Advertise on podcast: Accountant's Flight Plan

Business owners are no longer only searching Google for an accountant. They are asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity who to hire, then uploading proposals, websites, and LinkedIn profiles and asking the AI whether a firm is the right fit. Ross Simmonds, founder and CEO of the B2B content marketing agency Foundation and founder of Distribution.ai, joins Brannon Poe to explain what this shift means for CPA firm owners. Ross is the author of the Amazon bestseller Create Once, Distribute Forever and has been ranked by BuzzSumo among the top content marketers in the world. In this episode, he explains generative engine optimization (GEO), the practice of shaping your content so AI platforms recommend your firm. Fewer than 5% of Americans pay for an AI subscription, but business adoption is far higher. That means the business owners your accounting practice serves are already using these tools to make buying decisions. Traditional SEO still forms the foundation of a strong accounting firm website. GEO adds a new layer built on niche service pages, case studies, awards, community involvement, and content distributed across LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, and podcasts. Ross also explains why these same signals support recruiting, since job candidates now research potential employers through AI before they apply. The Conversation Covers: How business owners use AI to discover, compare, and evaluate CPA firmsWhy a “Who We Serve” page with niche sub-pages helps AI match your firm to the right clientsHow generative engine optimization differs from SEO, and why your firm needs bothWhy employer branding shapes whether candidates find your accounting firm at allHow to test your AI visibility accurately by logging out before you searchWhy AI-written content needs your own expertise before it goes liveReputation has always driven growth in public accounting. AI platforms are now one of the places that reputation gets built, and firms that tell their story clearly across channels give both people and AI a reason to recommend them. This Episode Is For: CPA firm owners curious about how AI search affects client acquisition, accounting firm leaders ready to strengthen their online visibility without hiring an agency, practice owners wondering how to stand out to candidates researching firms through AI, and anyone interested in what generative engine optimization means for the accounting profession. Q&A Section:  How are clients finding CPA firms differently today?  Ross Simmons, founder of Foundation and Distribution.ai, explains that clients are using AI platforms like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity not just to discover accounting firms but to evaluate them. They upload proposals, screenshots, and firm websites and ask the AI directly who they should hire. What is generative engine optimization and why does it matter for accounting firms?  Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the practice of optimizing your content and online presence for AI platforms rather than just Google search. Ross explains that the signals that influence AI recommendations, including YouTube videos, Reddit threads, reviews, and social content, are different from traditional SEO ranking factors. What should a CPA firm's website include to show up in AI search results?  Ross recommends creating specific "Who We Serve" landing pages for each client type or industry your firm works with. AI platforms crawl these pages to match your firm to relevant search prompts, so specificity matters more than general descriptions. How can a CPA firm build visibility without a full-time marketer?  Ross suggests starting with an SEO audit using a tool like Ahrefs' Let I Do, then using a content distribution platform to spread existing content across LinkedIn, Facebook, and other channels. The goal is to get your story out to more places so AI platforms have more signals to work with. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome and guest introduction: Ross Simmons, founder of Foundation and Distribution.ai 01:14 - How search is shifting from Google to AI and what that means for CPA firms 03:21 - How ChatGPT changed the search experience and why adoption is faster inside businesses than among consumers 07:03 - How the entire buyer's journey has changed: discovery, consideration, and comparison in the AI era 08:57 - Why "Who We Serve" landing pages help LLMs match your firm to the right clients 10:54 - How AI platforms evaluate employer brand: values, culture, community involvement, and awards 15:33 - What GEO is and how it differs from traditional SEO 17:40 - Practical low-lift tools for CPA firms: Ahrefs, MCP connectors, and Distribution.ai 20:17 - Common content mistakes: checking your own AI ranking while logged in, and copy-paste AI content 23:07 - Ross's story: a fantasy football blog, a borrowed suit, and a C-suite meeting in Miami Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Many CPA firm owners wait until they're ready to retire to ask who can replace them. Susan Stutzel, CPA, business performance coach, and co-owner of Partners Coach Inc., believes that question should start the day a new hire walks in the door. In this episode of The Accountant's Flight Plan, Brannon Poe and Susan explore how developing leadership and professional skills at every level builds a stronger accounting practice and a smoother path to firm succession. Susan brings more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, including roles at a top five national firm, a regional firm, a small business, and a Fortune 500 company. She has seen why succession plans stall: owners with no one ready to lean on, managers measured only on chargeable hours, and staff who never hear what the path to partnership looks like. One firm she worked with believed no one wanted to become a partner. Once someone asked, staff and senior managers said they were interested. Brannon adds the buyer's perspective. Many firm owners contact Poe Group Advisors years before they plan to sell, and that early start pays off. Buyers want great teams and well-run practices, and a lot can be accomplished in a few years. Susan notes that an owner who isn't growing their team becomes the bottleneck, which makes any transition harder. The Conversation Covers: How developing leadership skills early creates successors from within your CPA firmWhy owners who stop growing their teams become the bottleneck to firm successionHow one firm learned its staff wanted partnership once someone askedWhy tying manager bonuses only to chargeable hours slows leadership developmentHow AI is changing the way firms train the next generation of accountantsWhy buyers look for strong teams when evaluating an accounting practiceSusan's advice for firm owners planning ahead is a shift in role: move from being the expert in the room to creating more experts in the room. The team you build today shapes the options you have when you're ready to sell. This Episode Is For... This episode is for accounting firm owners planning a sale or transition in the next five to ten years, partners ready to identify and develop their successors, owners curious about what buyers look for in a CPA firm, and leaders wondering how to reduce owner dependence before stepping back. Q&A When should a CPA firm owner start succession planning? Susan Stutzel, CPA and co-owner of Partners Coach Inc., recommends starting the day new staff join the firm. Building leadership and business development skills at every level creates successors long before the owner is ready to retire. Why do buyers care about a CPA firm's team? Brannon Poe, founder of Poe Group Advisors, notes that buyers want great teams and well-run practices. Firm owners who start preparing several years before a sale have time to strengthen both. How can firm owners find successors within their own staff? Susan suggests asking directly. Many staff and senior managers are interested in partnership but never hear about the opportunity. Open conversations about career paths often reveal future leaders already inside the firm. What makes a CPA firm harder to sell? When the owner is the bottleneck and no one else can lead client relationships or the team, a transition becomes more difficult. Developing capable leaders reduces owner dependence and makes the firm more attractive to buyers. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome and guest introduction: Susan Stutzel, co-owner of Partners Coach Inc. 02:35 - Why AI can amplify expertise but cannot build trust or lead an effective feedback conversation 04:19 - Professional skills are where knowledge transforms into real impact for clients and colleagues 05:11 - Is technical knowledge being commoditized, and what replaces it as the differentiator? 07:00 - Why managers need to unlearn how they were trained and rethink development entirely 08:34 - Why niche expertise got the profession this far and why it is no longer enough on its own 10:02 - Why Susan refuses to call them soft skills: these are business skills, and they are often the hardest to learn 12:36 - What it means to build a great place to work across hybrid and remote arrangements 15:41 - What firm owners should be communicating to high performers and what staff should be advocating for 16:02 - Case study: no one interested in partnership because the conversations simply were not happening 19:04 - Young firm owners building tech-forward niche practices and outearning traditional partners 23:28 - What courageous leadership looks like when there are no complete answers 25:28 - The Kubler-Ross loss curve and why your team has to work through what you already processed 27:12 - Growing yourself alongside your firm: why the owner who stops growing becomes the bottleneck 29:59 - What Susan wishes more CPA firm owners understood about leadership development 30:27 - The best firms start development at onboarding, not at partner elections 31:14 - The manager shift: running meetings, developing people, and still carrying chargeable hours 34:03 - Don't wait until you want to retire to ask who can replace you 36:20 - Growing a business is a series of letting go, and you have to build the team to be able to let go 36:57 - Where to find Susan: LinkedIn and partnerscoach.com, including a free weekly Monday message for the profession Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

One CPA firm owner received 11 offers and chose the buyer he liked best. That buyer paid above asking price even after learning the firm's cash flow was lower than reported. Outcomes like that happen when sellers have leverage. In this episode of The Accountant's Flight Plan, Brannon Poe and Morry Brown, Poe Group Advisors' Regional Market Leader for California, look at what matters after price in accounting firm M&A: buyer fit, leverage, and control of the timeline. About a third of CPA firm owners on Poe Group Advisors webinars say they have received an unsolicited letter of intent. Morry explains why LOI terms are almost always the best they will be, why diligence tends to lower them, and why the exclusivity clause is usually the only binding part of a non-binding LOI. One seller spent six figures in attorney fees on a one-on-one deal that fell apart at the last minute. A structured process with multiple buyers changes those dynamics. When a buyer backed out of a San Francisco deal in early January, Poe Group Advisors brought in a backup buyer and closed in two weeks, before tax season began. That firm sold for a 10x multiple with 90% cash at close. Brannon and Morry also cover partner alignment, how to define success a year after closing, and why the selling season for CPA firms runs from June through December. The Conversation Covers: Why LOI terms are usually the best they will be, and how diligence tends to lower themWhy the exclusivity clause is the one binding part of a non-binding LOIHow a backup buyer closed a San Francisco deal in two weeks after the first buyer backed outHow a seller with 11 offers got his preferred buyer to pay above askWhy defining success a year after closing helps CPA firm owners choose the right buyerHow clustering buyer conversations creates real momentum and stronger termsPrice matters in any accounting practice sale. But for most CPA firm owners, the deal they feel good about a year later is the one where the buyer fits their clients, their team, and their goals. This Episode Is For... This episode is for CPA firm owners who have received an unsolicited offer and are wondering how to evaluate it, partners ready to align on goals before exploring firm succession, and public accounting leaders curious about how multiple buyers change leverage in an accounting firm M&A process. It is also for owners who care deeply about their clients and staff and want a buyer who will take care of both. Timestamps:  00:00 - The Price Is Right. But Is the Buyer Right?01:30 - Morry Brown's background in equity research and private capital03:00 - Why a third of CPA firm owners have received an unsolicited LOI06:30 - Why most Accounting firm owners care about clients and staff as much as price09:30 - Why LOI terms almost always get negotiated down in diligence10:45 - Six figures in attorney fees on a one-on-one deal that fell apart12:30 - The due diligence deadline red flag in a CPA firm sale14:30 - A lower offer right before Christmas and the sunk cost trap17:00 - How a backup buyer closed a San Francisco CPA firm deal in two weeks22:30 - The exclusivity clause: the binding part of a non-binding LOI27:30 - Aligning partners and defining success before a firm succession process32:00 - A Nashville Accounting practice buyer with a bigger vision36:30 - Why time kills deals and how clustering buyer conversations helps40:30 - 11 offers and a buyer who paid above ask for a Texas cloud firm44:30 - How seller mindset helped drive a 10x multiple with 90% cash at close47:00 - Why August and the June to December window matter for CPA Firm sales50:30 - Separating business risk from legal risk in the purchase agreement Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Ed Rivera is a director with BDO Alliance USA, a network of 255 CPA firms and 180 Business Resource Network firms across the country. As an accounting firm owner or practice leader, the question Ed hears most is whether ownership structure determines success. His answer: it does not. Across the public accounting firms he works with, what separates growing practices from stalled ones is leadership alignment, not whether the firm is a traditional partnership, private equity backed, or an ESOP. In this episode, Ed and Brannon dig into the volume of private equity interest reaching CPA firm owners today, and why treating private equity as one single category misses real differences in holding period and strategy from firm to firm. They also unpack what drives a firm toward merging versus staying independent, and Ed's view that both paths are usually driven by the same underlying pressure: whether the accounting practice can invest in the systems, talent, and technology its clients now expect. The conversation also covers what alliance membership can unlock for practice management beyond training, from peer roundtables to leadership development pipelines, and why firms that build something their community is proud of tend to have an easier path through firm succession, whether that means a sale, a merger, or staying independent. Ed closes with a simple framework for any accounting firm owner weighing a succession decision: start by asking why the firm was built in the first place, and who it is really built for. The Conversation Covers How firm leadership alignment matters more than ownership structure or capital sourceWhy the volume of private equity calls to CPA firms has changed the conversation for accounting firm ownersHow firms decide between merging, selling, or staying independent, and why the early pressures often look the sameWhy joining an alliance for one reason often uncovers value the firm didn't expectHow asking "why" before a succession decision keeps the process groundedWhy community identity and pride show up as a real differentiator for public accounting firmsEd's closing point is a useful one: the firms that build something genuinely attractive, whether they stay independent or eventually partner with someone else, are the ones that focus on the work itself and the clients and communities they serve. The structure follows from that. Getting the structure right first, without clarity on the mission and the people, rarely works in the other direction. This episode is for accounting firm owners curious about how alliance membership could support their growth strategy, practice management leaders wondering how private equity interest should factor into their long-term plans, and firm owners ready to think through firm succession, whether that means selling, merging, or staying independent. It's also a good listen for anyone exploring what makes a CPA firm attractive to a future buyer or partner. Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome to The Accountant's Flight Plan with guest Ed Rivera01:32 - What the BDO Alliance is and how 255 CPA firms work within it03:10 - What's top of mind for accounting firm owners in 202605:20 - Why the pace of change in public accounting feels faster than ever06:45 - Why leadership alignment matters more than ownership structure09:15 - Mergers and acquisitions activity across Alliance member firms11:40 - Private equity call volume and why not all PE firms are the same14:05 - What drives a CPA firm to merge versus stay independent16:50 - Culture concerns firm owners raise before a merger or sale18:40 - A firm that joined for training and found unexpected value in roundtables20:30 - How one firm built a stronger leadership bench in three years22:50 - A framework for firm owners weighing sale, merger, or firm succession25:15 - Why community identity shows up in the buildings firms choose to build27:40 - A memorable travel story from earlier in Ed's career30:05 - Book recommendation: The Human Element Book Recommendation The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas by Loran Nordgren and David Schonthal [Amazon link] Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Brannon Poe and Bailey Ball, Chief Growth Officer at Poe Group Advisors, sit down to talk through the questions coming up most often on sales calls with accounting firm owners right now. Bailey brings a recent listing to life: a CPA firm with a large individual tax practice went to market with updated cash flow numbers, drew a wave of private equity interest, and saw its valuation move from the original asking range to double. The buyers driving that competition had access to AI tools that automate simple tax returns, which meant higher margins on the acquired practice and more room to pay for it. That story sets up a broader conversation about how AI is changing practice management across the accounting profession. Brannon explains why the first CPA firms to adopt these tools are seeing an outsized advantage in valuations, much like early adopters of any new technology, and why the shift from compliance work to advisory and reliance is becoming less optional for public accounting firms as automation takes on more of the routine work. Bailey adds that AI already has practical uses for accounting firm owners beyond tax prep, from workflow automation to sourcing niche buyers for specialized practices. From there, the two turn to what actually drives owner cash flow in a CPA firm, a core factor in accounting practice valuation. Brannon breaks it down to three categories: client selection, pricing strategy, and team culture. He shares an example of two firm owners who essentially swapped profitability levels after taking over each other's practices, proof that cash flow in an accounting practice has more to do with management than with the business itself. The conversation closes on fit: how buyers read culture and energy in early meetings, and why sellers who focus on finding the right match, not just the highest offer, tend to land better outcomes when they sell their CPA firm. The Conversation Covers: How one CPA firm's valuation doubled after updated cash flow numbers sparked a private equity bidding warWhy early AI adopters in the accounting profession are seeing outsized profit margins right nowHow the shift from compliance to reliance is becoming necessary for public accounting firms as AI takes on simple returnsWhy client selection, pricing strategy, and team culture are the three biggest drivers of owner cash flow in a CPA firmHow buyers evaluate accounting firm culture and fit through seller energy in early meetingsWhy aligning on fit before price tends to produce better financial outcomes when selling an accounting practiceWhether the conversation turns to AI, cash flow, or culture, the same idea keeps surfacing for accounting firm owners: the numbers on a firm's books only tell part of the story. How an owner manages the practice, and how well a buyer and seller actually fit, shape the outcome of a CPA firm sale as much as any valuation model can. This Episode Is For: CPA firm owners curious about how AI is actually influencing what buyers are willing to pay for an accounting practice, practitioners wondering how much of their firm's profitability comes down to management style versus the business itself, accounting firm owners ready to think beyond price and start evaluating fit when it comes time to sell, and leaders exploring how to build a culture and hiring process that gives their CPA firm a competitive edge in practice management. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Welcome and introducing Bailey Ball, Chief Growth Officer at Poe Group Advisors01:30 - How AI is affecting CPA firm valuations03:00 - The tax practice listing that doubled in value through a bidding war06:15 - Why private equity buyers with AI tax tools paid a premium08:00 - The shift from compliance to reliance in the accounting profession10:15 - Practical AI workflow uses in accounting practice management and M&A12:00 - Why profitability still matters even with low owner hours14:00 - How AI tools can create time back for CPA firm owners15:30 - Why cash flow is more malleable than most firm owners think18:00 - The three biggest drivers of owner cash flow21:00 - Why hiring remains the hardest part of building a CPA firm team23:00 - How a strong culture protects a firm through a bad hire25:00 - What buyers actually look for in team and culture27:30 - Why seller energy and mindset shape buyer perception early on29:30 - The speed dating approach to matching CPA firm buyers and sellers31:30 - Why fit matters more than price in a hot accounting M&A market Book Recommendations London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe [https://www.amazon.com/London-Falling-Mysterious-Gilded-Familys/dp/0385548532]   The Unplugged Vacation by Brannon Poe [https://poegroupadvisors.com/unplugged/]  Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Private equity has pushed CPA firm valuations higher than anyone expected, and Brannon Poe says the accounting profession still has significant runway left. In this solo episode, Brannon steps away from the usual guest format to share a market update: where private equity stands in accounting M&A, how AI is reshaping which practices are in demand, and what firm owners should understand about valuation before they consider a sale. Brannon walks through why the accounting industry remains more fragmented than sectors like veterinary, dental, and healthcare, and why that suggests more consolidation is ahead. He explains a shift in buyer demand: as AI absorbs more of the simpler, transactional work, both advisory practices and straightforward individual tax