Jason On Firms Podcast

🚀 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! jason@jasononfirms.com

In 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 Sponsors
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Verito: 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 Ever
01:37 - Welcome to the Podcast
02:03 - Stop Being Professionally Invisible
04:12 - The Real Meaning of Personal Branding
06:01 - Why Visibility Creates Opportunity
07:44 - Finding a Game You Can Win
10:02 - Why Specificity Beats Reach
12:09 - Finding Your Unique Voice
13:06 - Turning Content Into Opportunity
17:09 - Will AI Make Personal Brands More Valuable?
20:00 - Escaping the Hour-for-Dollar Trap
22:04 - The Easiest Way to Stand Out
23:56 - Roast a Firm
24:42 - The Story Behind This Firm
29:49 - The Challenge of Buying Other Firms' Leftovers
35:08 - Choosing Between Seasonal and Year-Round Work
36:03 - Finding Seasonal Tax Talent
39:08 - Going Deeper Into Your Niche
41:59 - Mailbag
42:34 - Building AI Apps Inside Your Firm
48:00 - Buying an Accounting Firm
50:20 - Replacing Sage Intacct
52:03 - Building Your Own AI Reconciliation Tool
53:22 - Is Claude Cowork Secure?
54:42 - Can Instead Replace Traditional Tax Software?
57:14 - Specialized AI Agents vs Claude
1:00:00 - Do You Really Need More Automation?
1:01:54 - Choosing Between Canopy and TaxDome
1:04:20 - What Happens When AI Can Do Everything?
1:05:56 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 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! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I share the journey that took me from struggling to land $100/month bookkeeping clients to signing my firm’s first million-dollar engagement. I explain what actually separates firms that command premium fees from those stuck competing on bookkeeping, why the biggest opportunity is becoming an outsourced accounting department instead of selling accounting tasks, and how entrepreneurs think differently about value than accountants do. I also dive into the opportunities and risks of using AI to automate desktop and cloud applications, discuss where AI agents fit into accounting firms today, and answer Mailbag questions about capturing institutional knowledge, practice management, AI adoption, offshore teams, tax return reviews, and building a successful accounting career in the age of AI.

🔥 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 Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - From $100 Clients to $1M Engagements
01:37 - Welcome to the Podcast
03:03 - Why Businesses Pay $40K/Month
04:50 - The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
10:03 - Becoming an Outsourced Accounting Department
17:54 - Why Specialization Wins
23:57 - Nerd Corner: AI Computer Use
24:09 - OpenAI's Computer Use Models
25:23 - The Risks of AI Agents
27:20 - Claude vs. ChatGPT Computer Use
28:28 - Deploying AI Agents Safely
29:54 - Will AI Replace Automation Tools?
32:11 - Browser vs. Desktop Automation
41:29 - Let's Make a Hire
43:35 - Mailbag
43:53 - Capturing Institutional Knowledge
46:13 - Getting Your Team to Adopt AI
50:47 - Introducing AI to Offshore Teams
51:40 - AI vs. Hiring More Staff
53:06 - My Biggest Practice Management Mistake
57:21 - Why I Built Realize
59:56 - Coaching vs. Finding the Right Peer Group
1:00:54 - Helping Staff Learn a Client Faster
1:01:50 - AI for Checklists & Tax Reviews
1:03:56 - Building Repeatable AI Workflows
1:05:17 - Advice for New Accounting Graduates
1:09:52 - Closing Thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 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! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I break down what firms are actually creating, from custom integrations and reporting tools to trial balance workflows, and give my red-light/green-light take on what’s worth building. I also speedrun the latest AI releases, talk through whether small firms really need a practice management system, and answer questions about AI costs, offshoring, browser automation, and preparing your team for an AI-first accounting firm.

🔥 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 Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 - Building Your Own Firm Software
02:07 - How Firms Are Building Software
04:08 - What Accounting Firms Are Building
10:17 - What Should You Actually Build?
18:13 - What Custom AI Apps Look Like
25:26 - Nerd Corner: AI Updates
26:00 - ChatGPT Work
26:52 - Claude Combines Chat and Cowork
29:17 - Grok Challenges Claude
31:04 - GPT Live and Voice AI
37:30 - OpenAI’s New AI Models
45:29 - Mailbag
45:53 - Getting AI Past Bot Restrictions
49:03 - Do You Need a Practice Management System?
54:42 - Building Referral Relationships
57:32 - The Rising Cost of AI
1:00:08 - Finding Time to Implement AI
1:03:00 - What Happened When Clients Learned We Offshored
1:07:48 - Automating Home Depot Receipts
1:09:58 - Training Teams for an AI-First Firm
1:15:16 - The Future of Accounting Firms

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 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! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I wrap up the Dirty Dozen series by tackling one of the highest-leverage areas in any accounting firm: client onboarding. I break down the four biggest onboarding mistakes, explain how the first 90 days shape the entire client relationship, and share ways to standardize the process without losing the human touch. Then I switch to hiring and career growth, how firms can attract ambitious people, how employees know when it’s time to leave, and why AI won’t replace great talent. Finally, I answer questions on pricing, AI tools, tax workflow automation, practice management software, IT providers, starting a firm, camera setups, and much more.

🔥 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 Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

// Chapters:
00:00 0 Client onboarding matters most
01:55 - Dirty Dozen finale
03:20 - Trap #1: Bad client filtering
06:10 - Trap #2: Wrong onboarding owner
11:20 - Trap #3: Chasing client documents
16:40 - Trap #4: Standardize before automating
21:05 - Hiring firms people won’t leave
22:15 - When should you leave your firm?
38:00 - Mailbag begins
38:40 - Pricing and close rates
41:50 - AI tax workflow & Filed
47:10 - Starting your own bookkeeping firm
50:15 - Most surprising AI use cases
52:30 - Jason’s T-shirt recommendation
54:20 - Self-hosting AI models
55:45 - “Accounting department in a box”
57:35 - Copilot vs Claude
01:00:35 - Replacing Thomson Reuters File Cabinet
01:02:50 - Camera, lighting & microphone setup
01:05:25 - Closing thoughts

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

🚀 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! jason@jasononfirms.com

In this episode, I explore why Anthropic embedding Claude directly into Slack may be one of the biggest AI shifts we’ve seen yet—and why it makes me both excited and uncomfortable. I explain how goals, MCP connections, and Slack integration could eventually make AI the operating layer of an entire company. I also share three creative AI workflows accounting firms are already using, discuss whether QuickBooks and Xero are losing their grip on the market, answer questions about Claude, onboarding bookkeeping clients, hiring with AI, and explain why firms should rethink their workflow statuses for the AI era.

🔥 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 Sponsors
Financial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes

📚 Here’s that service library resource: https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=DRjYWbe-2LobQcuS
📕The Alex Hormozi book I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/100M-Offers-People-Stupid-Saying-ebook/dp/B099QVG1H8

// Chapters:
00:00 - Claude’s Trojan Horse?
01:32 - Goals Change Everything
05:29 - Claude Inside Slack
10:34 - Is AI Running the Firm?
15:31 - Why Software Developers Matter
17:35 - Why MCP Wins
19:48 - 3 Wild AI Use Cases
20:23 - AI Proposal Generator
24:55 - AI Client Reporting
28:57 - AI Trial Balance Builder
36:30 - Mailbag Begins
38:13 - Will QuickBooks & Xero Lose?
41:18 - Claude Chat vs Cowork
46:58 - Best Alex Hormozi Book
48:16 - Claude Projects Best Practices
50:05 - Is ChatGPT Dead?
51:48 - Pricing Cleanup Work
56:27 - AI Resume Screening
59:38 - Rebuilding Workflow Statuses for AI

🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!
X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa