The Business Growth Podcast

In a high-touch service business, growth breaks when the owner has to remember every conversation, follow-up, and next step.That problem shows up long before the firm runs out of demand. It shows up when client work, sales activity, contracts, invoicing, and relationship management all depend on the owner keeping the details straight.Salvatore Tirabassi from CFO Pro and Analytics has built systems that preserve the personal touch without relying on memory. His CRM manages the operational workflow, while AI reviews active deals, summarizes recent conversations, and suggests the next follow-up.The real value of AI implementation is not removing the human relationship. It is removing the administrative work that makes that relationship difficult to maintain at scale.Guest: Salvatore TirabassiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stirabassi/Website: https://cfoproanalytics.comHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Most firms treat AI implementation as a software decision. The real constraint is governance.Once AI starts influencing contracts, client work, internal decisions, or sensitive data, efficiency is no longer the only concern. The business also needs clear boundaries, accountability, and compliance built into the system from the start.Adam Wardel from Black Hill Law has seen why this matters, particularly in legal and professional service environments where trust cannot be separated from automation. The firms that get ahead will not simply use more AI. They will know how it should operate inside the business before scaling it.Guest: Adam WardelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwardel/Website: blackhill.lawHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

AI can speed up finance work, but it still cannot take responsibility for the judgment behind it.Financial models, reporting, analysis, and forecasting can all move faster with AI. The risk is assuming faster output means better work.Varun from The Algebra Group has seen this firsthand while supporting fractional CFOs, investment banks, and family offices. Their approach combines AI-enabled delivery with documented processes, experienced review, and strong client relationships.The value is not in automating everything. It is in knowing which parts of the work can move faster without lowering the standard.Guest: VarunLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-tag/Website: https://www.theelgebragroup.com/Host: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Most firms treat AI as another productivity tool. The bigger shift is deciding which work still needs a person and which work should be handled by systems and agents.Jenna Pipchuk from Big Geo is building a growth function around that decision. Her team uses an AI-first operating model, evaluates agents alongside every new hire, and turns sales conversations into faster positioning and marketing decisions.But faster execution does not solve every growth problem. Partner-led growth is working. Traditional cold outreach is becoming less reliable. The real advantage comes from redesigning the operating model, not simply producing more activity.Guest: Jenna PipchukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpipchuk/Website: https://biggeo.comHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

In e-commerce, growth can look healthy while the business is quietly running out of room.Inventory gets too heavy. Fixed costs creep up. Marketing spend gets pulled back even when the returns are there. And every team ends up making decisions from a slightly different view of the business.This conversation with Matt Putra from ADEX shows why financial and operating systems become more important as a company scales. The issue is not just reporting. It is connecting marketing, finance, operations, supply chain, and leadership back to cash flow.AI can speed up analysis, SEO, quality assurance, content, and internal workflows. But the deeper constraint is still alignment.The firms that win will not just use AI to do tasks faster. They will build systems that help the business make clearer decisions under pressure.Guest: Matt PutraLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattputra/Website: https://eightx.co/Host: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

In a lot of family-run businesses, the problems are not obvious at first.People trust each other. Everyone knows the history. Decisions happen quickly because the business still feels personal.But that same informality can become the thing that slows the business down.Roles, money, succession, meeting notes, expectations, and personal tension all start blending together. What felt simple in the beginning becomes harder to manage as the business grows.This conversation with Jocelyn Greenky from Cider Road shows why family businesses often need outside structure before the problems become expensive. Her work as an interim CEO and “super nanny” for family-run businesses is about helping owners create protocols, clean up operating gaps, and make better decisions without turning the business into something cold or corporate.AI, automation, and better systems can help. But they do not replace judgment, trust, reputation, or the hard conversations families avoid.The real issue is whether the people running the business are willing to build the structure that protects it from itself.Guest: Jocelyn GreenkyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelyngreenky/Website: https://siderroad.comHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Growth is not always a sales problem.Sometimes demand is already there. The real constraint is whether the business can deliver without lowering quality, overloading the team, or putting unprepared people in front of clients.My conversation with Sonja Pomerleau from Next Level Now showed why specialization changes more than marketing. It affects hiring, training, systems, margins, and the speed at which a firm can scale without chaos.We also talked about where AI is useful in finance operations, where it still creates risk, and why accuracy, judgment, and industry context still matter when automation starts touching the numbers.The firms that scale cleanly are usually not the ones chasing every opportunity. They are the ones that know where repeatability actually creates leverage.Guest: Sonja PomerleauLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjafridell/ Website: https://nextlevelnow.netHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

