The Nexus of Creativity and Entrepreneurship - Scott Scarano

Unexpected connections exist all around us; we just have to be open to them. One such connection that many listeners may find surprising is the link between music and accounting. Our guest today, Scott Scarano, has always had a passion for both these disciplines. He describes accounting as the language of business and music as the language of life. Scott is the owner of a thriving accounting firm, a podcaster, and the custodian of Accounting High, an online resource that is helping to modernize the accounting profession and make it more accessible for everyone. While many people view accountants as lacking creativity, Scott, aka The Rapping CPA, is here to insist otherwise. In today’s conversation with Scott, we delve into One CPA’s Journey: The Nexus of Creativity and Entrepreneurship. 

Our discussion includes the nature of creativity, how repetition helps us grow, and what it means to be open to recognizing new and unexpected connections. Scott talks with us about how his grandfather inspired him to pursue accounting, what it was like to build his CPA firm, and how he made the transition from being an operator in his business to a high-level visionary. We also contemplate the nature of failure before hearing the story of how Scott started writing highly detailed and entertaining rap parodies. Scott closes off today's episode with a rendition of his riveting Superapp rap, which is based on Eminem’s Superman (and written for Expensify), and shares the response he got from Expensify CEO David Barrett when he had him as a guest on his podcast.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A story from Scott illustrating the power of being open to connection.
• Scott’s lifelong dream of being an actor, rapper, entertainer, and accountant.
• The connection between performance, music, and accounting.
• Scott’s history selling drugs and what it taught him about business.
• An overview of Scott’s career as an accountant and how he grew his CPA firm.
• How to go from being an operator to a high-level visionary in your business.
• Scott’s reflections on starting a podcast and what he’s learned from it.
• The Dunning-Kruger effect and the experience of repetition, change, and growth over time.
• What Scott has learned about creativity and his own desire to form new connections.
• Why every failure is an opportunity to learn, even if it’s painful.
• How Scott realized his dream of becoming a rapper.
• What Scott learned from writing rap parody songs.
• The story of how Scott wrote an Eminem rap parody for Expensify.
• Scott’s parody version of Eminem’s Superman, Superapp!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Scott Scarano on LinkedIn
Scott Scarano on Twitter
Accounting High
Accounting High on YouTube
Accounting High Podcast
The Dunning-Kruger effect
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
FreshBooks
Expensify
ExpensiCon
David Barrett on LinkedIn
Connection Builders
Alex Drost LinkedIn