Balancing tech, trust, and innovation.

Accounting Influencers

with Rob Brown

Jason Staats shares insights on balancing innovation, mental health, and technology in today’s profession. Staats, known for combining accounting expertise with entrepreneurial thinking, has become a prominent voice in the field.

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Staats’ mission is to help accountants and firm owners create enjoyable and sustainable ways to manage their practices. Through platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, Staats encourages his audience to rethink traditional success in accounting.

“Sometimes, we mistake working hard for working smart,” Staats said. “Running into the same wall for the tenth time isn’t progress—it’s a sign to rethink your approach.”

“We have to tell a better story, but we also have to have a better story to tell.”

Gear Up for Growth

With Jean Caragher

For CPA Trendlines

A powerhouse in the accounting profession, Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, CITP, CISA, the CEO of KET Solutions, shares her deep insights on talent recruitment and retention, inclusive leadership, and the evolving role of CPAs in a rapidly changing world.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today's competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth every Friday here | More Capstone Conversations with Jean Caragher every Monday | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

Ellison-Taylor's journey into the accounting profession began earlier than most. She recalls a pivotal career day in third grade when she learned that "accountants manage the money." This revelation not only sparked her initial interest but also set her on a path to becoming one of the most recognized leaders in the profession, including serving as chairman of both the Maryland Association of CPAs and the AICPA. Her story is a testament to the power of early inspiration and leadership support.

Ellison-Taylor emphasizes the critical need for the accounting profession to craft and share better narratives. “We have to tell a better story, but we also have to have a better story to tell,” she says, quoting Jen Wilson of the National Pipeline Advisory Group. She highlights that leadership—and the support it provides—is at the heart of these stories. Her own career was shaped by leaders who encouraged her to seize opportunities, provided constructive feedback, and championed her growth.

Efficiency meets innovation when you turbocharge audits with AI.

Quick Tech Talk

With Steve Yoss

CPE Today

Accountants can leverage AI tools—not just the industry-specific platforms like MindBridge and Inflow Systems, but also generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude—to enhance their auditing processes.

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Amazing, dedicated AI tools exist for accountants, but did you know you can use general generative AI to analyze Excel workbooks and other data files?

By uploading a data file and posing natural language queries—such as identifying transactions on weekends, holidays, or those significantly deviating from the norm—accountants can efficiently sift through vast datasets. The results are quick, actionable insights that enable auditors to focus on the most critical transactions, streamlining the assurance process.

"A firm’s culture during busy season reveals its true colors."

Accounting ARC
With Liz Mason, Byron Patrick, and Donny Shimamoto.
Center for Accounting Transformation

As the busiest time of year looms for accountants, industry leaders Byron Patrick, CPA.CITP, CGMA; Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA; and Liz Mason, CPA, share practical advice for maintaining resilience during tax season. Their conversation explores actionable strategies to counteract stress and promote mental health.

The hosts share relatable anecdotes, from Patrick’s newfound habit of scheduling haircuts to Mason’s candid discussion about balancing ADHD with professional responsibilities. Shimamoto, founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC and founder and inspiration architect for the Center for Accounting Transformation, adds, "If it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening," highlighting the need for intentional scheduling.

If you try to help everyone, you don’t help anyone.

The Disruptors

With Liz Farr

Salim Omar, CPA, opened his firm in 1996 after working as a CFO in a small investment boutique firm because he wanted to be his own boss. But the experience was terrible: “I found myself working long hours. I was not enjoying the work I was doing. Having the team was a revolving door.”

“There’s got to be a better way,” Omar said then. “If this is what entrepreneurship is, I'm not sure if I want it anymore.”

MORE PODCASTS and VIDEOS: Jackie Meyer: Earn More with Fewer Clients | Jack Fleherty: Don't Be a 'Yes' Person | Greg Adams: From Finance to Storytelling | The Disruptors | Jody Padar: Make Radical Changes Now If You Want to Be Relevant in 2030 | Rebecca Driscoll: Amplify Reach By Helping Other Firm Owners | Rory Henry: Create the Return on Relationships | Mike Maksymiw: Be the Leader You Wish You Had | Terrell Turner: Build a Solid Business Showing Up as Yourself | Kelly Mann: Be the Bull in the China Shop | Alicia Katz Pollock: Create A Human-Centric Business | Nancy McClelland: Be the One Your Clients Ask First |Alan Whitman: Stop Accepting the Status Quo | Sean Duncan: Discover Your Own Genius | Ingrid Edstrom: True Wealth Is Not Financial | Caleb Jenkins: Firm Growth Requires Owners to Shift Roles |

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Omar started reading and studying books by other entrepreneurs, many outside the accounting industry. “And I just took what they were saying and what they were doing in their business, and they were getting success, and I brought it back to my own practice.” After adding a few minor tweaks here and there, Omar, the CEO of StraightTalkCPAs, says, “My practice was very different to what it had been when I started it a few years back.”

"This is the golden age of opportunity for accounting marketers. Let’s seize it.”

Capstone Conversations

By Jean Caragher

For CPA Trendlines

Accounting marketing has come a long way since the landmark Bates v. State Bar of Arizona case, which 45 years ago allowed professional services firms to market their services. Today, as firms navigate digital transformation, client experience, and talent challenges, marketing plays an increasingly pivotal role. Capstone Conversations brought together a panel of trailblazers to explore the journey and future of accounting marketing. Featuring four decades of Association of Accounting Marketing (AAM) Marketers of the Year, the panel included Adrian Ornik (EY), Sally Glick (formerly Sobel & Co.), Eric Majchrzak (BeachFleischman), and Sarah Cirelli (HBK CPAs & Consultants).

Follow Jean Caragher on CPA Trendlines here. | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | Catch Jean Caragher's other show, Gear Up for Growth, on Fridays here. | And browse all the shows in the CPA Trendlines broadcast network here

Ornik, the 1993 Marketer of the Year, recalls a time when accounting marketing was uncharted territory. "Ignorance was bliss," he shares, reflecting on a period when both marketers and their stakeholders were still learning. Despite challenges, Ornik emphasizes that the profession’s transformation provided immense opportunity.

Glick, recognized by AAM in 2003, credits her father, a sole practitioner, for offering her the freedom to innovate when marketing lacked measurable tools. “There wasn’t always a correlation between initiatives and results,” she notes, yet her creative strategies laid the groundwork for relationship-building in the profession.

Majchrzak, awarded by AAM in 2015, speaks of broadening his influence beyond traditional marketing. He underscores the importance of stepping into leadership roles by challenging legacy business models and contributing to firm strategy. "Marketers can be the advocates for clients and catalysts for innovation," he says, urging professionals to push boundaries.

The pandemic was a defining challenge for Cirelli, the 2021 AAM Marketer of the Year. “We had to rethink everything—how we deliver services, communicate, and generate business,” she shares. Despite the hurdles, she highlights the pandemic’s silver lining: the acceleration of digital strategies and internal innovation.

"The accounting profession today is living its golden age, driven by its expanded capabilities."

Gear Up for Growth

With Jean Caragher

For CPA Trendlines

In a landmark episode of the Gear Up For Growth podcast, Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the longest-serving CEO in AICPA history, joined host Jean Caragher to share his invaluable insights on the evolution of the accounting profession. After 30 years at the helm of the AICPA, Melancon stepped down at the end of 2024, leaving a profound legacy of innovation and transformation.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today's competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth every Friday here | More Capstone Conversations with Jean Caragher every Monday | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

Reflecting on his appointment in 1995, Melancon paints a vivid picture of a pre-digital world where CPA firms relied on print newsletters and direct mail for outreach. “There was no social media, no websites, no digital presence,” he notes. The intervening decades have seen a seismic shift in how firms promote themselves, driven largely by the expansion of services and advancements in technology.

Melancon emphasizes the importance of moving beyond the traditional domains of accounting, auditing, and tax. “The notion of us thinking of ourselves as trusted business professionals, not just trusted accounting professionals, has been critical,” he explains. This broader perspective allows firms to thrive in areas like client advisory services (CAS) and technology-driven advisory roles.

Learn why the upcoming busy seasons could be among the most demanding in recent memory.

Quick Tax Tip

With Art Werner

CPE Today

According to seasoned tax educator Art Werner, the next busy season may be the last of what he calls a "lull period." Preparers are currently working under existing laws, dealing with the tax returns for the 2024 calendar year. However, significant changes are expected on the horizon.

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“The fact is, busy season in 2025—and especially 2026—will require a lot of knowledge of new laws,” Werner explains. He anticipates that navigating these updates will pose a steeper learning curve for tax preparers, resulting in more complicated filing seasons.

One of the primary drivers of this complexity will be legislative changes. With uncertainty around tax reform and the evolving tax landscape, 2025 could see the introduction of new regulations that tax professionals will need to quickly master.

“When you get to busy season, you’re in this historic mode,” Werner said. “You’re preparing tax returns based on the old law. But by 2026, you’ll need to know all the nuances of the new law.”