Future Firm Accounting Podcast

This year's pricing benchmark report is out, and there's a gap in it I think matters more than the numbers themselves. I share what I found in this episode. For more, join me and Dawn Brolin live on July 23rd: https://www.ignitionapp.com/webinars/are-you-charging-what-youre-worth

AI can already do a lot of what accountants get paid for. So what actually makes someone hard to replace in a firm like yours?

Ever wonder why some firm owners seem to have it so much easier than everyone else? I've got a theory, and it's not quite what you'd guess.

AI and automation have taken over every conversation in accounting — but the core business model problems holding firms back haven't moved.

Sometimes the most expensive decision you can make is the one that looks like a saving — and here's how to tell the difference before you act.

Reviewing a real firm's packages is often more useful than any abstract lesson — here's what this one gets right and what I'd change about it.

The most useful shift in how you run your firm might not be about how to solve operational problems — it's about who should solve them instead.

Could your own systems be holding your team back? One coaching client's "processes on processes" might sound more familiar than expected.

AI has been the dominant tech conversation for years — and the version that's already here in 2026 could be the most convincing distraction yet.

Automating a broken process doesn't fix it — it makes it faster to stay ineffective. Here's the question that should come before anything else.

When I work with firm owners, pricing is almost always the first thing we dig into — and what I teach came directly from running my old firm.

The hire that makes you uncomfortable might be the one that finally gets you out of the bottleneck. Here's the case for going senior early.

The gig economy just got flipped — AI is now the employer. Here's what that means for accounting firms and the work worth building around.

My five-year-old asked me to explain what I do — and trying to answer reminded me of something many firm owners have quietly lost sight of.

Fixing your prices or systems won't help much if the thinking underneath them hasn't changed. Here's what actually needs to shift first here.

AI tools of today are viewed as something to help you think faster. The next phase is AI that actually does things for you — and it's already here for firm owners to explore.

Are you selling your process or selling the outcome? The difference could be affecting the clients you attract and what you're able to charge.

June is one of the most important months for accounting firms — and one of the most wasted. Here's how to actually make the most of it.

Episode resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L3v1Xg0qiBhDQKroi5Qf73hWUvG4yOA0RQvbxOBizc0/edit?usp=sharing — Many firm owners say they want to delegate, but haven't defined what ownership actually looks like for each person on their team. I share the exact framework we used at Future Firm — including why I needed it applied to myself first — and how it could help reduce the constant escalations you might be dealing with right now.

If your team keeps coming to you for direction on things that should be obvious, vision might be what's actually missing. Here's why it matters.

Pricing isn't just a number—it's a signal. Here's what your price might be telling prospects about your firm before the conversation even starts.

Pouring more leads into a leaky funnel just makes things worse. Here's what to fix first before bolstering your marketing activities.

Stuck, overworked, and can't afford the hire that would fix it? There might be a path forward that doesn't require perfect margins first.

Digital marketing is harder than ever in 2026—but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. Here's what winning at it actually tends to require.

There are four things quietly eating your time as a firm owner. Getting out of them could change how fast—and how freely—your firm grows.

Price objections can feel personal, but they often point to something fixable. Here's what might actually be going on in those conversations.

A lot of firm owners are unknowingly the biggest bottleneck in their own business. Here's what that tends to look like—and what to do about it.

Many introverted firm owners assume sales just isn't for them. This episode—and the Profitable Packages Workshop—might change that: futurefirm.co

AI agents could meaningfully change what your firm is capable of. Learn more here: https://futurefirm.co/ai-agents-in-accounting/

The first thing a prospect sees from your firm could shape whether they stick around. Here's how to make it work in your favor.

The higher you get in your firm, the less honest feedback you tend to get. That gap can be costly — and it's more fixable than you might think.

A poll of 150 firm owners revealed a clear gap between fully cloud, partially cloud, and not cloud firms — in hours worked and profit margins.

A pricing formula can tell you what a service costs to deliver. What it can't tell you is what a client is actually willing to pay.

Bold marketing can work — but not all of it earns attention the right way. There's a version of standing out that could actually be costing you trust.

Speed and quality don't have to be mutually exclusive when hiring. The right approach can make a real difference in how this plays out.

Your marketing might be accurate — but is it effective? Many firm owners are stuck at level one without knowing it.

A 40% profit margin might look great on paper. But depending on what it's costing you to generate it, the reality could be very different.

What happens when a client finds AI more helpful than the advisor they're paying? I recently found out firsthand — and it wasn't a good sign.

Does your marketing actually sound like you — or could it have been written by anyone? It might be worth taking an honest look.

Have you had an honest conversation with your team about AI yet? It might be more overdue than you think.

Your firm already does something clients would pay more for. They just don't know it yet.

Feeling stuck as the bottleneck in your firm? There are usually three things behind it, and all of them are fixable.

There are still firms that haven't touched AI. If that's you, these two tools are a simple way to get going.

Charging more is something a lot of firm owners avoid. But there's a way to approach it that makes the conversation easier than you'd expect.

When revenue gets tight, going on offense with some simple marketing tends to beat pulling back. You might not have tried these tactics yet.

Every software tool looks great in a demo. There's a simple way to narrow down what really matters before you start shopping, and it could save you a lot of time.

Not every firm owner wants to grow. But if you've been on the fence about it, this one might help you think it through.

Discounting feels like a smart way to grow. But there's a cost that many firm owners don't see until it's too late.

You can't optimize everything all the time. Here's why leaving room for joy might be what your firm actually needs.

I've argued against the billable hour for years. But AI might be changing the math on what clients actually value most.