A growing business can look healthy on paper and still be hard to run.Revenue is up. Reports are in place. Dashboards exist. But cash still feels tight, hiring decisions drag, and the numbers do not clearly show what to do next.In this episode, I speak with Umar Manzar, founder and principal of UM Advisory, about why fractional CFO work is shifting from reporting to execution. Umar explains how finance can help business owners focus on the few drivers that actually affect cash, pricing, hiring, and capital decisions.We also discuss where AI implementation and automation fit inside firm operations, including invoice reconciliation, financial models, dashboards, and monthly reporting packs.The pattern is simple: more analysis does not always create more clarity. Better finance systems should make decisions easier, not just reporting faster.Guest: Umar ManzarLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/umar-manzar/Website: https://umarmanzar.com/Host: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Most growing companies do not have a finance problem.They have a decision-making problem.As the business grows, owners spend more time inside operations and less time thinking about the financial decisions that determine what happens next. The challenge is not whether they need a full-time CFO. It is whether they have access to the right level of experience when growth creates new complexity.In this conversation, Marco Villarreal from The CFO Centre explains why many businesses reach a point where operational success starts creating financial constraints, and why experienced financial leadership is often needed before a company is ready for a traditional executive hire.The discussion also explores an emerging shift in AI implementation. Not as a tool for replacing work, but as a tool for improving thinking, decision quality, and strategic reasoning.Growth becomes harder when leaders try to solve new problems with the same decision-making systems that created the previous stage of success.Guest: Marco VillarrealLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoavillarreal/Website: https://www.cfocentre.com/usHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Most people optimize for the next promotion.The best operators optimize for learning.A higher salary, a bigger title, or a safer role can look like progress. But the decisions that shape a career often come from taking responsibility before you're ready, stepping into uncomfortable environments, and solving problems that aren't technically yours.Marcelo Abeno built his career through large organizations including Royal Caribbean, Inter Miami, and the Miami Heat before moving into entrepreneurship through Rework Capital. One of the recurring themes throughout the conversation was that the biggest opportunities rarely look obvious in the moment.The move that feels like a step backwards can become the foundation for everything that comes after.The people who stand out inside large organizations are often the ones already thinking like owners long before they become one.Guest: Marcelo AbenoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mabinum/Website: https://www.rework.capitalHost: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Most firms assume growth problems are execution problems.Often they're customer problems.A business can have a strong team, solid delivery, and a growing reputation, yet still become vulnerable if too much revenue depends on a single type of client.That was one of the key lessons behind the growth of Roundtable Strategy Advisors. After COVID wiped out most of the startup market they served, Greg Cucino and his team were forced to rethink who they worked with, how they generated recurring revenue, and what kind of business they were actually building.The result wasn't a better sales process.It was a different business model.This conversation explores why resilience often comes from customer mix, recurring revenue, and operational discipline rather than growth alone.Guest: Greg CucinoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregcucinoWebsite: https://roundtablesa.com/Host: Leonard De BeerHelping fractional executive firms get more clients through strategic outreachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

For years, growing a company meant hiring senior executives.If you needed leadership, you hired a full-time COO, CFO, or CMO and hoped the business was large enough to justify the cost.That assumption is starting to change.In this episode, Corina Ludwig from Wolf's Edge Integrators discusses how businesses are increasingly accessing experienced leadership without making full-time executive hires.The shift is bigger than cost savings.It gives companies access to expertise they may not otherwise be able to afford, while creating flexibility as priorities change.For many growing businesses, the question is no longer whether they need executive-level guidance.It is whether they need it forty hours a week.The firms adapting fastest are often the ones rethinking how leadership itself is delivered.Guest: Corina LudwigLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinaludwigWebsite: https://www.wolfsedgeintegrators.com/Host: Leonard De BeerBusiness automation and transformation through AI and systemsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/

Leonard De Beer and Brandon Kordower talk about the need to continuously refine what works and stay ahead of the competition to maintain a competitive edge.

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In this episode, Pat Odom explains why fewer hours can lead to better work and faster accounting firm growth.Pat is a Partner at Apple & Odom, a full-service CPA firm in Charleston, South Carolina. He breaks down how they built a 36-hour work week (even in tax season), grew to around 950 clients in about two years, and stayed focused on a high-service client experience.Key Takeaways:• Why a 36-hour week can improve quality and retention in public accounting• How planning work two weeks ahead keeps busy seasons under control• What drove their growth (mostly referrals) without paid advertising• The real challenge of fast growth: onboarding and communication systems• How they’re using AI (Microsoft Copilot) to save time on meeting notesThe big lesson: don’t build the firm you want “right now.” Build the firm you want five years from now — with clear expectations and the right clients.Guest: Patrick Odom, Partner, Apple & OdomLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-odom-cpa-abv-cfe-53072516/Website: www.appleodom.comConnect with me, Leonard De Beer:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast and learn how top finance leaders are scaling smarter, serving better, and building firms that last.

