March 13, 2025 • 30 mins
Tired of Feeling Like Just Another Number Cruncher?
If you're an accountant or bookkeeper stuck in the compliance grind—undervalued, underpaid, and wondering how to position yourself as a strategic advisor—this episode is your wake-up call.
🎙️ Roger Knecht, President of Universal Accounting Center, breaks down how to transform your bookkeeping or accounting practice into a high-value, profit-driving firm. With over four decades of experience helping professionals escape the transactional trap, Roger reveals the mindset and methods that attract premium clients who actually value your expertise.
✅ You’ll learn:
- Why shifting from task-based work to value-driven strategy changes everything
- The hidden cost of self-doubt—and how to conquer it
- The “Accountrepreneur” mindset that separates thriving firm owners from the rest
- Tina Chandler’s inspiring journey from solo bookkeeper to six-figure success
🎯 Plus, Roger shares his proven 3-part formula for long-term growth:
- Expand your network
- Invest in personal development
- Adopt a CEO-level approach to your firm
📍 Want more? Join Roger and other top industry experts at GrowCon 2025, happening May 5–7 in Utah—a hands-on, no-fluff event built for accounting professionals ready to scale, increase profitability, and finally take control of their future.
Exclusive Listener Discounts:
- Standard Ticket: Use code JD-250
- VIP Ticket: Use code JDVIP-250
- 🔗 Register now : GrowCon 2025
- Learn more : Universal Accounting School – GrowCon 2025
This episode could be the turning point in your career. Tune in now—and take the first step toward building the firm you actually want.
Feeling stuck in your growth? Discover how to elevate your marketing, personal brand, and sales approach to attract clients who value your expertise.
Ready to make a shift?
Book your strategy call today at accountingleadsnow.com
This episode is brought to you by Universal Accounting - the gold standard for accounting professionals who actually want to grow firms, not just do books.
Whether you're solo, scaling, or somewhere in between, their certification programs in bookkeeping, tax, and advisory give you the tools, confidence, and credibility to serve clients at a higher level and build a real business.
Get trained. Get certified. Get growing → universalaccounting.com
Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine?
We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork.
Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to CFO Chronicles the secrets behind
success the go-to podcast forfractional CFOs and accounting
firm owners who want to attractmore high-paying clients and
increase their revenue.
Hosted by James Donovan fromNine Two Media, this podcast
dives into marketing strategiesspecifically designed for lead
(00:22):
generation and clientacquisition.
In each episode, you'll hearfrom industry leaders sharing
their success stories and experttactics to help you sign more
lucrative clients and grow yourbusiness.
Tune in and discover actionableinsights to transform your
marketing efforts and boost yourbottom line to your bottom line
(00:51):
.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Today's guest is someone who's been helping
accounting professionals notjust run their firms, but truly
built them into premier, highvalue businesses.
Roger Connect is the presidentof Universal Accounting Center,
where he equips accountingprofessionals with the
strategies, tools and confidenceto offer value-added services
that go beyond compliance work.
He's also the driving forcebehind Universal Business
Builder, helping business ownersincrease sales, improve profits
(01:13):
and, ultimately, build value totheir business.
Roger, I'm so excited to haveyou on the show.
We've had the chance to worktogether a couple times.
We personally met last year atyour event, growcon in
Jacksonville that's right andwe're going to be meeting up
again in Utah in the spring forGrowCon 2025, which I'm really
(01:34):
looking forward to.
But welcome to the show.
I'm so excited for everyoneelse to hear a little bit about
your story and how you helpaccounting firms.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well, James, first of all, it's a pleasure and thank
you.
And yes, it's always excitingto speak with you.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
So, roger, tell me, how did you get in into this
space?
Like, take me back to beforeuniversal accounting began.
What does that look?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
like yeah, the evolution is very simple.
I was actually working as aheadhunter, a recruiter, so I
was placing individuals that hadsome accounting background
experience in various positionsso it was mid-management,
entry-level management typepositions.
And as I was needing my resourcewhich were the people I found
Universal Accounting Center, andit basically happened out that
the graduates were great peoplefor me to place on assignments.
(02:20):
So as I was taking theseindividuals and putting them
into the clients that I wasworking with, I got wonderful
feedback.
They were very pleased with theskills, the quality, and so I
would go back again and againand get graduates from the
classes and place them onassignment, and I found that
that was not only veryproductive and helpful, but in
the same time I began basicallyfamiliarizing myself more and
(02:42):
more with the school, the adminand who's running the program,
and it was through thatacquaintance that I actually
began doing some consulting workfor Universal Accounting Center
, and so that was basically in1999.
We're going on nearly threedecades now, and so here I am,
back in 1999 doing consultativework, and they offered me a
position to come on full-timeand, through a little bit of
(03:04):
finagling, made that transitionand started working with them
full-time at the turn of thecentury that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I have so many different questions I would ask
in so many different directionsto go into.
Um, let's start with I.
I guess where, where do youguys come in, you and your team?
I know you work with a ton offirms, I think outside the US as
well, but primarily in the US.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yes, mostly the US.
We have some in Canada, but theprincipal is the United States.
But we do have them around theworld.
I mean, everything that we'retalking about here can easily be
applied around the world, butthe lion's share of our
graduates, the students, happento be from the United States.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Okay, perfect.
Well, and you always sayaccounting is universal.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So tell me a little bit about where universal
accounting comes in, or, I guess, when prospects are coming
through the door, looking tospeak with your team.
What is it you guys are helpingthem complete?
What can they expect toaccomplish after working with
you and your team?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Perfect, yeah, what we're basically doing is we're a
post-secondary school foraccounting professionals, so as
a school we're offeringtrainings, programs,
certifications to helpindividuals in their career.
In essence, we can put theminto three groups.
We've got those that are tryingto improve their career from an
employment point of view, sothey want skills for career
advancement.
The second happens to beindividuals that are in the
process of starting abookkeeping, accounting or tax
(04:31):
business.
As they're in that startupphase, there's a number of
things that they're strugglingwith that might be marketing,
selling, pricing.
Just how do they actually gothrough that process of now
moving beyond just those handfulof clients that they might've
gotten originally to nowactually having a business where
they're intentionally going outand marketing and selling their
services and onboarding theseclients?
But then there's a third group.
There's an individual that isbasically established.
(04:53):
They're already running abusiness, they perhaps have
employees, but how do they nowtransition that business to what
I refer to as becoming thepremier accounting firm in their
area?
And that's where we focus onthe three core services of
accounting services, rangingfrom bookkeeping all the way up
to CFO and advisory services,and then, with that, we're
training their staff, we'rehelping them actually grow their
business from a moreintentional perspective, and
(05:14):
what we're hopefully helpingthem do is build an asset that
they can later exit from, selland really experience some
thriving success with.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
There's so much happening there.
It sounds like there's such aheavy lift and so much value
being added to the firms and theclients you're working with.
What stands out as some of themost exciting wins, either since
you've been with UniversalAccounting or even just as of
late?
What are those ones that keepyou excited about doing this
(05:44):
every single day?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Great question.
Yeah, one of the things thatreally gets me excited is I feel
that we're bringing to theaccounting community what I
refer to as a voice.
