The Wize Way

Hosted by Wize Mentoring for Accountants and Bookkeepers

Business Entrepreneurship Education

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Episodes

205

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Feeling stuck in your firm or on the edge of rapid growth but don't know how to build the business so that it’s not reliant on you? Join the Wize team as they share the insights, stories, strategies and tools that have helped transform the businesses and lives of our Wize Guys and hundreds of Accounting, CPA and bookkeeping firm owners around the world. In each episode, we dive into the leadership, marketing, sales, systems and mindset tactics that'll get you to your goals without burning out. Subscribe to transform your challenges into opportunities and build a business that can run without you.

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June 11, 2026Episode 20522 min

Episode 205: The Only Marketing Plan Your Accounting Firm Actually Needs

You have tried the ads. You have posted on social media. You have handed it to an agency. And yet here you are, still wondering why the leads aren't coming.In this session, the Wize team breaks down exactly what it takes to build a marketing plan for your accounting firm that doesn't just look good on paper but actually gets executed week after week.✅ Why 5% of your revenue should be dedicated to marketing and what that looks like at every firm size ✅ How to identify who you are actually attracting before you spend a single dollar reaching them ✅ Why consistency beats strategy every time and how to pick the marketing channel you will actually stick to ✅ The SEO approach that generated 58,000 monthly website views and still holds without being touched for two years ✅ Why outsourcing your marketing without a strategy first is one of the most common and costly mistakes firm owners make ✅ How to study your own client base to build a data-driven marketing plan that actually convertsIf you have been spending money on marketing and wondering why it isn't moving the needle, this session is your reminder that the right plan, the right channel, and the discipline to execute consistently can change the trajectory of your firm faster than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

June 4, 2026Episode 20412 min

Episode 204: Wize Factor Chat: How to Fix a Firm Without Starting Over with Melanie Sikma (One Stop Tax Strategist)

When Melanie and her dad started One Stop, everything looked good on paper. But somewhere between the vision and the reality, things started to crack. What came next was a decision that changed everything, and a lesson most firm owners only learn the hard way.✅ Why the external partnership model was costing them clients and what they did about it ✅ What it looks like to have a coach who has already walked the same path ✅ How stopping trying to figure it out alone and just working a proven plan changed the game ✅ Why losing control of the client experience was the wake-up call that changed everything ✅ Why bringing in an external third party changed the way the whole family business operated ✅ What freedom actually looks like when you build the firm around your life and not the other way aroundIf you have been holding everything together and wondering when you get to step back, this episode is your reminder that the right system and the right support can fix what feels broken faster than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

May 28, 2026Episode 20344 min

Episode 203: Find the Right People, Learn the Right Things, Become the Right Person

Somewhere between setting the goal and achieving it, something breaks down. And it's almost never what you think it is.In this conversation, Jamie sits down with Bren Ward for an honest look at what it actually takes to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and why the answer is simpler than most people think.✅ Why the knowledge gap is the real reason people stay stuck, and where to go find it ✅ How surrounding yourself with the right people shortcuts years of costly trial and error ✅ Why motivation is overrated and what replaces it when you get this right ✅ The three-step framework behind every person who has ever made lasting change ✅ How to stop managing your goals and start becoming the person who already has them ✅ Why your calendar is the truest reflection of what you actually want from your lifeIf you have been working hard and still wondering why things aren't moving, this episode is your reminder that the right knowledge, the right people, and the right identity can change the trajectory of your life faster than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

May 21, 2026Episode 20233 min

Episode 202: The Truth About HR Software for Accounting Firms.

