

Accounting Voices
Rob Brown
Hosted by Rob Brown, Accounting Voices exists to interpret what these forces actually mean in practice for managing partners, firm owners and senior operators inside accounting firms. This is not news, education or a vendor showcase. The focus is sense-making, judgement and the unspoken tensions shaping the profession. Through in-depth panel conversations and solo interpretation, Accounting Voices helps accounting leaders think more clearly about the decisions in front of them and the trade-offs they can no longer avoid. The platform is designed for senior decision makers in accounting. Authority, clarity and relevance matter more here than reach or noise. Accounting Voices also underpins private conversations with firms, networks and associations, using the same panel-led format in more focused, closed settings.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 7, 2023 • 25min
Developing Talent in Accounting Firms: Mark Fritz
Mark Fritz shares valuable insights on effective leadership and driving change within accounting firms. Drawing from his extensive international experience, Mark discusses the importance of adaptability in leadership and the need to embrace evolving leadership roles.Mark highlights how the pandemic has intensified the demand for effective leadership, particularly in leading across different generations. He emphasizes the role of leaders as role models and the significance of being forward-thinking to engage and empower teams. The conversation also explores the challenges of remote work and the importance of fostering informal connections within organizations.Furthermore, Mark delves into the psychology behind micromanagement and the need for leaders to trust their teams and let go of control. He provides practical strategies for gaining trust and fostering a culture of accountability through asking the right questions and focusing on progress.This episode offers valuable insights for accountants looking to enhance their leadership skills and drive positive change within their firms. Mark's expertise in leadership development and his unique perspectives provide actionable strategies for accountants aiming to become effective and adaptable leaders in an evolving business landscape.Mark Fritz is an accomplished leader with a focus on leading change across distances and cultures. With an extensive international career, Mark has led enterprise-level change programs in diverse markets such as Egypt, Netherlands, Italy, and Japan. He has excelled in driving transformation and reengineering efforts, successfully leading virtual organizations and building strong, diverse teams.As a leadership specialist, Mark has worked with executives and organizations worldwide, helping them transform their leadership habits and achieve better results. With mentoring and masterclasses delivered in over 50 countries, Mark brings his expertise to prestigious business schools, including IE Business School and HEC, teaching courses on leadership and influence. He also designs bespoke leadership programs within organizations to strengthen leaders and equip them with the tools for growth and success.Mark's personal journey has taken him across the globe, living in various countries and working in over 50 countries. Currently based in London with his Japanese wife, Mark finds joy in playing golf and cherishes the opportunity to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds, recognizing the value of learning from such experiences.Known for his focus on empowering leaders to stop micromanaging and instead foster a mindset of ownership and achievement, Mark helps leaders unlock their team's potential. Through impactful keynotes and masterclasses, he delivers inspirational experiences packed with practical advice and actionable steps.With a dedication to driving performance, influencing others, and mentoring, Mark's thought-provoking sessions and ongoing support make him an integral part of any organization's growth journey. His unique blend of inspiration and practicality leaves audiences with clear actions and a desire to become the leaders they aspire to be.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Jun 4, 2023 • 23min
Improving Leadership in Accounting Firms: Mark Fritz
Mark Fritz shares valuable insights on effective leadership and driving change within accounting firms. Drawing from his extensive international experience, Mark discusses the importance of adaptability in leadership and the need to embrace evolving leadership roles.Mark highlights how the pandemic has intensified the demand for effective leadership, particularly in leading across different generations. He emphasizes the role of leaders as role models and the significance of being forward-thinking to engage and empower teams. The conversation also explores the challenges of remote work and the importance of fostering informal connections within organizations.Furthermore, Mark delves into the psychology behind micromanagement and the need for leaders to trust their teams and let go of control. He provides practical strategies for gaining trust and fostering a culture of accountability through asking the right questions and focusing on progress.This episode offers valuable insights for accountants looking to enhance their leadership skills and drive positive change within their firms. Mark's expertise in leadership development and his unique perspectives provide actionable strategies for accountants aiming to become effective and adaptable leaders in an evolving business landscape.Mark Fritz is an accomplished leader with a focus on leading change across distances and cultures. With an extensive international career, Mark has led enterprise-level change programs in diverse markets such as Egypt, Netherlands, Italy, and Japan. He has excelled in driving transformation and reengineering efforts, successfully leading virtual organizations and building strong, diverse teams.As a leadership specialist, Mark has worked with executives and organizations worldwide, helping them transform their leadership habits and achieve better results. With mentoring and masterclasses delivered in over 50 countries, Mark brings his expertise to prestigious business schools, including IE Business School and HEC, teaching courses on leadership and influence. He also designs bespoke leadership programs within organizations to strengthen leaders and equip them with the tools for growth and success.Mark's personal journey has taken him across the globe, living in various countries and working in over 50 countries. Currently based in London with his Japanese wife, Mark finds joy in playing golf and cherishes the opportunity to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds, recognizing the value of learning from such experiences.Known for his focus on empowering leaders to stop micromanaging and instead foster a mindset of ownership and achievement, Mark helps leaders unlock their team's potential. Through impactful keynotes and masterclasses, he delivers inspirational experiences packed with practical advice and actionable steps.With a dedication to driving performance, influencing others, and mentoring, Mark's thought-provoking sessions and ongoing support make him an integral part of any organization's growth journey. His unique blend of inspiration and practicality leaves audiences with clear actions and a desire to become the leaders they aspire to be.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

