Where Accountants Go - The Accounting Careers Podcast

Professor Mansour Farhat, a previous guest on our show, came back for this episode of Where Accountants Go to tell us about a new offering he has helped make available for accounting students.

If you weren’t already aware of Mansour from his 1900+ Youtube videos on accounting topics, you definitely should go back in our archives to episode 107 where we delve even more in-depth into how he got started in the Youtube world (107: Mansour Farhat – Saving Accounting Students One YouTube Video At A Time | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)).

Professor Farhat started producing accounting educational videos simply because he was very busy teaching classes at two different schools at one point.  He started his Youtube channel as a way to be more efficient with his time, and it ended up being a resource that is now used by accounting students all over the globe.  After a friend called his attention to how popular the channel had become, he decided to greatly expand it and make it even more searchable.  Fast forward a little bit, and Mansour now has over 1900 videos online, and produces supplemental material to be used in conjunction with popular CPA review courses as well!

The new offering we talk about in this episode though is that of helping students that need to meet the 150 hour credit requirement for the CPA exam get those credits in a more economical and efficient manner.  Mansour co-founded an organization called CPACredits.com that allows students to take courses online, in about half the time, and at a very economical rate in order to get the ten to thirty extra credits they may need to sit for the CPA exam.  While this would benefit just about anyone looking to meet that requirement, I believe that it will be a game-changer for those individuals that didn’t get the hours earlier in life, and now feel that they can’t due to complications with returning to school.  For those people already several years into their careers and family lives, this could be the solution that allows them to get certified.

For more information on CPACredits.com or Mansour’s other video offerings, please click on the links in the text above.

To listen to this interview with Mansour Farhat, please use the player below:

Hitendra Patil of AccountantsWorld, who also frequently appears on the list of the Top 100 Most Influential People In Accounting, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We like to cover a variety of career topics for accounting professionals on this show, and entrepreneurship-done-well is definitely one of them.  In this episode, Hitendra discusses the concept of how to become an “Accountaneur”.  This particular term, which Hitendra has trademarked, encompasses the idea of not just being a self-employed accountant, but being successful in the endeavor from both the earnings standpoint and the desired lifestyle perspective.  You will need to listen to the audio interview for a complete definition, but a large part of what Hitendra discusses is how to evolve past simply being a client’s chosen accountant, and going further to learn their business and the nuances of how they become successful.  This allows the Accountaneur to become more of the trusted advisor that we all aspire to be.  It really is a good discussion we have in this approximate 1-hour episode.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  John Garrett and Lindsay Stevenson

To listen to this episode with Hitendra Patil, please use the player below:

Lee Frederiksen of Hinge joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Lee’s team approached us with this topic, and we were very excited to have the discussion.  “The Great Resignation” is a phenomenon affecting the entire labor market, and the accounting profession is no exception.  The market was already tight in terms of the number of accountants available versus the number of job opportunities, but with opportunities increasing and some individuals choosing to exit the labor market by choice, the number of open jobs within our field has skyrocketed.  It’s a peculiar situation, and although it has its advantages, there are also some dangers as well.

In this episode, we will discuss the situation from both the employer’s perspective and the job seeker’s perspective, because there are opportunities and dangers on both sides.  It’s rare that we get to interview a behavioral psychologist on our program, so this was a real treat.  And the topic we discussed is definitely on the cutting edge of current events.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  Carl Peterson and Terrell Turner

To listen to this episode with Lee Frederiksen of Hinge, please use the player below:

Jennifer Todling, Partner with EY, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

When we scheduled this episode, we knew it was going to be a story of a successful, progressive accounting career as Jennifer had been with EY approaching 18 years and is a partner with the firm.  However, we didn’t realize all the additional value that this interview would bring!

In addition to discussing her progression to partner over the years, we also discuss a few other pleasant surprises in her journey.  One additional item of value was the discussion of her short departure from EY to pursue a Fellow position with the SEC.  Jennifer spent about 3 years on the regulatory side, which was both an enjoyable experience and something that helped build her skill-set for when she later returned to EY.

