Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Accounting Firm Coach: Office Hours

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down the three biggest priorities accounting firm owners need to tackle before year-end, including tech transitions, hiring, client renewals, and getting ahead of January production. Then, in 🏹 Firm Hunters, we look at a $1.4 million accounting firm with an unbelievable 87% of revenue going to the owner. I also introduce a new segment called 👿 Mean Bag to tackle whether AI is about to get dramatically more expensive, rethink the all-in-one versus best-of-breed software debate in 🤓 Nerd Corner, and answer 📬 Mailbag questions about accounting ledgers, getting clients to sign proposals, AI agents, and keeping client data secure.

// Chapters:
01:32 - Do This By November 1
11:06 - Do This By December 1
20:44 - Do This By January 1
22:49 - This $1.4M/yr Firm Is Running An 87% Margin!?
28:38 - Is AI About To Get Expensive?
34:03 - Is All-in-One A Mirage?
42:38 - Double vs New AI Ledgers
45:38 - Simplify That Proposal!
47:28 - Create An AI Agent User?
49:12 - Claude MAX Plan Made Secure?
52:07 - Lester Returns

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

📌 Here’s that $1.4M/yr firm https://privatepracticetransitions.com/business-listing/1265-established-cas-practice-with-strong-growth/

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
Gusto: https://gusto.com/
Kick: https://www.kick.co/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
Realize: https://www.rlz.io/
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://www.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/

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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I explore how to build a niche accounting firm by tapping into industry-specific communities and partnerships. In 🤓 Nerd Corner, I cover eight major tech updates from Canopy, Financial Cents, Digits, Karbon, Gusto, Double, Kik, and RightTool. Then, in the 📬 Mailbag, I tackle delegating more work to admins, construction accounting software, Microsoft Copilot, tax workflow tools, lead tracking, and building a remote accounting firm.

// Chapters:
00:00 - These Industries Need YOU
15:14 - 8 Tech Updates
29:19 - Push This Work to Admins
33:44 - Construction Accounting Software?
36:09 - Microsoft AI Use-Cases
37:59 - Don’t Buy This Tax Workflow Software
42:54 - Lead Tracking App
44:53 - Transitioning A Firm To Remote Work
51:31 - We Love Them

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
TaxBandits: https://www.taxbandits.com/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Realize: https://www.rlz.io/

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://x.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down two surprisingly profitable accounting firms for sale, including one generating over $1.6 million with just two people, and explain why outsourcing and offshoring can create very different business models. In 💾 You Need This Tech, I share a $400 artificial skylight designed to bring natural-looking light into your office. Then, in 🤓 Nerd Corner, I challenge some of the guidance around AI and taxpayer data presented at an IRS National Tax Forum session. Finally, I answer 📬 Mailbag questions about Double as a practice management tool, seller financing when buying a firm, AI for nonprofit accounting, software security, Grok, and why heavily funded tax AI startups aren’t on my app recommendations list.

📌 The skylight https://www.amazon.com/PHILIPS-Skylight-Ceiling-NatureConnect-inches/dp/B0HDTPRNSD?sr=8-1
💲 The tax firm that’s for sale https://privatepracticetransitions.com/business-listing/1262-established-virtual-tax-practice/
🧾 And the CAS firm that sold https://poegroupadvisors.com/practice/cp2024/

// Chapters:
00:00 - A 2-Person $1.6M Firm
11:32 - A 60% Margin CAS Firm
21:52 - You Need This Tech
26:05 - Bad AI Advice From The IRS
36:56 - Double As A PM?
40:04 - Up-Front Cash?
44:16 - AI For Fund Accounting
47:35 - How To Know if an App Is Secure?
49:21 - Firms Using Grok!?
52:53 - BlackOre Basis and Accrual

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
Gusto: https://gusto.com/
Kick: https://www.kick.co/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://x.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down a new AI accounting study suggesting that leading models can outperform human accountants, and explain what that actually means for our firms. I share why public booking links are a bad idea, explore Claude’s faster AI models and new ChatGPT features, and explain why AI won’t fix bad business decisions. Then I highlight accountants available for hire and answer questions about selling a firm to private equity, why I dropped Xero from my recommendations, and whether standalone receipt management software still makes sense.

📌 Here’s that AI vs accountants study https://www.mercor.com/blog/human-baselines-for-benchmarks-ai-now-outperforms-junior-accountants/

// Chapters:
00:00 - The End Is Near
13:45 - Bad Booking Links
17:35 - This AI Model is FAST
24:20 - Hormozi Pops The Balloon
26:20 - ChatGPT Updates
31:45 - Accountants For Hire
34:25 - Sell His Firm to PE?
42:45 - I Dropped Xero
47:55 - New Receipt Tech?

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
Gusto: https://gusto.com/
Kick: https://www.kick.co/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://x.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter
📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down whether you can build a bookkeeping firm without QuickBooks or Xero, and why specializing around a painful industry-specific accounting system may be a much bigger opportunity than simply choosing a newer ledger. I also look at Meta’s upcoming VR glasses, debate separating technical production from client relationship management, dissect a supposedly self-sufficient $1.2 million accounting firm for sale, empty out September’s Swear Jar, and answer Mailbag questions about sponsorships, advisory positioning, buying versus building a firm, AI-powered email management, and tax research tools.

📌 Here’s that firm we talked about https://poegroupadvisors.com/practice/va2036/

// Chapters:
01:54 - Building a Bookkeeping Firm Without QuickBooks or Xero
11:20 - The Industry Ledger Opportunity
17:05 - Meta VR Glasses: Goodbye, Monitors?
23:25 - Technical Hire or Relationship Manager?
26:49 - Planning for When Someone Leaves
31:58 - A CPA Firm Run in 30 Owner Hours a Year
33:46 - What You're Really Buying
38:05 - The September Swear Jar
42:41 - How Sponsors Work at Accounting Firm Coach
45:01 - What's Wrong With the Word "Advisor"
48:07 - Buy a Firm or Grow Organically?
50:55 - Admin vs AI for Email Management
57:00 - CoCounsel vs. Claude, ChatGPT or Blue J

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
Gusto: https://gusto.com/
Kick: https://www.kick.co/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter
📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/

Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down how I’d approach a potential $540,000 client opportunity without simply discounting services, share a three-step system for eliminating reactive client status check-ins, and look at the latest AI models from Claude and ChatGPT for accounting firm work. Then I hit the 📫 Mailbag to talk three-tier pricing, niche positioning, getting an overwhelmed firm back under control, connecting Claude across multiple QuickBooks clients, AI security, and work-paper management.

// Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - A $540K Opportunity
11:20 - A $243M Opportunity
18:58 - A System for Client Updates
27:06 - The Worst Thing A Client Can Feel
29:16 - A New AI Model in Claude
35:16 - New Models in ChatGPT
38:43 - 3-Tier Fails
41:43 - Fully-Automated Micro Bookkeeping
44:29 - What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do
47:23 - Connecting Claude to Multiple QuickBooks Files
50:41 - Struggling To Capitalize On AI
53:16 - Workpaper Management for Small Firms
54:54 - Closing Thoughts

📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

💰 Today's Sponsors
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason
Gusto: https://gusto.com/
Kick: https://www.kick.co/
Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://x.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down why the latest generation of AI models should force accounting firms to rethink how work actually gets done, from bookkeeping and tax prep to review, staffing, and firm structure. I explain why the biggest limitation is no longer the AI itself, but workflows that were never designed for AI, and how firms can rebuild production around more structured, reviewable systems. I also run through 10 recent accounting tech updates in 🤓 Nerd Corner, answer 📫 Mailbag questions about app recommendations, AR services, Juno, document management, Power Automate, and Claude plus Beancount, and share the upcoming rebrand from Jason On Firms to Accounting Firm Coach.