practices are seeing strong interest, while service mixes that once felt safe are being reevaluated. He also addresses the questions he hears most often. Has private equity permanently changed the profession? Is there a bubble forming? Which firms are not a good fit for a PE sale? Brannon offers grounded, experience-based answers to each, drawing on Poe Group Advisors' work selling CPA firms since 2003. The conversation moves into what actually makes a transition successful. Brannon argues that fit, cultural alignment, shared vision, and compatible management styles matter more than most sellers expect, and that talking with a wide pool of potential buyers before committing to one leads to better outcomes on both price and terms. He closes with a look at the fundamentals of valuation, why virtual and metro-area firms tend to draw stronger multiples, and why terms often matter more than the headline number. The Conversation Covers: How AI is shifting buyer demand toward advisory work and away from simpler compliance servicesWhy the accounting industry still has more consolidation ahead compared to other PE-driven verticalsHow to know if your firm is a good fit for a Private Equity sale versus a traditional buyerWhy talking with more potential buyers before granting exclusivity leads to a better outcomeHow location and virtual operations expand your buyer pool and strengthen your valuationWhy the multiple you see in a headline deal rarely tells the full storyThis episode is for firm owners curious about how private equity is changing the accounting profession, practitioners wondering how AI will affect the value of their practice, and anyone exploring a future sale who wants to understand what actually drives valuation. Timestamps:  00:45 - Why this episode is a solo market update instead of a guest interview02:10 - The state of the CPA firm M&A market in August 202603:40 - Why Accounting Practice valuations keep climbing past projections05:15 - How the accounting industry compares to more consolidated verticals like veterinary and dental07:00 - Why AI is shifting demand toward advisory and Tax Practice work09:20 - Whether Private Equity has permanently changed the Accounting Firm Owner landscape11:45 - Is there a bubble in Accounting Practice valuations13:30 - Which CPA Firms should think twice before selling to Private Equity15:50 - How PE consolidation connects to the Silver Tsunami and Firm Succession18:10 - Why fit matters more than price in a Public Accounting sale20:35 - The hiring-process analogy for finding the right buyer23:00 - A ten-year outlook for the Accounting Practice profession25:20 - Why supply and demand drive CPA Firm valuation27:15 - How location and virtual firms affect your buyer pool29:40 - The most common misconception about Practice Management and firm value31:50 - Why terms matter more than the multiple you see in headlines

Rebekah Brown Olson didn't plan to lead a state CPA society. A single leadership assessment during a firm training session reframed how she saw her own strengths, and thirteen years later she's the CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs, connecting firm leaders across the profession every day. In this conversation, Brannon Poe talks with Rebekah about what's really driving change in accounting right now, and why she believes community, not information, is what separates firms that thrive from firms that struggle. Rebekah shares an encouraging read on the student pipeline, pointing to strong turnout and impressive second-career candidates at a recent University of Maryland accounting graduation event. She also walks through her theory on where private equity is headed: a barbell shaped profession, with large firms formed through consolidation on one end and a new wave of small, independent firms on the other, as CPAs who leave newly acquired environments choose to build something of their own. For firm owners thinking about their own exit, Rebekah's advice centers on two habits: treating strategy as something to revisit constantly rather than a plan that sits on a shelf, and involving the people around you early, since real alignment comes from letting your team weigh in on where the firm is headed. The Conversation Covers: How a leadership assessment redirected Rebekah's entire career pathWhy community may be the biggest differentiator for CPA firms over the next decadeHow private equity could reshape the profession into a barbell-shaped structureWhy small firms are positioned to specialize and move faster than larger competitorsHow involving your team early creates real strategic alignment ahead of a transitionWhy choosing the right private equity partner matters more than the deal itselfRebekah closes with a story from her college years at Ohio State, working as a football field manager during a live scrimmage, that ties back to the same theme running through the whole conversation: what it looks like when a community shows up for someone. This Episode Is For: Firm owners curious about how community and connection shape long-term successLeaders ready to think through a 5 to 10 year exit and succession planPractitioners wondering how private equity might change hiring, retention, and cultureAnyone interested in how small firms can compete through specialization and speedBook Recommendation: The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It by Dr. Kelly McGonigal Amazon linkTimestamps: 00:00 - Brannon Poe intro and podcast welcome 00:14 - Introducing Rebekah Brown Olson, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs 00:57 - How a quarter-life crisis and a leadership assessment changed Rebekah's career path 01:41 - From CPA firm senior to curriculum developer at the Maryland Association of CPAs 03:12 - Working part time, then full time, then becoming CEO three years ago 04:02 - What Brannon and Rebekah share: burning out of public practice and finding a better fit 04:45 - What Rebekah gets to do now: advocate for the profession and connect people across it 05:06 - The big picture view: what the Maryland Association of CPAs CEO is seeing right now 05:31 - Why getting good at change is the most important capability for any accounting firm 06:00 - Why community is the competitive advantage when complexity and change accelerate 06:34 - Why you can't know everything but you can know a lot of people 07:19 - Recruiting new students: are the numbers moving and what kind of students are coming in 08:15 - Why the pipeline alarm is starting to work and what recent graduation events are showing 08:40 - Accounting as a stable major during economic uncertainty 09:07 - What the new wave of accounting students looks like: different backgrounds, strong leaders 09:30 - Retention: are people staying in the profession better than they used to? 10:01 - The historical reality of planned attrition in CPA firm hiring 10:45 - The move from public to private still happens but may be slowing 11:10 - Brannon's theory on PE-driven salary increases and the poaching risk that comes with it 11:37 - Why starting salaries in accounting need to keep rising to compete for talent 12:00 - How private equity is creating a barbell-shaped profession 12:40 - What the disappearance of the midsize CPA firm looks like and why it matters 13:29 - How small firms can win through specialization and speed on technology 14:25 - What Rebekah would tell a CPA firm owner who is 5 to 10 years from an exit 15:17 - Why a 5 to 10 year plan has to be iterative, not static 15:43 - Involving your team in strategy: why it changes buy-in, retention, and execution 16:08 - The Business Learning Institute and working with small to midsize firms on strategy 16:32 - Why the best insight sometimes comes from the person scheduling client appointments 17:53 - Vision casting as a retention tool: why people stay when they know where the firm is going 18:45 - What happens when someone is not bought in: it's okay, not every culture fits every person 18:56 - What Maryland Association of CPAs members are saying about private equity and succession planning 19:25 - The top-level conversation: are we picking the right PE partners? 