Why more automation made accounting firms busier, not freer, with Ryan Lazanis

Ryan Lazanis noticed something counterintuitive: the firms building the most elaborate AI automations were often the busiest, not the freest. In this episode, the founder of Future Firm and former owner of Zen Accounting, one of North America's earlier online accounting firms, joins Sam and Candy to talk about why fundamentals still matter more than the latest shiny tool. Ryan draws parallels between today's AI rush and the arrival of cloud accounting, which promised to automate everything and instead made firms busier than ever. He argues for doing less, not more: finding the one or two projects that move the needle, using technology to improve the client experience rather than just the owner's, and hiring for values instead of skills alone. He also shares the hardest decision of his career, selling his firm, and the advice that reshaped how he works: define what enough looks like before you build the business around it.Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch.