that scaling past six figures requires sacrificing their personal life to the grind. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Yuri Kapilovich, Managing Partner of Kapilovich and Associates—known across social media as "The Fun CPA." After spending over a decade handling high-net-worth clients at giant tax firms, Yuri stepped out on his own to build an ultra-lean, highly optimized practice. Yuri pulls back the curtain on how he structure-built his firm to generate nearly $290k in gross revenue while working only 15 to 25 hours a week! If you're a bookkeeping firm owner, a CPA starting a firm, or an operations manager, this step-by-step masterclass reveals how pricing alignment directly builds lifestyle freedom. In this episode, we explore: The "Fun CPA" Blueprint: How leaning into raw, honest, and unconventional branding on LinkedIn unlocked massive organic growth. The $2,000 Minimum Baseline: Why establishing rigid price floors protects your team's capacity and eliminates low-margin, high-volume compliance traps. The Three-Tier Revenue Split: Breaking down Yuri's $290k engine—from seasonal tax preparation to core quarterly advisory and monthly recurring client accounting services (CAS). The Ultimate Solo Leverage Strategy: Managing 80 high-value business clients by hyper-utilizing part-time specialized contractor support. Social Media vs. Firm Reality: An honest discussion on managing the mental toll of online comparison and how to strategically filter out vanity metrics. Key Metrics and Firm Benchmarks Mentioned: Average Relationship Value: $3,500 to $3,600 per client. The "3x" Capacity Rule: Ensuring your fractional team or software tools produce three times their compensation footprint to maintain an elite profit margin. Featured Guest: Yuri Kapilovich
Are you a firm owner trying to break past that next big growth plateau? Many managing partners and bookkeeping firm owners find themselves stuck in the daily grind, struggling to build a practice that can survive independent of their personal production. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host Dave Cristello sits down with Adam Shay, CPA, a dad, entrepreneur, and high-performance firm coach. Adam pulls back the curtain on his own journey of building, scaling, and ultimately selling a multimillion-dollar accounting firm. Today, through Share the Knowledge LLC, he helps fellow owners design companies built with intention—and positioned perfectly for a future exit. Whether you are an operations manager trying to optimize workflow or a CPA starting a firm from scratch, this episode offers practical, data-driven strategies to maximize structural efficiency. In this episode, we unpack: The Firm Snapshot: What Adam's firm looked like two years prior to a successful sale (10 team members and nearly $2M in revenue). Ditching the Compliance Trap: Moving clients to a mandatory high-value advisory package that features proactive tax planning. The "Broken Process Document": Adam's highly practical, low-friction Google Sheets strategy that empowers teams to log workflow bottlenecks as they happen. Capacity & Staff Ownership: How to encourage senior team members to bring proposed solutions rather than just dumping problems on management. The Multiplier Mindset: Key metrics to track weekly, including labor efficiency ratios and technical rework percentages. A Candid Look at M&A: The real-world nuances of working with specialized brokers and navigating post-merger transition periods. Featured Guest: Adam Shay
Are you running an accounting practice that relies entirely on your own personal production, or have you built a scalable business that can exist independently of you? For accounting firm owners, managing partners, and CPAs starting firms, understanding how to shift from manual operations to an acquirable business model is the ultimate goal. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Joe Manganelli, the former founder and CEO of Calculate. Joe shares his incredible journey of launching, scaling, and successfully selling his outsourced CFO and accounting firm in under seven years. He pulls back the curtain on his aggressive top-line growth strategies, pricing models, and how he scaled his team to nearly 45 headcounts with zero outside funding. In this episode, we explore: - The Bootstrapped Blueprint: How Joe scaled Calculate to a $10M run rate without taking on venture capital or outside investment. - Top-Line Growth vs. Profitability: The strategic decisions behind running a high-growth firm (averaging 75%+ year-over-year) with modest margins. - Frictionless Client Acquisition: Transitioning from exhausting networking events to building a highly efficient, inbound B2B referral network. - The "Experienced" Hiring Strategy: Why your first operations managers and team members should have more experience than you do to truly offload workflow responsibilities. - The Reality of M&A: What the modern sale structure looks like for accounting firms, from equity rollovers to earnouts and transition periods.