We also discuss how she had to go remote for personal reasons very early in her career.  That may not seem like a big deal now, but this was prior to Zoom, Teams, and all the other tools we use now to do remote work.  The process was much more paper intensive, so she wasn’t sure it was even possible in the beginning.  However, due to the support from a few leaders at the firm, they were able to make it work and her progression with EY continued.  It really is an interesting part of the interview.  Make sure you listen to this one all the way through.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  How To Advance to Partner, and Samantha Bowling’s interview.

To listen in on this interview with Jennifer Todling, please use the player below:

Tom Golden, a retired forensics partner from PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), who also has authored two forensics thrillers, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you have ever wondered about the realities of investigating major frauds, then this is the episode for you.  Tom very accidentally got into the forensics area when he discovered anomalies on one of his first client assignments at PwC, and that ended up turning into a major fraud investigation that lasted over a year.  After that experience, he realized that investigating fraud was something that he very much enjoyed, so he convinced the firm to let him start the forensics department, and ended up building that into a career for himself in the 26 years that he was with PwC.

Another important item to note about Tom’s career was that it wasn’t all behind a computer and a desk.  His investigations took he and his team across the globe and into some very dangerous situations.  Make sure you listen to the audio interview to hear Tom tell some of those stories.  They definitely are much more suspenseful than you would expect.

For details on two of the investigations Tom was involved in, check out his two thriller novels:  Sunday Night Fears and One Honest Soul.

Other related podcasts you will enjoy:  Kelly Richmond Pope and Mindy Mejia

To listen to this interview with Tom Golden, please use the player below:

Jason Parr, the President of Peisner Johnson, a state and local tax consulting company, joined us this week for Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss the road less traveled so-to-speak with respect to careers… that of staying at the same company and continuing to build your career at that one organization.  For Jason, that meant starting as an assistant in accounting prior to earning his degree, and ending up as President after a couple decades of diligent effort and personal growth.  Jason tells the story better than we could in a simple show notes summary, so make sure you listen to the full interview using the player below, or by using your favorite podcast app.

If you ultimately want to work your way into executive management, this is definitely an episode you will want to hear.  Jason was very open about his path, even about some of his doubts and learning opportunities along the way.  This was a great interview.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Paula Gold-Williams and Anoop Mehta

To listen to this interview with Jason Parr of Peisner Johnson, please use the player below:

Alicia Maples, a professional business coach that I personally have worked with for many years, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.  In this special edition episode, we have a very direct and practical conversation about managing the client base in a public accounting firm.  If you are in business already, or just starting to think about starting your own firm, this episode will be beneficial to you.

The main topic we discuss is how to let go of clients that don’t fit your desired end goals, but we also discuss how keeping bad clients can affect not just your lifestyle, but that of your team as well!

If you would like to find out more about Alicia, or take her 5 Day Credibility Challenge, make sure you visit www.brilliantsmb.com

To listen in on this interview with Alicia Maples, please use the player below:

Andrew Jordan, CPA and COO of FinancePal, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  We touch on many topics in this particular show, from finding the right career fit for your own needs, all the way to starting and merging a firm.  And we even cover a story of fraud in the middle of the interview!  Many, many lessons in this episode.

Andrew’s career journey started as many do… he worked hard to do well in college and was hired by one of the national firms right out of school.  He passed the CPA exam early, and was on his way to have the ‘dream career’ in large public accounting.  What he didn’t realize at the time was that it was typical for the firm to over-hire, and then make adjustments after busy season.  Unfortunately this meant he was left without a job even after passing the CPA exam.  However, this ended up being a blessing as it launched him on a new path of joining a smaller firm and continuing his career progression there.

Not too many years later, he was recruited by a client tech company for their CFO role.  It was a tremendous opportunity.  He learned quite a bit, but unfortunately part of that was about the fraud that was occurring within the company.  He survived that tumultuous time though and helped the company recover.  Later on, due to decisions made by the private equity owners, the company closed down and Andrew decided to start his own practice.

For the story of how he started and grew his practice, and eventually merged it into FinancePal, make sure to listen to the full audio interview.  Andrew was very open and transparent with the story of his journey – something we always really appreciate.

For other episodes you may enjoy, listen to these prior shows:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Ryan Lazanis

To listen in on this interview with Andrew Jordan, please use the player below:

Loreal Jiles, the new VP of Research & Thought Leadership with the Institute of Management Accountants, joins us for this very interesting episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss the technological transformation that has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen within the accounting profession.  Loreal has spent many years working in this space, both in her current role with the IMA as well as with the large multi-national organization BP.  However, in addition to the technological discussion, we also take significant time during this interview to delve deeply into Loreal’s very successful 14 years with BP.  It’s rare we see individuals move up that quickly and over such an extended period of time as Loreal, so that part of the interview has several gems of advice as well.

If you are looking to build your career with a large organization, or have an interest in technology and how it will continue to transform our profession, this is an ideal episode for you.

Other episodes that will interest you are:  Jody Padar and Stewart Goodson

For more information on the IMA, visit IMAnet.org

To listen in on this discussion with Loreal Jiles, please use the player below:

Announcement!  We are not gone, just taking a couple weeks off to recover from Covid.

Join us again on August 31st when we release our next guest accountant interview.  You will enjoy this one - all about digital transformation!

In the meantime, if you haven't seen our Classes section and upcoming Excel and Tax courses, check out www.mgrar.com/classes

See you in 2 weeks!

Mark

This is a special announcement edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

For many years we have provided tax training for entry-level accountants and those without much tax experience through our live courses.  We are super excited to announce that now that training is available to anyone, anytime, anywhere!

If you are an entry-level accountant that wants to learn CPA-firm-level tax skills, this course is for you.

If you are an experienced accountant, but without tax background, this course can help you learn CPA-firm-level tax preparation skills as well.

If you have had a tax internship or two, but didn’t feel like you learned everything you would like for a strong foundation, this course is for you as well.

(Note:  This course is NOT for experienced tax preparers with 2+ years of experience.  It is meant to mirror on-the-job type internship training, so it’s more appropriate for less experienced students.)

If you are interested in learning more about the content of our Individual Tax Bootcamp ON—DEMAND, click here:  MGR On-Demand Courses.

Geraldine Carter of She Thinks Big Coaching joined us for this special edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

While our show usually highlights the career paths of successful accountants, or individuals that started in accounting and have went on to blossom that knowledge into new, unique career paths, sometimes we produce a special episode focused on helping accountants with their entrepreneurial endeavors.  This episode is exactly that.

For this week’s show, our guest, Geraldine Carter, drills down on the issues that make some accountants’ entrepreneurial dreams turn more into nightmares down the road.  Many of us ultimately would like to have our own practice, but often the freedom we think we are going to achieve doesn’t become a reality.  We end up working for our practice instead of it working for us.

In this episode, Geraldine covers many of the pitfalls that a self-employed accountant can encounter, and how to fix those issues so that you can thoroughly enjoy running your practice, and so that it meets all your needs and expectations as well.

For more information on Geraldine Carter, please visit her website at: Business Coaching for CPA's & Small Firms | She Thinks Big Coaching

If you enjoy this episode with Geraldine, please also check out:  Sarah Elliott and Mariette Martinez

To listen to this interview with Geraldine Carter, please use the player below:

Tracy Coenen of Sequence Inc, a Chicago-based forensic accounting specialty firm, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Tracy always knew she wanted to be involved with investigations and the criminal justice system.  In fact, early in her life she dreamed of being a Prison Warden!  However, after taking a class in financial crime investigation, she realized that she enjoyed the analysis that comes with such an investigation, and decided to pursue a career investigating financial crimes.  She continued with her Criminology major in school, but also got her MBA with enough hours to sit for the CPA exam.  She passed the exam, spent a short time at Arthur Andersen, then a few years at a small forensic accounting firm, and then decided to launch her own business – Sequence Inc.

For the past 20 years, Tracy has operated her company basically as a solo entrepreneur, with the exception of a short time earlier on that she talks about in the interview.  She chooses to keep the firm small from a team standpoint because it allows her to focus on the activities that she most enjoys – digging into the details and doing the investigation itself.

