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Intuit Connect is almost here (Oct. 26-28 in Las Vegas), and hosts Amanda Thompson and Jessica walk through how to get the most out of the week. They cover the new Intuit Presents roadmap sessions, the expanded booth and theater experience, the return of Brain Dates, and the main stage lineup. They also share a few Vegas food tips. Not making the trip? Tune in as Amanda and Jessica let you know how you can watch the main stage sessions live from your home or office. On the Books is taking a short break after Connect. There won’t be an episode in early November. The show returns later in November. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Kim Blascoe, Lead of Client Advisory Services (CAS) and Advisory Professional Services at CPA.com. Together, they explore the power of curiosity in accounting and how asking better, open-ended questions can elevate technical accountants into trusted advisors. Kim shares her practical, three-stage question framework, offers tips for coaching team members to think differently, and explains how leveraging AI-driven insights can serve as the ultimate launching pad for deeper client conversations. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Matthew May, known online as the tech CPA and now head of the client advisory services (CAS) at Sorren to talk about his firm’s year-long journey to move entrenched QuickBook Desktop Clients to QuickBooks Online. Matthew shares the real story behind scaling a firm through rapid M&A, hunting down QuickBooks Desktop files scattered across dozens of systems, consolidating more than 400 realms, and building a client migration plan ahead of the QuickBooks Desktop sunset. He also gets candid about his unglamorous approach to AI, why he treats technology providers as partners instead of vendors, and how his firm learned to simplify big technology decisions for overwhelmed clients. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Chris Ortega has spent more than 20 years in accounting, finance, FP&A, and CFO leadership, including guiding a $150 million, 2,700 person company through an acquisition by SAP. Five years ago he founded Fresh FP&A, a fractional CFO and advisory firm for small and mid sized businesses. In this conversation with Jessica, Chris breaks down why the CFO role has shifted from scorekeeper to strategic partner, how to turn financial data into a story people actually care about, and why trust and emotional intelligence matter more than being the smartest person in the room. He also shares a simple, repeatable habit any finance professional can use to build stronger relationships across the business. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Tailor Hartman, Founder and CEO of Celerity Accounting flips the script this episode, stepping into the host chair to interview Intuit's Simon Williams and Jessica McCracken about where the accounting profession is headed and how Intuit is responding to industry needs. The conversation covers the shift from compliance to advisory work, the pain points accountants are feeling around trust, overdigitization, and control, and a candid look back at the promises Intuit made over the past year. The episode closes with a preview of Intuit Connect in Las Vegas, including what Tailor, Simon, and Jessica each hope to hear from attendees. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

QuickBooks Online Accountant is sunsetting, and Intuit Accountant Suite is the new home for managing your firm and clients. In this episode, Janelle Fox and Ryall Fox from Intuit's Professional Services team join Jessica to bust the biggest myths about the switch: there's no data migration, no major project plan, and no client-facing disruption. They cover what's actually changing under the hood, the timeline for the rolling move to Accountant Suite (with the ability to switch back through December 1), and what happens after the hard sunset. They also dig into pricing, the Books Close add-on, and how console consolidation works if your firm is operating out of multiple realms. The conversation wraps with practical advice for firms: try the new features now while they're free, use the in-product Client Transfer Tool to consolidate down to one console, and take advantage of ProAdvisor Academy training to get your team ready. Janelle and Ryall also share how firms can share feedback directly with the product team as Intuit continues building out Accountant Suite. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Most firms think their story is a tagline on the website. Elliott Bastien Morin thinks the story is already there, buried, waiting to be excavated. In this episode, Jessica McCracken flips the mic on a longtime friend of the show (Elliott has been part of the production team since On the Books launched almost two years ago) to talk about the craft of firm storytelling. Elliott walks through his Narrative Archeology workshop, the difference between a bumper-sticker tagline and a narrative that actually drives decisions, and why numbers and stories are partners rather than opposites. Along the way he shares the real-firm moment when "we use better technology" became "you'll never be alone," how mergers are secretly a storytelling opportunity, where AI fits (and where pen and paper still wins), and the red flags that tell him a firm has not done the work yet. Whether you are a solo practitioner with a short history or a multi-service firm stitching together several acquisitions, this one gives you a practical way to find, refine, and share what makes your firm worth choosing. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Jamelan Brown from the Quickbooks Data Communications team to dive into the key findings of Intuit's 2026 Accountant Technology Survey Report. Drawing on insights from over 700 accounting practitioners, the conversation explores the shifting relationship between accountants and technology, highlighted by the growing trend of tech stack fragmentation. The episode also tackles the evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence in the industry. As routine tasks become increasingly automated, the baseline for entry-level accountants is shifting toward strategic judgment, tech fluency, and direct client interaction from day one. Despite the rise of AI, the data underscores that trust is the new competitive advantage, as human expertise remains essential for high-stakes decision-making and safeguarding client data protection. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, we share an exclusive Q&A session from the latest quarterly Intuit Connect On virtual event. Intuit leaders Ashley Still (General Manager of the Small Business and Mid-Market Group) and Travis Walter (Chief Sales Officer) sit down to answer top questions submitted by the accounting community. They dive into recent product shifts, pricing updates, the future of QuickBooks Live, and how AI is changing the bookkeeping landscape. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Live from the Intuit Better Together Tour stop in Los Angeles, host Jessica McCracken sits down with Brittany Brown, accounting firm owner, professor, and e-commerce accounting expert. After weathering a sudden financial squeeze where a lack of visibility almost led to a cash crisis, Brittany institutionalized a radical, top-down metric tracking culture. She walks us through the highlights of her 8-step framework for building a bulletproof measurement system, explaining how to align individual, team, and company-wide metrics to achieve predictable, compounding growth. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken sits down with Jaclyn Anku, Principle Program Manager of the ProAdviser Program at Intuit, to discuss a massive transition coming to the program. Starting in early 2027, Intuit will sunset the 30-year-old ProAdviser program to make way for Intuit ProPartner Accountants, a revamped global partner program designed to serve firms of all sizes. Jaclyn shares behind-the-scenes insights into how the program was developed through extensive feedback from accountants nationwide. She also breaks down what is changing including a new 5-tier structure and an expanded revenue-share model, what is staying the same, and how Intuit is investing heavily in staff education and firm support. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Ryan Handel, the founder and CEO of FIXE, an accounting firm specifically engineered to serve the unique needs of the restaurant industry. Ryan shares his personal journey from opening his first restaurant in 2010 to realizing that traditional, high-priced bookkeeping models just didn't work for small-to-midsize food and beverage establishments. Jessica and Ryan dive into the operational mechanics of FIXE, exploring how they utilize a tiered pricing structure to cater to everyone from small coffee shops to multimillion-dollar fine dining groups. They also discuss how the firm effectively handles tight profit margins, recruits talent with deep restaurant experience, and utilizes a tag-team approach of dedicated account managers and support staff to ensure clients have up-to-date financial data without ever needing to touch the books themselves. Finally, Ryan gives us a look behind the scenes at how his firm leverages tech tools like Margin Edge, ChatGPT, and custom dashboards to streamline tedious workflows, alleviate late-night financial emergencies, and empower restaurant operators. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In episode 21, Chris Willams, CEO of System Six summarized the key focus areas of any merger or acquisition as “get the keys to the technology and focus on the people.” Practically, what is entailed in‌ getting the keys to the technology? Erin Hutton and Janelle Fox have lived this experience. Both were accounting firm leaders at a large top 40-firm and now work at Intuit helping firms navigate technology changes necessitated by a merger or acquisition. Erin and Janelle discuss who owns which software and data, how to ensure contracts are transferred to the new firm and the best lens to use when prioritizing technology decisions. The group also talks about the role of AI, data cleanup, and truly how to simplify a firm’s tech stack. For more full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

In this episode of On the Books, hosts Jessica McCracken and Tom Menzies sit down with Simon Worsfold, head of data communications at Intuit QuickBooks, to break down the findings of the 2026 Intuit AI Impact Report. This comprehensive study, which analyzes real business data from over 5.3 million small and medium-sized businesses and survey responses from over 34,000 businesses across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, reveals that seven in ten small businesses are now regularly using AI. The discussion explores the significant shift in adoption since early 2023, the rise of power users who are deeply integrating AI into their operations, and the surprising positive impact on job growth and productivity. The panel discusses the demographic trends of AI adoption, the concerns regarding privacy and accuracy, and why businesses that move beyond experimentation to core integration are seeing the most significant gains in revenue and efficiency. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Let’s talk to the man that metaphorically decides to move your cheese. Why do buttons move in QuickBooks? Who decides when, how, and why Intuit changes how the software works?This episode focuses on the vital role of design in the QuickBooks and how it shapes the way accountants and small businesses interact with technology. We are joined by Alastair Simpson, Vice President of Design for the QuickBooks Ecosystem at Intuit. Alastair’s background includes leadership roles at Atlassian and Dropbox, and he brings a unique perspective on building software that users rely on to get their best work done. We dive into the "jobs to be done" philosophy, the transition to a more predictable thematic release cycle, and how Intuit balances modernization with the deep-rooted muscle memory of power users. Alastair also talks about the exciting, yet daunting, integration of AI into professional workflows and the importance of maintaining trust through traceability. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com