Accountant's Flight Plan

If your best accountants are walking out the door, it's probably not about the money. 

In this episode, Tim Schurrer (CEO of David Novak Leadership and author of "The Secret Society of Success") reveals the leadership principle that grew Yum! Brands from $4 billion to $32 billion, and it has everything to do with solving what's plaguing CPA firms right now: the talent crisis.

Here's the reality: when your sen...

You've spent years developing your next generation of partners, but what happens when they don't want to lead, can't secure financing, or simply aren't the right fit to take over? 

In this episode, our Ontario Market Leader Darryl Boyd, reveals why so many multi-partner firms are discovering that their "default" internal succession plan isn't working, and why external sales often deliver bette...

In this episode, we sit down with Lisa Smith who is a functional medicine dietitian, gut-health expert, and founder of Lisa Smith Wellness. We explore the realities of deep stress and the health impacts that so many accounting firm owners quietly carry. We start by talking about the concept of “deep stress,” how it differs from everyday overwhelm, and why professionals who juggle multiple roles often don’t realize their bodies are ...

In this episode, we sit down with returning guest Nick Sinclair, founder and chairman of TOA Global, one of the largest accounting outsourcing companies in the world. Nick shares the unlikely origin story of how a leadership trip to the Philippines revealed the talent  and scalability his own firm desperately needed. This inspired him to build what has now become a powerhouse with more than 4,500 team members serving over 1,100 fir...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, we sit down with Kristen Corey, founder of Media Books Agency, to talk about how accountants can use marketing to strengthen their brand, attract ideal clients, and communicate value beyond compliance work. With experience in both public accounting and marketing, Kristen shares how her journey from working as an auditor to owning her own marketing agency taught her the import...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, we sit down with Jody Padar, known across the industry as The Radical CPA, to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping the accounting profession. Jody shares her journey from founding one of the first cloud firms in 2010 to working in tech startups like Botkeeper and now launching her newest venture, XcelLabs. Her mission is to prepare firms for 2030 by building AI-fi...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, we sit down with Mike Schwarz, CEO of MyZone AI, to explore the evolving need for modern accounting firm leaders to adopt AI. In this episode, we discuss how AI is impacting the world and what the projected implications are for small business owners in every industry. 

There are some key strategies for implementing AI in this episode. We encourage you to learn about the ways i...

Quality leadership that grows your accounting practice isn’t about pushing your team to work harder. While it may sound counterintuitive, modeling a healthy, balanced life is what actually moves the needle. In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan, Rob Dube opens the conversation by emphasizing that when leaders prioritize wellness, the team will follow suit. This results in less burnout, fewer mistakes, better client servic...

The Evolving Role of Private Equity
In this special episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan, Brannon meets with Morry Brown, regional market leader here at Poe Group Advisors, formerly of Goldman Sachs, to share a timely update on how private equity is  impacting mergers and acquisitions in the accounting profession today.This was a live discussion with an informative Q&A at the end.  

Morry and Brannon dive deep into the st...

From A Big Four Firm to Entrepreneurship
In this special episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan, Brannon sat down with Raffi Yousefian, a NY/DC-based CPA and entrepreneur, to discuss his journey to building a thriving tax practice. Raffi began his career at EY before launching his own firm in 2016, growing rapidly before making the bold decision in 2022 to niche down into three verticals. By 2023, he doubled down on his faste...

We are taking a look back on an episode from the archives! Enjoy this retelling of how Accounting Practice Academy came to be.

In this episode of the podcast, we have Ian Brennan (APA’s Creative Director), and my wife Carol Poe (PGA Buyer Specialist/APA’s right-hand woman) who played a pivotal role in the creation and execution of the workshop. This workshop wouldn’t exist without them and there’s some fun stories as to why tha...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, Brannon is joined by Morry Brown, California market leader at Poe Group Advisors and a longtime family friend. Morry shares his journey from Goldman Sachs to helping CPA firm owners navigate the evolving landscape of firm sales, particularly as private equity (PE) ramps up its interest in the accounting profession. 

Making Informed Decisions in a Rapidly Changing Market
Mo...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan, we are joined by Wayne Findlay—entrepreneur, founder of Findlay & Co., and CEO of The Back Room. Wayne shares his global perspective on how accounting firms can stay competitive in today’s talent-scarce landscape by leveraging offshoring, modern tech, and clear growth paths for team members. If you’re a firm owner thinking about scale, succession, or private equity, this episode ...

The Power of Authenticity in Attracting Talent and Changing Perceptions

In this episode of the Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, we interviewed fellow podcaster and reputation-building expert Rob Brown. Rob is the host of three accounting-related podcasts with a collective following of over 50,000 listeners and is the author of Build Your Reputation. He has spent over two decades working in business development and training for...

The Evolution of an Industry in Real Time

In this episode of the Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, Brannon Poe is joined by Dan Hood, Editor-in-Chief at Accounting Today, to explore the shifting tides of the accounting industry. From his start as a receptionist to laying out physical newspapers and magazines to leading one of the profession's most respected publications, Dan shares his unique vantage point on the industry’s pas...

Providing Salary Transparency to Practitioners

In this episode of the Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, Dominic Piscopo shares with Brannon about his startup–Big4Transparency. This service provides accounting firms with data around salary compensation, breaking up the data by sector, geography, and position seniority. It is easy to use and accessible for firm owners who value their employees and want to compensate them fairly. They ...

A Shifting Profession

The accounting profession is evolving, and Seth Fineberg has had a front-row seat to these shifts. A seasoned journalist who found his niche covering the accounting industry, Seth brings a unique perspective on how the field has transformed—and where it’s headed next. In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan, Brannon Poe sits down with Seth to discuss the modernization of accounting firms, the talen...

This week, we’re celebrating a special occasion on The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast! In honor of Brannon Poe’s birthday, we flipped the script—our Marketing Director, Bailey Ball (who also happens to be Brannon’s daughter), took over the mic to interview him. Their conversation takes us on a journey from the earliest days of our company, when Bailey was in elementary school, to the thriving 20+ person team we have today.

Time St...

In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, Brannon sat down with Giles, founder of Accountests and a seasoned accounting professional with 25 years of experience in public accounting and 18 years as a partner in a firm. Giles founded Accountests after years of frustration with the unpredictability of hiring in the accounting profession; hiring seemingly qualified candidates to later realize that they were not the righ...