⚒️ Tools I mentioned in the podcast:
- Filed open sources their 1040 engine https://www.filed.com/blog/we-open-sourced-our-tax-engine
- Ramp launches accounts receivable https://ramp.com/blog/introducing-accounts-receivable
- Campfire forecast https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johnglasgow_campfire-is-the-first-erp-that-calls-the-activity-7507836212796227584-MPz-
- Accrual Arc https://accrual.com/arc
- Canopy + Juno integration https://juno.tax/integrations/canopy
- QuickBooks updates https://www.firmofthefuture.com/product-update/september-2026-mpu
- Double lower-cost AI model https://doublehq.com/
- Digits’ 11 new automated quality-control checks https://digits.com/blog/quality-checks/
- Financial Cents AI file routing https://financial-cents.canny.io/changelog/ai-file-routing
- RightTool right-click QBO navigation https://righttool.app/release-notes/

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason complete your demo for a $75 gift card

// Chapters:
00:00 - AI Changes the Workflow
04:30 - Building From Scratch
06:40 - AI at Any Scale
06:50 - Claude + QuickBooks
10:25 - Automating Tax Prep
12:05 - The Workflow Problem
13:30 - AI-Compatible Workflows
18:35 - Rebuilding Production
20:15 - Excel 1040
21:25 - Accounting AI Agents
24:40 - Solo + AI Firms
27:15 - The First Human Hires
30:15 - Rethinking Firm Structure
35:10 - Work Worth Doing
38:35 - Building AI Skills
40:03 - 🤓 Nerd Corner
40:13 - Filed Open-Source Tax Engine
41:24 - Ramp Accounts Receivable
41:49 - Campfire Forecasting
42:19 - Accrual ARC
42:39 - Canopy + Juno
42:49 - QuickBooks Updates
45:04 - Double AI Costs
45:39 - Digits Quality Control
46:14 - Financial Cents File Sorting
46:49 - RightTool Updates
48:03 - 📫 Mailbag
48:13 - Apps by Firm Size
52:58 - Managing Client AR
56:23 - Juno for Tax Intake
58:28 - Replacing FileCabinet
01:00:48 - Microsoft Power Automate
01:02:18 - Claude + Beancount
01:03:53 - Accounting Firm Coach
01:05:03 - The Podcast Is Changing

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down eight different types of hires accounting firm owners can make, ranking them based on how effectively they give the owner time back and reduce bottlenecks. In 🤖 You Need This Tech, I share a simple hydration tool that can help you stay focused and productive throughout the day. Then I answer 📫 Mailbag questions about securely redacting PII, the future of my live events, buying your first accounting firm, audit tech stacks, contract review work for other firms, and whether I might eventually get involved in accounting firm M&A or rollups.

💧The Autonomous Hydrate https://www.autonomous.ai/robots/hydrate

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason complete your demo for a $75 gift card

// Chapters:
00:00 - Hiring Backwards
03:45 - Eight Hiring Paths
04:25 - Production Capacity
06:40 - The Growth Hire
08:00 - Specialist Expertise
09:50 - Operations Hire
14:50 - Client Experience
17:40 - Tech + Automation
20:35 - Your Future Successor
22:50 - Administrative Support
25:00 - Best Hiring Options
26:10 - 🤖 You Need This Tech
27:25 - Autonomous Hydrate
31:00 - Four Available Accountants
33:45 - 📫 Mailbag
34:05 - Redacting Client PII
38:15 - Future Live Events
40:25 - Buying Your First Firm
45:35 - Audit Tech Stacks
48:05 - Contract Work for Firms
50:25 - JasonOnFirms M&A?
53:00 - Building a Firm Network
54:30 - Could It Become a Rollup?
56:00 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the accounting conferences and industry events that are actually worth attending, including how to use client-facing events. 🐝 We talk in Niche of the Week on how to become more visible in a specific industry. I also share a simple lighting upgrade that can dramatically improve how you look on video, then answer 📫 Mailbag questions about industry-specific credentials, Mercury launching an accounting ledger, earning potential for accounting firm owners, AI-backed firm rollups, practice management platforms expanding into close automation, and whether joining a PE-backed platform really gives firm owners a meaningful seat at the table.

📄 Here’s that list of over 1,000 events https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1alr-NMmUWXUK4nC-JK-Nnr7R8Kg9BIJXSsLFqEQOU1s/edit?usp=sharing
🔦 And here’s that video light https://amarancreators.com/pages/amaran-verge-max

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason complete your demo for a $75 gift card

// Chapters:
00:00 - The Best Accounting Events
02:05 - 1,100 Upcoming Events
03:00 - Intuit Connect
03:45 - Scaling New Heights
04:45 - AICPA Conferences
05:35 - Bridging the Gap
06:25 - Reframe
07:20 - Customer Conferences
08:15 - Skip Technical Training
09:00 - State Society Events
09:35 - Client Industry Events
10:06 - 🐝 Niche of the Week
10:15 - Why In-Person Matters
11:25 - Industry User Conferences
15:05 - Certification Events
15:55 - Association Meetings
16:35 - Trade Shows
17:20 - Local Chapters
17:50 - Golf Fundraisers
18:30 - Member Alliances
20:15 - Virtual Events
20:50 - Mastermind Groups
21:00 - Events to Avoid
21:30 - Compliance Events
22:35 - Better Video Lighting
24:10 - Amaran Verge Max
27:48 - 📫 Mailbag
28:13 - Industry Credentials
30:33 - Favorite Star Trek Episode
30:48 - Mercury’s Accounting Ledger
32:00 - Replacing Traditional Ledgers
34:13 - Accounting Firm Income
35:13 - Selling Outcomes, Not Hours
36:33 - Finding Expensive Problems
38:18 - Moving Beyond Hourly Rates
41:03 - AI Accounting Rollups
43:48 - Built-In Close Automation
45:03 - Best-of-Breed vs. All-in-One
46:13 - PE Shareholder Seats
48:13 - Alternatives to PE
49:37 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I compress a full year of accounting tech updates into one deep dive to help firms lock in their software decisions before year-end. I break down what changed across accounting ledgers, practice management, month-end close, tax workflow, tax software, proposal tools, meeting assistants, and generalist AI, including which tools moved into my leader categories and which AI features are actually worth paying attention to. I also explain why MCPs, AI agents, and computer use are becoming the biggest trends in accounting tech, while making the case that firms should still build next year’s stack around proven software instead of unreleased promises.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - The 2026 Tech Update
01:20 - Cutting Through AI Hype
02:05 - The App Categories
03:10 - Accounting Ledgers
04:00 - New Ledger Leaders
04:55 - QuickBooks Online Updates
06:05 - Intuit Accountant Suite
07:20 - Books Close
08:10 - Digits Updates
09:35 - Kik and MCP
11:45 - Practice Management
12:15 - The Four PM Leaders
13:00 - Canopy Updates
16:45 - Canopy Tax Workflow
17:15 - TaxDome Updates
19:20 - Financial Cents Updates
20:30 - Karbon Updates
23:50 - Month-End Close Automation
24:10 - Double Updates
26:20 - Ramp Stack
28:50 - Tax Workflow
29:00 - New Tax Workflow Leaders
29:10 - TallyFor
32:20 - Filed
33:20 - Filed Pro Work
35:05 - Stanford Tax
35:35 - Soraban
36:30 - Truss
37:45 - Tax Software
38:45 - ProConnect Updates
39:15 - Drake Smart Extract
40:15 - UltraTax Updates
41:55 - Proposal Tools
42:35 - Anchor Updates
43:40 - Ignition Updates
44:20 - Meeting Assistants
44:50 - Ping
45:45 - Abacore and Vinyl
46:15 - Better Client Meetings
49:40 - Generalist AI Assistants
50:45 - Claude Updates
52:00 - ChatGPT’s Comeback
52:35 - Computer Use AI
54:30 - AI Using Your Apps
55:05 - Grokbot
57:00 - What Actually Changed
57:35 - Lock In Your Tech Stack
58:50 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down what the current market for accounting firms is telling us about valuation, including which firms are commanding higher multiples, why size alone does not appear to drive value, and what makes virtual and niche firms more attractive to buyers. I also highlight a bizarre new office gadget, discuss how accounting firms should evaluate their IT support for the AI era, and answer 📫 Mailbag questions about AI readiness, acquisitions, three-tier proposals for simple services, and whether firms should grow organically or through acquisition.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

📄 Grab the firm listing data set here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HHxl5KGG-3zApXRbpok8Hkacvn4vE6D_/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101670352005046800441&rtpof=true&sd=true
🪑 Butt cushion https://www.xpolar-tech.com/pages/xpolar-c1
🎙️ The podcast episode with video advice https://youtu.be/xBitNWRIQeg?si=iDxnhxIlVWrMFHi9

// Chapters:
00:00 - Accounting Firm Valuations
01:40 - 449 Firms for Sale
02:30 - Typical Firm Size
03:25 - Fractional Acquisitions
03:50 - Size vs. Multiple
04:45 - CPA Credentials
05:35 - Premium Firm Characteristics
06:40 - Where Firms Are Listed
07:15 - Private Firm Sales
08:35 - Reasons for Sale
09:05 - Time on Market
11:55 - Valuation Outliers
13:25 - Premium Firm Examples
15:00 - Highly Profitable Firms
15:55 - The Coolest Office Gadget
16:05 - X Polar C1
17:05 - 8 Sleep Comparison
18:00 - Remote Workforce Monitoring
21:34 - 📫 Mailbag
21:59 - Choosing an AI-Savvy IT Provider
22:29 - ChatGPT and Claude
23:19 - AI Due Diligence
27:00 - Getting Started With Video
27:19 - Make 100 Videos
28:14 - Reduce Production Friction
28:39 - Invest in Lighting
29:04 - AI Video Editing
29:29 - Video as a Competitive Advantage
30:14 - Organic Growth vs. Acquisition
30:49 - Acquisition Efficiencies
31:24 - Firm Size and Valuation
31:44 - Industry vs. Geography
32:14 - Avoiding Capacity Problems
32:49 - AI and Diversification
33:49 - Work Yourself Out of the Firm
34:09 - Three-Tier 1040 Proposals
34:19 - Pricing Simple Services
35:29 - Premium Delivery Tiers
36:29 - Better Than Doing More
37:04 - Scoping Availability
37:44 - Bronze Client Economics
38:04 - Opinionated Proposal Design
40:34 - Firm360 and Intake
41:19 - Choosing the Right Workflow
43:04 - Practice Management Options
43:39 - Acquiring a Small Client Book
44:09 - Building a Side Hustle Firm
44:49 - Seller-Financed Acquisitions
45:14 - Finding A Clients
45:54 - Acquisition as a Launchpad
46:19 - Evolving Your Client List
47:24 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down how accounting firms can make their sales and discovery process less painful by moving repetitive information upstream, introducing pricing earlier, setting better expectations, and using AI meeting transcripts to continuously improve the process. I also launch a new segment, 🫖 Hot Tea, covering Xero drama, Drake’s new extraction tool, the Puzzle acquisition, practice management consolidation, and the growing tension between all-in-one platforms and open ecosystems. Then I answer 📫 Mailbag questions about remote staff accessing U.S. bank accounts, file management, accountant perfectionism, practice management for larger firms, K-1 and 1099 extraction, and building a tax planning and advisory practice.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - Fixing Your Sales Process
01:50 - The Sales Process Problem
02:47 - Stop Calling Everyone Tire Kickers
07:57 - Move Information Upstream
13:06 - Talk Price Earlier
14:00 - Better Discovery Meetings
17:30 - The Monthly Sales Review
21:10 - 🫖 Hot Tea
21:42 - Xero Backlash
24:45 - Drake Smart Extract
24:45 - Puzzle and Accrual
26:50 - Carbon Updates
28:28 - The App Ecosystem War
32:42 - All-in-One vs. Best of Breed
35:15 - Double Updates
36:07 - Testing Instead
38:37 - 📫 Mailbag
39:00 - Remote Bank Access
43:07 - Accounting File Management
48:07 - Accountant Perfectionism
53:16 - Practice Management for Big Firms
55:37 - K-1 and 1099 Extraction
57:29 - Building a Tax Advisory Practice
01:03:16 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the biggest AI developments of the last two weeks and what they could mean for accounting firms, especially the shift toward AI that can actually operate a computer instead of simply chatting with you. I explain why computer-use AI could be especially powerful in accounting, where firms are constantly stitching together disconnected software, and why security and due diligence become even more important as AI agents gain more autonomy. I also go through 🔥 Roast My Tech Stack and answer to some of your questions in 📞 Accountant Support.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - The AGI Era
01:20 - Artificial General Intelligence
02:30 - Fable 5.1
04:45 - AI Benchmarks
06:10 - GPT6 Astra
07:55 - AI That Uses Your Computer
09:25 - Automating Accounting Work
10:40 - AI Inside Your Apps
12:15 - What Do I Do With My Hands?
13:05 - ChatGPT vs. Claude
13:49 - AI Security Risks
15:59 - Trusting AI Agents
18:00 - Sandboxing AI
19:45 - The Four-Monitor Accountant
21:15 - Talking to Your Computer
22:25 - Learning AI
23:25 - AI Due Diligence
25:35 - 🔥 Roast My Tech Stack
26:25 - The 3.5-Person Firm
27:54 - Practice Management
28:44 - Month-End Close Automation
32:24 - Drake Tax Hosting
34:09 - Filed vs. GruntWorx
34:49 - GoHighLevel
35:24 - Document Management
36:09 - Digits or Zero?
36:29 - Upfront Pricing
38:03 - Stop Building Software
38:38 - AI and the Tech Stack
40:44 - Submit Your Tech Stack
40:59 - 📞 Accountant Support
41:19 - Acquisition Fatigue
43:14 - When to Acquire Firms
43:59 - Starting With Small Acquisitions
44:04 - Leaving Intuit
45:19 - The Case for AI
46:04 - Moving Beyond QuickBooks
48:59 - Raising Your Prices
49:44 - Migrating Existing Clients
51:19 - Outsourcing Bookkeeping
52:59 - Offshore Bookkeeping
53:58 - AI Bookkeeping
54:43 - Business Valuation Credentials
55:38 - Building a Valuation Practice
56:38 - Is an Accounting Degree Still Worth It?
57:28 - Accounting Beyond Bookkeeping
58:18 - AI Watermarks
59:08 - Talking to Clients About AI
01:00:14 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I dig into data from 5,000 accounting firm listings to see what firms are actually selling for, what drives higher multiples, and which common M&A assumptions don’t hold up. I also break down medical spas as a potential accounting niche in 🐝 Niche of the Week and map out how I would enter that market. Then I answer to your questions in 📞 Accountant Support.

📄 Grab the Accounting Firm Acquisitions spreadsheet I talked about: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HHxl5KGG-3zApXRbpok8Hkacvn4vE6D_/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100194317059241398669&rtpof=true&sd=true

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - 5,000 Accounting Firm Sales
01:15 - Accounting Firm M&A Data
02:35 - Multiples Are Rising
03:30 - Does Firm Size Matter?
05:45 - Virtual Firm Premium
06:25 - Why Owners Sell
07:15 - Geography and Firm Value
07:45 - Most Firms Sold Are Small
08:55 - Financing Firm Acquisitions
09:20 - Buyer Demand Is Rising
09:40 - Which Services Sell Best?
10:35 - The 1.5x Multiple Myth
14:55 - More M&A Surprises
16:50 - What Firms Actually Sell For
17:40 - 🐝 Niche of the Week
18:00 - Medical Spas
19:05 - Are Solo Med Spas Too Small?
20:20 - The Better Med Spa Client
21:25 - Targeting More Mature Med Spas
23:05 - Finding Med Spa Clients
28:30 - Med Spa Referral Channels
30:10 - The Swear Jar
32:30 - Accounting Cornerstone Foundation
32:35 - 📞 Accountant Support
32:55 - Puzzle Acquired by Accrual
35:00 - How Fast Should Your Firm Grow?
41:55 - Claude Skills Security
44:35 - Claude Pro and Client Data
46:40 - Automating QBO Deposits
48:55 - Can Instead Replace UltraTax?
51:55 - App Recommendations
52:00 - Accounting Firm Sales Data

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down 23 accounting firm models that go beyond traditional bookkeeping and tax, including specialized compliance, niche audit, and advisory opportunities that small firms can compete for. Then I take the idea of specialization to its logical extreme and build a space accounting firm from scratch, using government awards, cost reimbursement contracts, conferences, and accelerators to find potential clients. In 📫 Mailbag, I dig into whether AI will eliminate junior accounting roles, how firms can use AI to attract better clients, connecting Claude directly to QuickBooks Online, private versus cloud AI models, what I’m spending on AI subscriptions, and the environmental tradeoffs of AI.

🔥 Want the chance to have your firm anonymously roasted? Complete this form! https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag
📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - 23 Accounting Firm Niches
03:30 - Trust & Estate Firms
04:50 - Nonprofit Tax Firms
05:40 - Tax Representation Firms
06:10 - Sales & Use Tax Firms
07:20 - Foreign-Owned Business Firms
08:10 - Expat Tax Firms
08:40 - Crypto Compliance Firms
09:00 - Cannabis Compliance Firms
09:34 - 401(k) Plan Audit Firms
10:40 - Government Grant Audit Firms
14:04 - Nonprofit Audit Firms
14:39 - HOA Audit Firms
15:29 - Construction & Surety Firms
16:14 - Affordable Housing Firms
16:59 - Franchisor Audit Firms
17:24 - Captive Insurance Audit Firms
17:49 - Credit Union & Community Bank Firms
18:24 - Business Valuation Firms
19:09 - Divorce Forensics Firms
19:44 - Forensic & Fraud Firms
20:09 - Royalty & Contract Compliance Firms
21:09 - Healthcare Reimbursement Firms
21:53 - Government Contractor Firms
26:13 - Building a Space Accounting Firm
27:43 - Finding Space Companies
30:02 - Cost Reimbursement Contracts
31:33 - Space Industry Gateways
32:33 - Finding Niche Opportunities
33:08 - Let’s Make a Hire
35:48 - 📫 Mailbag
36:22 - Will AI Replace Juniors?
41:47 - Using AI to Grow
44:17 - Claude + QuickBooks
45:32 - Private AI Models
50:26 - Jason’s AI Spend
52:36 - AI’s Environmental Cost
54:36 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

 🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down nine non-accounting apps that can make a modern accounting firm more efficient, from collaborative email and soft phones to AI assistants, meeting recorders, and scheduling tools. I also 🔥 Roast a Firm and explain why an extremely specific niche can be a powerful advantage. Then in 📞 Accountant Support, I answer questions about cutting lower-paying clients, using Claude with QuickBooks, choosing PC versus Mac for AI, trial balance software, replacing traditional software with AI, and whether new accounting graduates should start their own firms.