What does it actually look like to build a hiring process for your accounting firm that finds the right person every time, without expensive software, without guesswork, and without starting from scratch every time a role opens up?In this session, Dani and Kristy from the Wize team break down exactly how to take the chaos out of hiring, whether you are doing it yourself or working with a talent team, and why a clear process will always beat an expensive platform.✅ Why AI screening tools can quietly eliminate your best candidates before you ever see them ✅ How a simple scorecard takes the emotion out of comparing candidates and why that changes everything ✅ The hiring mistake Kristy made that cost her a client manager in two days, and what she does differently now ✅ Why software experience should almost never be the reason you say no to a great candidate ✅ How your capacity planner tells you exactly who to hire before you even start looking ✅ The reference check tool worth paying for, and why it catches what interviews almost always missIf you have been bringing people on and hoping for the best, wondering why it keeps going wrong, this episode is your reminder that the right process and the right support can change the way you hire faster than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

May 14, 2026Episode 20119 min

Episode 201: The Power of Proven Systems and Accountability with Jeremy Eckert from Trail CPA.

From 3 people to 18. From one city to 10 states. From doing all the work to building a team that runs without you. Jeremy Eckert from Trail CPA has done what most firm owners are still trying to figure out, and in this episode, he breaks down exactly how it happened.In this conversation, Jeremy sits down with us for an honest reflection on what it really takes to grow a remote accounting firm at speed, make the right hires at the right time, and gradually step back from the day-to-day without the wheels falling off.✅ Why building remote from day one gave Trail CPA an edge most firms are still chasing ✅ What nearly doubling in size two years in a row actually feels like from the inside ✅ The hiring decision that changed everything and why they almost didn't make it ✅ Why getting both partners aligned was the real turning point in their growth journey ✅ How following a proven framework saved them from years of costly trial and error ✅ What work-life balance actually looks like when you stop being the one holding everything togetherIf you have been grinding through tax season after tax season, wondering when things will get easier, this episode is your reminder that the right system and the right support can change the trajectory of your firm faster than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

May 6, 2026Episode 20041 min

Episode 200: Reflections and Lessons of the Wize Way with Jamie Johns and Bren Ward

200 episodes. 21,950 downloads, over 40 countries. And it all started with a simple idea to help accounting firm owners build better businesses and better lives.To mark this milestone, Bren Ward sits down with Jamie Johns for a candid reflection on the lessons that have shaped the Wize Way, the ones that matter most right now, and the mindset that separates firm owners who break free from those who stay stuck.✅ What a 40km hike through the Grampians has to do with building a better business ✅ The one lesson that keeps showing up after 10 years and thousands of coaching calls ✅ Why the loudest voices in business right now might be leading you the wrong way ✅ The talent conversation most firm owners are still getting wrong ✅ The simplest thing you can do today to start getting your time back ✅ Where freedom actually comes from, and it is not where most people thinkIf you have been waiting for the right moment to stop, take a breath, and look at where you are standing, this is that episode. Tune in to hear Jamie and Bren reflect on what has changed, what has stayed the same, and why the next summit you climb might be closer than you think.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

April 29, 2026Episode 19933 min

Episode 199: The Mindset Shift That Buys Back Your Time

Avoid the mistake of thinking that working harder is the path to freedom, or you will keep trading your time for money while the business stays completely dependent on you.In this episode of The Wize Way Podcast, Ed Chan sits down with Bren Ward to unpack the real reason most accounting firm owners never buy back their time. It is not a systems problem or a staffing problem. It is a thinking problem. Ed shares the exact withdrawal journey he used to remove himself from every division of his firm, the mindset shifts that made it possible, and why delegation without training is just abdication in disguise.You'll learn: ✅ Why working harder is the trap and what balance sheet thinking looks like instead.✅ The step-by-step withdrawal journey from admin all the way to the board.✅ Why perfectionism is the silent killer of delegation and how to get past it.✅ How to see your next hire as an investment, not an overhead.✅ The difference between delegation and abdication, and why it determines whether you scale.✅ What AI actually means for your time and the future of your firm.If you have ever told yourself it is just faster if you do it, this episode will change the way you think about your role in the firm.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

April 16, 2026Episode 19836 min

Episode 198: Is Your Firm Leaking Money Without Knowing It?

