The Growth Minded Accountant

Overtime deductions became one of the most misunderstood tax topics coming out of the last election cycle—and that confusion is heading straight into tax season. In this episode, Lee Reams II and Lee Reams Sr. break down what actually qualifies as deductible overtime , why state overtime rules don’t automatically apply for federal tax purposes , and why the 2025 tax season will be far more labor-i...

It’s 2026—and most accounting firms are still trying to grow advisory revenue by chasing new clients. More leads. More traffic. More strangers. But the most profitable advisory opportunity most firms have isn’t out there. It’s already inside their client list. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton explain why existing clients are your biggest advisory ad...

In 2026, most tax and accounting firms don’t have a software problem. They have an experience problem . In this solo episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , Lee Reams II explains why stacking “good tools” has quietly become the biggest source of friction inside modern firms—and why AI-first firms are already pulling away. You’ll hear why: Most firms only use 20–30% of the software they pay for T...

Most tax and accounting firms are not broken. They are incomplete. In this episode of The Growth-Minded Accountant , Lee Reams and Rebekah Barton introduce a simple but powerful framework that explains why so many firms feel harder to run than they should. Every firm has three layers. The Work Laye r handles compliance and deliverables. The Team Layer organizes people, tasks, and workflow. The thi...

As we close out the year, this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant is a little different. No guest. No hype. Just an honest look at what’s coming next for tax and accounting firms. In this year-end solo episode, Lee Reams II shares his 2026 predictions —not based on headlines or fear-driven narratives, but on patterns he’s seen repeat over the last decade. The short version: By 2026, AI will b...

AI-powered search is fundamentally changing how people discover tax and accounting professionals — and the 2026 tax law reset is about to separate firms that are prepared from those that aren’t. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , Lee Reams and Rebekah Barton unpack two major forces converging at the same time: • Why AI search tools are reducing visibility for generic tax and account...

Most accountants say the same thing:   “I’m already too busy… why would I need marketing?” In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the real reason fast-growing firms keep winning—while others unknowingly fall behind: 👉 Being busy today doesn’t keep you remembered tomorrow. 👉 Visibility—not workload—is what protects your firm. 👉 Top of M...

Stop billing by the hour. Start communicating your value. Step into advisory with confidence. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , Lee Reams II sits down with Linda Hunt , founder of SUM Solutions and creator of The Perfect Pricing Formula , to unpack the shift every bookkeeper and accounting professional is facing right now: moving from task-based work to outcome-based advisory — all...

In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the impact of Intuit’s new $100M partnership with OpenAI and what it means for the future of the profession. Clients are no longer starting with Google or referrals. They’re starting with AI — and they trust the answer. We cover: Why the compliance-first model is getting compressed How AI has become the new referral source Why advisory is...

AI and automation are changing everything — including how accountants grow. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , host Lee Reams II talks with Adam Lean , CEO of The CFO Project , about how technology is helping tax and accounting pros finally scale beyond compliance work and step into lucrative CFO advisory roles. Adam shares how The CFO Project’s advisors average nearly $2,000 per mo...

AI isn’t killing accounting. It’s reorganizing it. In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton dig into how automation is reshaping the profession... compressing the repetitive, low-value work at the bottom and expanding opportunities at the top where strategy, storytelling, and human relationships live. This isn’t about fear. It’s about leverage. The smartest firms are using AI to scale fast...

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “yes” to one more client favor — knowing it won’t make it to the invoice — this episode is for you. Host Lee Reams II , founder of CountingWorks PRO , and co-host Rebekah Barton break down one of the most common profit leaks in accounting and advisory firms: service creep . They’ll walk you through: What service creep actually looks like (and why it’s so easy...

Referrals have always powered accounting firm growth — but what happens when word-of-mouth goes digital? In this episode, hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton unpack how AI is quietly reshaping visibility, referrals, and client acquisition for accountants. From ChatGPT’s recommendations to Google’s new AI-driven search, algorithms are already deciding which firms get found — and which disappear....