🔥 Want the chance to have your firm anonymously roasted? Complete this form! https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag
📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Private Equity in Accounting
01:45 - Accounting Firm Exit Options
04:49 - $1M to $3M Firms
06:34 - $3M to $10M Firms
09:29 - Larger Firm Deals
11:09 - Six Types of Deals
14:04 - Minority Recapitalization
15:09 - External Sales and Succession
15:34 - What Makes Firms Valuable
17:18 - Alliances and Franchises
19:23 - 🔥 Roast My Firm
20:05 - The $1.9M Tax Firm
21:15 - Pricing Problems
22:45 - Family Office Opportunity
23:25 - The $100K Tech Stack
24:19 - The Owner Bottleneck
28:43 - Four Delegation Strategies
32:27 - The Senior Hire Problem
35:36 - 📫 Mailbag
35:51 - Choosing Practice Management
38:26 - Finding Audit Clients
39:56 - Outsourcing Tax Production
42:50 - Claude as Accounting Software
43:50 - QuickBooks MCP Connector
47:49 - MCP Security Risks
48:49 - Building a Firm While Working
51:09 - AI Advisory for Clients
52:49 - Tax Return Delivery
53:34 - Luca Pacioli Joins the Podcast
56:19 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down nine non-accounting apps that can make a modern accounting firm more efficient, from collaborative email and soft phones to AI assistants, meeting recorders, and scheduling tools. I also 🔥 Roast a Firm and explain why an extremely specific niche can be a powerful advantage. Then in 📞 Accountant Support, I answer questions about cutting lower-paying clients, using Claude with QuickBooks, choosing PC versus Mac for AI, trial balance software, replacing traditional software with AI, and whether new accounting graduates should start their own firms.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - 9 Essential Non-Accounting Apps
01:55 - Collaborative Email
04:44 - Soft Phones + SMS
06:25 - Loom for Client Communication
08:55 - Social Media Scheduling
10:19 - Password Management
12:24 - Claude or ChatGPT
14:04 - Slack or Microsoft Teams
17:54 - Meeting Recorders
19:04 - Scheduling Tools
23:28 - 🔥 Roast a Firm
24:54 - Why Specific Niches Work
25:43 - Building a Side Website
26:09 - Website Messaging
28:38 - Capturing Visitor Emails
30:23 - Adding Social Proof
30:48 - Rethinking Website Pricing
36:28 - Selling the Opportunity
38:43 - 📞 Accountant Support
38:58 - Cutting Lower-Paying Clients
40:08 - How Many Clients to Cut
44:02 - QuickBooks + Claude Outside the US
48:12 - PC vs. Mac for AI
50:32 - Trial Balance Software
51:02 - Accounting Software Mount Rushmore
53:02 - 10-Key ATB vs. Tallyfor
54:47 - Is Software Too Expensive?
57:02 - Should AI Replace CCH?
01:00:22 - Starting an Accounting Firm
01:05:26 - Realize

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I rank 20 different client acquisition strategies, then I walk through exactly how I would build an accounting firm from scratch today. I cover two versions: what I’d do with the network I have now, and what I’d do if I were starting with no connections at all. Then in the 📫 Mailbag, I tackle keeping premium clients after their original pain disappears, automating phone and messaging workflows, AI’s impact on bookkeeping, preventing AI hallucinations, and whether the future of accounting really means everyone has to become an advisor.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Finding New Clients
01:15 - Ranking 20 Acquisition Strategies
02:15 - Accounting Software Directories
03:40 - Paid Ads
06:50 - Cold Email
09:00 - TikTok
10:50 - Google Ads
11:40 - Virtual Events
13:40 - Hiring Industry Insiders
14:30 - Webinars
18:00 - Direct Mail
18:55 - Google Business Profile
19:55 - LinkedIn
21:05 - Physical Signage
22:20 - Online Communities
23:25 - Industry Software Directories
24:40 - YouTube
26:40 - Industry Partnerships
28:35 - Industry Authorities
30:55 - Brand Partnerships
32:25 - Industry Gates
35:40 - In-Person Events
38:01 - 🔥 Roast A Firm
39:00 - Starting With Jason’s Network
44:15 - The First Five Steps
45:20 - Starting With No Network
52:20 - Building a Lead Magnet
54:48 - 📫 Mailbag
55:15 - Keeping Premium Clients
58:15 - Automating Phone & SMS
1:01:10 - Is AI Crushing Bookkeeping?
1:03:45 - Preventing AI Hallucinations
1:06:25 - Does Everyone Need Advisory?
1:09:45 - Realize

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down what an accounting firm could look like if AI eventually handles most of the actual production work. Using Satya Nadella’s framing of human capital and token capital, I explore why firm-specific knowledge, meeting transcripts, client conversations, and feedback loops could become some of the most valuable intellectual property inside an accounting firm. I also walk through three practical AI loops firms can start building today, dig into why accountants increasingly want MCP access instead of separate AI assistants inside every app, and answer listener questions in the 📞 Accountant Support section.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Four types of accounting firms
01:40 - Compliance-only firms
03:15 - Finding a compliance niche
05:19 - Compliance pros and cons
07:53 - Tax firms doing bookkeeping
09:08 - The hardest firm to niche
10:33 - The fastest-growing firm model
11:27 - Selling the back office
13:13 - Books-first firm advantages
15:12 - Beyond traditional bookkeeping
18:51 - Accounting firm partnerships
20:30 - Bookkeeping-only firms
23:24 - Comparing all four models
24:29 - The opportunity in seasonal tax
24:44 - The Swear Jar
27:58 - 🤓 Nerd Corner: AI agents
31:15 - Grokbot and computer automation
34:39 - Where to draw the AI line
36:44 - Making AI agents safer
39:13 - 📞 Accountant Support
39:39 - AI fetching bank statements
42:38 - Spotting cheap clients
43:33 - Positioning around valuable problems
44:08 - Three-tier pricing
45:53 - Staff vs. senior accountants
46:13 - CRM vs. practice management
51:07 - Getting staff to adopt AI
54:52 - Tax Season Simulator
56:17 - Avoiding bottomless habits
56:57 - The second stomach debate
59:26 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down what an accounting firm could look like if AI eventually handles most of the actual production work. Using Satya Nadella’s framing of human capital and token capital, I explore why firm-specific knowledge, meeting transcripts, client conversations, and feedback loops could become some of the most valuable intellectual property inside an accounting firm. I also walk through three practical AI loops firms can start building today, dig into why accountants increasingly want MCP access instead of separate AI assistants inside every app, and answer listener questions in the 📫 Mailbag section.

📄 That article from Satya https://snscratchpad.com/posts/frontier-ecosystem/

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - The AI-Native Accounting Firm
01:35 - What Happens When AI Does the Work?
03:05 - Software’s AI Disruption
06:00 - What Becomes Your Firm’s Moat?
07:15 - Human Capital + Token Capital
09:45 - Meeting Transcripts as Firm IP
12:15 - Building Valuable Accounting IP
15:59 - Human Judgment Still Matters
16:50 - Building AI Learning Loops
19:15 - Three Practical AI Loops
20:05 - AI Month-End Workpapers
24:35 - AI Tax Transcript Verification
26:55 - Automating Meeting Follow-Up
27:55 - Building Feedback Into AI
29:10 - Automating AI Workflows
31:50 - The Future Firm as AI Loops
34:15 - 🤓 Nerd Corner
34:30 - MCPs vs Built-In AI
36:35 - Will Claude Replace Tax Software?
39:05 - Why Firms Want Better MCPs
41:55 - Helping Your Client’s AI
44:25 - 📞 Accountant Support
44:45 - Replacing QBO With Claude
49:50 - Building Your Own Software
54:55 - AI-Powered Bank Rules
56:15 - Cloud Practice Management Security
57:55 - Losing Three Staff in a Month
59:45 - Pricing Through a Capacity Crisis
1:00:44 - Closing Thoughts
1:00:59 - Realize Community

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down eight hard truths about pricing that most accounting firms need to hear, from why pricing should feel uncomfortable to why delivery matters more than technical quality. I then roast a real listener’s proposal and explain how to structure three-tier proposals that command higher fees without adding more work. We also dive into how AI is changing proposals, bookkeeping software, and custom apps built by firms, before wrapping up with questions about QuickBooks, MCPs, AI-led accounting, and why I think the golden age of accounting is still ahead.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Why Most Firms Underprice Themselves
01:15 - Truth #1: Pricing Should Feel Uncomfortable
03:45 - Truth #2: Clients Decide Your Value
05:59 - Truth #3: Premium Pricing Isn’t Evil
07:39 - Truth #4: Attract Better Clients, Don’t Sell More
09:13 - Truth #5: Stop Listening to C & D Clients
11:54 - Truth #6: Delivery Beats Technical Quality
17:19 - Truth #7: You Get What You Pay For
19:14 - Truth #8: Don’t Lock In Day One Pricing
22:40 - 🔥 Roast a Listener’s Proposal
31:47 - Building Better Three-Tier Proposals
38:23 - 🗄️ Tales from the Vault: Getting Real Online
42:03 - 📬 Mailbag
42:16 - Should You Leave QuickBooks Desktop?
45:43 - AI Is Replacing Software Subscriptions
48:00 - Will AI Change Three-Tier Proposals?
51:09 - Claude, MCPs & QuickBooks
52:52 - Should Your Firm Sell Software?
57:31 - The Golden Age of Accounting
59:37 - Realize

