Welcome to the CPA Life Podcast

The Public Accounting, Consulting and Advisory space is at a critical crossroad.

After almost 150 years of “we’ve always done it that way” reasoning, the industry is facing a crisis like it has never faced.

Between a significant reduction in accounting graduates in the last decade, a firm ownership population that is at or fast-approaching retirement age, a 150-hour requirement to sit for the exam which can add several thousand dollars to an already large debt-load a graduate starts their career with - add to that the work hours expectations placed on employees by most large, national firms vs. adjacent industries offering more compensation, and it’s clear to see changes are a must!

Join us here as we talk to industry insiders and firm leaders that are going against the grain and addressing many of these challenges head on while building forward-thinking, solutions-focused firms.

Like many of you, these firm leaders made the statement that most staff and senior associates have made over a beer or glass of wine after pulling an end-of-season all-nighter - “There’s Got To Be A Better Way!”

The difference?

These folks stepped out to find that BETTER WAY.

Our Latest episodeS

Building a Remote Accounting Firm from the Ground Up with Zane Stevens

Zane Stevens co-founded Protea Financial, an accounting firm focused on the wine industry, and it was remote from the beginning. He talks to John Randolph on Episode 18 of CPA Life about how this allowed him to treat employees like adults and provide flexibility in their roles. He also emphasizes the benefits of niche focus, arguing that firms that try to be everything to everyone often underdeliver. Zane notes that communication is often the biggest challenge for remote teams, requiring purposeful structures and frequent adjustments. Still, he finds that remote work allows for more precise, focused conversations and improved productivity.

From Startup to Scale-Up: Achieving Sustainable Growth with Shannon Badger

Shannon Badger, co-founder of Badger CPA, joins John Randolph on Episode 17 of CPA Life. A fast-growing accounting firm founded in 2015, Badger has been recognized as one of the best firms to work for by Accounting Today and as one of the fastest growing businesses by Inc. Shannon discusses how they have achieved this rapid growth while prioritizing people over profits. They started small and built up gradually, emphasizing the importance of fixed fee pricing, managing workloads down to a 2,200 hour work year, hiring remote talent, and setting boundaries with clients to create a sustainable work environment for their employees.

The Struggle to Attract and Retain Top Talent with Paul Scholz

O&S CPAs continues to build on a quarter-century legacy to create a culture that has allowed them to be recognized as a Best Firm to Work For on a national, regional and local basis. Their outside-the-box thinking has allowed them to continue to grow - and sustain that growth - with very little turnover and a firm culture that embraces employee individuality.

Paul Scholz talks about how they have evolved into a stronger employee-centric firm that embraces remote, hybrid or in-office work situations; an understanding that each employee is walking a different path in life and while some may be able to put in 60 hours during busy season, others are lucky to put in 40 - and that’s perfectly fine. Paul proves that the ability to ditch a “we’ve always done it that way” mindset is c