Accountant's Flight Plan

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,...

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...

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 202...

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...

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 Decision...

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, successio...

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 busine...

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 uniqu...

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 w...

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 modernizatio...

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 2...

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...

In this episode, Brannon sits down with Ryan Pulice CPA, a (financial planner/accounting firm owner) to explore his unique journey of finding his niche, working with small businessbusiness owners, and real estate investors. Ryan’s venture into accounting was almost accidental. After starting his college journey in computer science he found that it was not the path for him. At his father’s suggesti...

Reaching 100 episodes is no small feat, and The Accountant's Flight Plan Podcast has officially hit that milestone! To mark the occasion, Ian Brennan (Creative Director at Poe Group Advisors)  takes on the role of guest host to turn the microphone on Brannon Poe, CPA, the mastermind behind the podcast. This 100th episode isn’t just a celebration; it’s a heartfelt reflection on the mission and...

What role can accountants play as partners for small business owners, and how can they navigate the challenges of scaling a firm? In this episode of The Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast , Brannon explores these questions with Cory Gayman, a CPA and entrepreneur whose firm JCG CPA Firm specializes in empowering small business owners to succeed. As a firm owner who started small, Cory shares his jou...

Why has there been such an increase in private equity buyers acquiring accounting firms and what does this mean for the industry? In this episode of the Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast Brannon dives deeper into the subject and what it means for your firm with accounting practice intermediary, Laurens Ball and California market leader, Morry Brown. Laurens has been brokering deals on our team for...

What do you need to know before selling your life’s work or buying someone else’s? Learn from Stephanie’s experience as she shares her perspective on avoiding key obstacles during the acquisition and transition process in buying or selling an accounting practice. After working together in the mergers and acquisitions space for more than 15 years, you don’t want to miss out on Brannon and Stephanie...

Is tracking your hours decreasing your productivity and profitability? According to Geraldine Carter, the answer is most likely yes. In their conversation, Brannon and Geraldine break down how the hourly billing model takes you away from providing real value to your clients. Conversely, getting your hours down and doing away with the hourly billing model altogether could be the key to raising your...

Learn why buying a CPA firm “isn’t like buying a house” with buyer specialist Carol Poe. For the aquisition and transition process of buying an accounting firm to be successful it is crucial that both the buyer and seller are the right fit. By focusing on the work culture and personality of both, Carol guides buyers and sellers to find the best fit for their clients and team.  This podcast touched...

How do you strike out on your own as a solo or small firm CPA? Learn from Josie Parr’s experience doing just that. Hear how her work as a tax strategist for entrepreneurs led to the development of the Profitable Lifestyle Summit [https://summit.profitablelifestylefirm.com/], a free virtual summit to empower entrepreneurs in the accounting world to build profitable firms that support their ideal li...

How can you grow your firm into the most efficient and customer-focused business that it can be? Jason Ackerman and Brannon do a deep dive into the importance of value billing, building a healthy firm culture and why private equity sees value in the profession. This podcast touched on: Timesheets vs value billing. Education in the accounting field. The implications of private equity for CPA firm o...

Hear first-hand experiences on dealmaking from broker, Laurens Ball, on considerations for private equity buyers and finding the right fit. Whether selling your firm or looking to buy, finding the right cultural fit for your clients and team is key. When considering private equity deals it becomes paramount to consider the buyer’s background and industry knowledge to accurately assess whether or n...

How can accountants leverage the power of marketing to grow their businesses? Brannon and Matt Banker of Marketing for Accounting Firms explore the key concepts to building a strong brand in the accounting space. If the prospect of expanding your marketing strategy has you stumped–this episode is for you!

Brannon was a guest on Blake Oliver’s The Accounting Podcast–a very special episode that we are sharing with you now. Blake interviewed Brannon on the key factors that go into assessing the valuation of a CPA firm, the differences between valuation on virtual firms and why cashflow to owner is key. 

How can you most effectively price and package your offerings to optimize staff retention and client satisfaction? Matt Kanas, Managing Director at Ignition has dubbed 2024 the year of change in the accounting industry. We discussed what this change looks like and what the implications of it are for CPA firm owners. With his unique perspective servicing CPA firms from within the tech industry–this...