In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Isaac Perdomo, founder of Opzer, to discuss the practical application of AI and low-code/no-code tools in modern accounting practices. Isaac shares real-world case studies of firms drastically reducing manual workloads and increasing their capacity for high-value advisory services. In this episode, we explore: - The "Window of Opportunity": Why the next 12–24 months are critical for firms to adopt AI before the market settles. - Beyond the Hype: Moving from generic ChatGPT use to building bespoke internal tools with Claude, Replit, and Lovable. - The 15-Minute Close: How a case study firm reduced bookkeeping time from 2 hours to 15 minutes per client using automated workflows. - Quality Assurance (QA) with AI: Using LLMs as an additional layer of review for financial statements and deliverables. - Vibe Coding & Custom Apps: Why the era of the "30-app tech stack" is evolving into firms building their own specialized internal software. - Sentiment Analysis: How to use meeting transcripts from tools like Granola or Fireflies to detect client dissatisfaction before they churn. Key Tools Discussed: - Automation Engines: Make.com, n8n, and Zapier. - AI Models: Claude and ChatGPT. - Prototyping: Lovable and Replit. - Meeting Intelligence: Granola, Fireflies, and Fathom. Featured Guest: Isaac Perdomo
Is the traditional general ledger dead? As small businesses and startups demand real-time data, the standard "wait two weeks for a black-and-white P&L" model is becoming obsolete. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Jeff Seibert , co-founder and CEO of Digits and former Head of Consumer Product at Twitter (now X). Jeff reveals why he spent over five years and $100M in venture capital to rebuild accounting software from the ground up to be AI-native. Whether you're a firm owner looking to scale or a tech-forward CPA, this conversation explores how "Agentic Accounting" is moving the profession from manual data entry to high-level advisory. In this episode, we discuss: The Genesis of Digits: How Jeff's experience scaling Twitter exposed the massive data gap between engineering and finance. What is an Agentic General Ledger? Moving beyond "bolt-on" AI to a vector-graph data model where the intelligence is baked into the ledger itself. Automating the Month-End Close: Why Jeff predicts 90% of bookkeeping, reconciliation, and schedules will be automated by the end of 2026. Classification Accuracy: Why LLMs (like ChatGPT) fail at bookkeeping and how Digits achieved 97% accuracy using custom predictive models. The Future of Firm Competition: Why the gap between AI-adopting firms and traditional firms will create a "margin opportunity" that reshapes the industry. Jeff's Top AI Tools for Founders: Insights into Whispr Flow (for voice dictation) and Granola (for frictionless meeting notes).
Are you tired of the "compliance grind"? Most accountants overlook a goldmine sitting right in their current database: Tax Resolution . With over 27 million Americans currently facing IRS issues, the demand for representation has never been higher. In this episode of Growing Your Firm , host David Cristello sits down with Michael Rozbruch , founder of Roz Strategies and a pioneer in the tax resolution industry. Michael shares how he grew a practice from his dining room table to a $23 million-a-year powerhouse and why now is the best time in history for firms to enter this space. In this episode, we explore: The "Stealth" Referral Letter: How to generate $5k–$10k cases from your existing clients without spending a dime on ads. The 4 Collection Alternatives: Michael simplifies the IRS maze into four main outcomes (Installment Agreements, Offer in Compromise, Penalty Abatement, and Currently Not Collectible). The $6,000 Marketing Campaign: A step-by-step breakdown of the "Old School" direct mail strategy that targets PTIN holders and generates consistent inbound leads. The "Sales Prevention" Department: Why not answering your phone live is costing you hundreds of thousands in potential fees. The IRS "Mega API": How the government's transition to AI and machine learning will exponentially increase enforcement and audits in 2025/2026. The Tax Resolution Intake Script: Michael reveals the "Psychologically Induced" questions every firm should ask to qualify leads, including: "Does the IRS claim you owe $10,000 or more?" "Has the IRS levied your bank account yet ?" "Has the IRS garnished your paycheck yet ?"
