Accounting Firm Coach: Office Hours

Hosted by Jason Staats

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653

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Oct 2026

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I'm Jason Staats, and on this podcast we talk through practical tips to run more profitable, calm accounting firms

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October 23, 2026Episode 65456 min

654 My Clients Don’t Have Enough Money! Help! [What to do when clients are short on cash]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I talk about whether independently owned convenience stores make a profitable accounting niche, share how one firm built a specialized practice serving disaster restoration companies, and tackle the growing frustration of clients using AI to challenge their accountants and attorneys. Plus, in 🤖 You Need This Tech, I share a battery management solution every parent needs, highlight accounting professionals looking for their next opportunity, and answer 📬 Mailbag questions about marketing bookkeeping services, finding and retaining talent, and whether free QuickBooks alternatives are worth considering. // Chapters: 02:15 - Convenience Store Niche? 15:39 - This Firm Built A Disaster Restoration Niche 19:49 - Normies Vent About AI Being Better Than Professionals 32:18 - You Need This Battery Tech! 37:43 - Folks You Should Hire 39:33 - How to Market Bookkeeping Without Calling It Bookkeeping 43:28 - Finding and Retaining Talent? 48:37 - Free QuickBooks Alternative? 54:27 - We Love Them 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 📌 A link to Nikole Mackenzie’s niche story https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/messy-middle-what-one-tells-you-niching-nikole-mackenzie-qvcoe/ 🔋 Here’s that battery charger you need https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSL7VZBP?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes TaxBandits: https://www.taxbandits.com/ 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 20, 2026Episode 65355 min

653 Accounting Firms MUST Do This Before November 1st [The decision that will make or break your 2027]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down the three biggest priorities accounting firm owners need to tackle before year-end, including tech transitions, hiring, client renewals, and getting ahead of January production. Then, in 🏹 Firm Hunters, we look at a $1.4 million accounting firm with an unbelievable 87% of revenue going to the owner. I also introduce a new segment called 👿 Mean Bag to tackle whether AI is about to get dramatically more expensive, rethink the all-in-one versus best-of-breed software debate in 🤓 Nerd Corner, and answer 📬 Mailbag questions about accounting ledgers, getting clients to sign proposals, AI agents, and keeping client data secure. // Chapters: 01:32 - Do This By November 1 11:06 - Do This By December 1 20:44 - Do This By January 1 22:49 - This $1.4M/yr Firm Is Running An 87% Margin!? 28:38 - Is AI About To Get Expensive? 34:03 - Is All-in-One A Mirage? 42:38 - Double vs New AI Ledgers 45:38 - Simplify That Proposal! 47:28 - Create An AI Agent User? 49:12 - Claude MAX Plan Made Secure? 52:07 - Lester Returns 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 📌 Here’s that $1.4M/yr firm https://privatepracticetransitions.com/business-listing/1265-established-cas-practice-with-strong-growth/ 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Gusto: https://gusto.com/ Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ Realize: https://www.rlz.io/ Cloud Accountant Staffing: https://www.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/ 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 16, 2026Episode 65253 min

652 These Industries Are BEGGING For Better Accounting Firms [The greatest opportunities in the accounting profession today]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I explore how to build a niche accounting firm by tapping into industry-specific communities and partnerships. In 🤓 Nerd Corner, I cover eight major tech updates from Canopy, Financial Cents, Digits, Karbon, Gusto, Double, Kik, and RightTool. Then, in the 📬 Mailbag, I tackle delegating more work to admins, construction accounting software, Microsoft Copilot, tax workflow tools, lead tracking, and building a remote accounting firm. // Chapters: 00:00 - These Industries Need YOU 15:14 - 8 Tech Updates 29:19 - Push This Work to Admins 33:44 - Construction Accounting Software? 36:09 - Microsoft AI Use-Cases 37:59 - Don’t Buy This Tax Workflow Software 42:54 - Lead Tracking App 44:53 - Transitioning A Firm To Remote Work 51:31 - We Love Them 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason TaxBandits: https://www.taxbandits.com/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes Realize: https://www.rlz.io/ 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 13, 2026Episode 65159 min

