The Big 4 Transparency Podcast

In Episode 32 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Dean Blachford, an independent tax lawyer specializing in tax disputes in Canada. In this episode, we cover what differentiates tax law, and the different streams within it, Dean’s story of how he launched his own practice, and a story of stepping up to the plate when faced with career adversity. We also talk about the Blachford Tax L...

In Episode 31 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Isaac Perdomo, the Co-Founder of Opzer, a company which helps accounting firms improve their workflows and implement tools to automate processes. Isaac shares frameworks on the different applications of AI, the different metrics firms can use to assess the effectiveness of their processes, and where to start if you want to become a pr...

In Episode 30 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Katrina Nacci, a solo practitioner working in cross-border advisory, working out of Germany and Boston. We chat all about her journey to where she is today, the cultural difference of working in Europe versus North America and her views on Private Equity in the accounting space. Check out our Sponsor, Forwardly: https://www.forwardly....

In Episode 29 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Jason Blumer, CEO of Thriveal, and of Blumer & Associates. Jason has been a huge inspiration to me in the podcast world, showing how consistency with podcasting can lead to great business outcomes. Jason talks about the need for inspiration as a founder, and how he has become so productive by learning to leverage his time through...

In Episode 28 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Nick Boscia, Partner at Boscia & Boscia P.C. who shares the stories of taking over his father’s firm with his brother and working toward modernizing the practice in order to support a more balanced lifestyle. Nick goes into detail on the initiatives he undertook to improve the firm operations and the impact of each change which no...

In Episode 27 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Wade Runge, an exited partner from a small firm that was acquired, and current director at Porte Brown. Wade shares his almost 4 decade journey in public accounting with us, and recounts the stories of becoming a junior party in his late 20s and how that shaped his experience in the industry. Wade also walks us through what it was lik...

In Episode 26 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Chad Davis, Co-Founder and Partner at LiveCA LLP. I recently met Chad at Bridging The Gap Conference in Chicago where he was on panels discussing EOS. In this episode, we dive a little deeper into his experience implementing EOS at his firm, how that changed his experience working there and where the firm is today after the implementa...

In this episode, I share some thoughts about broadening my horizons and information diet while I’m at Bridging the Gap 2024 in Chicago, IL.

In Episode 24 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Jeanne Hardy, Founder and CEO of Creative Business Inc., an accounting, operations and back-office support firm for the creative industries as well as the Founder and CEO of Levvy, a practice management software for accounting firms specializing in CAS offerings. In this episode, we discuss why accounting firm operators are uniquely p...

In this episode, I share a business update about Big 4 Transparency and talk about the company’s mission. Get in touch with me: Website: https://www.big4transparency.com/ Newsletter: https://big4transparency.beehiiv.com/ Email: dom@big4transparency.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/B4Transparency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dopiscopo/

In Episode 22 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Julian White, founder of Zentia AI and an expert at improving firm workflows and efficiency by implementing AI in practical manners. In this episode, we discuss where firms are finding success with AI today, some successful applications Julian has been a part of, and what accounting professionals can do to stay ahead of the curve when...

In Episode 21 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Tina Teodorescu, founder of Talent Edge Advisors, and former Chief People Officer in various accounting firms. Tina shares insights from her experience in accounting firms to shed some light on discussions being had at the most senior levels in firms. Firm leadership is generally concerned about people no longer being as motivated by...

In Episode 20 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Jason Staats, host of the Staats Daily Podcast, Founder or Realize, and former public accounting firm partner prior to selling the practice. In this episode, we discuss Jason’s career in accounting leading to where he is today, what he’s most excited about for the profession, and advice to young professionals. We also discuss his crea...

In Episode 19 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Dr. Josh McGowan, Associate Director of the William H. Carr School of Accountancy at Troy University in Alabama. In this episode, we talk about what led Josh into the academic field as a CPA, and what he finds most fulfilling in the role. We also discuss how students are feeling about the accounting industry, where they are getting th...

In Episode 18 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Jack Kalb, Co-Founder and partner at Minted Search Group. In this episode we talk about what drew Jack from the public accounting world over to external recruitment, his journey starting his own recruitment firm, and why there is such a strained relationship between accounting professionals and recruiters. Jack understands the account...

In Episode 17 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Sabrina Parris, President of Honeycomb State Tax Strategies. In this episode we talk all about specializing as a service provider to other firms, dealing with impostor syndrome, growing a community and more. Sabrina shares some advice for young accounting professionals and we discuss the ups and downs of being fully authentic in the w...

In Episode 16 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Ryan Lazanis, the CEO of Future Firm, and exited founder of Xen Accounting. Ryan takes the knowledge and best practices he learned while building Xen Accounting and offers educational material as well as a community to accounting professionals who hope to build the firms of their dreams. Ryan focused on how to get out of the weeds wit...

In Episode 15 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Yuri Kapilovich, the fun CPA and managing partner at Kapilovich & Associates LLC. Yuri aims to take on the accounting firm world in his own way, making it an enjoyable experience to work in public accounting. In our discussion, we cover his journey to being a firm owner, comparing modern firms to PE backed firms, the value of firm...

In Episode 14 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Mike Maksymiw, Executive Director at the Aprio Firm Alliance. Mike has worked in public accounting for nearly 20 years, and has seen it all - from being part of a firm being acquired, to operating as a principal at a top firm to now leading the Aprio Firm Alliance. Mike and I discuss learnings from his career, when it is time to sell...

In Episode 13 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Zane Stevens, Founding Partner of Protea which is a niche firm serving the wine industry. We discuss what makes the wine industry unique and why being a niche provider in the space allows Protea to stand out and better serve their clients. Zane also talks about how their offshoring strategy is done through a wholly owned subsidiary in...

In Episode 12 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Mike Libbey, COO and Partner at Your Bottom Line. Mike has had a very unique journey, working his way up in a family accounting business as a non-CPA. Eventually, he took a keen interest to focusing on the firm’s operations and improving the systems and processes of the firm. Today, with the help from the Realize community, he is 95%...

In Episode 11 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Jaimie Nichols, founder of Mountain West Tax. She made the decision to start her own firm only a few months prior to this recording and is going through her first tax season as a firm owner, sharing how the experience measures up compared to what she expected, and sharing some early lessons she’s learned in starting her firm. She also...

In Episode 10 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Roman Villard, founder of Full Send Finance and Co-Founder of Full Send Design. In this episode, we cover how branding can be a key differentiator for accounting firms who are looking to attract a certain kind of clientele as well as the role it plays in creating culture and attracting the right kind of talent. We also discuss Roman’s...

In Episode 9 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast, I am joined by Logan Graf, owner of The Graf Tax Co and one of my favorite content creators in the accounting space. In this episode, we dive into Logan’s journey of starting his own accounting firm a few years back, and share some best practices he’s learned along the way. Follow Logan Sign up for Logan’s Community: https://bit.ly/498kNrK Check out...

In Episode 8 of the Big 4 Transparency Podcast I am joined by Randy Crabtree, Co-Founder of Tri-Merit and host of The Unique CPA Podcast. Randy is a second-time firm founder and outspoken advocate for mental health in the accounting profession. In this episode, we discuss the common pitfall that firm owners and CPAs face, that is wanting to be overly involved in every aspect of client work and bus...