My whole legacy, if you will,is to actually empower the
accounting professional torealize that it's more than just
the skills, the abilities to,let's say, prepare financial
reports, file tax returns.
It's actually going to thepoint now where you actually
have information that isimpactful, valuable to the
business owners.
And if we can actuallycommunicate to them what the
(06:09):
business is trying tocommunicate through the language
of accounting, so that they canbe empowered to make more
informed business decisions, Ithink we're playing a proper
role then, as an accountingprofession, to help the small
business community.
So if we're in a situation where, as accountants, we just see
we're doing the compliance workyes, we can check off that the
financials have been done, thetax returns have been filed, I
(06:29):
mean that's great that weactually can look at this from a
task perspective, but at theend of the day, what did we do
to further enable the businessto be successful, to be
profitable?
And so that's where I think weget more proactive in our
abilities, that's where, as anaccounting profession, we become
more engaged with our clients,and then that's ultimately where
we make the most money anyway.
So that's what we canultimately do to further retain
our clients and get paid whatwe're worth.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
That's so cool.
It's really making that shiftfrom the person you speak to.
At the end of the year file thetaxes.
It's kind of a business expenseversus.
This is a strategic investmentover the course of the year and
we're going to see massive gainson it.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, you described it very well.
It's the mind shift of thebusiness owner to realize this
isn't this necessary evil to bein business, that it's an
expense, like you said, that Ihave to endure simply because
I'm in business.
No, it's really to say this isan asset, this is a relationship
that I can have with anaccounting professional that can
enable me to be more successful, more profitable, and so they
start to see you as someonethat's essential or integral to
(07:28):
their success.
That's the different type ofrelationship and it's one that
you want to have with yourclients.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
What are some of the most common pains you see, or
struggles or bottlenecks you seeof firms who are coming in?
So we'll put aside maybe the,the employees who are maybe
looking to get into their ownposition, but the firms kind of
in that third group you'respeaking about.
Are there common bottlenecks orstruggles or pains that you see
(08:01):
come through that you're likeyep, we've, we've solved this
before.
We can certainly do it again.
You guys are in the right spot.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And what are those?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
pains and bottlenecks .
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Well, there's actually a few, and I'll just
mention a few here and you cansee which ones you maybe want to
delve into One's self-doubt.
I don't think we reallyappreciate what our worth is and
what we really can do for ourclients.
I think we go in and weunderprice ourselves.
We don't really service ourclients effectively.
We just kind of go into thattask, mindset of it's a
commodity and therefore I'm justgoing to go through it.
So there's some limitingbeliefs, I believe, as to the
(08:29):
value of what our services areand how it can impact our
clients.
The other that I would also addto it is the fact that, with
regards to our services, I thinkwe do a poor job of explaining
exactly what it is we offer.
I think that, as a profession,we struggle to define the
defining difference betweenbookkeeping services, accounting
services, tax preparationservices, tax planning services,
(08:51):
cfo services, advisory services.
This is what I refer to as thecore that really, as a
profession, we need to beoffering.
It's where I speak of becomingthe premier accounting firm.
If you're offering these coreservices, you're able to
actually meet all the needs thatyour client has as it relates
to the accounting profession.
You can obviously decide ofthose six that I've just
(09:11):
mentioned, which of those youwould like to ideally focus on
and perhaps only offer?
You can be a very profitablebookkeeping business and that's
all you're offering.
But you can also be a thrivingaccounting firm where you have
on staff bookkeeping experts,accounting experts, cfo experts,
tax planning experts, and ifyou've got those, clearly you
can charge for each of themindividually.
But the point is, does yourclient understand what they're
(09:33):
paying for and do theyunderstand what they should
expect to get from you as you'reproviding these services?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
How long do you find it takes the firms who are
coming in to work with your teamto break that mold of really
understanding I am worth moreand this is how we're going to
communicate the value, becausethat I mean that can be.
That sounds like that could bea very challenging piece to get
through and I know you havemindset coaches on your team to
(10:00):
assist with your clients, whichI think is so powerful, but
generally, like that's not goingto be a Roger I haven't broken
through the mindset yet in twoweeks.
Like this isn't for me.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yeah, great question, very true.
So let me kind of outline this,and I'm going to start with
what I refer to as the keyprinciples.
To be success, there's twocharacteristics confidence and
competence.
It's the confidence to look abusiness owner in the eye and
say that I can do this for you,I can take care of your needs, I
can service you where you'reneeding the help.
The competence is then theability to go back to the office
(10:33):
, perform the work as expected,quickly, efficiently and
profitably.
If you're able to competentlydo the work, it's worth your
while.
There's a win there.
So the point is, is we're goingto focus on those two things?
Well, as it relates toconfidence, that varies from
person to person.
Some individuals it takes justgoing through the training,
getting a certification, thatvalidation that a third-party
(10:54):
entity has actually tested meand proven that I do know what
I'm talking about, that'sreassuring to the individual.
And so when they're able to putbehind their name a
professional bookkeeperdesignation, a PB, a
professional tax preparerdesignation, that of a
professional PTP, those thingsthere give individuals, certain
people, confidence to say I knowwhat I'm doing because somebody
(11:14):
else has tested me and proventhat I in fact am competent in
this ability, but other people.
They need a little bit more,and you brought up the success
coaching that we provide.
It's not just the academiccoach to help you understand the
concepts and principles.
It's the life coach to actuallyhelp you take some of those
mind shifts that you're needingto make in your mind and help
you understand.
You are deserving of this.
There isn't an impostersyndrome that you need to
(11:35):
experience.
You are capable of doing thiswork and can offer it.
These things that you gothrough as you're an
entrepreneur can be very lonelyand as a success coach works
with you to ensure that youactually have a healthy mindset
as it relates to money andfinancial success.
All of those things arebreakthroughs that individuals
have in days, weeks and months,but at the end of the day, it's
(11:57):
the connection of skills, yourability to do this and
confidence.
So if I could simplify it, Iwould say it's generally
accelerating the process, takingwhat might take months into
weeks, and at that same time,it's enabling you to then follow
a turnkey process, justtrusting the process, going
through a system that we'vedeveloped since 1979 to help
(12:17):
individuals successfully go outthere and offer these services.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
That's so good.
I think I asked you a littlebit earlier, but we may have not
completely got to it and don'tfeel like you need to share
names if you don't want to.
But with all of the things youguys are offering your clients,
(12:45):
can you tell us about a story ofsomeone who came in?
I'm guessing they werestruggling and you know the up
and to the right story they'vehad and where they're at now and
what their business looks likeand how they can attribute a lot
of that success back to workingwith you and your team.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I can.
So I'm going to mention onethat just the other day I got
permission to share this.
So it's kind of interesting.
I'll just give it some context.
Her name is Tina Chandler.
Tina is someone that I'veworked with for a number of
years now and coincidentally Iwas speaking with her and I had
the same question asked and soin a similar recording, I shared
her story and I had therecording and I went back to her
(13:15):
and I said hey, tina, your namecame up and I shared your story
and I just wanted to get yourpermission.
So she just literally the otherday, said yeah, you're okay
sharing the story.