Are you building a firm to last, or building it to sell? Whether you're a CPA starting a firm or a Managing Partner eyeing retirement, understanding the current M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) landscape is critical for your largest wealth-generation tool: your practice. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host Dave Cristella sits down with Doug Lewis, Managing Director at The Visionary Group, to pull back the curtain on how buyers are actually evaluating accounting and bookkeeping firms in 2026. From the impact of Private Equity (PE) to the "sticky revenue" of Client Accounting Services (CAS), Doug breaks down the metrics that determine your firm's valuation. In this episode, we discuss: 1. The Shift in Valuation: Why firms are moving away from gross revenue multiples and toward Adjusted EBITDA. 2. The CAS Premium: Why Client Accounting Services and outsourced bookkeeping are trading for higher multiples than traditional audit or tax. 3. The Talent Shortage & M&A: How the pipeline shortage is moving "Talent" to the #1 spot on buyer wishlists. 4. The "Layover Test": Why culture alignment is the first thing that kills a deal (and how to spot red flags early). 5. Internal Succession Stress Testing: What to do when your "locked-in" successors have other plans (like opening a tiki bar in Thailand). 6. Staying Fiercely Independent: Why selling isn't the only path and how to build value even if you never plan to exit. Featured Guest: Doug Lewis Take control of your practice: Optimize your workflow with Jetpack Workflow: https://bit.ly/4bj4a0H 🚀 Sign up for a 14-day free trial to Jetpack Workflow! https://app2.jetpackworkflow.com/auth/login 🚀 Stay Connected: Subscribe for bi-weekly stories from firm owners and modern accounting strategies. 👋 Say hi on social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jetpackworkflow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jetpackworkflow Twitter: https://x.com/jetpackworkflow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jetpack_workflow/# 🎙 Listen to Growing Your Firm Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-your-firm-strategies-for-accountants-cpas-bookkeepers/id923004172 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6MauXYaHFyS0rlb6L3Qb1U Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jetpack-workflow/growing-your-firm
Are you an accounting firm owner, managing partner, or CPA starting a firm who wants to achieve rapid growth without losing your sanity? In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Ben Curtis, co-founder and CEO of Good Measure Financial. Ben shares the inside story of how his firm transitioned from a slow, intentional build to adding 4 full-time employees in just 90 days during a massive growth spurt. Whether you are an operations manager looking for better workflow systems or a leader interested in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), this episode provides a tactical roadmap for scaling a remote-first accounting business. What You'll Learn in This Episode: 1. The 50/50 Partnership Model: How Ben manages a firm with a "fractional" co-founder while maintaining clear role definitions and a healthy 50/50 ownership split. 2. EOS Lite for Accounting Firms: Why Ben uses the Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) and L10 meetings to keep his team of 10 aligned, and what parts of EOS he chose to discard. 3. Capacity & Production KPIs: A deep dive into why Good Measure Financial still tracks time and how they use Effective Hourly Rate and Actuals vs. Budget to protect profit margins. 4. Smoothing the Workflow: Tactics for implementing weekly workflows to eliminate the "peak and valley" stress of month-end close. 5. Founder-Led Sales & Relationship Deposits: How Ben's long-term "relational deposits" led to a flood of new clients from churches and nonprofits.
Burnout is often misdiagnosed as a lack of effort, but the true culprit is usually a lack of infrastructure. From excessive rework to murky processes, operational friction is what actually drains a team. The solution isn't to work harder; it's to transition from an owner-dependent model to a robust operating system that scales without requiring the founder's constant intervention. Get the full breakdown and see the process in action on our blog .