20:06 - The case for remaining independent and why different firm models are healthy for the profession 20:50 - What non-decision-makers feel about PE: caution, valid concerns, and fear of change 21:17 - Why settling on a PE buyer too soon is one of the biggest risks in a sale process 21:42 - Why every PE firm is different and why comparative analysis matters more than people realize 22:23 - Football story: handing the ball to Troy Smith and getting tackled by Ted Ginn Jr. 25:17 - What the experience after the tackle taught Rebekah about community showing up for people 26:45 - Book recommendation: "The Upside of Stress" by Dr. Kelly McGonigal Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Kristen McGarr has spent over 20 years helping businesses implement CRM systems that actually work. Her core belief is that the future of CRM isn't about more technology, it's about more humanity. For CPA firm owners who have tried a CRM, abandoned it, or never started one at all, that perspective changes the conversation entirely. Kristen is the founder of Adroit Insights and CRM Growth, a growth strategist, fractional chief revenue officer, and CRM implementation specialist. She works across platforms like Zoho, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign, and she is known for making complex systems genuinely approachable. In this conversation, she gets specific about the problems she sees most often in accounting firms: systems that are over-configured, features that never get used, and adoption that stalls because the CRM feels like administrative work rather than a growth tool. The most actionable part of this episode is Kristen's framework for building a pipeline when you have never tracked one before. She calls it the three R's: renewals, referrals, and recent conversations. For renewals, look at one-off projects that could become recurring revenue and clients you haven't heard from yet this year. For referrals, send a simple email during busy season asking for introductions and reviews. For recent conversations, think about who mentioned a challenge you rolled right past without addressing. The irony, as Kristen points out, is that tax season is exactly when firms have the most contact with clients and the most opportunity for all three, even though it feels like the worst possible time. Kristen's approach strips away the complexity that keeps most firms from ever getting real value out of a CRM. Her advice is consistent throughout: start simple, solve for the 90% of problems you actually have, and build a system that can grow with you rather than one you have to replace in a year. This episode is for firm owners curious about what a CRM can actually do for their practice when implemented well, leaders wondering how to maintain business development momentum through busy season, practitioners ready to build a pipeline but unsure where to start, and anyone who has tried a CRM before and walked away frustrated. Timestamps: 00:00 - Brannon Poe intro and podcast welcome 00:14 - Introducing Kristen McGarr, founder of Adroit Insights and CRM Growth 00:57 - Kristen's core belief: the future of CRM is humanity, not more technology 01:17 - Why most CRM implementations fail: adoption and overcomplicated configuration 02:07 - The demo trap: why what you see is rarely the off-the-shelf product 02:47 - Most firms use only 10 to 20% of their CRM's actual functionality 03:03 - Where AI fits into CRM today and why it shouldn't be trusted 100% 03:56 - Signs a CPA firm is ready to scale versus needing to fix its foundation first 04:17 - Why consistency and predictability matter more than fast growth 05:02 - How predictable, even revenue throughout the year affects accounting firm valuation 05:48 - The tax season surge and dip problem and how to create more consistency around it 06:05 - Why business development gets dropped during busy season and how to fix that 06:37 - The growth-ready system: templated outreach that still sounds like you 07:49 - How to automate personalized outreach without doing it manually every time 08:21 - Why spacing out outreach matters more than frequency 08:41 - Turning client education into shareable case study content for prospects 09:17 - The three R's: renewals, referrals, recent conversations 09:36 - Renewals: how to spot recurring revenue opportunities in your existing client base 09:53 - Referrals: why sending referral emails during busy season is low effort, high return 10:26 - Recent conversations: catching the tax planning and advisory needs you rolled past 11:09 - The irony of tax season: it's your busiest time and your biggest pipeline opportunity 11:31 - Why a transactional accounting firm cannot function well without a CRM 11:53 - Kristen's three-part CRM checklist: integrations, reporting, and flexibility 13:06 - Funny story: the vendor lesson that led to building an internal team 14:22 - Why trusting your gut early on a bad vendor fit saves time and money later 14:55 - How building an internal team improved client satisfaction across the firm 15:29 - Why picking technology vendors is especially hard for relationship-focused accountants 15:55 - The value of trusted resources and networks when evaluating new tools 16:11 - Book recommendation: "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss 17:09 - Where to find Kristen: LinkedIn and CRMgrowth.comBook Recommendation:  Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Frank Longobardi started a five-person CPA firm in Hartford, Connecticut on November 1st, 1984, with a first-year revenue goal of $300,000. For the next 23 consecutive years, the firm grew both top and bottom line, every single year. By the time he and his partner decided to merge up, they had built a $14.5 million firm with over 100 people and ten partners. In this conversation, Frank walks through every phase of that journey with the kind of candor that only comes from having lived it. He talks about the early days of working 3,000-plus hours a year, the moment he realized hating to lose a $400 tax return was holding his firm back, and why he told every partner the same thing: it is not your client, it is the firm's client. He also shares his perspective on the partnership model at scale, why private equity entered accounting, and what the profession's talent structure will look like as AI reshapes the work. The conversation covers: How a five-person startup grew for 23 consecutive years without a single down yearWhy hating to lose any client, even a $400 return, was the biggest early mistakeHow to transfer client relationships to the next generation of partners without losing the clientWhy he told every partner "it is not your account, it is the firm's account" and what shifted when they embraced thatHow the CohnReznick mega merger came together and what it took to lead a $430 million combined firmWhy the traditional pyramid staffing model is evolving into a diamond shape as AI changes the workHow private equity entered accounting and what PE firms are actually looking for in acquisitionsFrank's career is a rare example of someone who has seen the profession from every angle: sole proprietor, regional firm leader, mega merger architect, top 25 CEO, and now PE advisor. His perspective on what it takes to build something worth buying, merging, or leading is grounded in 40 years of doing exactly that. This episode is for firm owners curious about what the path from small firm to large firm leadership actually looks like, leaders wondering how to transfer client relationships without losing them, practitioners thinking about whether merging up makes sense for their next chapter, and anyone interested in how private equity is evaluating and reshaping accounting firms from the inside. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Brannon Poe intro and podcast welcome 00:13 - Introducing Frank Longobardi, former CEO of CohnReznick 00:56 - Why Frank chose accounting: a blue-collar family, a high school course, and the University of Connecticut 01:55 - Frank's career path: regional firm, Big Eight, and starting his own firm in 1984 02:42 - The first business plan: $300K goal, five people, $40K salary each 03:02 - 23 consecutive years of top and bottom line growth at Longobardi and Company 03:27 - Merging into J.H. Cohn in 2007 as their entree into Connecticut 04:33 - Running industry groups and earning a board seat at J.H. Cohn 04:46 - The CohnReznick mega merger of 2012: combining a $240M and $190M firm 05:09 - Becoming a $430 million firm and one of the first mega mergers in the profession 05:43 - Running for sole CEO in 2015 and serving a four-year term with mandatory retirement at 65 06:01 - What the CEO years were really like: navigating the compliance-to-advisory shift and people challenges 07:01 - What Frank learned from wearing every hat at a small firm that big firm leaders never experience 07:27 - Strategic planning, partner coaching, and the reality of 1,500 to 1,600 charge hours a year 08:13 - Managing expectations during busy season: communicating with clients and keeping the team motivated 09:13 - The biggest challenges in growing from startup to $14.5 million 10:35 - Client service intensity and keeping good people for the long term as the two main growth drivers 11:07 - Home-grown partners and the value of developing talent from within the CPA firm 11:57 - The biggest mistake: hating to part ways with any client, including a $400 1040 12:13 - What managing at scale taught Frank about the discipline of bringing in the right accounting clients 12:31 - How difficult clients affect team morale and why post-Covid firms have gotten better at weeding them out 13:14 - Why technical CPAs struggle to let go and why letting go is how firms scale 13:46 - How to transfer client relationships to the next generation: patience, coaching, and making it a two-year process 14:42 - Clients belong to the firm, not the partner: why that mindset shift matters for CPA firm succession 15:27 - How Frank developed next-generation leaders by helping them build on their own strengths 16:17 - The partnership model: what works, what does not, and why 270 partners makes decision-making complex 17:26 - Why accounting has become capital-intensive and what that means for the traditional profit distribution model 18:01 - Retaining 5% of revenue inside the firm: why Frank pushed for it and why partners pushed back 18:35 - Why private equity entered accounting: capital needs, governance limitations, and the cost of M&A 19:25 - How accounting firm M&A economics shifted from deferred retirement payments to cash-heavy PE deals 20:05 - The profession is changing faster than ever: AI, private equity, and what that means for CPA firms 20:28 - Frank's post-retirement path: offshoring advisory, private equity diligence, and board seats 21:03 - Working with an offshoring firm post-Covid and watching augmentation services boom, then normalize 22:32 - The build-operate-transfer model for offshore accounting centers in India and South Africa 23:05 - The most critical principle in offshoring: treat the offshore team like any other office 23:40 - Consulting for private equity firms evaluating accounting acquisitions: 8 to 10 diligence projects 24:34 - Board seats at a PE-backed accounting firm in Rochester and a CAS firm in Salt Lake City 25:02 - What Frank has observed about how private equity grows organizations from the inside 25:34 - AI as the biggest trigger for change in the accounting profession over the next 3 to 5 years 26:08 - How AI will affect assurance, tax, advisory, hiring, and training in CPA firms 26:52 - The shift from a pyramid to a diamond: why mid-level technology and analytics talent will matter most 27:32 - Why AI is creating an opportunity to add more value to clients than ever before 28:25 - Accounting enrollment is increasing for the third year in a row: why that matters 28:50 - Starting salaries need to be competitive with private equity and investment banking to attract top talent 29:33 - Book recommendations: "The One Minute Manager" and "Who Moved My Cheese?" and a note on EOS 30:56 - Living your values as a leader: calling people out when they exhibit them, not just stating them 32:06 - Where to connect with Frank: LinkedIn and [email protected] One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson   Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson  Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Brian Gray made partner at a top 100 CPA firm, built a career advising billionaires and high-net-worth families on complex tax strategies, and then realized that none of it had made him any happier. Brian is a tax partner, award-winning CPA, frequent speaker at the USC Tax Institute, and the author of Suck Less, Laugh More. He has had a front-row seat to some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and noticed a pattern: about 10% of them get the balance right and 90% are still searching. By his early forties, he recognized himself in that pattern. He was helping clients structure their legacies while his own family life was strained, and he had been telling himself that family came first when his actions said otherwise. This conversation goes deeper than practice management. Brian shares the specific moment that shifted everything, the exercises he used to identify the beliefs running in the background, and how he rebuilt his personal values, his family values, and eventually his firm's values from the ground up. His firm's core value landed on caring, and he and his business partner made the financial commitments to back it up, hiring for capacity and reinvesting in their team even when it meant reducing the bottom line. The conversation covers: Why making partner didn't change anything and how that realization set off a deeper searchHow having a front-row seat to entrepreneurial clients revealed the pattern: financial success rarely equals fulfillmentWhy telling yourself family comes first when your actions say otherwise keeps you stuckHow writing down seven days of negative and positive emotions reveals the patterns running in the backgroundWhy he moved "success" from his number one value to number six and replaced it with loveHow his firm landed on caring as its core value and then made the hiring decisions to actually live itThe warrior and the wizard framework: why achieving eventually needs to give way to mastering your emotionsTIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Brannon Poe intro and podcast welcome 00:13 - Introducing Brian Gray: tax partner, speaker, author of "Suck Less, Laugh More" 00:48 - The gap between financial success and fulfillment: what Brian observed in wealthy clients 01:39 - Asking the question: when is enough, enough? 