Not Being An 'Order Taker' and Ditching $250/$300 Clients w/ Shannon Weinstein
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
Release Date: 01/09/2025
The Billion Dollar Accounting CEO w/ Alan Whitman
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast, host David Cristello welcomes Alan Whitman, the former CEO and chairman of Baker Tilly. Alan shares his remarkable journey of transforming Baker Tilly from a $475 million firm to a $1.5 billion powerhouse. Throughout the conversation, Alan describes how businesses can thrive – largely by prioritizing strategy over aimless “accumulation.” Alan Whitman is a seasoned leader in the accounting and advisory industry, known for his transformative role as the former CEO and Chairman of Baker Tilly. As leader, he successfully scaled the...
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How to Stay Focused and Become a 'Smarter Accountant' w/ Dawn Goldberg
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast, David Cristello welcomes , a seasoned CPA and a Certified Professional Coach. Dawn shares her incredible story of maintaining her productivity even after a stage four cancer diagnosis forced her to undergo six months of chemotherapy. To accomplish this, Dawn maintained some key practices – including mind management, time management, and a scheduling trick she calls “container calendaring.” She explains all of these strategies here. Throughout the conversation, Dawn highlights the significance of mindset in overcoming obstacles and...
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The Right Way to Plan Accounting Compensation w/Dominic Piscopo
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of the Growing Your Firm Podcast, host Dave Cristello welcomes , the founder of Big 4 Transparency. An expert in salary benchmarking within the accounting industry, Dominic shares insights into compensation strategies, year-over-year changes, and the impact of private equity (PE) on salaries. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of compensation in accounting firms. Dominic Piscopo, CPA is known as a compensation guru in the accounting industry. After years of working as an accountant and financial analyst, he founded – which has served hundreds of...
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The Current State of Accounting Firm M&A W/Todd Steinberg
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast, host David Cristello welcomes Todd Steinberg, founder and managing partner of Thrive Financial Group. David and Todd dive into the evolving landscape of accounting firm mergers and acquisitions (M&A), particularly the increasing role of private equity (PE) firms as buyers. They discuss key acquisition drivers such as human capital, geographic expansion, and cross-selling opportunities. Todd also breaks down deal structures, explaining the rise of rollover equity and earnouts, and how these vary by buyer type. Additionally, he shares...
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The Zero Cost Accounting Client Acquisition Method w/Alyssa J. Dillon
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello welcomes , a fellow entrepreneur who shares her inspiring journey of starting her own business. The conversation kicks off with Alyssa recounting the pivotal moment when she decided to quit her job and explore the possibility of working for herself after receiving a side accounting request. As they dive deeper, Alyssa and David discuss the essential elements of building a successful firm, including the importance of marketing and sales processes. Listeners can expect insights into quickly gaining traction, making...
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Launching an Accounting Firm While Battling Cancer w/Kelly Mann
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello welcomes , co-founder and CEO of . Kelly shares her journey of launching her own CPA firm, a decision that surprised her given her background in audit and the male-dominated landscape of firm ownership. She discusses the challenges of changing firm culture and her desire to build a business that aligns with her authentic self. The conversation delves into her experiences in the accounting profession, the shift to entrepreneurship, and her focus on 401k solutions. Tune in to explore Kelly's insights on starting a firm,...
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What This Owner Learned After 10+ Acquisitions and Divestitures w/Marcus Dillon, CPA
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of The Growing Firm Podcast, host David Cristello welcomes Marcus Dillon, president of . The conversation delves into Marcus's journey of acquiring a book of business valued at $400k and the evolution of his firm over the past 13 years. Marcus shares valuable insights on client acquisition, pricing strategies, and the importance of maintaining consistency during the first year of acquiring new practices. The episode also explores the challenges and hard decisions he faced, including experimenting with service offerings like bookkeeping and payroll. Listeners will...
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How to Raise Rates on Current Clients w/Loren Fogelman
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello welcomes back returning guest , a sports psychologist turned business coach specializing in helping accounting professionals. Loren shares her insights on a crucial yet often overlooked topic: raising fees for existing clients. She emphasizes the importance of understanding client hesitations, particularly when they respond with, "I'll think about it," suggesting that this often indicates unasked questions or a lack of perceived value. David and Loren explore strategies to approach these conversations with curiosity and...
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Building a $500K Lifestyle Accounting Firm in Under 24 months w/Michael Meihaus, CPA
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello speaks with , the owner of , who transitioned from a decade in public accounting to launching his own firm focused exclusively on retirement plan audits. Michael shares his journey of self-discovery, including a pivotal conversation that prompted him to leave his job and pursue his passion. The discussion touches on the importance of designing a firm that aligns with one’s lifestyle and the concept of "choosing easy mode" in the accounting profession. Listeners will gain insights into creating a unique firm...
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Is This the Most Profitable Accounting Firm? w/ Jesse & Tom from FinOptimal
Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals
In this episode of the Growing Your Firm podcast, host David Cristello welcomes Jesse and Tom from , a company that uniquely combines accounting services with innovative QuickBooks applications designed specifically for accountants. The conversation delves into their dual business model, exploring how they balance service and product development in the competitive accounting landscape. Jesse and Tom share insights into their journey in building accounting software, the challenges they face, and their vision for the future of their company. Tune in to discover how FinOptimal is...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Grow Your Firm Podcast, host David Cristello welcomes Shannon Weinstein, the CFO for small businesses transitioning from seven to eight figures and President of Keep What You Earn.
Shannon shares her unique approach to hiring, emphasizing the importance of crafting compelling job descriptions that sell the company to prospective candidates. With over 120 applicants for her last two job openings, she highlights the need to view recruitment from a sales perspective.
Throughout the conversation, Shannon discusses her firm’s philosophy on time tracking, stating they do not track time and explaining how this principle has shaped their operations.
Additionally, she reveals her efficient work schedule, averaging 25 to 35 hours per week, and offers insights into building a successful CFO practice. Tune in for valuable tips on hiring, firm management, and achieving work-life balance.