So I'm going to do it again.
And what Tina's story is is shecame first of all the universal
accounting only from a skillspoint of view.
She had a position with acompany working as a bookkeeper,
and she was struggling.
She felt like she wasn't ascompetent as she needed to be
(13:36):
from an employment point of view.
She didn't want to disappointher employer and so she was
going to self-invest come, getsome skills and go through our
program.
Well, as she went through thetraining and got the skills, she
was exposed to some of thisconcept of starting a
bookkeeping businesssupplementing your income, just
getting a few clients on theside.
Now you've got to understand,she's from a very rural
community, she's from a smallfarming city town, if I am more
(14:00):
specific, and she just didn'trealize that she had the means
to really have a business.
But she thought, well, why notjust take on a client or two and
see where that might go?
So she opened up this idea ofI'm going to start a business.
Well, that's a big step fromsomebody that was just from the
employment mindset.
This is you've got to get abusiness name, you've got to get
a business license, you've gotto figure out what your pricing
(14:21):
is, you've got to figure outsome marketing.
I mean, to what level did shewant to take this?
Well, we were prodding heralong, not because we were
intentionally singling her outand pushing her along, but
through the things that wecommunicate.
She was like, well, I could dothat.
Oh, I'll try that next and I'lldo this.
Well, she started her business.
And then, with her business, sheneeded to reach back out to
Universal Accounting through thecoaching that we offer and say,
(14:41):
hey, can you help me set up myclient or work with me on this
situation that my client'sexperiencing.
I'm not as experienced with itmyself.
Am I doing it right.
So as she was getting thesupport from Universal
Accounting, her confidence wentup, and so she.
So she started to take on onemore client, one more client.
Well, it eventually led to herleaving her position, starting
her business, growing herbusiness.
She now has staff.
She's now making a six-figureincome herself.
(15:03):
Personally, she has done somuch more than she ever expected
only because of the fact thatshe was open-minded, willing to
basically put herself out thereand try what it was that we were
providing to her as a turnkeyprocess.
And so she's gone from I'vejust got a bookkeeping job just
making an average income to nowI've got a six-figure income
with a thriving businessoffering quality services.
(15:27):
She's now not just doingbookkeeping, but she's in the
accounting space.
She's doing CFO and advisorywork.
For her this has been just alife-changing experience.
She's had the support of herfamily.
Her husband's been verysupportive.
But at the end of the day, thiswasn't what she initially
planned when she initiallyenrolled.
She was intending to actuallyjust get the skills to keep her
job, maybe get a promotion,perhaps a pay increase, and
today she's just giddy overwhere she's now grown her
(15:50):
business.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That's so cool.
That is a massive testimonialand a massive win.
I'm really hoping that theaudio kept going through in a
couple pieces there and it wasjust my internet that was
cutting out, so we'll see whenwe play it back.
But I got majority of that,roger, and that is so cool that
your team was able to assistwith that and bring Tina to that
(16:14):
win.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I'm still here, there you go.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Okay, all right.
So, roger, tell us a little bitabout GrowCon and what's coming
up at GrowCon 2025.
I had the pleasure of beingthere last year and meeting you
and some of the team members andyour clientele who was there
and different students.
It was great success and I'vebeen told GrowCon 2025 is going
(16:42):
to be bigger, better.
I'm really looking forward toit in Utah as well.
So what can people expect whomaybe don't know about GrowCon,
and why should they go?
I'm kind of throwing a lot ofdifferent questions at you.
I'm very excited about it.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yeah, growcon phenomenal experience.
It's basically what we do tocelebrate the accounting
profession.
So we bring on stage thoseexperts that help us run our
businesses.
So we're talking about topicsranging from marketing, selling,
pricing, what accountingservices we need to be providing
to our clients, how to bestservice our clients as it
relates to onboarding them,retaining them.
We're talking about workflowtech stacks, we're talking about
(17:23):
AI, obviously, and it's in thatprocess that we also interweave
conversations about mentalhealth, because the conference
is for the owners of bookkeeping, accounting and tax businesses.
So as the owners come together,they're getting what I feel is
needed for them to work on theirbusiness, but at the same time,
they're also meeting a numberof other peers who are like them
in the same process of workingon growing their businesses, and
it's through these peers thatthey find new friendships, they
(17:43):
network, they do somecollaborations, they may find
opportunities to service theirclients and maybe offer
additional services that theyweren't currently offering.
So through this, I think it's abig thing from a mental point
of view, an emotional point ofview, because you make those
connections, but then you alsoget to meet our staff at
Universal Accounting, thosepeople who are literally
committed to helping you be inbusiness for yourself, but not
(18:04):
by yourself.
So this is an industry-wideconference.
It's small in nature in thesense that it's meant to be
something that's from the mainstage, where you're able to meet
and mingle with individuals,but it is literally for the
owners of bookkeeping,accounting and tax businesses.
I invite all of your listenersto come join us.
It's an event you will not wantto miss.
As you come, you're going tofind that it's time well spent
(18:27):
and, most importantly, I believethat you're going to get the
energy you need to go back tothe office and really make this
the best year that you can, sothat you can, in fact, look back
on whether it's 2025 or anyother year, and say that was the
best place I could have been toget what I needed to be
successful, I hope.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I hope people listening get tickets.
We'll put a link in the shownotes so people can read a
little bit more about GrowCon.
But personally, being there aswell, I would highly encourage
everyone to attend.
It's a great, it's a greatevent that your team puts on.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Please join us.
Love to have you there.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Roger, what gets you the most excited about?
Your role with UniversalAccounting or your role in this
industry?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, it's two things .
One, I feel that we are makinga difference.
There's a lot of people thatlook at the profession as, let's
say, a job.
It's just something that theydo as a career, and I really
feel that we've helpedindividuals realize that they
can make a difference.
They can have an impact on theclients that they work with, and
I really feel that by givingthem that voice, they've gone
out there and started to make adifference, and so the
conversations I have wherepeople feel like they are making
(19:29):
that difference is veryrewarding.
But the second thing I would sayis, as it relates to just the
work itself, it's the personalinteractions that I have with
individuals like Tina, wholiterally didn't see what they
were capable of doing.
They didn't realize theirpotential, and it's helping
understand there is somethingthat you can do.
It's living the American dream,and what I find is, as a school
(19:50):
since we've been doing thissince 1979, it's so many
individuals that are coming inwith a hope Can you just help me
learn a skill, learn a thingthat I can maybe go out and do
something a little bit better inmy career, and then it changes
their lives.
They get the confidence theydidn't realize that it was there
for them to have.
They get that skill that theydidn't realize existed as it
related to accounting and ittook them to a new level.
(20:11):
So all of those personalexperiences where people were
able to come up to me and saythank you have been amazing.
You have to realize again I'vebeen doing this for nearly 30
years now and over those yearsI've got people that not only
had that transition but havesince started and sold their
businesses.
They're coming to me now out ofretirement saying you changed
my life.
I was able to start a business,run a business for 10, 15, 20
(20:33):
years and then retire, andthat's where they're at in their
lives is.