May 31, 2023 • 23min
Winning the Accounting Talent Battle: John Fenton
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday and Thursday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, guest John Fenton shares valuable insights on how accountants can attract and retain top talent to grow their firms. John emphasizes the importance of measuring success based on the quality of relationships with customers, employees, and vendors. He advises accountants to create white space on their calendars to reflect on their firm's direction, clients, and ongoing projects.The conversation delves into the challenges faced by accounting firms in the current talent landscape. John discusses the battle for talent and the push and pull dynamics related to remote work and the return to office dilemma. He acknowledges the changing expectations and desires of the workforce, highlighting the importance of work-life balance and well-being. John also explores the concept of culture and its impact on the success of firms, emphasizing that the "soft" skills related to people, relationships, and culture are essential bedrocks for thriving businesses.In addressing the talent challenge, John suggests that firms need to focus on creating an environment where individuals can contribute to something bigger than themselves and align their values with the firm's values. He emphasizes the need for critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in the profession, given the advancements in AI and technology.Listeners will gain valuable insights into talent retention strategies, creating a positive work culture, and addressing the evolving needs of the workforce. John's expertise provides actionable advice for accountants looking to attract and retain top talent while positioning their firms for growth in a competitive industry.You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersGuest BioJohn Fenton is a seasoned executive coach, speaker, and author who specializes in helping leaders navigate tough and complex situations. With a black belt in tai chi and over two decades of experience as a managing partner at BDO USA, John brings a unique perspective to leadership development.As the founder of John J Fenton Executive Coaching, John has worked with a diverse range of leaders, from managing partners at professional firms to board executives and CEOs. He understands the inner game of leadership, and his methodology focuses on developing the mindset, purpose, and culture necessary for success in today's rapidly changing world.John is also the author of the best-selling book 5 Minute MasteryTM, which provides practical advice and strategies for leaders who want clarity and more freedom. He is an award-winning speaker on executive leadership excellence, having spoken at conferences and events around the world.In addition to his professional accomplishments, John is a heart attack survivor and a strong advocate for wellbeing in the workplace. He is passionate about helping leaders overcome imposter syndrome, manage overwhelm, and develop emotional intelligence.John's three specialty topics are leading in challenging times, winning the talent battle, and the top five challenges for modern-day leaders. In all of his work, he emphasizes the importance of purpose, culture, diversity, equity, and trust, and provides actionable insights for leaders who want to thrive in 2023 and beyond.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

