The Fun CPA Podcast

In this episode, Yuri reflects on the 2026 tax season, sharing the highs, lows, and lessons learned along the way. Whether you're a solo CPA or managing a growing firm, this episode offers practical insights into tools, workflows, and mindset shifts to navigate busy periods more effectively. Breakdown of the 2026 tax season experience and key challenges faced Document collection pitfalls and...

In this episode of The Fun CPA Podcast , Yuri sits down with Isaac Perdomo, CEO and founder of Opzer, to talk about automation, AI, and where accounting firms should actually start.  Isaac shares why firms do not need to overhaul everything at once, and why the best place to begin is usually with the painful, repetitive work they are already doing every day. From client reminders to workflow track...

  Credit card points can feel like a complicated game, but for business owners with regular expenses, there can be real upside if the math makes sense.  Yuri sits down with Nadia Groen, founder of Points Advisors, to break down how business owners can turn everyday spending into flights, hotel stays, and better travel experiences. They talk through Yuri’s actual credit card setup, how to think abo...

Most people do not put “accounting” and “creative” in the same sentence. Drew Carrick has built a career doing exactly that. Yuri sits down with Drew Carrick, also known as The Rapping CPA, to talk about how a public accounting career turned into rap videos, conference hosting, content strategy, and a bigger conversation about where the accounting profession is headed. They get into Drew’s path fr...

 Pricing is one of the hardest conversations in the accounting profession, but the problem usually starts before the client ever pushes back.  Yuri sits down with Carlos Garcia, co-founder of Reframe, to talk about value, confidence, communication, and why so many accountants underprice themselves even when they know they are delivering real results.  They get into the mindset behind pricing, how...

Scaling a CPA firm sounds exciting until you hit the messy middle. Yuri sits down with Anomaly CPA owners John Malone and Greg O’Brien to talk about what it actually takes to grow from a solo firm into a 40-person, multi-million-dollar operation. They get into the early decisions that shaped Anomaly, why Greg moved away from the traditional hourly model, how John’s non-accounting background became...

  Yuri sits down with Mike Mazzanna to talk about the real path from big firm tax work to launching a solo CPA firm.  Mike shares the 109-hour billable week that pushed him toward firm ownership, why flexibility mattered more than simply working fewer hours, and how he built his practice with contracting revenue, LinkedIn relationships, and a clear focus on systems.  They also get into tax softwar...

  AI isn’t coming for tax. It’s already changing how tax professionals research, review, and deliver advice.  Yuri sits down with Benjamin Alarie, tax law professor at the University of Toronto and founder of Blue J, to talk about the future of tax research, why AI became an existential question for him, and what it took to build a tax technology company long before AI became the thing everyone wa...

This week on The Fun CPA Podcast, Yuri talks with Macgill Davis, co-founder and CEO of Rize, an AI-powered time tracking tool for accounting firms and professional service businesses. They talk about why time tracking sucks, how AI can remove manual timesheets, and how firm owners can use better time data to understand client profitability, pricing, interruptions, and focus. Macgill also shares th...

What does it actually look like to build a modern CPA firm without losing yourself in the process?   Yuri sits down with Logan Graf to talk through the real decisions behind firm ownership, from taking the leap into entrepreneurship to figuring out whether buying a firm even makes sense.    They get into pricing, hiring, content creation, social media addiction, and the tension between making more...

Most accounting firms don’t have a tech problem. They have a trust problem. In this episode, Yuri sits down with Jonathan Shkolnik, a developer turned founder building Portali, an AI bookkeeping tool designed to take the pain out of cleanups and month-end work. They talk through why accountants are so change resistant, how to evaluate new tools without getting burned, and what “automation” actuall...

In this episode of the Fun CPA podcast, Yuri sits down with Blake Oliver, CPA and host of "The Accounting Podcast," to discuss the evolving landscape of the accounting profession.  Blake shares his unique journey from professional cellist to firm owner, and eventually to a leading voice in accounting technology and media. Blake also shares his POV on automation and AI, firm management, s...

This episode is a little different — no guest, just Yuri pulling back the curtain on how his firm actually runs during the middle of tax season. Recorded on March 3rd, Yuri walks through what tax season looks like inside his firm right now: how he tracks returns, why he still uses a spreadsheet workflow, and what he’s experimenting with to improve operations. He also shares the reality of running...

