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CPA & Consultant for Accounting Firms
Big week. Two events, a few things I shared, and one coming July 29.
Happy Frye-Day.
Big week. I moderated an AMA with Jason Staats for Canopy on Tuesday, did a LinkedIn Live with Ben Nelson yesterday, and there's one more coming July 29 with Accounting Today. Here's what came up.
Where the room stands
Before we got into questions on Tuesday, we polled the room:
• 51% said they're all in and already testing it.
• 32% are cautiously curious.
• 15% are interested but don't know where to start.
That 15% is the number I keep thinking about.
Not skeptical. Just no clear on-ramp.
Jason Staats has talked to more firm owners than almost anyone in accounting. His read: the conversation has moved. Firms aren't asking whether to use AI.
They're asking "how" specifically, how without adding more chaos to an already stretched operation. What's actually working. What the top-performing firms are doing differently. How to build something that doesn't need you in every seat.
Full replay available: Watch here
Building on your own terms
Yesterday I did a LinkedIn Live with Ben Nelson, the Inked CPA.
Ben built his practice while living abroad, niched into real estate and legal, and did it entirely on his own terms. The session was about what that actually looks like in practice.
The CRM question came up too. Most firms have client relationships scattered across email, calls, and LinkedIn with no single place to track them. The firms starting to wire that together are going to have a real edge in the next few years.
Side note: ChatGPT alone is not enough. Code agents are part of the equation now. Worth knowing where you stand on that.
Full replay available: Watch here
From the feed
Two things I posted this week that are worth a read if you missed them:
CPAs are not the Nike store. Two of my clients this week absorbed extra scope without billing for it. Your mechanic doesn't replace your brakes without telling you first. Getting paid for extra work is not a sales problem. It's a clarity problem. See post
Update your 13-week cash flow forecast. Every week. It is as much of a blind spot for accounting practices as it is for any other business. Also: trademark your name before someone else does. See post
Coming up
Free virtual summit with Accounting Today on Client Accounting Services. I'm joining a panel with Daniel Hood, Deborah Defer, Reyes F. CAS, Miriam Kaplan, Nicole Mitchell, and Kane Polakoff. The topic: how CAS is shifting from compliance toward tech-enabled advisory, and what firms need to do now to be ready.
Free. Virtual. CPE credit. Register here
Helpers worth following
Someone building a genuinely different kind of practice.
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Ben Nelson · The Inked CPABen built his firm while living internationally and niched into real estate and legal. His take on building a practice that actually fits your life, not the other way around, is worth your time. Especially if you're questioning whether the traditional firm model is the only path. |
PS: I'm putting together a short checklist for that. Stay tuned.
Luke
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