651 This 2 Person Accounting Firm Does $1.6M/Year [How today’s most scalable firms are built]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down two surprisingly profitable accounting firms for sale, including one generating over $1.6 million with just two people, and explain why outsourcing and offshoring can create very different business models. In 💾 You Need This Tech, I share a $400 artificial skylight designed to bring natural-looking light into your office. Then, in 🤓 Nerd Corner, I challenge some of the guidance around AI and taxpayer data presented at an IRS National Tax Forum session. Finally, I answer 📬 Mailbag questions about Double as a practice management tool, seller financing when buying a firm, AI for nonprofit accounting, software security, Grok, and why heavily funded tax AI startups aren’t on my app recommendations list. 📌 The skylight https://www.amazon.com/PHILIPS-Skylight-Ceiling-NatureConnect-inches/dp/B0HDTPRNSD?sr=8-1 💲 The tax firm that’s for sale https://privatepracticetransitions.com/business-listing/1262-established-virtual-tax-practice/ 🧾 And the CAS firm that sold https://poegroupadvisors.com/practice/cp2024/ // Chapters: 00:00 - A 2-Person $1.6M Firm 11:32 - A 60% Margin CAS Firm 21:52 - You Need This Tech 26:05 - Bad AI Advice From The IRS 36:56 - Double As A PM? 40:04 - Up-Front Cash? 44:16 - AI For Fund Accounting 47:35 - How To Know if an App Is Secure? 49:21 - Firms Using Grok!? 52:53 - BlackOre Basis and Accrual 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Gusto: https://gusto.com/ Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 9, 2026Episode 65056 min

650 AI Accountants Just Surpassed Human Accountants [What does this mean for accounting firms?]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down a new AI accounting study suggesting that leading models can outperform human accountants, and explain what that actually means for our firms. I share why public booking links are a bad idea, explore Claude’s faster AI models and new ChatGPT features, and explain why AI won’t fix bad business decisions. Then I highlight accountants available for hire and answer questions about selling a firm to private equity, why I dropped Xero from my recommendations, and whether standalone receipt management software still makes sense. 📌 Here’s that AI vs accountants study https://www.mercor.com/blog/human-baselines-for-benchmarks-ai-now-outperforms-junior-accountants/ // Chapters: 00:00 - The End Is Near 13:45 - Bad Booking Links 17:35 - This AI Model is FAST 24:20 - Hormozi Pops The Balloon 26:20 - ChatGPT Updates 31:45 - Accountants For Hire 34:25 - Sell His Firm to PE? 42:45 - I Dropped Xero 47:55 - New Receipt Tech? 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Gusto: https://gusto.com/ Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 6, 2026Episode 6491 hr 0 min

649 This Bookkeeper REPLACED QuickBooks and Xero [How AI-First Firms Are Evolving]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down whether you can build a bookkeeping firm without QuickBooks or Xero, and why specializing around a painful industry-specific accounting system may be a much bigger opportunity than simply choosing a newer ledger. I also look at Meta’s upcoming VR glasses, debate separating technical production from client relationship management, dissect a supposedly self-sufficient $1.2 million accounting firm for sale, empty out September’s Swear Jar, and answer Mailbag questions about sponsorships, advisory positioning, buying versus building a firm, AI-powered email management, and tax research tools. 📌 Here’s that firm we talked about https://poegroupadvisors.com/practice/va2036/ // Chapters: 01:54 - Building a Bookkeeping Firm Without QuickBooks or Xero 11:20 - The Industry Ledger Opportunity 17:05 - Meta VR Glasses: Goodbye, Monitors? 23:25 - Technical Hire or Relationship Manager? 26:49 - Planning for When Someone Leaves 31:58 - A CPA Firm Run in 30 Owner Hours a Year 33:46 - What You're Really Buying 38:05 - The September Swear Jar 42:41 - How Sponsors Work at Accounting Firm Coach 45:01 - What's Wrong With the Word "Advisor" 48:07 - Buy a Firm or Grow Organically? 50:55 - Admin vs AI for Email Management 57:00 - CoCounsel vs. Claude, ChatGPT or Blue J 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Gusto: https://gusto.com/ Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