If your firm's growth has hit a plateau, you might be looking for answers in outsourcing or capital infusions. However, Jennifer Wilson suggests a different perspective: the primary constraint facing firm leaders today is the people-power behind the work. Success in the modern landscape is less about the "how" and entirely about the "who." Check out the blog here to learn more.
Discover why industry leaders are feeling more optimistic than ever about the future of professional accounting. This roundtable discussion explores a pivotal shift from a culture of burnout toward one centered on high-value advisory and long-term client success. The experts dive into how emerging technologies like AI can automate compliance tasks and free up practitioners for strategic leadership roles. By embracing modern business models and intentional change management, firms can unlock new opportunities for growth and personal satisfaction.
Matt Gardner scaled Hiline by moving beyond referral-only growth and building systems designed to scale. By niching down, investing ahead of demand, restructuring sales roles, and embracing automation and technology, Hiline created a predictable growth engine that does not rely on founder hustle. Scaling an accounting firm beyond referrals is one of the hardest challenges firm owners face. In this episode of Growing Your Firm, Matt Gardner shares how Hiline grew by niching down, investing ahead of growth, and building a real go-to-market engine instead of relying on referrals or founder hustle. Resources: Matt Gardner's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgardnercpa/n
Growing accounting firms often misdiagnose turnover and capacity issues. Erin Daiber explains why these problems usually start at the partner level, how trust breakdowns create hidden churn, and what firms must fix first before hiring or offshoring. The firms that stabilize fastest focus on leadership alignment, clear expectations, and disciplined workflows. Resources: Erin Daiber's LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/cpacoacherin
On an episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast , David Cristello spoke with William Hamilton IV , founder of SmartPath , about why pricing problems often sit underneath many operational issues firms experience. William has spent more than a decade studying how accounting firms price services and where those models tend to break down. Rather than focusing on theory, the conversation centered on how firms can think more clearly about pricing, packaging, and value in real client situations.
Justine Lackey built a sellable bookkeeping firm by staying hyper focused on one service, one platform, recurring revenue, documented systems, and ethical leadership. Long before selling in 2023, her firm was structured to operate independently, making the transition successful for clients, employees, and buyers. Key Takeaways Focused service offerings help firms stand out in M&A discussions Recurring prepaid revenue improves cash flow stability Standardized systems support smoother transitions Ethical leadership enables better client and team outcomes during exits Reducing owner dependency supports long-term firm continuity
Anderson Petergeorge , co-founder of Quanto , explains how accounting firms can scale from startup to multi-million-dollar operations by using ChatGPT, meeting transcript tools, and modern ledgers. He argues that AI will not replace accountants but empower them to work faster, smarter, and more human. Key Takeaways Firms can reach $1M in revenue using basic AI tools like ChatGPT and meeting note automation. ChatGPT can write its own prompts and streamline advisory workflows. Meeting transcripts are valuable data for training staff and personalizing client experiences. Post-$1M, automation shifts toward system integrations and API connections between ledgers and workflow tools. The most successful firms blend AI efficiency with deep client relationships and niche expertise.
The accounting industry is changing faster than ever. Automation, artificial intelligence, and remote work are rewriting the way firms operate. Yet one principle remains clear: firms that balance technology with human connection will lead the next decade. In this episode of Growing Your Firm , Jetpack Workflow founder David Cristello talks with Ryan Lazanis , founder of Future Firm and one of the industry's most forward-thinking voices. Ryan shares how a personal setback reshaped his approach to business, why human connection matters more than ever, and what accounting firm leaders should focus on in an AI-driven world.
Douglas Slaybaugh began his career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen, where he admits he nearly lost his internship due to chronic lateness. Mentors stepped in and advocated for him, giving him another chance. That early experience showed him how powerful support and mentorship can be. As he advanced through his career and became a partner, Slaybaugh discovered that coaching people brought him more fulfillment than signing audit reports. He developed internal coaching programs for hundreds of employees, focusing on leadership and personal growth. In 2014, he made a bold decision to leave his partner role and launch CPA Coach , helping accounting leaders and executives achieve greater purpose and balance in their work.
