627 How Accountants Can Build A Personal Brand in 2026 [The best thing you can do for your career (and firm)]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! [email protected] this episode, I make the case that your personal brand may become your greatest career insurance policy in an AI-first world. I explain why most accountants remain professionally invisible, how the internet has fundamentally changed the way opportunities are created, and why becoming known for something incredibly specific can unlock a level of leverage that wasn’t possible a decade ago. I also roast a real accounting firm that’s grown through acquisitions, share my thoughts on seasonal tax firms, niche positioning, and staffing, and answer Mailbag questions about building AI apps, AI security, accounting firm acquisitions, practice management software, automation, and what the future looks like if AI can do the accounting work for us.🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps💰 Today's SponsorsSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes// Chapters:00:00 - Why Personal Branding Matters More Than Ever01:37 - Welcome to the Podcast02:03 - Stop Being Professionally Invisible04:12 - The Real Meaning of Personal Branding06:01 - Why Visibility Creates Opportunity07:44 - Finding a Game You Can Win10:02 - Why Specificity Beats Reach12:09 - Finding Your Unique Voice13:06 - Turning Content Into Opportunity17:09 - Will AI Make Personal Brands More Valuable?20:00 - Escaping the Hour-for-Dollar Trap22:04 - The Easiest Way to Stand Out23:56 - Roast a Firm24:42 - The Story Behind This Firm29:49 - The Challenge of Buying Other Firms' Leftovers35:08 - Choosing Between Seasonal and Year-Round Work36:03 - Finding Seasonal Tax Talent39:08 - Going Deeper Into Your Niche41:59 - Mailbag42:34 - Building AI Apps Inside Your Firm48:00 - Buying an Accounting Firm50:20 - Replacing Sage Intacct52:03 - Building Your Own AI Reconciliation Tool53:22 - Is Claude Cowork Secure?54:42 - Can Instead Replace Traditional Tax Software?57:14 - Specialized AI Agents vs Claude1:00:00 - Do You Really Need More Automation?1:01:54 - Choosing Between Canopy and TaxDome1:04:20 - What Happens When AI Can Do Everything?1:05:56 - Closing Thoughts🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa