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 break down the accounting conferences and industry events that are actually worth attending, including how to use client-facing events. 🐝 We talk in Niche of the Week on how to become more visible in a specific industry. I also share a simple lighting upgrade that can dramatically improve how you look on video, then answer 📫 Mailbag questions about industry-specific credentials, Mercury launching an accounting ledger, earning potential for accounting firm owners, AI-backed firm rollups, practice management platforms expanding into close automation, and whether joining a PE-backed platform really gives firm owners a meaningful seat at the table.

📄 Here’s that list of over 1,000 events https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1alr-NMmUWXUK4nC-JK-Nnr7R8Kg9BIJXSsLFqEQOU1s/edit?usp=sharing
🔦 And here’s that video light https://amarancreators.com/pages/amaran-verge-max

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason complete your demo for a $75 gift card

// Chapters:
00:00 - The Best Accounting Events
02:05 - 1,100 Upcoming Events
03:00 - Intuit Connect
03:45 - Scaling New Heights
04:45 - AICPA Conferences
05:35 - Bridging the Gap
06:25 - Reframe
07:20 - Customer Conferences
08:15 - Skip Technical Training
09:00 - State Society Events
09:35 - Client Industry Events
10:06 - 🐝 Niche of the Week
10:15 - Why In-Person Matters
11:25 - Industry User Conferences
15:05 - Certification Events
15:55 - Association Meetings
16:35 - Trade Shows
17:20 - Local Chapters
17:50 - Golf Fundraisers
18:30 - Member Alliances
20:15 - Virtual Events
20:50 - Mastermind Groups
21:00 - Events to Avoid
21:30 - Compliance Events
22:35 - Better Video Lighting
24:10 - Amaran Verge Max
27:48 - 📫 Mailbag
28:13 - Industry Credentials
30:33 - Favorite Star Trek Episode
30:48 - Mercury’s Accounting Ledger
32:00 - Replacing Traditional Ledgers
34:13 - Accounting Firm Income
35:13 - Selling Outcomes, Not Hours
36:33 - Finding Expensive Problems
38:18 - Moving Beyond Hourly Rates
41:03 - AI Accounting Rollups
43:48 - Built-In Close Automation
45:03 - Best-of-Breed vs. All-in-One
46:13 - PE Shareholder Seats
48:13 - Alternatives to PE
49:37 - 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 compress a full year of accounting tech updates into one deep dive to help firms lock in their software decisions before year-end. I break down what changed across accounting ledgers, practice management, month-end close, tax workflow, tax software, proposal tools, meeting assistants, and generalist AI, including which tools moved into my leader categories and which AI features are actually worth paying attention to. I also explain why MCPs, AI agents, and computer use are becoming the biggest trends in accounting tech, while making the case that firms should still build next year’s stack around proven software instead of unreleased promises.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - The 2026 Tech Update
01:20 - Cutting Through AI Hype
02:05 - The App Categories
03:10 - Accounting Ledgers
04:00 - New Ledger Leaders
04:55 - QuickBooks Online Updates
06:05 - Intuit Accountant Suite
07:20 - Books Close
08:10 - Digits Updates
09:35 - Kik and MCP
11:45 - Practice Management
12:15 - The Four PM Leaders
13:00 - Canopy Updates
16:45 - Canopy Tax Workflow
17:15 - TaxDome Updates
19:20 - Financial Cents Updates
20:30 - Karbon Updates
23:50 - Month-End Close Automation
24:10 - Double Updates
26:20 - Ramp Stack
28:50 - Tax Workflow
29:00 - New Tax Workflow Leaders
29:10 - TallyFor
32:20 - Filed
33:20 - Filed Pro Work
35:05 - Stanford Tax
35:35 - Soraban
36:30 - Truss
37:45 - Tax Software
38:45 - ProConnect Updates
39:15 - Drake Smart Extract
40:15 - UltraTax Updates
41:55 - Proposal Tools
42:35 - Anchor Updates
43:40 - Ignition Updates
44:20 - Meeting Assistants
44:50 - Ping
45:45 - Abacore and Vinyl
46:15 - Better Client Meetings
49:40 - Generalist AI Assistants
50:45 - Claude Updates
52:00 - ChatGPT’s Comeback
52:35 - Computer Use AI
54:30 - AI Using Your Apps
55:05 - Grokbot
57:00 - What Actually Changed
57:35 - Lock In Your Tech Stack
58:50 - 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 the current market for accounting firms is telling us about valuation, including which firms are commanding higher multiples, why size alone does not appear to drive value, and what makes virtual and niche firms more attractive to buyers. I also highlight a bizarre new office gadget, discuss how accounting firms should evaluate their IT support for the AI era, and answer 📫 Mailbag questions about AI readiness, acquisitions, three-tier proposals for simple services, and whether firms should grow organically or through acquisition.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

📄 Grab the firm listing data set here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HHxl5KGG-3zApXRbpok8Hkacvn4vE6D_/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101670352005046800441&rtpof=true&sd=true
🪑 Butt cushion https://www.xpolar-tech.com/pages/xpolar-c1
🎙️ The podcast episode with video advice https://youtu.be/xBitNWRIQeg?si=iDxnhxIlVWrMFHi9