Marketing doesn’t need to be pain wrapped in mystery. But it’s such a necessary factor to growing and expanding your business the way that you want. Yuri is joined by Karen Reyburn, a CPA turned Scotland based agency owner who’s spent 15 years helping accountants and bookkeepers attract better clients without forcing themselves into content or marketing activities they hate.  They dig into why “ni...

Mental health isn’t a “nice to have” in accounting, it’s the difference between making it through tax season and quietly burning out. In this episode of The Fun CPA, Yuri sits down with Cassie and Brandon Christensen from Modern Therapy to talk about the intersection of burnout, anxiety, and the culture of overwork in the profession. They unpack why being “always available” doesn’t make you a bett...

 Sharrin Fuller sold two accounting firms for 2x the average multiple and she did it by building a business that could run without her. On the Fun CPA Podcast, Sharrin, CEO and founder of Glass Wallet Ventures, breaks down the real story behind her journey, how she engineered a highly automated firm that was actually easy to sell , and the one mistake she sees firm owners make over and over again:...

‘Old school cool’ is a thing, just not when it comes to accounting.    This week features Nick Boscia, a managing partner at Boscia and Boscia PC – and whose family accounting firm in New Jersey is the very subject of the episode. Nick returned to his family firm after PWC to work side by side with his dad in his “old school practice” – not only to ‘learn the ropes’, but to take the business into...

This week’s episode welcomes “ Scale with Purpose” co-authors Jason Blumer and Ian Vacin to tackle the biggest decision firm owners face: is scaling really right for you?    Together, they join Yuri to discuss this big question that many firm owners face: is it worth it, and should you be pushing yourself for more? Or listening to your gut.   Jason and Ian combine anecdotal experience with data, e...

Accountants don’t just do the client work and tax returns. They’re now custodians of some of a client’s most valuable data.    This week’s guest, Nick Mullen, is an expert in information security, IT governance, and compliance in the financial services sector. He’s seen it all when it comes to how small to mid-size firms handle their digital security. What they do badly, what they often miss – and...

This week’s guest JUST started his journey to begin his own firm.    Yuri is joined by Kendall Castro, who, as of a few months ago, recently became a business owner. Together, they break down Kendall’s path to starting his own business, the one critical moment that kicked everything off and most importantly:   What his experience has been so far.   From pricing, adding new business and making more...

Many guests on The Fun CPA have left their jobs, some of them at the ‘Big 4’ to begin their own business, or move to something tax and accounting adjacent.   This week’s guest is a little different! Blake Carroll works for a ‘Big 4’ firm, PwC, and has done so for the past 8 years.    As a Deployment Consultant for PwC, Blake is responsible for facilitating the development of high-performing teams...

 Michael Eckstein isn’t like most accountants.    He doesn’t talk like most accountants. Or think like them.    And he certainly doesn’t approach building a business the same way as them, either.    In this episode, Yuri and Michael sit down to discuss topics big and small – from client horror stories and biggest tax “beefs” to how Michael started his firm and why he built it around one central th...

 This week’s guest has achieved what many in the industry dream of.    A successful firm AND a successful exit.    Kenji Kuramoto is the founder and former CEO of Acuity, a pioneering outsourced accounting and fractional CFO firm that built and maintained financial functions for thousands of innovative entrepreneurs.    Kenji sits down with Yuri to discuss creating and growing his company – what h...

Not all accounting journeys are the same, but most are similar.    Today’s guest has done it all differently – and his rare, entrepreneurial drive is something you seldom see in an industry so focused on conformity. Shahram Zarshenas is the CEO of Financial Cents, an accounting practice management software – a company and idea that started when Shahram was just in college.    Together, Yuri and Sh...

It’s the one big thing on everyone’s mind.    A.I.    This week’s guest has all the answers to your questions both hopeful and bleak. Chad Davis is the co-founder and partner of LiveCA LLP – and a self-proclaimed AI and automation geek.    Yuri and Chad discuss the AI of it all – it’s application in firms that are both tech averse and those that may be too tech-eager. They also investigate some si...