October 2, 2026Episode 64855 min

648 Should This Accounting Firm Say YES To $500k? [How to negotiate your largest projects]

🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firms and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter 📌 Check out the cool stuff our sponsors are doing here: https://accountingfirmcoach.com/sponsors/ Welcome to Accounting Firm Coach Office Hours presented by Canopy. I’m Jason Staats. Ready to get 1% better at running an accounting firm? In this episode, I break down how I’d approach a potential $540,000 client opportunity without simply discounting services, share a three-step system for eliminating reactive client status check-ins, and look at the latest AI models from Claude and ChatGPT for accounting firm work. Then I hit the 📫 Mailbag to talk three-tier pricing, niche positioning, getting an overwhelmed firm back under control, connecting Claude across multiple QuickBooks clients, AI security, and work-paper management. // Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - A $540K Opportunity 11:20 - A $243M Opportunity 18:58 - A System for Client Updates 27:06 - The Worst Thing A Client Can Feel 29:16 - A New AI Model in Claude 35:16 - New Models in ChatGPT 38:43 - 3-Tier Fails 41:43 - Fully-Automated Micro Bookkeeping 44:29 - What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do 47:23 - Connecting Claude to Multiple QuickBooks Files 50:41 - Struggling To Capitalize On AI 53:16 - Workpaper Management for Small Firms 54:54 - Closing Thoughts 📞 Leave me a voicemail at +1 (516) 980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com 💰 Today's Sponsors Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com/jason Gusto: https://gusto.com/ Kick: https://www.kick.co/ Stanford Tax: https://stanfordtax.com/ MakersHub: https://makershub.com/ Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://x.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

September 29, 2026Episode 6471 hr 6 min

647 AI Just Changed How We Should Run Our Accounting Firms [It’s time to acknowledge the truth]

🚀 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 why the latest generation of AI models should force accounting firms to rethink how work actually gets done, from bookkeeping and tax prep to review, staffing, and firm structure. I explain why the biggest limitation is no longer the AI itself, but workflows that were never designed for AI, and how firms can rebuild production around more structured, reviewable systems. I also run through 10 recent accounting tech updates in 🤓 Nerd Corner, answer 📫 Mailbag questions about app recommendations, AR services, Juno, document management, Power Automate, and Claude plus Beancount, and share the upcoming rebrand from Jason On Firms to Accounting Firm Coach. ⚒️ Tools I mentioned in the podcast: - Filed open sources their 1040 engine https://www.filed.com/blog/we-open-sourced-our-tax-engine - Ramp launches accounts receivable https://ramp.com/blog/introducing-accounts-receivable - Campfire forecast https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johnglasgow_campfire-is-the-first-erp-that-calls-the-activity-7507836212796227584-MPz- - Accrual Arc https://accrual.com/arc - Canopy + Juno integration https://juno.tax/integrations/canopy - QuickBooks updates https://www.firmofthefuture.com/product-update/september-2026-mpu - Double lower-cost AI model https://doublehq.com/ - Digits’ 11 new automated quality-control checks https://digits.com/blog/quality-checks/ - Financial Cents AI file routing https://financial-cents.canny.io/changelog/ai-file-routing - RightTool right-click QBO navigation https://righttool.app/release-notes/ 💰 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 - AI Changes the Workflow 04:30 - Building From Scratch 06:40 - AI at Any Scale 06:50 - Claude + QuickBooks 10:25 - Automating Tax Prep 12:05 - The Workflow Problem 13:30 - AI-Compatible Workflows 18:35 - Rebuilding Production 20:15 - Excel 1040 21:25 - Accounting AI Agents 24:40 - Solo + AI Firms 27:15 - The First Human Hires 30:15 - Rethinking Firm Structure 35:10 - Work Worth Doing 38:35 - Building AI Skills 40:03 - 🤓 Nerd Corner 40:13 - Filed Open-Source Tax Engine 41:24 - Ramp Accounts Receivable 41:49 - Campfire Forecasting 42:19 - Accrual ARC 42:39 - Canopy + Juno 42:49 - QuickBooks Updates 45:04 - Double AI Costs 45:39 - Digits Quality Control 46:14 - Financial Cents File Sorting 46:49 - RightTool Updates 48:03 - 📫 Mailbag 48:13 - Apps by Firm Size 52:58 - Managing Client AR 56:23 - Juno for Tax Intake 58:28 - Replacing FileCabinet 01:00:48 - Microsoft Power Automate 01:02:18 - Claude + Beancount 01:03:53 - Accounting Firm Coach 01:05:03 - The Podcast Is Changing 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

September 25, 2026Episode 64656 min

649 I’m Begging You To Hire This Role In Your Accounting Firm [The single biggest staffing mistake in modern accounting firms]

September 22, 2026Episode 64550 min

645 8 Can’t Miss Accounting Firm Events Happening in 2026 [The best events to close out the year]

🚀 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