Don’t Run With the Herd - Michael Brown

Meet Michael! Accountants are trained to run with the herd: don’t get ahead, don’t fall behind, don’t take risks. Mike Brown decided that wasn’t what clients needed. Zane sits down with Mike Brown, CPA, co-founder of Brightline. They trace Mike’s path from a small-town Ontario history buff to nine years at Baker Tilly. Mike was a couple of years from the partner conversation when he walked away to start his own firm with his business partner Stacy, and they had nothing more than “concepts of a plan.” Mike talks about why accounting records are really the history of a business, and why AI will probably cause an overcorrection back toward human service. He explains how a visionary–implementer partnership depends on productive conflict, and what changed when a November 2025 merger took Brightline from 8 people to 25 overnight. He also shares the thinking behind Brightline’s public pricing calculator, why pricing transparency builds trust, and the leadership lessons he keeps coming back to: clear is kind, learn to say no, and just have the difficult conversation. Protea Conversations is the podcast for accountants and service-firm leaders. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and the guitar in the corner 02:44 From history buff to accountant 06:38 Will AI change how humans behave? 09:33 Processed food, overcorrection, and the future of AI 11:47 Building communication skills (and a McDonald’s Monopoly police escort) 14:51 From co-op terms to Baker Tilly to Brightline 17:01 Walking away from the partner track 20:21 “Ship it and iterate”: why accountants need to take more risks 21:31 Don’t run with the herd 22:58 Starting a firm with “concepts of a plan” 25:45 Visionary meets implementer: making partnership conflict productive 28:38 Seeking out conflict after a merger 30:51 From business owner to leader 35:46 Vivid Vision: writing down exactly what your firm should look like 38:16 A day in the life of a firm owner 42:14 Endless Customers and the pricing calculator 44:17 Why pricing transparency matters 48:02 How to get out of your own way 49:53 Leadership advice: clear is kind, and learn to say no 53:45 Mike outside of work: a lifelong learner 55:42 The Final Five Books and resources mentioned Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold Endless Customers by Marcus Sheridan Radical Candor by Kim Scott “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind” by Brené Brown Connect with Micahel https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-brown-cpa-ca-1691714b/