The Unique CPA

Happy new year to The Unique CPA community! David Hartley joins Randy on Episode 193 to kick off 2025 with a chat about a timely topic: The profession's future and looking forward to the key things that will drive change within accounting. The Partner in Charge of Advisory at Anders CPAs and Advisors, David hits on the shift towards advisory services, emphasizing innovation and the future readines...

Randy Crabtree welcomes Megan Tarnow on Episode 192 of The Unique CPA to discuss Megan's unique niche: the intersection of nonprofits and QuickBooks. A speaker, trainer, and Top 100 Pro Advisor, Megan has lent a hand to numerous nonprofits over the years and even developed a Facebook group for nonprofit finance that boasts over 11,000 members. She explains the concept of fiscal sponsorship and its...

Loren Fogelman joins Randy Crabtree on Episode 191 of The Unique CPA to reveal her keys to enhance accounting firm owners' earning potential while reducing their hours. Having transitioned from sports psychology to business coaching, Loren emphasizes the similarities between athletes and growth-minded firm owners, translating these similarities into concepts like value-based pricing and the import...

Join Randy in his conversation with Josh Malancuk, a state property tax specialist, on Episode 190 of The Unique CPA . Josh discusses his role and the complexities of property tax reductions for businesses. He highlights how most businesses overpay on taxes due to a lack of expertise in reviewing tax assessments and compliance, especially in particular states where the rules differ significantly f...

On episode 189 of The Unique CPA, Randy is joined by Anthony Venette of DeJoy to discuss the intricacies of succession, gift, and estate planning. Anthony shares insights from his career journey, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning for business continuity and ownership transfer, and he delves into succession planning's critical aspects, such as defining goals, internal vs. external tr...

On Episode 188 of The Unique CPA, Randy Crabtree connects with Isaac Perdomo, co-founder of Opzer, with a focus on automation in the profession. Isaac explains how Opzer helps accounting firms streamline their operations through process mapping, optimization, and custom workflow automation. Randy points out that oftentimes, those who would benefit most from automation don't understand just how muc...

Randy welcomes Dan Berenholtz, co-founder and CEO of StanfordTax, to Episode 187 of The Unique CPA . Dan discusses how his company is revolutionizing the tax season process for accountants and clients alike. Detailing his passion for tech entrepreneurship, Dan explores StanfordTax's innovative approach to automating tax data collection, enhancing both client experience and accountant efficiency. H...

Randy Crabtree talks to Lisa Simpson, Vice President of Firm Services at AICPA, on Episode 186 of The Unique CPA . Lisa stresses that essential transformations are needed to ensure a prosperous future for the profession. Fostering a healthy community of accounting professionals and critical shifts in the traditional business model are keys to staying relevant, as are leveraging technology and dive...

On Episode 185 of The Unique CPA , Randy digs into advisory platforms with David Snider, CEO and founder of Harness Wealth. Harness is one such platform making waves in the profession, and David, in discussing his journey from the real estate tech industry to tax and wealth management, explains how these worlds linked together for him to found Harness. Sharing his understanding of how technology c...

Randy Crabtree returns to a very personally important topic to him, burnout, on Episode 184 of The Unique CPA. He sits down with specialist Anna Lovell-Nesmith to discuss the pervasiveness of burnout among accounting professionals. Anna shares her insights on recognizing and managing burnout, emphasizing the importance of time management, prioritization, and personalized strategies, which she prov...

Randy Crabtree engages in an enlightening discussion with Hitendra Patil, seven-time Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential Person, on Episode 183 of The Unique CPA . The President of Global F&A Services for Datamatics Business Solutions, Hitendra is an author and speaker who, like Randy, seeks to improve accounting as a whole. Highlighting the talent shortage and the evolving landscape of the...

We go back in time on this special five-year anniversary Episode 182 of The Unique CPA , as original guest Tim Jipping, founder of Journey Advisors & CPAs, returns to interview Randy Crabtree on the podcast's milestone show. Discussing the podcast's inception, evolution, and its impact on the accounting profession, Randy reflects on things that have surprised him about becoming a podcast host and...

Randy Crabtree talks to Tori McKee, the owner of Best Practice Bookkeeping and Payroll, on Episode 181 of  The Unique CPA , and they focus on burnout. Tori shares her journey of professional transformation, having decided to "burn down and rebuild" her business. Having struggled through 70-80 hour weeks for years, Tori moved away from the traditional CPA firm methodologies she'd always known, adop...

On Episode 180 of The Unique CPA, Chris Williams, the CEO of System Six, joins Randy for a conversation about the direction modern accounting is headed. System Six is a cloud-based finance and accounting firm Chris acquired, and he shares his journey, from his background in investment banking and private equity. With a focus on strong company culture characterized by joy, collaboration, and flexib...

Join us as we take a look back at six top rated episodes and guests to celebrate International Podcast Day on Episode 179 of The Unique CPA. Featuring Josh Lance, Allan Koltin, Tim Petrey, John Garrett, Eric Green, and Al-Nesha Jones, Randy reminisces about each guest and the impact they've had on the Unique CPA Community and the profession as a whole. Get the full show notes and more resources at...

Randy Crabtree is joined by Andrew Leck, CEO of MSI Global Alliance, on Episode 178 of The Unique CPA . An international association of lawyers and accountants, MSI brings professionals together, and Andrew discusses the thriving and collaborative community MSI has created, with a special emphasis on its benefits to mental and physical well-being. Integrating accountants and lawyers under one umbr...

On Episode 177 of The Unique CPA , Randy Crabtree interviews Logan Graf, Chief Tax Officer and Founder of The Graf Tax Co. Logan took an unusual path to starting his own firm, with him jumping into the fully remote model in the middle of Covid, and he's continued on that unconventional trajectory by hiring his first employee through social media. Social media has been a key for Logan for both prof...

Lauren Bahr, VP of Finance at Occupier and podcast host, joins Randy to "bring the fun to finance" on Episode 176 of The Unique CPA . Lauren pursued her passion for startups, a sector she was exposed to during her time at PwC, ultimately leaving public accounting and further turning her energy towards educating others through her podcasts. Touching on the importance of creating a positive corporat...

On Episode 175 of The Unique CPA , Randy Crabtree connects with John J. Fenton who discusses his transformative journey from college athletics to public accounting to leadership coaching. John served as managing partner at BDO USA, and his experience of the profession drives his insights on leadership, employee engagement, trust, and progressing beyond the billable hour. John has drawn upon his ti...

It's once again time to dive into the ERC and update the profession on its current status! Nick Pantaleo joins Randy Crabtree for a special live streamed Episode 174 of The Unique CPA where they delve into the Employee Retention Credit's journey. The two experts review the current state of play, with everything from legal updates, to IRS interpretations and processes, including their new risk asse...

Randy Crabtree is joined by Rafael Casas, Director of Strategic Alliances and Partnerships at QuickFee, on Episode 173 of The Unique CPA. Rafael opens by explaining QuickFee's mission to aid accounting and legal firms in accelerating AR while leading the way in the profession on thought leadership around mental health, AI and automation, technology, and more. Through these initiatives, Rafael hope...

Episode 172 of The Unique CPA brings Jody Padar, The Radical CPA, into conversation with Randy Crabtree . They discuss the evolution of accounting technology, from the early days of cloud computing to the current advancements in artificial intelligence, all of which Jody has been at the forefront of. She shares her journey as an early adopter even back in the pre-internet days, her influential rol...

Randy welcomes back Roman Villard from Full Send Finance for Episode 171 almost a year after the recording date of Roman's first appearance on  The Unique CPA . They discuss the progress and growth Full Send has seen in nearly a year, including updates on new service lines, team expansion, and a re-focus of how to track what progress actually means for the firm and its clients. Roman stresses that...

Roman Villard joins Randy Crabtree for Episode 170 of The Unique CPA to discuss his social media marketing approach and his founding of Full Send Finance. In a conversation recorded nearly a year ago, Roman discusses establishing his niche: Seed to Series B, primarily tech, startups. The key for Roman is his passion for working with early-stage companies, drawing from his family's entrepreneurial...

On Episode 169 of The Unique CPA , Randy Crabtree connects with Katie Thomas, founder of Leaders Online, a marketing firm focused on business-to-accountants (B2A) services. They discuss Katie's journey from her entrepreneurial childhood to her professional experience in a Big Four accounting firm and her eventual venture into establishing Leaders Online to help accountants market their firms. Expl...