In this clip Leonard and David talk about chasing high paying careers when they were younger, ruling out doctors and lawyers, and landing on accounting because of a love for numbers.They also touch on a reality most people miss. Accountants often do very well financially but rarely talk about it.

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Leonard De Beer shares insights on running ads and testing different creatives. Even small tweaks like changing the hook, background, or outfit can make a huge impact in capturing attention and driving action.

Are accounting firms actually using AI or just talking about it?In this clip David Barbeito shares how his firm is using AI in real life, why they created an internal AI policy around privacy, and how tax software like BlueJay has been a complete game changer for efficiency and cost.This is what AI adoption really looks like inside a modern accounting firm.

Most business owners focus on taxes and profit. But cash is what actually keeps the business alive.In this episode, I sit down with Patty Santayana, founder of Delphi Advisory Services. She shares how CFO-level cash flow planning helps business owners grow, stay bankable, and increase the value of their business long before they think about selling.We talk about the 16 cash flow drivers, how to simplify financials into clear actions, and why ignoring cash flow for tax savings can limit future growth. Patty also explains how dashboards, systems, and long-term planning help owners work on the business instead of just putting out fires.Key Takeaways• Why cash flow matters more than profit alone• How reducing taxes can hurt financing and exit value• How a red–yellow–green dashboard drives better decisions• Why planning years ahead leads to higher sale valueThe core message is simple: strong businesses are built with intention. Cash, systems, and strategy are what create freedom and long-term value.Guest: Patty SantayanaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-santayana-0813a99/Website: https://delphiadvisoryservices.comConnect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/Subscribe to the Podcast and learn how top finance leaders are scaling smarter, serving better, and building firms that last.

Most accounting firms try to bolt AI on top of broken systems. In this episode, you’ll hear what happens when you bring in an AI consultant, tear everything apart, and rebuild your firm for speed and sanity.I’m joined by Bette Hochberger, CPA, CGMA, owner of a boutique CPA firm in Miami serving real estate, service businesses, crypto/Web3 and tech startups. We talk about AI in accounting, time tracking, billing, and what it really looks like to rebuild tax firm systems while still running a busy practice.Key Takeaways• Why Bette hired an external AI consultant instead of trying to do everything herself• How a “no sacred cows” mindset led to better tools, better integrations and less friction• Practical examples of AI and automation in a CPA firm (SmartVault, tax AI tools, Zoho CRM)• The ongoing battle with time tracking, billable hours and pricing tax work fairly• Why SOPs, documentation and “how you do one thing is how you do all things” shape firm cultureAt the end, Bette shares the simple rule that guides how she runs her firm and her life: how you do one thing is how you do all things. It’s a helpful filter for the systems you build, the clients you work with, and the standards you hold in your accounting firm.Guest: Bette Hochberger, CPA, CGMA – Owner, Bette Hochberger, CPA, CGMALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettehochberger/Website: www.bettehochberger.comConnect with me, Leonard De Beer:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast and learn how top finance leaders are scaling smarter, serving better, and building firms that last.

Most firms wait for referrals. Reuben Bergola built a data-driven marketing engine and is now using AI to systemise bookkeeping, BAS, and client acquisition at scale.In this episode, I chat with Reuben, Managing Partner at New Wave Business Solutions, a multi-service advisory firm that started in accounting and now spans law, financial planning, insurance, and digital marketing. We dig into how his team drives 90% of new business through digital channels, where AI fits into their systems, and how they’ve added 30–35 people in just 12 months without losing culture.Key Takeaways• How New Wave evolved from an accounting practice into a multi-division business advisory firm• Why Reuben focuses on AI and automation to handle bookkeeping and BAS prep while keeping humans on the final review• The data-driven marketing funnel behind their growth: SEO, Google Ads, Facebook retargeting, and founder-led content• Why most firms give up on paid ads too early, and how New Wave thinks about lead quality, conversion rates, and cost per acquisition• How they attract talent by building a culture people want to join—clear growth paths, support, no-blame learning, and shared winsReuben’s story shows what happens when a firm stops relying on referrals, tracks its numbers properly, and treats AI as a way to free people up for higher-value advisory work.Guest: Reuben Bergola, Managing Partner, New Wave Business SolutionsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/managementaccountantgoldcoast/Website: https://www.new-wave.com.auConnect with me, Leonard De Beer:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-de-beer/Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast and learn how top finance leaders are scaling smarter, serving better, and building firms that last.