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the three identities accounting firms can adopt once they grow beyond roughly six employees and approach $1 million in revenue: the one-face firm, the two-face firm, and the no-face firm. I explain who each model suits, how each one scales, and why choosing intentionally can prevent you from building a firm you no longer want to run. I also review an LOI offering 1.5 times revenue for a virtual bookkeeping practice, share five ways to use AI to classify QuickBooks Online transactions, explain how Claude can send emails through custom connections, and answer questions about CPA credentials, tax workflow training, cloud hosting, and building a consulting practice around IRS controversy expertise.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - The Firm Identity Tipping Point
01:20 - Why Firms Hit the $1M Wall
02:46 - #1 The One-Face Firm
05:02 - Becoming the Industry Expert
06:24 - Scaling Beyond One-to-One Work
08:03 - Who the One-Face Model Fits
09:31 - #2 The Two-Face Firm
10:43 - The Traditional Partner Problem
13:28 - Who the Two-Face Model Fits
14:20 - #3 The No-Face Firm
15:20 - Building a Repeatable Machine
16:27 - The Outcome Must Be Consistent
17:01 - Finding the Golden Problem
19:00 - Who the No-Face Model Fits
20:08 - Choose Your Firm’s Identity
21:29 - 🏹 Firm Hunters
21:40 I- s 1.5x Revenue a Good Deal?
23:10 - Is a 30% Margin Too Low?
26:37 - What Makes This Acquisition Work?
29:09 - Accounting Firm Valuation Benchmarks
30:00 - Should the Owner Sell?
31:17 - ☎️ Accountant Support
31:32 - Five Ways AI Can Classify QBO Transactions
31:53 - #1 AI Browser Use
32:36 - #2 AI Computer Use
33:12 - #3 Build a Chrome Extension
33:46 - #4 Automate QBO Bank Rules
34:48 - #5 Use a Dedicated App
37:33 - Is the CPA Still Worth It?
38:54 - Can Claude Send Emails?
41:21 - Are Tax Workflow Programs Worth It?
42:51 - Complex Property Classifications
43:03 - How Much Is Claude Paying Me?
44:15 - Best Cloud Hosting Providers
45:38 - Building an IRS Controversy Firm
49:00 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down six mindset shifts I consistently see behind the most successful accounting firms. We cover why client relationships should not automatically be treated as permanent, how high-agency firm owners deliberately shape their client base, why delaying difficult decisions makes running a firm harder, and why leaders should hire to protect their own time first. I introduce 🗄️ Tales From the Vault, where we revisit one of my earliest YouTube videos, its 300 views, painfully slow delivery, and an economically disastrous fanny pack referral program. Then, in 🔥 Unsolicited Takedowns, I question whether AI usage statistics and productivity flexes actually reflect meaningful work. I also dig into whether Claude can automate old-school accounting applications, the continued importance of time tracking, how to promote a side firm, where accountants should post online, and how new firms should approach pricing.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Six Mindset Shifts for Firm Owners
00:54 - Why Mindset Still Matters
02:13 - #1 Stop Expecting Forever Clients
05:00 - #2 Build a High-Agency Firm
07:25 - #3 Do the Painful Thing
09:40 - #4 Protect Your Own Time
12:06 - The First Four Mindset Shifts
15:21 - #5 Stop Figuring It Out Alone
16:16 - #6 Build Around Your Passions
21:05 - Why I Care About Accounting Firms
24:13 - 🗄️ Tales From the Vault
24:23 - My Cringey Early YouTube Video
25:28 - The Reality of Starting With No Audience
29:02 - Why I Kept Going
29:41 - The $35 Fanny Pack Giveaway
31:28 - 🔥 Unsolicited Takedowns
31:28 - The Whisper Flow Productivity Flex
34:00 - AI Usage Is Not Productivity
38:17 - 📬 Mailbag
38:29 - Can Claude Use Judy’s TenKey?
42:50 - Should Firms Still Track Time?
46:02 - Building a Side Firm Publicly
50:05 - X or Instagram for Accountants?
53:06 - Pricing a Brand-New Firm
57:34 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down why client information gathering is still the biggest bottleneck in most accounting firms and how the best firms use portals, automation, admins, and better processes to eliminate unnecessary project touches. I also introduce 🏖️ Accounting Firms Gone Wild, where I review unusual accounting firms currently for sale, and answer listener questions in 📬 Mailbag.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - The Biggest Workflow Bottleneck
01:24 - Why Most Firms Stay Inefficient
03:06 - Good Portal vs. Bad Portal
08:03 - Better Client Request Systems
15:23 - Portal Workflows That Actually Scale
23:37 - 🏖️ Accounting Firms Gone Wild
34:35 - 📬 Mailbag
35:06 - Is Acupuncture Too Small a Niche?
38:08 - Mercury vs. Relay
41:33 - EA vs. CPA for Firm Owners
43:27 - Growing a Bookkeeping Firm Faster
45:56 - Handling Bad Google Reviews
47:28 - Should I Leave My Firm?
49:21 - AI and Citizen Developers
51:20 - Leaving a $200K Job to Start a Firm

💼 Links to those accounting firm listings:
Peer Review Practice https://accountingpracticesales.com/united-states/west/utah/20901-Utah-Based+CPA+Peer+Review+Practice/
Cupertino Firm https://www.bizbuysell.com/business-opportunity/rapid-growth-cpa-wants-another-cpa-25-49/2441221/
NW Montana Firm https://accountingpracticesales.com/united-states/west/montana/20849-Northwest+Montana+CPA+Practice/

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down exclusive data from more some of the most progressive accounting firms to reveal which tech stacks firms actually use at every stage of growth. I also roast a listener’s proposed tech stack, share practical AI and marketing recommendations, answer questions about KPIs, niching, Google Business Profiles, accounting careers in the AI era, and explain how I create content for YouTube.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Biggest Tech Stack Survey Yet
01:01 - Practice Management by Firm Size
06:05 - Most-Loved Accounting Apps
08:49 - Marketing That Actually Works
11:20 - Delegate Your Inbox Smarter
13:13 - AI’s Hidden Data Advantage
16:15 - 🔥 Roast My Tech Stack
18:53 - Workflow vs Practice Management
20:47 - Bookkeeping or Tax First?
22:35 - AI Accounting Stack Picks
24:05 - Build a Smarter Tech Stack
30:53 - AI Video Editing with Claude
34:13 - 📬 Mailbag
34:34 - Best KPIs for Firm Owners
38:34 - Finding the Right Niche
43:08 - Do You Need Google Reviews?
45:04 - Growing Beyond $750K
48:36 - AI Skills for New Accountants
51:00 - Behind My YouTube Workflow
53:14 - Realize Community

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I explain why admins are the most underleveraged people inside accounting firms and share 13 practical ways to use them to increase capacity, improve client service, and free up your professional staff. I also count down my top 10 accounting conferences still happening in 2026, then wrap up with a rapid-fire “This or That” Mailbag covering firm growth, tech, AI, conferences, and practice management decisions.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Financial Cents: Book a demo https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Why Admins Matter More Than Ever
01:28 - The Power of Deskilling Work
05:45 - #1 Information Gathering
08:27 - #2 Client Tech Support
09:52 - #3 Phone Triage & Client Service
14:16 - Detail Review & Offshore Admins
17:22 - Admins as Project Managers
18:42 - Build Pods Around Admins
20:42 - Let Admins Run Your Inbox
22:29 - Grow Admins Into Accountants
26:53 - 🤓 Nerd Corner — Top 10 Accounting Conferences
37:14 - Mailbag