They're coming to me sayingthis is the entire journey that
I had, simply because of what Idid back in the 1990s, the early
2000s, with UniversalAccounting Center.
So because I've seen thisevolution for now more than two
decades has been incredible.
So it's not just some pie inthe sky opportunity that I think
(20:54):
can work out.
I've seen it all the way to itsend.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
What's next for Universal Accounting?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Good question.
So a lot's going on.
We annually update all of ourcurriculum, so we're currently
updating all of our courses.
Now, with regards to that,we've got some things as it
relates to GrowCon that we'reexcited about, that we'll be
announcing.
But I think, more than anythingfor Universal Accounting Center
, it's what more can we do as itrelates to helping the
accounting profession realizeits role as it works with small
(21:23):
business owners, and so we'vegot some things that I've been
excited about in the last 12months that we've rolled out.
I've written two books.
With the books, I've gone onsome social media type campaigns
where we've actually beenpushing a number of things.
Those things have been, I think, kind of leaps forward as to
Universal's role in theaccounting profession.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I'm excited to see what's next to come.
You guys are doing awesomestuff.
What's your?
It's probably tough to say onepiece of advice, but if you can
narrow down to one or a couplepieces of advice to the firm has
been at it for, call it, three,five years.
They're doing well, but it'sjust.
You know, it feels like they'reon a hamster wheel.
(22:05):
They're not breaking throughthat glass ceiling.
There's the thought of, oh,maybe do I go back and like this
is a lot, Am I really gettingahead?
They're not really thinkingabout quitting, but they're kind
of stuck.
What would be your advice tothose firms?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Wow.
I'm going to give you threepieces of advice.
The first is one that I wasgiven when I became president of
Universal Accounting Center.
I'm the third president.
One of the advice that Ireceived was go to conferences
and get out there in theindustry, expose yourself to
your peers, hear what's going on, see what the movers and
shakers are talking about, andso my point is is you just need
(22:45):
to get out of your own bubble,and I think too often what we do
is we work very hard, put ourheads down, we do that
grindstone of work, work, workand, at the same time, basically
focus on the clients.
Well, I think we need to focuson ourselves, and so getting out
there, stepping outside of thebusiness, finding time to work
on the business ourselves, isvery important.
The second thing I would pointout is there are what I refer to
(23:08):
as the keys to success.
It's passion, quality,commitment, knowledge of the
numbers, and then personal time,and I'm going to talk about
personal time.
I think we don't actuallyrecharge ourselves enough, and
so there's a lot of studies outthere.
I talk a lot about this, so wecan go into detail if we had
time, but the point is is Ithink we fail to live and enjoy
(23:28):
life.
We work.
We need to do more work to livelife, and I think your life is
an example of that.
There's so much to enjoy inthis world, so much to
experience in life, and we needto actually make sure our
priorities are right.
There's relationships thatmatter.
Are we giving those people thatmatter most in our lives the
time they deserve?
What I'm just talking about hereis oftentimes, as entrepreneurs
(23:50):
, we get into this mindset ofwe've got to sacrifice and, yes,
sacrifice is necessary forsuccess.
But every so often you need tostep back and recharge, recommit
with the people that mattermost in your life.
Find those things that allowyou to have that energy you need
.
That's contagious for yourcustomers to be drawn to and
your employees to be drawn to aswell.
The third thing I would pointout is this mindset of becoming
(24:12):
an accountrepreneur.
An accountrepreneur isrecognizing the fact that you're
marrying the accounting skillsservices that you offer with the
entrepreneur mindset, and ifyou can get those two to mesh
well, you're going to thrive,because when you realize you are
running a business and youtreat it like a business, just
like all of your clients, youactually do business differently
(24:33):
simply because of your attitudeshifts, and so those are the
three things that I'd share.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
That's so.
That's so impactful.
Up until the theaccountrepreneur.
As I'm not an accountant butworking in the space, I really
was latching on to the first twoyou were speaking about, and
I'm a part of a couplemasterminds as well, and I have
an event coming up next weekwhich I'm very excited about
Because, like you said, saidit's just, it is recharging to
(24:59):
get back in to that space.
You get out of your bubble ofokay, these are the four walls
I'm in, here's what other peopleare doing and like it.
It is rejuvenating.
And and going to industryevents.
I'm super excited about GrowConcoming up and the piece that
that really hit was I'm probablygonna get the wording wrong but
(25:20):
building your business,building your life around your
business, not your businessaround your life, because unless
you're being intentional, it'snot going to change magically
when you wake up one day.
You really need to have thatcutoff time and be purposeful of
what you want to do.
So I really love those threepieces you just shared.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Well, one thing to add about the conferences and I
think everyone can identify withthis, especially if you have
attended one in the past.
When you go, generally speaking, as you interact with people,
you're going to find thosepeople that are doing better
than you and you're inspired.
You're like you know what?
I need to step up my game.
They're clearly doing betterthan I am and I'm as good as
they are.
They're no different than I am,and so you're inspired by the
fact that, yeah, there arepeople that are actually raising
(26:02):
the bar and you're going to goback to the office and now up
your game, and that's important.
The second is is in thatmeeting, you're also going to
meet people that you'reinspirational to.
They're going to look to youand go oh, my heavens, I love
what you're accomplishing.
Well, it's nice to get a few ofthose pats on the back and
people that actually recognizeyour success, because I think
too often we do so much,sacrifice so much, and no one
(26:22):
actually acknowledges that.
Well, these people do, andthese are your peers, and
they're going to pat you on theback and say you know what?
I really appreciate what you'redoing.
You've inspired me, and that'sjust simply because of the
conversations you're having withpeers who, like you, are trying
to be successful, and they findsuccess in what you've already
accomplished.
So those are big things.
But the third thing I wouldactually point out is when you
go, typically at these events,you have vendors.
(26:43):
Vendors that are there who, yes, are intending to actually
offer you services.
But I want you to understandsomething about the vendor area.
It is an absolute must that youneed to go there and actually
see what they have to offer,because too often what it is is
we're old school.
I'm doing what I'm doingbecause of how I've always done
it.
These vendors come and theyoffer you tools, resources,
solutions to address problemsyou're facing that you didn't
(27:05):
realize you had.
And all of a sudden, what youcan do is invest in your
business, invest in yourself andoftentimes resolve things for
yourself or your clients.
That takes your business to awhole new level because of a new
technology, a new process, anew system.
Those vendors are there toactually help you take your
business to a whole new level.
Tap into that.
Don't be one of those that kindof rushes through the vendor
(27:27):
area or skips through anddoesn't pay attention.
Talk to every one of them.
If anything, you're going tocome away more educated as to
what's moving and happening inthe profession, which you should
be aware of.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Again, just more great advice over and over again
.
Roger, this is a great episode.
Thank you so much for coming onand taking the time to share
all this insight, share a littlebit about your story.
I really hope everyone reachesout and continues the
conversation with you and yourteam.
I hope everyone comes toGrowCon in Utah in early in,
(27:59):
early, early mid May, early May.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah, the fifth through the seventh.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Thanks, Roger.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
First of all, my pleasure.
I enjoyed the conversation.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Thanks for tuning into this episode of CFO
Chronicles the secrets behindsuccess.