02:05 - Making partner and realizing it did not solve anything 03:07 - The Olympic gold medal pattern: achieving the goal and wondering what it was all for 03:32 - What the astronauts who went to the moon felt when they came back 04:02 - How alcohol became a way to numb the gap between achievement and meaning 04:51 - What it looks like when high-achieving CPA clients are financially successful but not fulfilled 05:10 - Growing as a way to become more, not just accumulate more 06:12 - The midlife reset: when it arrives, how long it lasts, and what kind of clarity it takes 06:51 - Helping clients structure their legacies while his own life needed restructuring 07:17 - The specific moment of clarity: "my family deserves better than I'm being" 08:21 - Being honest about what really came first: business or family 09:03 - The lies high achievers tell themselves and how the ego protects against discomfort 09:49 - Humility and gratitude as the antidote to self-deception 10:13 - How a core belief like "success equals happiness" gets installed and how to question it 10:55 - Shifting the number one core value from success to love, and what changed 11:17 - The seven-day emotion-tracking exercise from "Suck Less, Laugh More" 11:58 - What the exercise reveals about the emotional patterns running in the background 12:22 - The warrior and the wizard: why the achiever eventually gets tired 12:45 - Why high achievers are especially at risk of the burnout that comes from the warrior pattern 13:07 - Tony Robbins on emotion: you have already felt what you are chasing 13:26 - Why the satisfaction from external achievements lasts days, not months 14:04 - Stated values vs. lived values: how Brian approached this for himself, his family, and his firm 14:39 - Writing down eight family values with his kids in middle school 15:29 - How the firm's leadership team landed on "caring" as the number one company value 16:08 - What it actually means to live the value of caring: hiring for capacity and investing in the team 16:27 - Hiring and client decisions driven by values, not just targets 17:07 - Funny story: parenting teenagers and the wisdom of just saying yes 18:15 - Book recommendation: "Suck Less, Laugh More" by Brian Gray 18:42 - Additional recommendation: "Die with Zero" by Bill Perkins 19:03 - Where to connect with Brian: LinkedInBook Recommendations: Suck Less, Laugh More by Brian Gray  Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins

Meghan Hickman has spent over three years as our EOS implementer at Poe Group Advisors, and this conversation is one we have been looking forward to sharing. Meghan works with entrepreneurial leadership teams to help them build structure, create accountability, and scale with intention. She has helped over 40 organizations do exactly that, including ours. The conversation covers: How a career in politics taught Meghan to recognize when your work is bringing out the worst in youWhy the "right person, right seat" framework gives leaders language for decisions they already sense but can't articulateHow the Accountability Chart reveals the structure a firm actually needs vs. the one it has outgrownWhy the Vision Traction Organizer works where traditional strategic plans fail, because it evolves every 90 daysHow to distinguish between head signals and heart signals when deciding whether to restructure or exitWhy the companies that scale fastest are the ones willing to run toward hard problems and simplify relentlesslyHow vulnerability-based trust separates teams that break through from teams that stay stuckTimestamps: 00:36 - Meghan's background: from US Senate press secretary to entrepreneur 01:26 - How a copy of "Traction" in 2014 changed the direction of Meghan's career  01:52 - Growing an EOS company by 62% in five years and launching her own practice  03:12 - Starting in the least entrepreneurial environment possible: bureaucracy vs. the private sector  04:43 - The moment Meghan knew it was time to leave: the night Osama bin Laden was captured  06:09 - Sending out resumes at 1:00 in the morning and the one that changed everything  07:48 - Effective self vs. destructive self activity: the exercise that explained everything  09:28 - What working in the private sector revealed about her unique abilities  11:14 - Core value alignment: using values to attract the right people like a magnet  13:04 - Why the press secretary seat was the wrong one and what EOS language helped her understand  15:21 - Burnout vs. readiness to sell: how to tell the difference  17:04 - Head signals: the business is running you, things feel harder than they should  19:14 - The prescription for heart signals: a leap, whether that is a transition, a sale, or a new chapter  22:02 - Meghan's own red flags: road rage, everyone seems difficult, an unmade bed  25:37 - What the Accountability Chart actually does and why it matters past five or ten employees  28:08 - The value of an outside perspective: seeing the game when you cannot see it from the field  30:22 - The Vision Traction Organizer: a two-page strategic plan that actually gets used  33:17 - How your ideal clients evolve as your firm evolves, and why revisiting matters every 90 days  37:20 - Why firms that obsess over simplification and say no more than yes scale the fastest  40:05 - Meghan's memorable career story: getting her senator to the Today show in the nick of time  45:06 - There is no learning in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the learning zone  45:48 - Book recommendations: "Traction," The Five Minute Journal, and "The Gifts of Imperfection." 📚 Book Recommendations: 📚 Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman [https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837]The Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change [https://www.amazon.com/Five-Minute-Journal-Happier-Minutes/dp/0991846206]The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown [https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Imperfection-Think-Supposed-Embrace/dp/159285849X]Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Joe Woodard has trained over 150,000 accounting professionals and spent his career studying what separates firms that grow from firms that stay stuck. His answer? It almost always starts with pricing. In this conversation, Joe walks through the Woodard Ideal Practice Model, which focuses on seven key areas of operational excellence: brand, services, clients, technology, process, engagements, and team. But the most actionable insight he shares is simpler than a seven-part framework. He says the very first lever any firm should pull is pricing, and he lays out a specific strategy for doing it. Double the price on your bottom 20% of clients. If half of them stay, you have the same revenue. If all of them leave, you get the capacity back. Either way, you win. Joe also shares a measured perspective on AI adoption, noting that mass adoption in accounting is still 12 to 18 months away and that the best thing practitioners can do right now is learn directly from the developers of the platforms they already use. This episode is for firm owners curious about how to create capacity without hiring, practitioners ready to revisit their pricing strategy before the next busy season, leaders wondering where to start with advisory services, and anyone interested in a practical framework for building a more valuable practice. Timestamps 00:14 - Introducing Joe Woodard: founder of Woodard, host of Scaling New Heights  02:03 - How Joe's practice led to Scaling New Heights and a coaching and consulting division  04:01 - The shift from compliance to advisory: what is holding CPA firms back  06:01 - Skill set and mindset working together: cash flow projections, dashboards, and KPIs  07:16 - The downward spiral: too busy to invest in new skills, team pressure, and turnover  09:18 - Applying the Pareto Principle to your CPA firm client base  10:42 - How to move methodically through the full client base after creating capacity  12:19 - How pricing improvements affect CPA firm valuation: revenue per FTE and clients per million  13:33 - Why the mindset block comes back around when targeting larger advisory clients  16:34 - How to reinvent your service structure instead of just improving the existing one  19:05 - Why most accounting firms are under-contracted and what to do about it  20:13 - AI adoption in accounting: where the profession is now and how fast it is moving  22:30 - Xero, QuickBooks, and Intuit: how AI integrations are already changing daily workflows  24:08 - Joe's story: his daughter, a butterfly named Alicia, and a mockingbird  27:01 - Book recommendation: "A World Without Work" by Daniel Susskind  29:03 - Where to find Joe Woodard online: woodard.com Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Seven episodes. Dozens of real-world examples. One recurring answer. Brannon Poe and Ian Brennan sit down one more time to close out the Power of Focus series. Throughout this series, the pattern that emerges is hard to ignore: the firms that get results are the ones that get intentional about where they put their energy. This episode is for accounting firm owners who have listened to the series and are ready to identify their first move, practitioners curious about how the 80/20 Principle applies to their client list and services, leaders wondering how to build a team culture that attracts and retains the right people, and CPA firm owners ready to shift from working in the firm to working on it. Timestamps:  01:04 - Welcome to the final episode of the Power of Focus series 02:20 - Ian opens the conversation: recurring themes across the Power of Focus series 03:40 - Why focus is a simple concept with a powerful and consistent payoff 04:40 - Why creating capacity is the essential first step for any CPA firm transformation 05:25 - Where Brannon's focus on focus came from: the 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch 07:06 - Letting go: Greg Toner and Bill and Chris Murphy as standout examples from the series 07:54 - Staffing in a shrinking talent pool: why culture is the most durable retention strategy 08:54 - How client selection and service mix affect team morale and turnover in CPA firms 09:39 - Why sharing a clear vision with your team matters more than most firm owners realize 10:27 - What Brannon has observed about vision when selling accounting firms in the M&A space 12:30 - How a focused vision makes your CPA firm more attractive to job candidates 14:04 - Why being a jack of all trades limits margins and exhausts accounting firm owners 15:57 - Greg Toner's growth model: how knowing the recipe made scaling repeatable 16:21 - Brannon's closing thought: find a mastermind and surround yourself with other firm owners 17:08 - Ian closes the series: seven episodes, real results, an invitation to dive in

A niche accounting firm with 45% cash flow and 1,500 owner hours sold for 5.6 million dollars on 2.6 million in revenue. That is the kind of result possible when a CPA firm owner gets intentional about the factors buyers care about most. In this episode, Brannon Poe sits down with Laurens Ball, a highly accomplished intermediary at Poe Group Advisors, to break down what really drives practice valuations in today's market. This is the latest episode in our Power of Focus series, where we explore how CPA firm owners use focus as a strategic advantage. Laurens brings real-world case studies from the M&A side, showing how niche firms consistently grow faster, charge 20 to 40% higher fees, and attract buyers willing to pay premium prices. From a dental-focused practice generating daily referrals to an agricultural firm that found its perfect buyer by leaning into its specialty, the evidence is clear: focus pays off at the point of sale. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to the Power of Focus series and Accounting Practice Academy  00:25 - Welcoming Laurens Ball, senior intermediary at Poe Group Advisors  01:32 - What is a focused CPA firm? Laurens' definition  02:13 - Why intentionality is the foundation of practice growth  02:37 - Why hesitant-to-niche firm owners are leaving value on the table  03:19 - How niche accounting practices grow faster and charge 20 to 40% higher fees  03:52 - Dental niche example: weekly referrals and consistent growth  04:08 - Professional poker player niche: a memorable and lower-owner-hour firm  05:00 - Why niche firm margins, growth, and owner hours make them desirable at market  05:27 - Cost segregation firm: multiple offers, all-cash close  06:16 - Agricultural firm example: tractor on the website and the right buyer match  07:46 - Current state of the CPA firm M&A market in spring 2026  08:09 - When strong firms can see 7X EBITDA and what it takes to get there  09:03 - Niche firm sold at 5.6X: what the numbers looked like  09:41 - What buyers are really evaluating: cash flow, team strength, growth prospects  10:43 - How de-risking your accounting firm opens up more buyers and better terms  11:48 - Why the team is becoming the most important factor for roll-up buyers  11:48 - The "90-day question": what falls apart first if the owner steps away  12:08 - How to analyze your CPA firm client list for quality, fit, and pricing  12:31 - Seller case study: raising fees from $360 toward $700, keeping 98% of clients  14:08 - Across-the-board 20% price increase: 2,000 returns, five clients left  14:49 - CPAs have more pricing power than ever, with some firms at $2,000 per 1040  16:32 - How owner dependence affects buyer interest and sale terms  18:35 - Success story: owner reduced hours by 500 while keeping EBITDA steady  19:26 - Top advice for accounting firm owners who are 3 to 5 years from a sale  20:31 - How six months to a year of changes can mean $1 million more in valuation  21:02 - Why team health is the longest-lead and highest-impact strategy before a sale  22:33 - Why owner-centric practitioners are hardest to get to stop and look at the firm Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template

Ric Payne has been thinking about how accountants build better practices for decades. If you have been in the industry for a while, you likely know about Ric Payne.  He co-founded Results Accounting Systems in 1992, ran the Accountants Boot Camp across multiple continents, and worked with thousands of firms around the world.  His conclusion? High-performing firms are selective about who they work with.  The conversation also features Ian Brennan, director of Accounting Practice Academy (APA), a PGA workshop. Ian and Ric discuss how intentional client selection is foundational to everything else a firm tries to do; from pricing and marketing to advisory services and succession planning.  This episode is for firm owners curious about how strategic client selection creates pricing power and referral momentum, practitioners ready to build a client base that supports an advisory practice, CPA firm leaders wondering how to increase net profit without simply chasing more revenue, and accountants who want to build a practice they are genuinely excited to show up for. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction to The Accountant's Flight Plan podcast and guests 3:11 - Overview of the episode: client selection and Ric's white paper 6:42 - Why having no client criteria means having no strategy 7:33 - Steve Jobs on what not to do: the decision framework that changed Ric's approach 9:01 - The four growth profiles: fast-start satisfier, opportunistic harvester, & the patient builder 15:15 - The founder's gap vs. the Midas gap: two very different CPA firm outcomes 19:07 - Baker's Law: bad clients drive out good clients 20:54 - Why partners with lower utilization often have the highest net profit per partner 23:18 - Systems theory: your CPA firm is perfectly designed for the results it gets 26:58 - John Wooden's definition of success and why it applies to accounting firm owners 32:53 - Case study: UK accounting firm replaces ten 1,000-pound clients with one 10,000-pound client 37:01 - Dealing with imposter syndrome when stepping into an advisory role 41:11 - The 11 client selection criteria: the full walkthrough begins 57:05 - Roger Martin's Playing to Win [https://www.amazon.com/dp/142218739X ]and how it applies to accounting practice management 1:00:44 - Brannon on how the criteria tie back to personality, results, and client experience 1:05:46 - APA lesson: You cannot market your accounting firm if you don't know who your clients are 1:08:13 - How to find Ric Payne and access the client selection white paper Download Now: https://poegroupadvisors.com/accounting-practice-academy/increase-letter/ Price increases are nothing to fear. The real challenge is effectively informing clients of these changes. Our templates will help you demonstrate your value and help clients understand the increases necessary to keep your firm afloat. *Download now and receive:* - (1) Major Fee Increase Letter Template - (1) 20% Fee Increase Letter Template