May 28, 2023 • 27min
Firing Grade D Accounting Clients: Jean Caragher
"Firing Grade D Accounting Clients: Jean Caragher."In this episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, host Rob Brown interviews Jean Caragher, the founder of Capstone Marketing, as she shares insights on growing accounting firms. Jean discusses her experience as an outsourced or fractional chief marketing officer for firms and highlights the range of services Capstone Marketing offers, including marketing plans, branding, content marketing, pricing, programs, and client satisfaction. She emphasizes the evolving landscape of accounting firm marketing and the opportunities for internal marketers to play a strategic role within their firms.Jean reflects on the progress made in the accounting industry in terms of recognizing the importance of marketing. She mentions the increased average tenure of marketing directors in CPA firms, with some marketers achieving partner or CEO status. While marketing principles remain the same, Jean emphasizes the expanded range of tools and techniques available today, such as digital marketing, social media, and data analytics.The conversation shifts to client selection and defining the ideal client for an accounting firm. Jean suggests that CPAs should clearly describe their ideal client based on financial factors, enjoyment of working together, and the level of challenge in work. She encourages accountants to analyze their existing client base and consider whether prospects align with their ideal client profile. Jean also highlights the benefits of letting go of clients who are not the right fit, including the ability to focus on and over-serve the best clients. She acknowledges that it may be a difficult conversation to have but emphasizes the importance of addressing the issue.The episode concludes with Jean explaining the process of client analysis and the criteria that can be used, such as annual revenue, payment history, growth potential, job complexity, and timing.By conducting a thorough analysis, accountants can make informed decisions about which clients to retain and which ones to transition out based on factors beyond the client's actions or behaviour.Overall, this episode provides valuable insights for accountants looking to grow their firms, covering topics such as outsourced marketing, evolving marketing strategies, defining the ideal client, and conducting client analysis. Listeners can better understand how marketing plays a crucial role in the accounting industry and learn practical steps to enhance their client selection process.Jean Caragher brings over 35 years of accounting marketing experience and is a trusted resource for CPA firms seeking to enhance their marketing strategies. As the founder of Capstone Marketing, Jean's expertise lies in helping growth-focused firms attract top clients and talent. With a practical approach and extensive knowledge of the challenges and opportunities faced by CPA firms, Jean offers invaluable guidance and implementation strategies. She is a Certified HubSpot Partner and a Certified Instructor of Advanced Pricing Methods®.Recognized for her contributions to the industry, Jean is an inaugural AAM Hall of Fame inductee, a multiple AAM-MAA award winner, and a CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader. Her insights have been featured in various publications, and she has been named one of Accounting Today's 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. Beyond her professional pursuits, Jean enjoys reading, boating with her husband, and volunteering at her church. She is also a dedicated advocate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.Connect with Jean Caragher:Website: www.capstonemarketing.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeancaragher/Twitter: @JeanCaragher◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

May 25, 2023 • 21min
Accountex 2023 review – The World’s Biggest Event?
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday and Thursday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this special episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, host Rob Brown and co-host Martin Bissett are joined by Caroline Hobden, the head of the team behind Accountex, one of the world's biggest shows in the accounting industry. They discuss the tremendous success of the recent Accountex event, with a record-breaking 20% increase in floor space and over 10,000 attendees. Caroline attributes their achievements to her team's hard work and relentless marketing efforts.She discusses the international appeal of Accountex, with attendees from around the world, and the excitement surrounding future events. Overall, the episode offers a glimpse into the incredible buzz and energy of Accountex and sets the stage for its future endeavours.You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersGuest BioCaroline Hobden is a highly experienced professional in event organization and management. She oversees the globally recognized Accountex brand, including Accountex London, Accountex Summit Manchester, Accounting Insight News, and the Accountex Webinar Programme. With over 20 years of experience, Caroline has successfully launched exhibitions, e-newsletters, and curated complex programs with multiple streams and speakers. She is known for her passion and expertise in sales and sponsorship management, conference producing, research, business development, and delegate sales.Caroline is dedicated to providing valuable opportunities for professionals in the accounting and finance industry to grow their practices and connect with industry experts.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

