CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success

Most accounting firms are burning cash on cold leads and broken outreach funnels, but what if that’s not your real growth problem?

In this episode, I sit down with Kwame Agyei, founder of Appoynt, to reveal what actually scales firm growth: community, relationships, and real conversations. Kwame´s built a global team across Africa and shares how showing up in person has done more for growth than any automation ever could.

We talk abo...

Most firm owners stay stuck under $10K/month because they think “good work” is enough. It’s not.

Cameron Williams got fired while expecting his first child. Since then, he’s built KynLi Consulting, helped clients save $2M+ in taxes, and built a lean CFO firm with a 7-person team.

In this episode, he breaks down the real steps that helped him scale, without relying on referrals, ads, or undercharging. We talk:

• Why bookkeeping alone...

Most accountants are losing business and don’t even realize it.

In this episode, we break down the 3 silent killers that are costing firms revenue, retention, and referrals, starting with outdated pricing models and ending with what your clients actually care about (hint: it’s not your reconciliations).

Debra Kilsheimer joins to share what actually drives client loyalty, why she ditched hourly billing decades ago, and how she built h...

You’re not invisible. You’re just not on Google.

In this special workshop episode, you'll learn the exact strategy that's generated:

• $125K of new revenue in 49 days (Shaun)
• 113 inbound calls in 16 days (Shalini)
• $83K in five months (Justin)

If you’re tired of referrals drying up or watching competitors win business that should be yours, this is your blueprint.

You’ll learn:

• How to rank at the top of Google Maps
• Why m...

Most accountants aren't losing to AI, they're losing to their own bad systems.

In this episode, we sit down with Justin White, founder of JBookkeeping and a former trades business owner who’s now built a fast-growing remote firm on precision, responsiveness, and no-BS service.

He shares:

• What actually builds trust and wins clients in 2025
• Why most firms lose money before they even pick up the phone
• The questions that close...

Lost your office, denied by FEMA, and broke? Here’s how Brandon Adjei bounced back and saved his clients over $3 million in the process.

In this episode, Brandon shares how Hurricane Harvey nearly wiped out his firm and how pro bono work with the IRS transformed his business forever.

What we cover:
 • How one client’s $1.3M IRS bill became just $150K
 • The planning mistake that cost another family $300K
 • What entrepren...

You’ve done the work. You’ve climbed the ladder. So why does the CFO title still feel out of reach?

Kevin Appleby, COO of GrowCFO and mentor to hundreds of finance leaders, reveals:

• The 3 invisible blockers keeping smart finance pros from stepping up
• Why “imposter syndrome” shows up right after your promotion
• What most people get completely wrong about becoming CFO
• The mindset shift that separa...

“Are you a real  CFO?”

That’s the question clients are now asking,  because not all “fractional CFOs” are created equal.

In this episode, Brett Frevert (Founder of CFO Systems, Inc. and 9-time Inc. 5000 awardee) breaks down:

• Why “bookkeeper to CFO in 90 days” is hurting the industry
• The 4 levels of business conversations and why most pros are stuck at level one
• Why your newsletter ...

$40,000,000. That’s how much Dan Lake’s clients have saved on taxes and most people have never even heard of the strategy.

In this episode, Dan reveals how he helps CPAs and high-net-worth individuals shrink tax bills using solar tax equity deals most pros overlook.

You’ll learn:

• Why mortgages are one of the worst financial tools
 • How W-2 earners can legally offset massive tax burdens
 • The strategy that turned a $2M tax ...

She sold her firm for 7 figures with just 56 clients. Here's how she did it.

Jackie Meyer, CPA, founder of TaxPlanIQ and leader of the proactive accounting movement, is done watching firms burn out and undercharge.

In this episode, she breaks down:

• The ROI method that turns tax advice into a 5-figure service
 • How to quote tax planning with confidence (even if you hate sales)
 • What’s killing firms from the inside and...

He scheduled his wedding around payroll. That’s when he knew something had to change.

Jaime Rodriguez, CEO of Bookkeepers.com, has helped over 17,000 students turn their skill into a scalable business. In this episode, he shares the real lessons that most freelancers and early-stage business owners miss:

• The two personality types that sabotage their own growth
 • The SOP mistake that stalled his own firm
 • Why most freelan...

AI isn’t coming for accounting, it’s already here. And it’s quietly rewriting who wins and who falls behind.

In this episode, Daniel Moshe, CEO of TechGuru, breaks down how smart firms are already using AI, cybersecurity, and modern tech stacks to:

• Attract better-fit clients (and actually land them)
 • Add capacity without burning out staff
 • Win more proposals by proving security and compliance
 • Automate the admin, ...

Working 7 days a week. No vacations. $36K a year. Then a CFO stepped in and changed everything.

In this episode, Daniel Dickeson, founder of Atlas CFO Solutions, breaks down how he turned a struggling salon into a 6-figure business without scaling chaos or hustle culture.

You’ll learn:

• Why cash flow beats profit, every time
• How to spot silent killers in your pricing and expenses
• The shift from financial chaos to true clarity
• How foun...

Scaling doesn’t kill companies, confusion does. And most founders are flying blind.

In this episode, Jack Weinstein, fractional CFO and former Fox exec, shares what he’s learned advising 50+ entrepreneurs, from zero to $25M in revenue:

• The hiring trap that derails scaling teams
 • What financial firepower really means (and why most businesses don’t have it)
 • The difference between a controller and a real CFO
 • Why gr...

Losing one hire can cost you 4+ months of productivity and most founders never see it coming.

In this episode, Rhamy Alejeal, CEO of People Processes, breaks down the blind spots killing your team's efficiency and what elite companies do differently:

• Why your onboarding is leaking revenue
 • The math behind a single bad offboarding
 • How to design people processes that scale without drama
 • Why "employee exp...

You're making money. So why are you always chasing cash?

Mike Milan aka Cash Flow Mike has built 14 businesses and now teaches accountants and business owners how to stay cash-rich and debt-free.

In this episode:
 • Why 90% of businesses don't have 3 months of cash on hand
 • How growing fast nearly bankrupted him
 • The money rule that separates the broke from the stable
 • The single shift that helps accou...

Most firms wait to adapt, Gary DeHart built a media empire by doing the opposite.

As the publisher of Insightful Accountant and founder of the Top 100 ProAdvisor Awards, Gary shares:

• What 10+ years of ProAdvisor data reveals about firm success
• How small firms can punch above their weight at industry events
• Why AI is not optional (and where to start if you’re behind)
• Leadership lessons from military training that apply to accou...

Losing $100K/month and didn’t know it.
Until Sonny Grappone showed up.

In this episode, the founder of Precision Accounting & Consulting breaks down the real reason most businesses stall financially (hint: it’s not marketing or sales).

🎧 What you’ll learn:

• The $500K payroll spike a client missed
• Why 75% of contractors can’t track profit per job
• The #1 red flag Sonny sees on balance sheets
• How he used ERC to build a 7-figure...

If your team disappeared tomorrow, would your business survive?

 Most founders build fast, but not to last. Sharrin Fuller, founder of Glass Wallet Ventures, joins CFO Chronicles to share why even successful businesses stall (or collapse) when leadership ignores the endgame.

Inside this episode:
 • How Sharrin rebuilt everything after firing 10+ team members
 • Why documentation, not hustle, determines whether you scale<...