// Chapters:
00:00 - Accounting Firm Valuations
01:40 - 449 Firms for Sale
02:30 - Typical Firm Size
03:25 - Fractional Acquisitions
03:50 - Size vs. Multiple
04:45 - CPA Credentials
05:35 - Premium Firm Characteristics
06:40 - Where Firms Are Listed
07:15 - Private Firm Sales
08:35 - Reasons for Sale
09:05 - Time on Market
11:55 - Valuation Outliers
13:25 - Premium Firm Examples
15:00 - Highly Profitable Firms
15:55 - The Coolest Office Gadget
16:05 - X Polar C1
17:05 - 8 Sleep Comparison
18:00 - Remote Workforce Monitoring
21:34 - 📫 Mailbag
21:59 - Choosing an AI-Savvy IT Provider
22:29 - ChatGPT and Claude
23:19 - AI Due Diligence
27:00 - Getting Started With Video
27:19 - Make 100 Videos
28:14 - Reduce Production Friction
28:39 - Invest in Lighting
29:04 - AI Video Editing
29:29 - Video as a Competitive Advantage
30:14 - Organic Growth vs. Acquisition
30:49 - Acquisition Efficiencies
31:24 - Firm Size and Valuation
31:44 - Industry vs. Geography
32:14 - Avoiding Capacity Problems
32:49 - AI and Diversification
33:49 - Work Yourself Out of the Firm
34:09 - Three-Tier 1040 Proposals
34:19 - Pricing Simple Services
35:29 - Premium Delivery Tiers
36:29 - Better Than Doing More
37:04 - Scoping Availability
37:44 - Bronze Client Economics
38:04 - Opinionated Proposal Design
40:34 - Firm360 and Intake
41:19 - Choosing the Right Workflow
43:04 - Practice Management Options
43:39 - Acquiring a Small Client Book
44:09 - Building a Side Hustle Firm
44:49 - Seller-Financed Acquisitions
45:14 - Finding A Clients
45:54 - Acquisition as a Launchpad
46:19 - Evolving Your Client List
47:24 - 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 how accounting firms can make their sales and discovery process less painful by moving repetitive information upstream, introducing pricing earlier, setting better expectations, and using AI meeting transcripts to continuously improve the process. I also launch a new segment, 🫖 Hot Tea, covering Xero drama, Drake’s new extraction tool, the Puzzle acquisition, practice management consolidation, and the growing tension between all-in-one platforms and open ecosystems. Then I answer 📫 Mailbag questions about remote staff accessing U.S. bank accounts, file management, accountant perfectionism, practice management for larger firms, K-1 and 1099 extraction, and building a tax planning and advisory practice.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - Fixing Your Sales Process
01:50 - The Sales Process Problem
02:47 - Stop Calling Everyone Tire Kickers
07:57 - Move Information Upstream
13:06 - Talk Price Earlier
14:00 - Better Discovery Meetings
17:30 - The Monthly Sales Review
21:10 - 🫖 Hot Tea
21:42 - Xero Backlash
24:45 - Drake Smart Extract
24:45 - Puzzle and Accrual
26:50 - Carbon Updates
28:28 - The App Ecosystem War
32:42 - All-in-One vs. Best of Breed
35:15 - Double Updates
36:07 - Testing Instead
38:37 - 📫 Mailbag
39:00 - Remote Bank Access
43:07 - Accounting File Management
48:07 - Accountant Perfectionism
53:16 - Practice Management for Big Firms
55:37 - K-1 and 1099 Extraction
57:29 - Building a Tax Advisory Practice
01:03:16 - 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 the biggest AI developments of the last two weeks and what they could mean for accounting firms, especially the shift toward AI that can actually operate a computer instead of simply chatting with you. I explain why computer-use AI could be especially powerful in accounting, where firms are constantly stitching together disconnected software, and why security and due diligence become even more important as AI agents gain more autonomy. I also go through 🔥 Roast My Tech Stack and answer to some of your questions in 📞 Accountant Support.

💰 Today's Sponsors
Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes
Soraban: https://hubs.ly/Q04cNLF80
MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats
Canopy: Go to https://www.getcanopy.com/jason and schedule a demo to see for yourself, and Canopy will send you a $75 gift card after your demo
Financial Cents: sign up at https://hubs.li/Q03mLr_x0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.
Karbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staats

// Chapters:
00:00 - The AGI Era
01:20 - Artificial General Intelligence
02:30 - Fable 5.1
04:45 - AI Benchmarks
06:10 - GPT6 Astra
07:55 - AI That Uses Your Computer
09:25 - Automating Accounting Work
10:40 - AI Inside Your Apps
12:15 - What Do I Do With My Hands?
13:05 - ChatGPT vs. Claude
13:49 - AI Security Risks
15:59 - Trusting AI Agents
18:00 - Sandboxing AI
19:45 - The Four-Monitor Accountant
21:15 - Talking to Your Computer
22:25 - Learning AI
23:25 - AI Due Diligence
25:35 - 🔥 Roast My Tech Stack
26:25 - The 3.5-Person Firm
27:54 - Practice Management
28:44 - Month-End Close Automation
32:24 - Drake Tax Hosting
34:09 - Filed vs. GruntWorx
34:49 - GoHighLevel
35:24 - Document Management
36:09 - Digits or Zero?
36:29 - Upfront Pricing
38:03 - Stop Building Software
38:38 - AI and the Tech Stack
40:44 - Submit Your Tech Stack
40:59 - 📞 Accountant Support
41:19 - Acquisition Fatigue
43:14 - When to Acquire Firms
43:59 - Starting With Small Acquisitions
44:04 - Leaving Intuit
45:19 - The Case for AI
46:04 - Moving Beyond QuickBooks
48:59 - Raising Your Prices
49:44 - Migrating Existing Clients
51:19 - Outsourcing Bookkeeping
52:59 - Offshore Bookkeeping
53:58 - AI Bookkeeping
54:43 - Business Valuation Credentials
55:38 - Building a Valuation Practice
56:38 - Is an Accounting Degree Still Worth It?
57:28 - Accounting Beyond Bookkeeping
58:18 - AI Watermarks
59:08 - Talking to Clients About AI
01:00:14 - 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