I hope you found value intoday's conversation.
As we wrap up, I'd love for youto do two things.
First, make sure to subscribeto this podcast so you don't
miss any future episodes.
If you enjoyed today'sdiscussion, please rate and
review the show.
It helps others discover theinsights we share here.
Second, if you're ready to takeyour business to the next level
(28:31):
and attract the high endclients you deserve, head over
to accountingleadsnowcom orclick the link in the show notes
to book your strategy.
Call it's time to positionyourself as the advisor your
clients need.
And don't forget you canconnect with me on LinkedIn to
stay up to date on what'shappening in the world of
accounting and financial growth.
We've got more exciting topicscoming up, so stay tuned for the
(28:52):
next episode of CFO Chronicles.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Until then, keep pushing forward.
Your growth is just onestrategic move away.
Professionals, connect with uson LinkedIn and leave a review
or comment to join theconversation.
Your feedback helps us bringyou the best insights in finance
and marketing.
Until next time, keep strivingfor success and unlocking your
(29:31):
business's potential.
Welcome to CFO Chronicles the secrets behind
success the go-to podcast forfractional CFOs and accounting
firm owners who want to attractmore high-paying clients and
increase their revenue.
Hosted by James Donovan fromNine Two Media, this podcast
dives into marketing strategiesspecifically designed for lead
(00:22):
generation and clientacquisition.
In each episode, you'll hearfrom industry leaders sharing
their success stories and experttactics to help you sign more
lucrative clients and grow yourbusiness.
Tune in and discover actionableinsights to transform your
marketing efforts and boost yourbottom line to your bottom line
(00:51):
.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Today's guest is someone who's been helping
accounting professionals notjust run their firms, but truly
built them into premier, highvalue businesses.
Roger Connect is the presidentof Universal Accounting Center,
where he equips accountingprofessionals with the
strategies, tools and confidenceto offer value-added services
that go beyond compliance work.
He's also the driving forcebehind Universal Business
Builder, helping business ownersincrease sales, improve profits
(01:13):
and, ultimately, build value totheir business.
Roger, I'm so excited to haveyou on the show.
We've had the chance to worktogether a couple times.
We personally met last year atyour event, growcon in
Jacksonville that's right andwe're going to be meeting up
again in Utah in the spring forGrowCon 2025, which I'm really
(01:34):
looking forward to.
But welcome to the show.
I'm so excited for everyoneelse to hear a little bit about
your story and how you helpaccounting firms.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well, James, first of all, it's a pleasure and thank
you.
And yes, it's always excitingto speak with you.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
So, roger, tell me, how did you get in into this
space?
Like, take me back to beforeuniversal accounting began.
What does that look?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
like yeah, the evolution is very simple.
I was actually working as aheadhunter, a recruiter, so I
was placing individuals that hadsome accounting background
experience in various positionsso it was mid-management,
entry-level management typepositions.
And as I was needing my resourcewhich were the people I found
Universal Accounting Center, andit basically happened out that
the graduates were great peoplefor me to place on assignments.
(02:20):
So as I was taking theseindividuals and putting them
into the clients that I wasworking with, I got wonderful
feedback.
They were very pleased with theskills, the quality, and so I
would go back again and againand get graduates from the
classes and place them onassignment, and I found that
that was not only veryproductive and helpful, but in
the same time I began basicallyfamiliarizing myself more and
(02:42):
more with the school, the adminand who's running the program,
and it was through thatacquaintance that I actually
began doing some consulting workfor Universal Accounting Center
, and so that was basically in1999.
We're going on nearly threedecades now, and so here I am,
back in 1999 doing consultativework, and they offered me a
position to come on full-timeand, through a little bit of
(03:04):
finagling, made that transitionand started working with them
full-time at the turn of thecentury that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I have so many different questions I would ask
in so many different directionsto go into.
Um, let's start with I.
I guess where, where do youguys come in, you and your team?
I know you work with a ton offirms, I think outside the US as
well, but primarily in the US.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yes, mostly the US.
We have some in Canada, but theprincipal is the United States.
But we do have them around theworld.
I mean, everything that we'retalking about here can easily be
applied around the world, butthe lion's share of our
graduates, the students, happento be from the United States.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Okay, perfect.
Well, and you always sayaccounting is universal.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So tell me a little bit about where universal
accounting comes in, or, I guess, when prospects are coming
through the door, looking tospeak with your team.
What is it you guys are helpingthem complete?
What can they expect toaccomplish after working with
you and your team?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Perfect, yeah, what we're basically doing is we're a
post-secondary school foraccounting professionals, so as
a school we're offeringtrainings, programs,
certifications to helpindividuals in their career.
In essence, we can put theminto three groups.
We've got those that are tryingto improve their career from an
employment point of view, sothey want skills for career
advancement.
The second happens to beindividuals that are in the
process of starting abookkeeping, accounting or tax
(04:31):
business.
As they're in that startupphase, there's a number of
things that they're strugglingwith that might be marketing,
selling, pricing.
Just how do they actually gothrough that process of now
moving beyond just those handfulof clients that they might've
gotten originally to nowactually having a business where
they're intentionally going outand marketing and selling their
services and onboarding theseclients?
But then there's a third group.
There's an individual that isbasically established.
(04:53):
They're already running abusiness, they perhaps have
employees, but how do they nowtransition that business to what
I refer to as becoming thepremier accounting firm in their
area?
And that's where we focus onthe three core services of
accounting services, rangingfrom bookkeeping all the way up
to CFO and advisory services,and then, with that, we're
training their staff, we'rehelping them actually grow their
business from a moreintentional perspective, and
(05:14):
what we're hopefully helpingthem do is build an asset that
they can later exit from, selland really experience some
thriving success with.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
There's so much happening there.
It sounds like there's such aheavy lift and so much value
being added to the firms and theclients you're working with.
What stands out as some of themost exciting wins, either since
you've been with UniversalAccounting or even just as of
late?
What are those ones that keepyou excited about doing this
(05:44):
every single day?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Great question.
Yeah, one of the things thatreally gets me excited is I feel
that we're bringing to theaccounting community what I
refer to as a voice.
My whole legacy, if you will,is to actually empower the
accounting professional torealize that it's more than just
the skills, the abilities to,let's say, prepare financial
reports, file tax returns.
It's actually going to thepoint now where you actually
have information that isimpactful, valuable to the
business owners.
And if we can actuallycommunicate to them what the
(06:09):
business is trying tocommunicate through the language
of accounting, so that they canbe empowered to make more
informed business decisions, Ithink we're playing a proper
role then, as an accountingprofession, to help the small
business community.
So if we're in a situation where, as accountants, we just see
we're doing the compliance workyes, we can check off that the
financials have been done, thetax returns have been filed, I
(06:29):
mean that's great that weactually can look at this from a
task perspective, but at theend of the day, what did we do
to further enable the businessto be successful, to be
profitable?
And so that's where I think weget more proactive in our
abilities, that's where, as anaccounting profession, we become
more engaged with our clients,and then that's ultimately where
we make the most money anyway.
So that's what we canultimately do to further retain
our clients and get paid whatwe're worth.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
That's so cool.