May 24, 2023 • 26min
Solving Talent Problems in Accounting: Jason Staats
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday and Thursday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this episode of the Accounting Influencers podcast, host Rob Brown interviews Jason Staats, an accomplished entrepreneur and CPA, to provide insights on how to grow an accounting firm. Jason shares his experience and expertise in building a $5M accounting firm, as well as in producing content and providing thought leadership on sustainable accounting firms, AI adoption, and software partnership.The importance of being able to say "no" and capitalising on the coolest "yeses" to engage, as well as defining the type of clients and employees the firm is best for. Jason also highlights the need for a compelling vision to differentiate the firm and build a team around the right abilities. He emphasises that it's essential to ensure that the support structure for the team is built to prioritise emotional health and mindfulness.Lastly, Jason shares his insights on the calculation for individuals just entering the accounting profession and the need to find the right place that aligns with their abilities and way of working best. Overall, the episode provides valuable advice for accountants looking to grow their firms and build a team around the right skills.You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersGuest BioJason Staats is an accomplished CPA and entrepreneur, running a $5M accounting firm and an online community for accounting firm owners. He produces content and provides thought leadership on sustainable accounting firms, AI adoption, and software partnership. He is also a prolific content creator with a YouTube channel and weekly newsletter. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Z0mb0RshEg6Nu0PkebBPATwitter: https://twitter.com/JStaatsCPALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

May 21, 2023 • 28min
Accounting Leadership in Tough Times: John Fenton
"Accounting Leadership in Tough Times", John Fenton speaks with host Rob Brown about his experience as a managing partner at BDO and his passion for leadership. Fenton draws upon his background in athletics, particularly in football and martial arts, to emphasise the importance of mindset, self-awareness, and intentionality of ineffective leadership. He stresses the need for leaders to take a step back, breathe deeply, and create white space on their calendars to centre themselves, make better decisions, and build deeper relationships with their employees and clients.Fenton also touches on the power of active listening and focusing on what is most important. He believes that allowing oneself to be more centred leads to deeper, more meaningful relationships with employees and clients. Fenton also shares his personal experience with goal setting and how it changed his life, motivating him to work towards achieving his potential as an athlete and ultimately leading him to a successful career in accounting. This episode offers valuable insights into effective leadership strategies for accountants looking to grow their firms.John Fenton is a seasoned executive coach, speaker, and author who specializes in helping leaders navigate tough and complex situations. With a black belt in tai chi and over two decades of experience as a managing partner at BDO USA, John brings a unique perspective to leadership development.As the founder of John J Fenton Executive Coaching, John has worked with diverse leaders, from managing partners at professional firms to board executives and CEOs. He understands the inner game of leadership, and his methodology focuses on developing the mindset, purpose, and culture necessary for success in today's rapidly changing world.John also authorises the best-selling book 5 Minute MasteryTM, which provides practical advice and strategies for leaders who want clarity and more freedom. He is an award-winning speaker on executive leadership excellence, having spoken at conferences and events worldwide.In addition to his professional accomplishments, John is a heart attack survivor and a strong advocate for well-being in the workplace. He is passionate about helping leaders overcome imposter syndrome, manage to overwhelm, and develop emotional intelligence.John's three special topics are leading in challenging times, winning the talent battle, and the top five challenges for modern-day leaders. In his work, he emphasises the importance of purpose, culture, diversity, equity, and trust and provides actionable insights for leaders who want to thrive in 2023 and beyond.Connect with Johnhttps://JohnJFenton.com/contacthttps://LinkedIn.com/in/JohnJFentonCeoCoach◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

May 17, 2023 • 4sec
Accounting Leaders & Their Problems: Katie Best
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this Talent Special bonus, "Accounting Leaders & Their Problems" Rob chats with Katie Best, a leadership coach and consultant. He discusses the challenges faced by professional services firms and their leaders and how coaching, consultancy and leadership development can help in overcoming these challenges. Katie explains that some common problems firms face include recruiting and retaining top talent, adapting to the hybrid work model, and staying ahead of the curve with new technology.Katie emphasises the importance of having a distinct culture and unique flavour to appeal to potential employees while acknowledging the commonalities across different sectors. She also discusses her upcoming book on messy leadership problems and a framework that leaders can use to solve problems they face.Katie highlights the challenges faced by individual leaders, especially the link between the work that an individual leader does and the more comprehensive corporate strategy, and how coaching can be used to overcome these challenges. Finally, she discusses the importance of engagement, culture, and personal relationships in leadership, especially in the current climate where work-life balance and mental health are becoming increasingly important.You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersGuest BioDr Katie Best is a renowned leadership coach, consultant and Visiting Fellow at LSE and King's College, with a passion for helping leaders and their firms navigate complex and challenging situations. With years of experience in coaching, consultancy and leadership development programmes, Dr Best has helped partners and senior leaders from top-tier firms such as EY, KPMG and RSM to tackle their most challenging leadership dilemmas.Dr Best's expertise in leadership has also made her a sought-after speaker at events, where she shares insights and perspectives on leadership in today's ever-changing business landscape. She is also working on a book about messy leadership problems, which will be a valuable resource for leaders looking to improve their leadership skills.Outside of work, Dr Best is an avid fan of competitive socialising, flea market hunting and travelling. Her love for sports has led her to attend the Women's Euros final, where she nearly passed out from excitement. Dr Best lives in North London with her husband and daughter, where she inspires and supports leaders to achieve their full potential.www.linkedin.com/in/drkatiebestwww.katiebest.com/sign-up◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

