CPA Life

Ronnie Withaeger's journey in Accounting has led him to currently running five businesses, including a sauna, and he talks to John Randolph about doing things his way on Episode 69 of CPA Life. The owner and founder of Ronald Withaeger CPA in Las Vegas, Ronnie started his career at a traditional firm but ultimately established his own practice focused on family-friendly, sustainable growth, and he...

John Randolph dives deep into a discussion on reshaping the public accounting space with Chris Williams, owner and CEO of System Six, on Episode 68 of CPA Life . A remote, cloud-based accounting firm, System Six's culture-driven, employee-focused environment serves as a model for balancing employees' professional growth with their personal lives. They delve into the dynamics of private equity in p...

John Randolph concludes his conversation with Rob Brown of Accounting Influencers on Episode 67 of CPA Life . Focusing on talent and leadership in accounting from multiple perspectives, they delve into the need for entrepreneurial spirit, and the importance of taking risks and overcoming the fear of judgment. They analyze the pandemic-induced shift to remote and hybrid working, noting that while i...

Join John Randolph for part 1 of his special two part interview with Rob Brown, the founder of Accounting Influencers, on Episode 66 of CPA Life. The concept of "story" figures heavily into their conversation about talent in the profession, highlighting the value of both personal and employer branding to drive better outcomes. Rob looks at the role of thought leadership as pivotal insofar as chang...

Episode 65 of CPA Life is a particularly special episode—a re-broadcast of John Randolph's appearance on Who's Really The BOSS with Rachel and Marcus Dillon of Dillon Business Advisors! In this collaboration, John shares insights into the recruiting landscape in public accounting from his perspective as Principal at Benaiah Consulting, delving into what he sees as keys to healthy recruitment: work...

John Randolph concludes his conversation with Allan Fisher of Premier Financial Search on Episode 64 of CPA Life. Delving into the evolving dynamics of the accounting profession, the two discuss how the competitive landscape has expanded beyond local firms to national competition, the advantage boutique firms have had as that landscape changed, and some of the myths surrounding accounting recruitm...

Host John Randolph kicks off a special two part conversation with Allan Fisher, president and founder of Premier Financial Search, on Episode 63 of CPA Life . Continuing the theme of recruiting in the profession, they explore the ongoing transformation in public accounting, focusing on building a sustainable, people-centric work culture. Allan's "unconventionally conventional" path to recruiting d...

John Randolph delves into the evolving landscape of recruiting in public accounting with Kerry Billington, Managing Partner at Spartan Placements, on Episode 62 of CPA Life . Kicking off a month-long series focused on perspectives in the recruiting space, their conversation highlights the significance of culture, flexible work environments, and the impact of private equity in the industry, as Kerr...

The concluding part two of John Randolph's conversation with Chris Johnson awaits on this special Episode 61 of CPA Life . Expanding his thoughts on accountability and "extreme ownership," Chris discusses the challenges inherent in self-reflection and holding oneself and one's firm to a higher standard. Given the significance of not tolerating poor performance and attitudes within teams, the abili...

Continuing the momentum of the new Season 3 of CPA Life is this special two part conversation between John Randolph and Chris Johnson, CEO of CJ CPAs in San Antonio, Texas. Chris started his career in a way typical of many accounting professionals, with a spell in the Big Four and with a local firm before being presented with an unusual opportunity that ultimately led to him founding CJ CPAs. And...

We return to part two of our special 2025 kickoff Episode 58 of CPA Life as John Randolph "switches sides" to be interviewed by producer Justin Grant. Focusing on evolving definitions of career success and the need for firms to offer flexible, individualized opportunities to retain talent, John goes deeper in exploring the impact of remote work, its relationship to proactive hiring practices, and...

John Randolph "sits on the other side of the studio" on this special two-part Season 3 kickoff episode of CPA Life. With hosting duties accounted for by producer Justin Grant of ProfessionalProductions.net, John delves into the challenges firms will face in 2025 and beyond, such as losing key talent, increased competition and specialization in the profession, and the need for technological adaptat...

Season's Greetings from CPA Life! Today, we look back at one of John Randolph's most impactful conversations of 2024, where he was joined by accounting legend Ron Baker of VeraSage. The two delved deep into the groundbreaking topics of value and subscription-based pricing and client advisory services. The author of eight books, Ron's extensive writings, keynote speeches and general advocacy on the...

John Randolph sits down with Roman Villard, co-founder of Full Send Finance, on Episode 56 of CPA Life. Sharing his journey from finance major to starting his own firm, Roman emphasizes the importance of a culture-forward approach and how that has helped Full Send shoot out of the blocks, growing from zero to 12 full-time employees in just over two years. Highlighting the need for technology to at...

Join host John Randolph on Episode 55 of CPA Life , as he talks to James Rainwater, founder of RainwaterCPA, about his journey and unique approach to public accounting. James discusses his non-traditional career path, how he ultimately discovered he prefers the public accounting space over private, and the evolution of his fully remote firm, which is in its second iteration after James founded a m...

Eric Joern started his accounting career at James Hamlin & Co., a traditional firm founded in the 1960s in Antioch, Illinois, right out of college. He joins John Randolph on Episode 54 of CPA Life to talk about his role in transforming that firm into Kaizen CPAs and Advisors, where he now serves as partner. Doing away with traditional CPA practices to focus on team wellbeing, sustainability, and n...

John Randolph talks with Kelly Rohrs, owner and founder of Kelly A. Rohrs CPA, who shares her journey to building a sustainable and flexible accounting firm, on Episode 53 of CPA Life . Having been recognized by CPA Practice Advisors on their Top 40 Under 40 list, Kelly discusses her transition from a traditional firm to launching her own practice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She emphasizes the imp...

Dominic Piscopo's journey in accounting started at a Big Four firm in Canada, where he discovered his firm was paying its employees well below the average in his area. He talks to John Randolph on Episode 52 of CPA Life about how that experience, among others, led to him launching Big 4 Transparency, a platform which tracks salary data in the profession. Although Big 4 Transparency started as a co...

Chris Papin returns to CPA Life's Episode 51 for Part 2 of his conversation with host John Randolph. Their discussion shifts focus towards effective communication, training, and adapting to new technologies in accounting firms. Touching on the challenge inherent in teaching communication skills in a technical field like accounting, Chris stresses the importance of aligning that pedagogy with both...

CPA Life's 50 episode milestone marks the beginning of a conversation between John Randolph and Chris Papin, owner and founder of Papin CPA in Edmond, Oklahoma. Discussing the transition from traditional to modern CPA practices, Chris prioritizes sustainability, employee well-being, and client needs. He shares insights into his firm's growth, innovation in technology, and the challenges of balanci...

Veteran accounting journalist and consultant Seth Feinberg rejoins John Randolph for part two of their conversation on Episode 49 of CPA Life . They pick back up on the closing theme of the first episode, that accounting's image problem is largely self-made, and changes need to be made to solve the pipeline issues and other pressing matters within the profession at the macro level. Seth also touch...

Seth Fineberg spent more than 20 years as an accounting journalist before founding Accountants Forward and consulting with professionals looking to improve their firm and career prospects. He and host John Randolph engage in part one of a dynamic conversation on Episode 48 of CPA Life , centered around going beyond raw numbers and looking at the reality of the landscape in public accounting. Empha...

Part 2 of John Randolph's special episode featuring Jeremy Clopton and Heath Alloway of Upstream Academy and the Upstream Leader Podcast continues on CPA Life , as the trio pick up their discussion of intentionality, a theme which runs through so many threads in the accounting profession. Intentionality is central to their discussions about creating firm culture, the value of deliberate planning,...

Jeremy Clopton and Heath Alloway of Upstream Academy and The Upstream Leader Podcast join host John Randolph to discuss innovation and sustainable careers in public accounting on Episode 46, part one of a special two part episode. As influential thought leaders with more than a quarter of a century of accounting experience between them, Jeremy and Heath stress the importance of intentional leaders...

Episode 45 of the CPA Life Podcast features Anshul Chawla, Director of Corporate Development at Chawla & Chawla, PC, in conversation with John Randolph about his journey through public accounting and private equity. From working at Big Four firms and a private equity firm to returning to his family-run CPA firm having gained experience there as a child, Anshul discusses modernizing the firm, enhan...