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I make the case that your personal brand may become your greatest career insurance policy in an AI-first world. I explain why most accountants remain professionally invisible, how the internet has fundamentally changed the way opportunities are created, and why becoming known for something incredibly specific can unlock a level of leverage that wasn’t possible a decade ago. I also roast a real accounting firm that’s grown through acquisitions, share my thoughts on seasonal tax firms, niche positioning, and staffing, and answer Mailbag questions about building AI apps, AI security, accounting firm acquisitions, practice management software, automation, and what the future looks like if AI can do the accounting work for us.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Why Personal Branding Matters More Than Ever
01:37 - Welcome to the Podcast
02:03 - Stop Being Professionally Invisible
04:12 - The Real Meaning of Personal Branding
06:01 - Why Visibility Creates Opportunity
07:44 - Finding a Game You Can Win
10:02 - Why Specificity Beats Reach
12:09 - Finding Your Unique Voice
13:06 - Turning Content Into Opportunity
17:09 - Will AI Make Personal Brands More Valuable?
20:00 - Escaping the Hour-for-Dollar Trap
22:04 - The Easiest Way to Stand Out
23:56 - Roast a Firm
24:42 - The Story Behind This Firm
29:49 - The Challenge of Buying Other Firms' Leftovers
35:08 - Choosing Between Seasonal and Year-Round Work
36:03 - Finding Seasonal Tax Talent
39:08 - Going Deeper Into Your Niche
41:59 - Mailbag
42:34 - Building AI Apps Inside Your Firm
48:00 - Buying an Accounting Firm
50:20 - Replacing Sage Intacct
52:03 - Building Your Own AI Reconciliation Tool
53:22 - Is Claude Cowork Secure?
54:42 - Can Instead Replace Traditional Tax Software?
57:14 - Specialized AI Agents vs Claude
1:00:00 - Do You Really Need More Automation?
1:01:54 - Choosing Between Canopy and TaxDome
1:04:20 - What Happens When AI Can Do Everything?
1:05:56 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I share the journey that took me from struggling to land $100/month bookkeeping clients to signing my firm’s first million-dollar engagement. I explain what actually separates firms that command premium fees from those stuck competing on bookkeeping, why the biggest opportunity is becoming an outsourced accounting department instead of selling accounting tasks, and how entrepreneurs think differently about value than accountants do. I also dive into the opportunities and risks of using AI to automate desktop and cloud applications, discuss where AI agents fit into accounting firms today, and answer Mailbag questions about capturing institutional knowledge, practice management, AI adoption, offshore teams, tax return reviews, and building a successful accounting career in the age of AI.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - From $100 Clients to $1M Engagements
01:37 - Welcome to the Podcast
03:03 - Why Businesses Pay $40K/Month
04:50 - The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
10:03 - Becoming an Outsourced Accounting Department
17:54 - Why Specialization Wins
23:57 - Nerd Corner: AI Computer Use
24:09 - OpenAI's Computer Use Models
25:23 - The Risks of AI Agents
27:20 - Claude vs. ChatGPT Computer Use
28:28 - Deploying AI Agents Safely
29:54 - Will AI Replace Automation Tools?
32:11 - Browser vs. Desktop Automation
41:29 - Let's Make a Hire
43:35 - Mailbag
43:53 - Capturing Institutional Knowledge
46:13 - Getting Your Team to Adopt AI
50:47 - Introducing AI to Offshore Teams
51:40 - AI vs. Hiring More Staff
53:06 - My Biggest Practice Management Mistake
57:21 - Why I Built Realize
59:56 - Coaching vs. Finding the Right Peer Group
1:00:54 - Helping Staff Learn a Client Faster
1:01:50 - AI for Checklists & Tax Reviews
1:03:56 - Building Repeatable AI Workflows
1:05:17 - Advice for New Accounting Graduates
1:09:52 - Closing Thoughts

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down what firms are actually creating, from custom integrations and reporting tools to trial balance workflows, and give my red-light/green-light take on what’s worth building. I also speedrun the latest AI releases, talk through whether small firms really need a practice management system, and answer questions about AI costs, offshoring, browser automation, and preparing your team for an AI-first accounting firm.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Building Your Own Firm Software
02:07 - How Firms Are Building Software
04:08 - What Accounting Firms Are Building
10:17 - What Should You Actually Build?
18:13 - What Custom AI Apps Look Like
25:26 - Nerd Corner: AI Updates
26:00 - ChatGPT Work
26:52 - Claude Combines Chat and Cowork
29:17 - Grok Challenges Claude
31:04 - GPT Live and Voice AI
37:30 - OpenAI’s New AI Models
45:29 - Mailbag
45:53 - Getting AI Past Bot Restrictions
49:03 - Do You Need a Practice Management System?
54:42 - Building Referral Relationships
57:32 - The Rising Cost of AI
1:00:08 - Finding Time to Implement AI
1:03:00 - What Happened When Clients Learned We Offshored
1:07:48 - Automating Home Depot Receipts
1:09:58 - Training Teams for an AI-First Firm
1:15:16 - The Future of Accounting Firms

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I wrap up the Dirty Dozen series by tackling one of the highest-leverage areas in any accounting firm: client onboarding. I break down the four biggest onboarding mistakes, explain how the first 90 days shape the entire client relationship, and share ways to standardize the process without losing the human touch. Then I switch to hiring and career growth, how firms can attract ambitious people, how employees know when it’s time to leave, and why AI won’t replace great talent. Finally, I answer questions on pricing, AI tools, tax workflow automation, practice management software, IT providers, starting a firm, camera setups, and much more.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 0 Client onboarding matters most
01:55 - Dirty Dozen finale
03:20 - Trap #1: Bad client filtering
06:10 - Trap #2: Wrong onboarding owner
11:20 - Trap #3: Chasing client documents
16:40 - Trap #4: Standardize before automating
21:05 - Hiring firms people won’t leave
22:15 - When should you leave your firm?
38:00 - Mailbag begins
38:40 - Pricing and close rates
41:50 - AI tax workflow & Filed
47:10 - Starting your own bookkeeping firm
50:15 - Most surprising AI use cases
52:30 - Jason’s T-shirt recommendation
54:20 - Self-hosting AI models
55:45 - “Accounting department in a box”
57:35 - Copilot vs Claude
01:00:35 - Replacing Thomson Reuters File Cabinet
01:02:50 - Camera, lighting & microphone setup
01:05:25 - Closing thoughts

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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I explore why Anthropic embedding Claude directly into Slack may be one of the biggest AI shifts we’ve seen yet—and why it makes me both excited and uncomfortable. I explain how goals, MCP connections, and Slack integration could eventually make AI the operating layer of an entire company. I also share three creative AI workflows accounting firms are already using, discuss whether QuickBooks and Xero are losing their grip on the market, answer questions about Claude, onboarding bookkeeping clients, hiring with AI, and explain why firms should rethink their workflow statuses for the AI era.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag
📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

📚 Here’s that service library resource: https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=DRjYWbe-2LobQcuS
📕The Alex Hormozi book I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/100M-Offers-People-Stupid-Saying-ebook/dp/B099QVG1H8

// Chapters:
00:00 - Claude’s Trojan Horse?
01:32 - Goals Change Everything
05:29 - Claude Inside Slack
10:34 - Is AI Running the Firm?
15:31 - Why Software Developers Matter
17:35 - Why MCP Wins
19:48 - 3 Wild AI Use Cases
20:23 - AI Proposal Generator
24:55 - AI Client Reporting
28:57 - AI Trial Balance Builder
36:30 - Mailbag Begins
38:13 - Will QuickBooks & Xero Lose?
41:18 - Claude Chat vs Cowork
46:58 - Best Alex Hormozi Book
48:16 - Claude Projects Best Practices
50:05 - Is ChatGPT Dead?
51:48 - Pricing Cleanup Work
56:27 - AI Resume Screening
59:38 - Rebuilding Workflow Statuses for AI

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I explain why I think advisory is often positioned the wrong way inside accounting firms and share five common traps that stop firms from building higher value services. I also cover Claude Fable returning to Claude, what its new pricing means, how I’d build a bookkeeping practice from scratch today, AI powered bookkeeping and review workflows, choosing practice management software, meeting transcript tools, Copilot versus Claude, training the next generation of accountants, and whether Intuit is falling behind.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Is Advisory Really the Future?
01:43 - The Advisory Hype Problem
04:05 - Trap #1: Imposter Syndrome
09:31 - Trap #2: Giving Premium Work Away
16:10 - Trap #3: Death by Deadlines
19:07 - Trap #4: Selling Favors Instead of Products
22:25 - Trap #5: Sell Outcomes, Not Coaching
28:43 - Claude Fable Is Back
38:31 - Mailbag
38:58 - Best AI Meeting Transcript Tools
41:44 - Which Accounting Ledger Would I Choose Today?
44:10 - How Do You Avoid Buying the Wrong Software?
49:58 - Do You Actually Use All These AI Tools?
52:08 - Should Firms Standardize on Microsoft Copilot?
53:43 - How Good Is AI at Reviewing Tax Returns?
55:03 - Do File Naming Conventions Really Matter?
56:39 - Will AI Create an Accounting Knowledge Gap?
01:00:20 - Can Claude Help When Intuit Breaks?

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I answer the nine AI questions I hear most often from accounting firms, covering how to securely use AI with client data, why I recommend Claude over ChatGPT and Copilot, where firms should start with AI, and practical workflows for QuickBooks, spreadsheets, email, and tax software. I also share my thoughts on the latest IRS AI guidance and why I disagree that AI savings should automatically lower client fees, then wrap up with a Mailbag on bank statement automation, QuickBooks MCPs, IT security, work papers, value pricing, and why I believe AI will make human expertise even more valuable.

🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - The 9 Biggest AI Questions
01:43 - AI & Client Data Security
06:22 - Why Claude Beats Copilot
08:04 - Should You Switch from ChatGPT?
08:17 - Where Should You Start with AI?
10:50 - Building Your First AI Agent
14:49 - Best Beginner AI Use Cases
17:00 - AI & QuickBooks Automation
20:56 - Can AI Automate Tax Software?
23:20 - Should Clients Know You Use AI?
25:37 - IRS Says AI Should Lower Fees?
32:23 - Mailbag
32:48 - How Do I Automatically Fetch Bank Statements?
38:09 - Secure Client Credentials Without Sharing Passwords
40:44 - Are Traditional Work Papers Still Worth It?
44:05 - How Do You Handle AI Discount Requests?
47:22 - Can Claude Post Journal Entries to QuickBooks?
52:04 - Is Thomson Reuters Falling Behind on AI?
54:06 - IT Security for a New Fractional CFO Firm
56:20 - Does AI Kill Creativity and Advisory?
01:02:00 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down five change management traps inside accounting firms, from overwhelming the team with too much change to letting C and D clients block the firm you actually want to build. I also talk about niche opportunities in soccer and space accounting, recurring AI workflows, Intuit’s stock drop, simplifying client onboarding, rolling out Claude to a team, trial balance workflows, and how large a solo AI-powered firm could become.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats

// Chapters:
00:00 - Getting Everyone Aligned
01:19 - The Dirty Dozen Returns
02:12 - Change Management Traps
02:18 - Trap #1: Change Overload
06:10 - Trap #2: Incentives Gap
09:00 - Trap #3: Quiet Skeptics
15:17 - Trap #4: Carve-Out Clients
18:17 - Trap #5: Adoption Letdown
21:49 - Change Management Recap
22:27 - Accountants Power The World Cup
22:39 - Niche Of The Week
24:33 - Passion-Driven Firm Niches
27:47 - Space Accounting Returns
30:58 - Mailbag Begins
31:29 - Building Recurring AI Workflows
34:23 - Should I Sell Intuit Stock?
38:07 - Simplifying Client Onboarding
42:13 - Rolling Out Claude To A Team
44:42 - Trial Balance After Engagement Manager
49:27 - Fear Of AI Tool Switching
51:05 - How Big Can A Solo AI Firm Get?

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I explore the sudden rise of AI agent platforms built specifically for accounting firms and ask whether Claude will remain the long-term home for firm-built agents. I compare launches from Ramp, Digits, Pilot, Puzzle, Mercury, Canopy, and Double, then answer a listener question about what firm owners should focus on during the summer months. In the mailbag, I cover software firms should avoid,  practice management system selection, and what to do when Claude makes mistakes in bookkeeping workflows.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats

⚒️ Tools I mentioned
-Ramp Stack https://ramp.com/lp2/stack
-Digits Agentic Close https://digits.com/blog/agentic-close/
-Pilot Meridian https://meridian.pilot.com/
-Puzzle AI Close https://puzzle.io/ai-close
-Canopy Coworker https://www.getcanopy.com/coworker/
-Mercury Command https://mercury.com/command
-Double https://doublehq.com/

// Chapters:
00:00 - The AI Agent Gold Rush
07:58 - Where Agents Actually Live
12:11 - The Future Of Firm Automation
15:31 - Summer Priorities For Firms
18:36 - Take A Break This Summer
20:17 - Make Big Tech Changes
22:04 - Building Better Systems
26:51 - Planning For Growth
30:57 - Hiring Before Busy Season
31:53 - Strategic Thinking Time
33:32 - Mailbag
33:43 - Any Software To Completely Avoid?
36:22 - AI Influencers & Phantom Products
40:50 - Should Firms Try Instead?
42:18 - What Happened To SmartVault?
46:11 - Which Practice Management System Should I Choose?
49:30 - What If Claude Makes Mistakes?
54:01 - From How-To To What-To-Do
55:00 - The Future Of Space Accounting

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the six biggest traps accounting firm owners fall into when trying to build a higher-quality, more profitable client list. I explain why concentration risk is often overblown, why firms struggle to commit to a niche, how big-money clients can distract you from your ideal business, and why regularly curating your client list is one of the most important jobs of a firm owner. I also answer questions about firing clients through pricing increases, whether prompt libraries still matter in the AI era, partnering with specialists for services like sales tax and payroll, and what I think about Claude’s QuickBooks Online integration and the future of AI-powered accounting workflows.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag
📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats

// Chapters:
00:00 - The Client List Asset
01:27 - The Dirty Dozen Returns
02:23 - Trap #1: Concentration Risk Fear
06:38 - Trap #2: The Commitment Gap
09:10 - Trap #3: Big Money Clients
10:28 - Trap #4: Curation Hesitation
13:09 - Trap #5: Big Fish vs Minnows
18:17 - Trap #6: The Machine Problem
22:24 - Protecting The Client List
23:18 - Mailbag
23:44 - Raising Prices to Lose Bad Clients
26:54 - Are Prompt Libraries Still Worth It?
30:17 - Goals vs Prompts in AI
32:07 - Strongest AI Use Cases Today
36:14 - Process Improvement Career Paths
38:14 - Sales Tax Apps for Ecommerce
43:18 - Claude + QuickBooks Integration
52:35 - Tour Wrap-Up & Community Thanks

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I share five real AI workflows that accounting firms are already using in production, from reading handwritten checks and verifying tax transcripts to automating audit checklists, preparing spreadsheet workpapers, and building AI-powered email dashboards. I explain how firms should think about moving from AI assistants to AI-driven workflows and why documentation, goals, and process design matter more than prompts. Then I review an accounting firm built by a non-accountant, discuss pricing and niche strategy, and answer questions.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats

// Chapters:
00:00 - Five AI Workflows Firms Use Today
18:01 - AI-Powered Email Dashboards
20:24 - Roast a Firm
31:30 - Mailbag
35:20 - Buying Legacy Firms in the AI Era
49:45 - Mailbag 2
59:45 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the six biggest pricing traps holding accounting firms back and explain practical ways to fix them. We talk about moving beyond hourly billing, improving proposal design, avoiding underpricing, and building pricing systems that actually support profitability. I also share my reaction to the latest AI developments, including why new models like Fable have me questioning just how quickly the landscape is changing. We discuss what AI means for accounting firms today, where it creates leverage, and why pricing becomes even more important as AI reduces the relationship between effort and value.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats

// Chapters:
00:00 - Pricing Traps Holding Firms Back
19:00 - Fixing Your Pricing Strategy
39:14 - Mailbag
53:30 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down Thrive Holdings’ $1B accounting firm rollup, why OpenAI has a stake in it, and what this could mean for small firms. I explain why traditional rollups often fail, why AI may change the economics, and why client relationships still matter most. Then I walk through how an accounting firm could build a niche around indie authors, including choke points, live events, software vendors, and influencers. I also answer questions on moving clients from owner to staff, AI tax prep disappointments, whether I’m paid by Claude, MCPs for practice management, speech-to-text tools, CPA value, and AI disclosure to clients.

📹 Here’s that video to help build your service library https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=aCzmb_rfp0FmNGvb

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - The $1B AI accounting bet
22:41 - Nerd Corner
35:34 - Mailbag begins
35:53 - Getting clients to trust your team
38:22 - Why AI tax prep disappointed
46:37 - MCPs and the future of firm tech
55:00 - Do clients need AI disclosure?

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the three most likely AI futures for accounting firms, general-purpose AI assistants like Claude, AI assistants connected to software through MCPs, and AI embedded directly inside accounting software. I explain the pros, risks, and strategic implications of each approach, especially around security, software buying decisions, and vendor lock-in. I also share real-world AI use cases from firms around the country, answer questions about hiring AI specialists, security best practices, offshore staffing compliance, and helping teams navigate AI-related job fears. 

📹 Here’s that video to help build your service library https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=aCzmb_rfp0FmNGvb

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Three AI Futures for Accounting Firms
09:04 - MCPs and the Future of Software
24:25 - AI Built Into Accounting Software
34:11 - Which AI Future Is Most Likely?
35:54 - Nerd Corner
44:31 - Mailbag
44:31 - Escaping the Capacity and Hiring Cycle
52:05 - Offshore Hiring and Cloud Accountant Staffing
59:26 - AI Hiring, Security, and Team Concerns

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I argue that AI has fundamentally changed how accounting firms should think about SOPs, documentation, and standardization. I walk through six common documentation traps and explain why many traditional best practices are already becoming obsolete as AI agents can create, maintain, improve, and even execute processes themselves. Then I answer questions on CRMs vs practice management systems, building a niche advisory service, creating culture in remote teams, QuickBooks Desktop vs modern AI workflows, software being replaced by Claude, AI security for small firms, and whether QuickBooks Desktop might oddly become relevant again in an AI-first world.