May 14, 2023 • 27min
Selling to Accountants: Hard or Easy? Jason Staats
Rob Brown interviews Jason Staats, who creates content on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to help people run accounting firms in a more fun and sustainable way. Staats discusses how he got into accounting and why he had to find a creative way to contribute because he needed to be a better tax preparer. He also touches on mental blockers that keep accountants from being more intentional versions of themselves and falling into the trap of working hard and thinking they've done their best.Staats discusses the current state of the accounting industry, noting that it was challenging before COVID-19 and even more so after. He says there is a massive opportunity in the industry, but people need to get out of their way and not try to be everything for everybody at their own expense. He also talks about accountants' emotional connection with their clients and how it's hard to say no to them because of that connection.Finally, Staats discusses the difficulty in reaching accountants and selling to them, noting that some companies do it well and understand how to speak the accountant's vernacular. He mentions that accountants carry the stresses of their clients and that it's the most challenging aspect of what they do. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights for accountants looking to grow their firms in a sustainable and fulfilling way.Jason Staats is an accomplished entrepreneur and thought leader in accounting. He founded a $5M accounting firm, which he has run for 18 months. In addition, he has built a SAAS to $30k MRR, sold a startup, built a creatorpreneur business to $10k MRR, and produced commercials for brands like LinkedIn and Zapier.Today, Jason helps people in three key areas. Firstly, he produces content to help accounting leaders develop more sustainable firms. Secondly, he provides thought leadership on adopting automation and AI to support public accounting. Thirdly, he helps software companies to better partner with the accountant channel and leverage AI in their products.Jason is a prolific content creator and regularly shares his insights and ideas through his weekly newsletter, which is essential for accountants looking to stay up-to-date on industry trends. Jason is an invaluable resource for software companies looking to better engage with accountants. He has helped some of the most successful brands in the industry develop more meaningful products.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

May 10, 2023 • 24min
Employer Brand Wins for Accounting Firms: Trisha Daho
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday and Thursday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.The episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast hosted by Rob Brown features Trisha Daho, who talks about culture building, talent acquisition and retention in accounting firms.Trisha explains that firms are struggling to find conventional talent to fill the needs of their growing businesses, and high performers are leaving early because they need to see the accounting space as an innovative career path. To address this, firms must create a culture of inclusion that provides a custom experience for each employee. They also need to develop an employer brand that is compelling, authentic, differentiated, and feeds into the client brand.Firms must intentionally discover what makes them unique and different and what compels people to stick around. Firms must align their vision with their employees' personal visions to create a sense of purpose and meaning and focus on the onboarding experience to appeal to various people. To retain highly motivated employees, firms need to measure the impact of their leaders on their people and create a culture of open communication and mentorship that fosters growth and development.You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersGuest BioTrisha Daho is a former Big 4 Accounting and Advisory partner turned into a culture, talent, and DEI expert. She founded Empowered, partnering with leadership teams to create sustainable and measurable people results. With laser-focused strategies, she built thriving practices in four regions and created growth businesses that have expanded exponentially. Trisha writes and speaks regularly on authenticity in leadership, creating growth cultures, diversity and inclusion, and more. She is also a kickboxing instructor, dog fosterer, and avid traveller.https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishadaho/◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/