It's really making that shiftfrom the person you speak to.
At the end of the year file thetaxes.
It's kind of a business expenseversus.
This is a strategic investmentover the course of the year and
we're going to see massive gainson it.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, you described it very well.
It's the mind shift of thebusiness owner to realize this
isn't this necessary evil to bein business, that it's an
expense, like you said, that Ihave to endure simply because
I'm in business.
No, it's really to say this isan asset, this is a relationship
that I can have with anaccounting professional that can
enable me to be more successful, more profitable, and so they
start to see you as someonethat's essential or integral to
(07:28):
their success.
That's the different type ofrelationship and it's one that
you want to have with yourclients.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
What are some of the most common pains you see, or
struggles or bottlenecks you seeof firms who are coming in?
So we'll put aside maybe the,the employees who are maybe
looking to get into their ownposition, but the firms kind of
in that third group you'respeaking about.
Are there common bottlenecks orstruggles or pains that you see
(08:01):
come through that you're likeyep, we've, we've solved this
before.
We can certainly do it again.
You guys are in the right spot.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And what are those?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
pains and bottlenecks .
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Well, there's actually a few, and I'll just
mention a few here and you cansee which ones you maybe want to
delve into One's self-doubt.
I don't think we reallyappreciate what our worth is and
what we really can do for ourclients.
I think we go in and weunderprice ourselves.
We don't really service ourclients effectively.
We just kind of go into thattask, mindset of it's a
commodity and therefore I'm justgoing to go through it.
So there's some limitingbeliefs, I believe, as to the
(08:29):
value of what our services areand how it can impact our
clients.
The other that I would also addto it is the fact that, with
regards to our services, I thinkwe do a poor job of explaining
exactly what it is we offer.
I think that, as a profession,we struggle to define the
defining difference betweenbookkeeping services, accounting
services, tax preparationservices, tax planning services,
(08:51):
cfo services, advisory services.
This is what I refer to as thecore that really, as a
profession, we need to beoffering.
It's where I speak of becomingthe premier accounting firm.
If you're offering these coreservices, you're able to
actually meet all the needs thatyour client has as it relates
to the accounting profession.
You can obviously decide ofthose six that I've just
(09:11):
mentioned, which of those youwould like to ideally focus on
and perhaps only offer?
You can be a very profitablebookkeeping business and that's
all you're offering.
But you can also be a thrivingaccounting firm where you have
on staff bookkeeping experts,accounting experts, cfo experts,
tax planning experts, and ifyou've got those, clearly you
can charge for each of themindividually.
But the point is, does yourclient understand what they're
(09:33):
paying for and do theyunderstand what they should
expect to get from you as you'reproviding these services?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
How long do you find it takes the firms who are
coming in to work with your teamto break that mold of really
understanding I am worth moreand this is how we're going to
communicate the value, becausethat I mean that can be.
That sounds like that could bea very challenging piece to get
through and I know you havemindset coaches on your team to
(10:00):
assist with your clients, whichI think is so powerful, but
generally, like that's not goingto be a Roger I haven't broken
through the mindset yet in twoweeks.
Like this isn't for me.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yeah, great question, very true.
So let me kind of outline this,and I'm going to start with
what I refer to as the keyprinciples.
To be success, there's twocharacteristics confidence and
competence.
It's the confidence to look abusiness owner in the eye and
say that I can do this for you,I can take care of your needs, I
can service you where you'reneeding the help.
The competence is then theability to go back to the office
(10:33):
, perform the work as expected,quickly, efficiently and
profitably.
If you're able to competentlydo the work, it's worth your
while.
There's a win there.
So the point is, is we're goingto focus on those two things?
Well, as it relates toconfidence, that varies from
person to person.
Some individuals it takes justgoing through the training,
getting a certification, thatvalidation that a third-party
(10:54):
entity has actually tested meand proven that I do know what
I'm talking about, that'sreassuring to the individual.
And so when they're able to putbehind their name a
professional bookkeeperdesignation, a PB, a
professional tax preparerdesignation, that of a
professional PTP, those thingsthere give individuals, certain
people, confidence to say I knowwhat I'm doing because somebody
(11:14):
else has tested me and proventhat I in fact am competent in
this ability, but other people.
They need a little bit more,and you brought up the success
coaching that we provide.
It's not just the academiccoach to help you understand the
concepts and principles.
It's the life coach to actuallyhelp you take some of those
mind shifts that you're needingto make in your mind and help
you understand.
You are deserving of this.
There isn't an impostersyndrome that you need to
(11:35):
experience.
You are capable of doing thiswork and can offer it.
These things that you gothrough as you're an
entrepreneur can be very lonelyand as a success coach works
with you to ensure that youactually have a healthy mindset
as it relates to money andfinancial success.
All of those things arebreakthroughs that individuals
have in days, weeks and months,but at the end of the day, it's
(11:57):
the connection of skills, yourability to do this and
confidence.
So if I could simplify it, Iwould say it's generally
accelerating the process, takingwhat might take months into
weeks, and at that same time,it's enabling you to then follow
a turnkey process, justtrusting the process, going
through a system that we'vedeveloped since 1979 to help
(12:17):
individuals successfully go outthere and offer these services.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
That's so good.
I think I asked you a littlebit earlier, but we may have not
completely got to it and don'tfeel like you need to share
names if you don't want to.
But with all of the things youguys are offering your clients,
(12:45):
can you tell us about a story ofsomeone who came in?
I'm guessing they werestruggling and you know the up
and to the right story they'vehad and where they're at now and
what their business looks likeand how they can attribute a lot
of that success back to workingwith you and your team.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I can.
So I'm going to mention onethat just the other day I got
permission to share this.
So it's kind of interesting.
I'll just give it some context.
Her name is Tina Chandler.
Tina is someone that I'veworked with for a number of
years now and coincidentally Iwas speaking with her and I had
the same question asked and soin a similar recording, I shared
her story and I had therecording and I went back to her
(13:15):
and I said hey, tina, your namecame up and I shared your story
and I just wanted to get yourpermission.
So she just literally the otherday, said yeah, you're okay
sharing the story.
So I'm going to do it again.
And what Tina's story is is shecame first of all the universal
accounting only from a skillspoint of view.
She had a position with acompany working as a bookkeeper,
and she was struggling.
She felt like she wasn't ascompetent as she needed to be
(13:36):
from an employment point of view.
She didn't want to disappointher employer and so she was
going to self-invest come, getsome skills and go through our
program.
Well, as she went through thetraining and got the skills, she
was exposed to some of thisconcept of starting a
bookkeeping businesssupplementing your income, just
getting a few clients on theside.
Now you've got to understand,she's from a very rural
community, she's from a smallfarming city town, if I am more
(14:00):
specific, and she just didn'trealize that she had the means
to really have a business.
But she thought, well, why notjust take on a client or two and
see where that might go?
So she opened up this idea ofI'm going to start a business.
Well, that's a big step fromsomebody that was just from the
employment mindset.
This is you've got to get abusiness name, you've got to get
a business license, you've gotto figure out what your pricing
(14:21):
is, you've got to figure outsome marketing.
I mean, to what level did shewant to take this?
Well, we were prodding heralong, not because we were
intentionally singling her outand pushing her along, but
through the things that wecommunicate.
She was like, well, I could dothat.
Oh, I'll try that next and I'lldo this.
Well, she started her business.
And then, with her business, sheneeded to reach back out to
Universal Accounting through thecoaching that we offer and say,
(14:41):
hey, can you help me set up myclient or work with me on this
situation that my client'sexperiencing.
I'm not as experienced with itmyself.
Am I doing it right.
So as she was getting thesupport from Universal
Accounting, her confidence wentup, and so she.
So she started to take on onemore client, one more client.
Well, it eventually led to herleaving her position, starting
her business, growing herbusiness.
She now has staff.
She's now making a six-figureincome herself.
(15:03):
Personally, she has done somuch more than she ever expected
only because of the fact thatshe was open-minded, willing to
basically put herself out thereand try what it was that we were
providing to her as a turnkeyprocess.
And so she's gone from I'vejust got a bookkeeping job just
making an average income to nowI've got a six-figure income
with a thriving businessoffering quality services.
(15:27):
She's now not just doingbookkeeping, but she's in the
accounting space.
She's doing CFO and advisorywork.
For her this has been just alife-changing experience.
She's had the support of herfamily.
Her husband's been verysupportive.
But at the end of the day, thiswasn't what she initially
planned when she initiallyenrolled.
She was intending to actuallyjust get the skills to keep her
job, maybe get a promotion,perhaps a pay increase, and
today she's just giddy overwhere she's now grown her
(15:50):
business.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That's so cool.
That is a massive testimonialand a massive win.
I'm really hoping that theaudio kept going through in a
couple pieces there and it wasjust my internet that was
cutting out, so we'll see whenwe play it back.
But I got majority of that,roger, and that is so cool that
your team was able to assistwith that and bring Tina to that
(16:14):
win.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I'm still here, there you go.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Okay, all right.
So, roger, tell us a little bitabout GrowCon and what's coming
up at GrowCon 2025.
I had the pleasure of beingthere last year and meeting you
and some of the team members andyour clientele who was there
and different students.
It was great success and I'vebeen told GrowCon 2025 is going
(16:42):
to be bigger, better.
I'm really looking forward toit in Utah as well.
So what can people expect whomaybe don't know about GrowCon,
and why should they go?
I'm kind of throwing a lot ofdifferent questions at you.
I'm very excited about it.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yeah, growcon phenomenal experience.
It's basically what we do tocelebrate the accounting
profession.
So we bring on stage thoseexperts that help us run our
businesses.
So we're talking about topicsranging from marketing, selling,
pricing, what accountingservices we need to be providing
to our clients, how to bestservice our clients as it
relates to onboarding them,retaining them.
We're talking about workflowtech stacks, we're talking about
(17:23):
AI, obviously, and it's in thatprocess that we also interweave
conversations about mentalhealth, because the conference
is for the owners of bookkeeping, accounting and tax businesses.
So as the owners come together,they're getting what I feel is
needed for them to work on theirbusiness, but at the same time,
they're also meeting a numberof other peers who are like them
in the same process of workingon growing their businesses, and
it's through these peers thatthey find new friendships, they
(17:43):
network, they do somecollaborations, they may find
opportunities to service theirclients and maybe offer
additional services that theyweren't currently offering.
So through this, I think it's abig thing from a mental point
of view, an emotional point ofview, because you make those
connections, but then you alsoget to meet our staff at
Universal Accounting, thosepeople who are literally
committed to helping you be inbusiness for yourself, but not
(18:04):
by yourself.
So this is an industry-wideconference.
It's small in nature in thesense that it's meant to be
something that's from the mainstage, where you're able to meet
and mingle with individuals,but it is literally for the
owners of bookkeeping,accounting and tax businesses.
I invite all of your listenersto come join us.
It's an event you will not wantto miss.
As you come, you're going tofind that it's time well spent
(18:27):
and, most importantly, I believethat you're going to get the
energy you need to go back tothe office and really make this
the best year that you can, sothat you can, in fact, look back
on whether it's 2025 or anyother year, and say that was the
best place I could have been toget what I needed to be
successful, I hope.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I hope people listening get tickets.
We'll put a link in the shownotes so people can read a
little bit more about GrowCon.
But personally, being there aswell, I would highly encourage
everyone to attend.
It's a great, it's a greatevent that your team puts on.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Please join us.
Love to have you there.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Roger, what gets you the most excited about?
Your role with UniversalAccounting or your role in this
industry?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, it's two things .
One, I feel that we are makinga difference.
There's a lot of people thatlook at the profession as, let's
say, a job.
It's just something that theydo as a career, and I really
feel that we've helpedindividuals realize that they
can make a difference.
They can have an impact on theclients that they work with, and
I really feel that by givingthem that voice, they've gone
out there and started to make adifference, and so the
conversations I have wherepeople feel like they are making
(19:29):
that difference is veryrewarding.
But the second thing I would sayis, as it relates to just the
work itself, it's the personalinteractions that I have with
individuals like Tina, wholiterally didn't see what they
were capable of doing.
They didn't realize theirpotential, and it's helping
understand there is somethingthat you can do.
It's living the American dream,and what I find is, as a school
(19:50):
since we've been doing thissince 1979, it's so many
individuals that are coming inwith a hope Can you just help me
learn a skill, learn a thingthat I can maybe go out and do
something a little bit better inmy career, and then it changes
their lives.
They get the confidence theydidn't realize that it was there
for them to have.
They get that skill that theydidn't realize existed as it
related to accounting and ittook them to a new level.
(20:11):
So all of those personalexperiences where people were
able to come up to me and saythank you have been amazing.
You have to realize again I'vebeen doing this for nearly 30
years now and over those yearsI've got people that not only
had that transition but havesince started and sold their
businesses.
They're coming to me now out ofretirement saying you changed
my life.
I was able to start a business,run a business for 10, 15, 20
(20:33):
years and then retire, andthat's where they're at in their
lives is.
They're coming to me sayingthis is the entire journey that
I had, simply because of what Idid back in the 1990s, the early
2000s, with UniversalAccounting Center.
So because I've seen thisevolution for now more than two
decades has been incredible.
So it's not just some pie inthe sky opportunity that I think
(20:54):
can work out.
I've seen it all the way to itsend.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
What's next for Universal Accounting?
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Good question.
So a lot's going on.
We annually update all of ourcurriculum, so we're currently
updating all of our courses.
Now, with regards to that,we've got some things as it
relates to GrowCon that we'reexcited about, that we'll be
announcing.
But I think, more than anythingfor Universal Accounting Center
, it's what more can we do as itrelates to helping the
accounting profession realizeits role as it works with small
(21:23):
business owners, and so we'vegot some things that I've been
excited about in the last 12months that we've rolled out.
I've written two books.
With the books, I've gone onsome social media type campaigns
where we've actually beenpushing a number of things.
Those things have been, I think, kind of leaps forward as to
Universal's role in theaccounting profession.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I'm excited to see what's next to come.
You guys are doing awesomestuff.
What's your?