📹 Here’s that video to help build your service library https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=aCzmb_rfp0FmNGvb

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - AI and the Future of SOPs
05:25 - Six Documentation Traps
17:11 - AI Agents and Process Management
30:32 - Mailbag
30:56 - Do Accounting Firms Need a CRM?
37:18 - Finding Clients for a New Niche
41:10 - Building Culture on Remote Teams
43:24 - QuickBooks Desktop vs Enterprise Suite
45:44 - How to Niche Your Accounting Firm
47:28 - Software Being Replaced by AI
51:24 - AI Security for Small Firms
56:06 - Which AI Models Should Firms Use?
57:48 - Is QuickBooks Desktop the Future?

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the 10 commandments of an accountant’s desk setup and why your office environment directly affects productivity. I cover monitor limits, desk wheels, underside mounting, monitor arms, eye level, cable management, keyboards, team hardware standardization, chairs, lighting, and CO2 levels. Then I play Hot or Not with office trends like standing desks, gaming chairs, glass desktops, L-shaped desks, and keyboard trays.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 The accountant desk setup problem
01:02 Why office setup affects productivity
02:00 Commandment 1: know your limits
05:23 Commandments 2–3: wheels + underside mounting
08:55 Sponsors: hiring + tax workflow
10:53 Commandments 4–8: monitors, cables, keyboards, hardware
18:57 Sponsors: Canopy + Verito
21:14 Commandments 9–10: chairs, lighting, and CO2
25:17 Hot or Not: office trends
33:01 Final desk setup advice

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down why practice management systems become such a nightmare for accounting firms and the six biggest traps firms fall into when selecting, migrating, and rolling out a PM platform. I explain why there’s no perfect system, why demos are misleading, how firms overload their teams with change, and why client portals fail adoption. Then I speedrun listener questions on AI pricing, niching risk, automating client back offices, workflow bottlenecks, and whether AI threatens accounting firms. I also debut a new segment.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Practice management systems are high-stakes
01:21 - Dirty Dozen+ PM headaches
02:01 - The 6 biggest PM traps
14:17 - PM setup, migration, and adoption mistakes
24:07 - Roast My Podcast Reviews
31:24 - Mailbag
32:02 - Human vs AI accounting work
41:13 - Is AI replacing accounting firms?
43:49 - Does AI make niching riskier?
48:56 - AI automation opportunities in client workflows
51:15 - Why more accountants are starting firms
54:19 - Closing thoughts

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X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down how firms can move from live Claude conversations to AI workflows that run in the background. I walk through five levels of AI autonomy, from simple chats and scheduled tasks to hosted routines and managed agents. Then I roast a $700K bookkeeping/CFO firm dealing with operational heaviness, SOP sprawl, niche opportunities, and scaling pains. I also answer questions on custom AI tools, Claude for Small Business, referral partnerships, where to build agents first, email triage, and whether old-school firms are worth buying.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - AI in the walls
02:12 - Five levels of AI autonomy
06:17 - Claude Code routines + webhooks
14:18 - Managed agents explained
18:20 - Roast a $700K bookkeeping firm
27:45 - SOPs, systems, and standardization
33:07 - Local vs national niche strategy
35:28 - Mailbag
35:45 - Custom AI tools vs software
46:03 - Where to build AI agents first
48:25 - AI email management
52:58 - Buying old-school firms
56:09 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down the six biggest blockers keeping accounting firms from becoming AI native. I explain why Claude is the best starting point right now, why AI adoption needs daily team habits, and why incentives matter more than training. I also cover pricing fears, staff anxiety, AI replacing task-based work, and how firm owners should think about their responsibility to help teams adapt.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason

// Chapters:
00:00 - Why firms are struggling with AI
02:54 - The 6 blockers to becoming AI native
10:02 - Why teams resist AI adoption
17:30 - AI pricing fears + job replacement
29:23 - Mailbag
44:15 - Will AI kill accounting work?
49:31 - Content strategy + scaling content
53:36 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down six real AI use cases accounting firms are actively using right now, from Claude creating SOPs from screen recordings and consolidating multi-entity financials, to tax checklist automation, document renaming, crypto dashboards, and AI-powered prospecting. I also explain where AI agents still break down, especially around month-end close document collection and browser automation. Then I answer questions on pricing confidence, niching, fast growth vs profitability, hallucinations, personal finance workflows, and whether firms should master app-specific AI or focus on cross-platform AI agents like Claude Cowork.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason

// Chapters:
00:00 - Six real AI use cases for firms
07:40 - AI checklists + hallucination risks
17:24 - AI prospecting + newsletter CTA
21:14 - Nerd Corner: month-end close chaos
35:34 - Mailbag
35:55 - Pricing confidence + charging more
42:28 - Fast growth vs profitability
49:16 - Personal finance + Claude vs Digits
54:18 - AI hallucinations explained
59:42 - Learn Claude or app-specific AI
01:01:17 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down why accounting firms don’t just need more clients, they need better clients. I explain why referrals, low pricing, weak niche positioning, and poor proposal design can keep firms stuck with too much work and not enough profit. I also cover how to raise prices, cut bad-fit clients, build visibility with the right audience, and structure three-tier proposals around both scope and client access.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason

// Chapters:
00:00 - Why firms need better clients
01:57 - The Dirty Dozen: client quality
03:17 - Better clients fix capacity
05:08 - Cut low-margin clients
08:18 - Word-of-mouth has limits
16:20 - Why niching feels scary
22:47 - Visibility creates better clients
29:14 - Three-tier proposal problems
35:45 - Mailbag
40:46 - Should you discount pricing?
44:59 - Catching scope creep
49:16 - Better clients solve everything

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I unpack whether AI is a real reason to sell your accounting firm right now. I walk through both sides: why AI creates more risk than ever, but also why accountants may become more valuable as human advisors and integrators. Then I break down how accounting firm websites should shift from faceless service pages to founder-led expertise, especially for niche advisory firms. In the mailbag, I cover AI for cash flow and budgeting, practice management mistakes, accounting firm margins, career moves, CFO services, and tax workflow tools.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason

// Chapters:
00:00 - Should you sell before AI changes accounting?
01:31 - AI risk + firm value
03:00 - Are you selling what AI replaces?
06:44 - The case for selling now
07:28 - Accountants as human integrators
10:59 - The real asset is you
16:39 - Founder-led accounting websites
27:48 - Mailbag
28:07 - AI for cash flow and budgets
32:04 - No practice management software
37:56 - Accounting firm margins explained
39:55 - Career path into a better firm
44:30 - CFO advisory vs bookkeeping
46:29 - Tax workflow tools

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/
📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter

☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!
📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down why most accounting firm workflow problems are actually capacity problems. I walk through six common capacity bottlenecks—from not knowing your real bandwidth and busy season overload to owner burnout, hiring paralysis, and the client communication death spiral. The core issue usually isn’t workflow software—it’s pricing, bad-fit clients, and trying to serve too many people without enough margin. Then I shift into a rapid-fire “this or that” segment comparing accounting firm tools like Financial Cents vs TaxDome, Digits vs Double, MakersHub vs Ramp, offshore vs onshore hiring, firm acquisition vs building a sales team, and more. The big takeaway: better firms come from better clients, not just better workflows.

🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events
🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps

💰 Today's Sponsors
Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason
Canopy: g[etcanopy.com/jason](http://getcanopy.com/jason) Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo

// Chapters:
00:00 - Workflow problems are really capacity problems
01:30 - Dirty Dozen + six capacity bottlenecks
20:00 Hire vs workflow + firing clients
23:20 Client responsiveness + service quality
30:30 This or That begins (tech + firm decisions)
46:40 Staffing: offshore vs onshore
52:20 Buy a firm or build a sales team
58:40 AI, hiring, and the future of accounting
01:01:00 Events + final CTA

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
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In this episode, I break down two major Claude updates for accounting firms: Live Artifacts and Claude Design. I explain how Live Artifacts can become a personal dashboard across email, calendar, practice management, and month-end tools, and why AI agents working across apps may matter more than AI built inside one app. I also walk through how Claude could generate financial reports, slide decks, landing pages, and even workpaper documentation. Then I answer questions on going national with a niche firm, replacing SafeSend, building referral partnerships, changing tech stacks, using AI safely, and when to hire for a nonprofit accounting firm.

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// Chapters:
00:00 - Claude updates + nationwide growth
01:25 - Claude Live Artifacts explained
04:02 - Building a personal AI dashboard
10:16 - Should PM systems be worried?
17:31 - AI accounting ledger experiment
22:20 - Claude Design + client deliverables
37:54 - Mailbag begins
38:15 - Scaling beyond local clients
44:09 - Replacing SafeSend
47:08 - White label bookkeeping partnerships
50:18 - Changing tech when the team is tired
57:30 - Safe AI agents + OpenClaw
01:04:28 - Nonprofit CFO firm question
01:07:21 - AI workpaper automation experiment

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