Avoid the mistake of collecting timesheet data and doing nothing with it, or you will keep running a firm that feels busy but cannot tell you whether it is actually profitable.In this episode of The Wize Way Podcast, Thomas breaks down the metrics that sit beneath your Fab Five and shows you how to use them to diagnose exactly where your firm is leaking money.✅ What recoverable rate actually means, and why it is becoming the most important KPI in your firm ✅ The difference between tracking write-ons and write-offs and truly understanding what they are telling you ✅ Why your WIP balance is one of the clearest signals your capacity is under pressure ✅ How to use your capacity planner to pinpoint whether your problem is team structure, charge-out rates, or cost of goods sold ✅ Why offshoring is no longer optional if you want to hit 40% cost of goods sold ✅ Current onshore and offshore salary benchmarks for senior accountants, and how the market has shifted in the last 12 monthsIf you have the data but are not sure what to do with it, this episode gives you the framework to turn your timesheet numbers into real decisions that protect your margins and drive your firm forward.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

April 8, 2026Episode 19729 min

Episode 197: Your Job Ad Is Costing You Great Candidates (Here's How to Fix It)

Avoid the mistake of posting a job ad before you know what you are actually looking for, or you will either attract the wrong people entirely or watch great candidates talk themselves out of applying before they even reach out.In this episode of The Wize Way Podcast, Danny Bray breaks down exactly what makes a job ad work, and what quietly kills your chances of finding the right person before the process even begins.✅ Why too much information in your job ad is driving the right candidates away before they apply ✅ The unrealistic expectations hiding in most accounting firm job ads, and how to set requirements that attract quality over volume ✅ Why prioritising software experience over core skills is one of the most common and costly mistakes firm owners make ✅ How a clear, specific job title changes who sees your ad and who applies ✅ The six elements every strong job ad needs to stand out in a crowded market ✅ Why an advert video is no longer optional, and how to create one that works across multiple roles over time ✅ How transparency around salary, flexibility and working arrangements saves you from wasting time on the wrong conversationsIf you are tired of posting ads and getting either nobody or the wrong people, this episode gives you a practical framework to write job ads that attract the right candidates from the very first line.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here

April 1, 2026Episode 19636 min

Episode 196: People, Structure and AI vs Recruitment: Straight Talk with Ed Chan

Avoid the mistake of blaming the market every time a hire does not work out, or you will keep repeating the same costly cycle without ever fixing the real problem underneath it.In this episode of The Wize Way Podcast, Ed Chan sits down with Bren Ward to cut through the noise on what is actually driving the people challenge in accounting firms right now.✅ Why AI will not make accountants redundant, and the historical proof that efficiency gains have always created opportunity rather than unemployment ✅ The real reason you cannot find good people, and why its less related to labor shortage than you think.✅ Why flat team structures are the root cause of most hiring failures, and what a deep and narrow team blueprint looks like instead ✅ How hybrid and remote work can maintain or even lift productivity when you stop managing by feeling and start managing by numbers ✅ The BPO versus direct hire debate, and why Ed is a firm believer in the direct offshore model ✅ Why chasing unicorn candidates is costing you more than you think, and what a championship team structure delivers instead ✅ How to tailor your recruitment and testing process to the specific role you are hiring forTune in to hear where Ed stands on AI's real impact on the profession, how recruitment has shifted from the traditional model to where it needs to be today, and why getting your team structure right is the foundation everything else is built on.________________ PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are the fastest 4 ways we can help you fix and grow your accounting firm: 1. Download our famous Wize Freedom Map for FREE - Find out the 96 projects every firm owner must implement to build a $5M+ firm that can run without them - Download here 2. Need to Hire right now? Book a 1:1 FREE discovery call with our WizeTalent hiring coaches to help find your next team member the Wize Way – Click Here 3. Work with Jamie and our mentors for 8 weeks - Build a custom business plan for your firm - Apply here