It's probably tough to say onepiece of advice, but if you can
narrow down to one or a couplepieces of advice to the firm has
been at it for, call it, three,five years.
They're doing well, but it'sjust.
You know, it feels like they'reon a hamster wheel.
(22:05):
They're not breaking throughthat glass ceiling.
There's the thought of, oh,maybe do I go back and like this
is a lot, Am I really gettingahead?
They're not really thinkingabout quitting, but they're kind
of stuck.
What would be your advice tothose firms?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Wow.
I'm going to give you threepieces of advice.
The first is one that I wasgiven when I became president of
Universal Accounting Center.
I'm the third president.
One of the advice that Ireceived was go to conferences
and get out there in theindustry, expose yourself to
your peers, hear what's going on, see what the movers and
shakers are talking about, andso my point is is you just need
(22:45):
to get out of your own bubble,and I think too often what we do
is we work very hard, put ourheads down, we do that
grindstone of work, work, workand, at the same time, basically
focus on the clients.
Well, I think we need to focuson ourselves, and so getting out
there, stepping outside of thebusiness, finding time to work
on the business ourselves, isvery important.
The second thing I would pointout is there are what I refer to
(23:08):
as the keys to success.
It's passion, quality,commitment, knowledge of the
numbers, and then personal time,and I'm going to talk about
personal time.
I think we don't actuallyrecharge ourselves enough, and
so there's a lot of studies outthere.
I talk a lot about this, so wecan go into detail if we had
time, but the point is is Ithink we fail to live and enjoy
(23:28):
life.
We work.
We need to do more work to livelife, and I think your life is
an example of that.
There's so much to enjoy inthis world, so much to
experience in life, and we needto actually make sure our
priorities are right.
There's relationships thatmatter.
Are we giving those people thatmatter most in our lives the
time they deserve?
What I'm just talking about hereis oftentimes, as entrepreneurs
(23:50):
, we get into this mindset ofwe've got to sacrifice and, yes,
sacrifice is necessary forsuccess.
But every so often you need tostep back and recharge, recommit
with the people that mattermost in your life.
Find those things that allowyou to have that energy you need
.
That's contagious for yourcustomers to be drawn to and
your employees to be drawn to aswell.
The third thing I would pointout is this mindset of becoming
(24:12):
an accountrepreneur.
An accountrepreneur isrecognizing the fact that you're
marrying the accounting skillsservices that you offer with the
entrepreneur mindset, and ifyou can get those two to mesh
well, you're going to thrive,because when you realize you are
running a business and youtreat it like a business, just
like all of your clients, youactually do business differently
(24:33):
simply because of your attitudeshifts, and so those are the
three things that I'd share.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
That's so.
That's so impactful.
Up until the theaccountrepreneur.
As I'm not an accountant butworking in the space, I really
was latching on to the first twoyou were speaking about, and
I'm a part of a couplemasterminds as well, and I have
an event coming up next weekwhich I'm very excited about
Because, like you said, saidit's just, it is recharging to
(24:59):
get back in to that space.
You get out of your bubble ofokay, these are the four walls
I'm in, here's what other peopleare doing and like it.
It is rejuvenating.
And and going to industryevents.
I'm super excited about GrowConcoming up and the piece that
that really hit was I'm probablygonna get the wording wrong but
(25:20):
building your business,building your life around your
business, not your businessaround your life, because unless
you're being intentional, it'snot going to change magically
when you wake up one day.
You really need to have thatcutoff time and be purposeful of
what you want to do.
So I really love those threepieces you just shared.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Well, one thing to add about the conferences and I
think everyone can identify withthis, especially if you have
attended one in the past.
When you go, generally speaking, as you interact with people,
you're going to find thosepeople that are doing better
than you and you're inspired.
You're like you know what?
I need to step up my game.
They're clearly doing betterthan I am and I'm as good as
they are.
They're no different than I am,and so you're inspired by the
fact that, yeah, there arepeople that are actually raising
(26:02):
the bar and you're going to goback to the office and now up
your game, and that's important.
The second is is in thatmeeting, you're also going to
meet people that you'reinspirational to.
They're going to look to youand go oh, my heavens, I love
what you're accomplishing.
Well, it's nice to get a few ofthose pats on the back and
people that actually recognizeyour success, because I think
too often we do so much,sacrifice so much, and no one
(26:22):
actually acknowledges that.
Well, these people do, andthese are your peers, and
they're going to pat you on theback and say you know what?
I really appreciate what you'redoing.
You've inspired me, and that'sjust simply because of the
conversations you're having withpeers who, like you, are trying
to be successful, and they findsuccess in what you've already
accomplished.
So those are big things.
But the third thing I wouldactually point out is when you
go, typically at these events,you have vendors.
(26:43):
Vendors that are there who, yes, are intending to actually
offer you services.
But I want you to understandsomething about the vendor area.
It is an absolute must that youneed to go there and actually
see what they have to offer,because too often what it is is
we're old school.
I'm doing what I'm doingbecause of how I've always done
it.
These vendors come and theyoffer you tools, resources,
solutions to address problemsyou're facing that you didn't
(27:05):
realize you had.
And all of a sudden, what youcan do is invest in your
business, invest in yourself andoftentimes resolve things for
yourself or your clients.
That takes your business to awhole new level because of a new
technology, a new process, anew system.
Those vendors are there toactually help you take your
business to a whole new level.
Tap into that.
Don't be one of those that kindof rushes through the vendor
(27:27):
area or skips through anddoesn't pay attention.
Talk to every one of them.
If anything, you're going tocome away more educated as to
what's moving and happening inthe profession, which you should
be aware of.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Again, just more great advice over and over again
.
Roger, this is a great episode.
Thank you so much for coming onand taking the time to share
all this insight, share a littlebit about your story.
I really hope everyone reachesout and continues the
conversation with you and yourteam.
I hope everyone comes toGrowCon in Utah in early in,
(27:59):
early, early mid May, early May.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah, the fifth through the seventh.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Thanks, Roger.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
First of all, my pleasure.
I enjoyed the conversation.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Thanks for tuning into this episode of CFO
Chronicles the secrets behindsuccess.
I hope you found value intoday's conversation.
As we wrap up, I'd love for youto do two things.
First, make sure to subscribeto this podcast so you don't
miss any future episodes.
If you enjoyed today'sdiscussion, please rate and
review the show.
It helps others discover theinsights we share here.
Second, if you're ready to takeyour business to the next level
(28:31):
and attract the high endclients you deserve, head over
to accountingleadsnowcom orclick the link in the show notes
to book your strategy.
Call it's time to positionyourself as the advisor your
clients need.
And don't forget you canconnect with me on LinkedIn to
stay up to date on what'shappening in the world of
accounting and financial growth.
We've got more exciting topicscoming up, so stay tuned for the
(28:52):
next episode of CFO Chronicles.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Until then, keep pushing forward.
Your growth is just onestrategic move away.
Professionals, connect with uson LinkedIn and leave a review
or comment to join theconversation.
Your feedback helps us bringyou the best insights in finance
and marketing.
Until next time, keep strivingfor success and unlocking your
(29:31):
business's potential.
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