Funnels are dead. And in this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , host Lee Reams II and guest Rebekah Barton explain why the old lead-generation playbook no longer works—and what accountants must do instead. For years, firms were told to rely on funnels: fill the top with ads and PDFs, nurture with email, and push leads down until they buy. But in Fall 2025, that’s not how clients make decis...

Welcome to another episode of The Growth-Minded Accountant Podcast , hosted by Lee Reams and Rebekah Barton . This week we’re tackling one of the most urgent challenges facing accounting firms in 2025: the hidden cost of delaying AI adoption . What You’ll Learn in This Episode The invisible tax of doing nothing : why waiting on AI is costing you revenue, hours, and growth. AI search visibility : h...

Most accountants think growth = more leads. More ads. More SEO. More hustle. But if you’re losing 15 out of every 100 clients each year? You’re not growing—you’re standing still. Retention is your moat. It’s what protects your firm when AI search punishes cookie-cutter sites, when clients tune out generic newsletters, and when compliance-only firms get commoditized. In this episode of The Growth M...

Referrals aren’t what they used to be. Clients don’t just ask a friend anymore—they ask ChatGPT. And if your firm doesn’t show up with credibility, reviews, and content that AI can cite… you’re invisible. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , host Lee Reams II and guest Rebekah Barton share the Modern SEO + GEO Playbook for Accountants . You’ll discover how to build a digital presence...

Every tax season, accountants hit the same wall: too many clients, not enough hours. The knee-jerk reaction? Cut clients, cut stress, cut back. But here’s the problem: you can’t cut your way to growth. And you sure can’t cut your way to a 7-figure exit. In this episode of The Growth-Minded Accountant , Lee Reams II (Founder of CountingWorks) reveals why the most successful firms aren’t trimming —...

AI has changed everything for tax and accounting firms. Referrals and Google rankings are no longer enough—clients now turn to AI tools for answers, and only the most trusted firms get recommended. In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton unpack what this shift means, why compliance-only models are at risk, and how firms can pivot to advisory, leverage AI to scale, and protect their client...

Think tax planning is only for billionaires? Think again. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , we break down why middle-income, dual-earner families often see the biggest savings — and how accountants can turn complexity into opportunity. You’ll hear how a $150K household (one spouse W-2, one spouse 1099) can unlock $10K–$20K in annual savings through smart strategies like entity opti...

Most tax professionals and accountants are still guessing at their prices — and it’s costing them thousands. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant , hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the three big pricing models in the profession: ⚖️ Published Price Guides : Transparent and simple — but often leave money on the table. 💰 Value Pricing : Aligns with client outcomes — but ha...

Unlock the power of bonus depreciation in today’s tax landscape with this expert-curated nano CPE course, Bonus Depreciation in 2025 and Beyond: Strategic Tax Insights for Businesses . In under 20 minutes, you’ll learn how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) permanently reinstated 100% bonus depreciation — and what that means for your business clients. From the history and evolution of bonus de...

This NASBA-compliant nano course delivers expert tax insight in a fresh, podcast-style format. Carefully curated by our team of seasoned tax professionals and presented by advanced AI for the best possible learning experience, this course makes complex tax law easy to understand and engaging to follow. In just 12 minutes, discover how the new above-the-line deduction for tip income (2025–2028) wor...

This episode of The Growth Minded Accountant hosted by Lee Reams II, focuses on building a "Referral Growth Engine That Runs Itself." It emphasizes that referrals are the most profitable lead source and can be generated through a repeatable process using existing tools like an inbox and calendar, without needing ads or AI. The podcast outlines a 4-part "Referral Blueprint Framework&...

This isn’t your average tax update. In this MAXCast™, we fed the full text of our analysis of the newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into MAX — our AI-powered assistant — to extract, summarize, and analyze the biggest tax reform in years. What did MAX find? Refundable credits. Big retirement shifts. Small biz perks. And more than a few surprises hidden in the fine print. This episode...