Another valuable portion of this episode is our discussion of what it takes to be a good expert witness in trials.  Tracy has well-developed skills in that area, and shares some of her insights into that role in this interview.  It’s definitely something you don’t want to miss.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Fred Olivares

To listen in on this podcast episode with Tracy Coenen, please use the player below:

Michelle Garrison, a CFO in the Houston area, joined us for this continuation of our “2nd-career-accountant” series of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Michelle’s career started a little differently than most of our guests.  Michelle was actually a very successful electrical engineer in her former career, and as she got further into the details of running her own electrical contracting company, she realized she had a talent for understanding the financial side of the business.  As time went by and the contracting world was becoming more competitive, she decided to move her career in the direction of accounting, completing a Masters degree in Accounting and obtaining a consulting position within the field.  Her consulting work fast-tracked her into many career-building opportunities, and eventually she landed in the role where she is today:  the CFO for a healthcare organization in Houston.

If you are a 2nd-career-accountant yourself, or are about to be, you will definitely enjoy this interview.  Also, if you want more insight into how an accounting education can help you be a better overall business advisor, then this show is for you as well.

Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Robin Thieme and Brian Henderson

To listen in on this interview with Michelle Garrison, please use the player below:

Nancy McClelland, a CPA in the Chicago area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  In this episode, we are going to cover many items, probably the most interesting being how she came up with the name for her practice – “The Dancing Accountant”!

As you might expect, Nancy’s early background was in music.  Her mother was very creative, and her father was the more analytical one.  While in college, Nancy tried many majors, but eventually chose music.  She very early on landed a role in administration with an arts school, and realized that she also had talent inherited from her father as well – that of organization and analysis.  It was through combining both her creative side and analytical side that caused her to excel in accounting / administration roles with music-related companies.  It wasn’t long though until she realized that all small businesses have similar issues to that which she was encountering in the music world, and so she then decided to start her practice – Nancy McClelland LLC.  If you want to hear the full story of how she moved from that initial name for her practice to “The Dancing Accountant”, you’ll need to listen to the audio portion in order to her it from Nancy’s own lips.  It’s a very interesting story.

To find out more about Nancy’s firm, please visit:  The Dancing Accountant

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  John Garrett and Ann Margaret Johnson

To listen in on this interview with The Dancing Accountant, Nancy McClelland, please use the player below:

This week on Where Accountants Go: The Accounting Careers podcast, we rebroadcast a show where  Mark Goldman, the host of Where Accountants Go, was a guest on another podcast by the name of “Accountable”.

“Accountable” is an extraordinarily well-produced podcast hosted by David Peters, a prior guest on our show.  In this episode, David interviews Mark on aspects of the job market, hiring for accounting professionals, and career management.  David did such a great job with the interview as well as the production of the show, that we wanted to re-run it so it could benefit you (our listeners) as well.

If you’d like to hear other episodes of “Accountable”, please visit their website by clicking here.

To hear David’s own interview on this episode, visit: 221: David Peters , CPA – Host of Accountable | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)

To listen in on this interview Mark did with David Peters on the Accountable podcast, please use the player below:

Cece Leung, Founder of The Entrepreneur CFO, author of “Dear Accountant”, and host of the podcast by the same name, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we cover many, many topics.  Cece’s early career was somewhat unique for our show in that she worked in mutual fund accounting and other fields having to do with the financial capital markets.  Eventually though, she joined a start-up in the financial services field and that launched her into the world of smaller businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors, and her vision of the business world was widened.  Up until this point, she had lived primarily in large-corporate-America, or more appropriately the global corporate marketplace.  However, when she joined this start-up as their Controller, she was forced to widen her knowledge base as she was not as focused in one area as she had been previously.

That experience, plus her ‘side hustle’ as she describes it, positioned her well to eventually start her own entrepreneurial CFO business.  In addition, she perceived a lack of information for younger individuals regarding all the options that are available for accounting professionals, so she started her podcast and wrote a book by the same name highlighting some of the amazing careers of accounting professionals she had come in contact with.  That book and podcast are titled, “Dear Accountant”.

If you are interested in the financial markets, a career that mixes both finance and accounting, or helping smaller businesses with finance issues, you will enjoy this story.

Also, make sure to check out both Cece’s book and podcast (click on the appropriate link).

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to check out:  Adriana Carpenter and Kim Nourie

To listen to this interview with Cece Leung, please use the player below:

Dawn Goldberg, CPA and Certified Life Coach (and mother of course), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  In addition to being a coach for CPAs that are mothers, Dawn is also a Community Manager for CPA MOMS and hosts their podcast as well!

Dawn was introduced to accounting as many of us are, through her high school bookkeeping class.  She had a great teacher that informed her it was a wonderful career path ‘for a woman’, and therefore she decided to pursue it as her chosen career field.  Ironically, after working for several years in the Big 4, she decided to go ahead and leave to be a full-time, stay-at-home mother for a while in order to not miss out on some of the small moments that she treasured.  (Although many of the partners she worked under had been understanding, there were a few that were not so understanding, so it made it a good choice to take some time off at that particular point.)

Upon re-entering the workforce part-time and later going through a divorce, she was researching different self-help resources when she decided that maybe that could be a new career path for her… helping others through what she had been through in both her career and her own personal life.  It was at that point that she decided to study to be a Certified Life Coach.

Fast forward several years and Dawn has joined both her podcast and overall professional endeavors with the CPA MOMS organization, and she coaches ladies through the challenges that come with being both a CPA and a mother in today’s workplace.

Make sure you listen all the way to the end on this one as Dawn shares some very valuable and interesting career tips for us in our post-Covid world.  I found a lot of truth in her perspective of what the workplace is like now and how it may become in the near future.

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also check out:  Amanda Aguillard and Elena Levario

For Dawn’s own podcast, visit Podcast — CPA MOMS® (cpa-moms.com)

To listen in on this interview with Dawn Goldberg, please use the player below:

Dr. Adrian Mayse, CPA, Accounting Department Chair at Howard University, and author of the children’s book “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” (!) joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Like many of our guests over the years, this guest was suggested by one of you, the listeners!  When I received the suggestion I was obviously intrigued, but when I looked on Amazon for Adrian’s book and saw the quality, I couldn’t help but ask him to come on the show.

In this episode, we cover Adrian’s early career of course, but then we get into two very informative & fun discussions about 1) what it takes to get your PhD in accounting, and 2) how he decided to and ultimately did publish his book, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant”.  In a nutshell, “When I Grow Up I Want To Be An Accountant” is a children’s book focused on teaching young children about the profession of accounting, as well as showing diversity in the profession – both of which are incredibly important.  I truly feel that Adrian has done both the profession and society overall a good deed by putting this book out into the marketplace, and I know it will make many people’s lives better over time.

You can find Adrian’s book at: When I Grow Up I Want To Be... An Accountant: Mayse CPA, Dr. Adrian L., Perryman, Reshonda, Ross, Frank K.: 9798599300236: Amazon.com: Books

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Ed Polansky and John Garrett

To listen in on this interview with Dr. Adrian Mayse, please use the player below:

Robert Nordlander, a former Senior Special Agent in the Criminal Investigations area of the Internal Revenue Service, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss what originally drew Robert into law enforcement, how he ended up landing the position with the IRS, and some key cases he worked on during his tenure with the Service.  We also discuss the podcast he created last year (“Fraud Fighter Podcast”) and how he has learned so much about the commercial side of forensics through that very same effort.

If you are interested in forensic accounting, law enforcement, or even starting your own specialty consulting company of any kind, you will find value in this episode.  Robert was very generous and open in discussing his career.  You definitely will have many take-aways from this interview.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Bill Cotter , Felicia Farrar, and Fred Olivares

To listen in on this episode with Robert Nordlander, please use the player below:

For this week's episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we have a short CareerTalk mini-episode for you covering an important concept specifically for those entering the job market.  Whether for a student internship, your first professional job, or even if you are simply looking for something new, the idea we cover in this show will be beneficial.

With the Covid shelter-in-place situation going on for over a year, it was easy to get into the habit of not getting out, and to being somewhat closed off from other professionals.  However, with many areas starting to open back up, it's important to continue to build, or in some cases re-establish, those important professional relationships.

In this short episode, we talk about networking and the importance of it going forward.

(Disclaimer:  If you are in an area that has not opened up, it's important to be cautious of course.  This episode is meant for those in geographical areas where professional association meetings and other business events are starting to become live / in-person activities again.)

To listen in on this episode, please use the player below:

Ryan Lazanis, the Founder of Future Firm and a previous guest on our show, re-joined us this week for a more in-depth discussion of how to build a modern accounting practice that is both scalable and something that fits the life you want to lead.

Ryan started his career in a typical staff accountant role like many of us do, and even tried both public accounting and industry like many of us as well.  However, after only a few years and while he was still in his 20’s, he decided to build his own accounting practice, but in a way that fit the lifestyle  he wanted to lead – something with more work/life balance than we generally picture in public accounting.

At about the 5 year mark, he had been approached so much about potentially selling his practice that he had to seriously consider that option.  After much soul-searching, he decided to go ahead and sell the firm and pursue another passion of his… helping other firm owners build a practice for themselves that fit their own specific dreams.

Future Firm, Ryan’s current endeavor, helps firm owners build and scale a modern firm that meets their financial needs, but doesn’t wear them out in the process.  He focuses on technology and subscription-based offerings in order to help the owners more easily manage their workload and thus their practice.

If you have any interest in building a firm, or if you have built a firm and would like it to be a little more lifestyle-friendly for you and your team, you will really enjoy this episode.

To find out more about Ryan’s offerings, please visit…

futurefirm.co/newsletter - for his free newsletter, or
futurefirmaccelerate.com – for more information on his consulting & coaching services

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:  Ryan Lazanis interview #1 and Ron Baker

To listen in on this discussion with Ryan Lazanis, please use the player below:

Julio Gonzalez, the founder of Engineered Tax Services, joined us from Florida for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We find our guests for the show from many sources, but in this case we just noticed some intriguing content online and decided to delve deeper and find out more.  Julio Gonzalez’ early career took him into the specialized tax field, and that opportunity and knowledge base eventually led to him starting his own specialty practice and building it into an organization of several hundred people.  Engineered Tax Services now helps accounting firms and their clients in the areas of cost segregation, R&D tax credits, energy credits, and much more.  In addition, the company also has other offerings focused on helping the CPA firms they work with improve various aspects of their own practices.

If building a niche specialty interests you, or simply building a complex organization over time is something you aspire to do, this episode will be of great value.  We were fortunate that Julio spent the time to record this.  I’m sure you will enjoy the episode.

For information on Julio’s company, visit Engineered Tax Services | Where Engineering & Accounting Come Together.

For other episodes you will enjoy, check out:  Brannon Poe and Chris Rosas

To listen in on this interview with Julio Gonzalez of Engineered Tax Services, please use the player below:

Amanda “Jo” Erven of Audit.Consulting.Education.,LLC, in the Denver area joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Jo started her career in public accounting, but quickly moved into internal audit after only a short time.  She knew that she wanted to go deeper into helping one organization than typically possible in public accounting, so the internal audit route ended up being better for her.  And she did very well!  Over not too many years she found herself in the role of Internal Audit Director with a financial organization and enjoyed a tremendous amount of satisfaction by working to make internal audit more of a “crossing guard” function instead of a “bad cop” role (to use her own description).

Eventually though, Jo decided that she wanted to go broader and help even more organizations achieve the same value-added approach to internal audit, and that is when she formed her company.  The name of the company is “Audit.Consulting.Education.,LLC”, and she helps companies with their internal audit strategies, teaches continuing education and university courses, and also does a variety of consulting in the areas of risk and policy development.

Make sure you listen all the way to the end of this episode though.  Jo shares some valuable insights for younger accountants as well regarding how to tell if the organization you work for, or will work for, is a good fit for your own personal values.  That advice is sure to help you find better matches for yourself in your own personal career journey.

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also check out:  Kelly Richmond Pope and Kathy Kapka

To listen in on this episode with Amanda “Jo” Erven, please use the player below:

David Peters, a CPA in the Richmond, Virginia area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  David’s career is an excellent example of how when you start with a background in accounting, you can go almost any direction you would like, or even many if you prefer!

David was an unlikely accountant per se, in that he never had an interest in accounting early in life.  It wasn’t until he decided against his first choice of career paths (Theology), that his father suggested that he may excel in Accounting and that it was a solid choice for stability reasons.  Although he obviously continues to live out his faith in his life overall, as it turns out many of his strengths have fit well into building a very successful career in the accounting and finance realm.

Fast forward to today, and David does tax work, consulting, and financial advising work for his clients.  In addition, he teaches at both the university level and as a continuing education instructor for CPA Societies and a few for-profit CE providers.  He truly has a tremendous amount of variety in his career, and you can tell that he thoroughly enjoys it.

To find out more about David’s podcast “Accountable”, visit ‎Accountable on Apple Podcasts

Or for information on the educational courses offered through David’s company, visit Peters Professional Education

For other podcast you will enjoy, try… Tracie Miller-Nobles and Anjali Jariwali

To listen to this interview with David Peters, please use the player below:

Diane Yetter, the Founder of the Sales Tax Institute, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  If you aspire to be the true subject matter expert in your field, whatever that may be, you will really enjoy this particular episode.

Diane’s specialization started much differently than you may imagine.  She didn’t start out to specialize in the sales tax area, but rather became very knowledgeable & skilled in it due to automation projects she participated in very early in her career.  Those projects involved improving systems around the accounting for sales tax, and consequently she became a true subject matter expert in a relatively short period of time.  During her work in the field, she also became involved in training teams on these items, and realized how much she enjoyed the training aspect.  It was because of that realization that she decided to strike out on her own and form the Sales Tax Institute in 1996, an organization that handles both training & implementations in the sales tax systems field.

For those that enjoy stories of building and re-building businesses, Diane’s story will be enjoyable for you as well.  She has made many changes back and forth over the years in her business, as most do, so there is tremendous learning value in that portion of the interview as well.  It’s a great story of building a business by seeing a need in the marketplace, and filling it.

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out:

66: Stewart Goodson – How Robotics Are Changing the Accounting Field | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)
163: Even a Nerd Can Be Heard – An Interview with Geni Whitehouse | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)

For more information on Diane Yetter, visit any of the following links:

YETTER Tax: http://www.yettertax.com/
Sales Tax Institute: https://www.salestaxinstitute.com/
Diane Yetter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianeyetter/
YETTER Tax Twitter (used as Diane’s personal account): @YetterTax https://twitter.com/YetterTax
YETTER Tax LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yetter-tax/
Sales Tax Institute Twitter: @SalesTaxInst https://twitter.com/SalesTaxInst
Sales Tax Institute LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-tax-institute/
Sales Tax Institute Facebook: @salestaxinstitute https://www.facebook.com/salestaxinstitute/

To listen in on this interview with Diane Yetter, please use the player below:

Stephen Westbrook, a CPA that has served a few non-profits as their CEO, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Steve’s career started as many do.  He initially worked for a couple accounting firms, and then moved on to one of his audit clients.  In this case however, it was with a small non-profit that had recently lost their CFO.  Steve approached them about the opportunity because the purpose of the organization was a great match for his own interests, and suddenly he had his first opportunity in industry – at the CFO level!

Fast forward over a decade and a few other positions in both the non-profit and for-profit world, and he once again was presented with an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.  That opportunity was to be the Chief Executive Officer of a gospel rescue mission that served the homeless and hungry.  This was an area that Steve had always cared about, so it was a natural fit for him to move into this role.  Steve has been with ECM, or Erie City Mission, since 2016, and the organization has over 500 employees, operates both a men’s and women’s shelter, and distributes over 130,000 meals per year.  It’s a role that is fulfilling from both the career and personal standpoint.  And on top of it, he is able to serve additional organizations as a contract or fractional CFO on the side as his schedule permits.  He has the best of both worlds.

If you want to find out more about ECM, please visit Erie City Mission | Erie, PA.

Steve’s consulting company can be found at www.westbrookinnovative.com

For other episodes you may enjoy, check out 123: From the Commercial World to Local United Way CEO – Lyndon Herridge CPA | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com) or 112: New Year Special – Revisiting Our Conversation With Harriet Helmle, CPA and Founder of SA Youth Literacy | MGR Accounting Recruiters (mgrar.com)

To listen in on this interview with Stephen Westbrook, please use the player below:

As a part of our “2nd-career accountant” series, Brian Goldbard in the Dallas, Texas, area joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Brian enjoys a successful career in private equity accounting now, and has done very well in just a few years, but prior to that he spent 17 years in television production believe it or not!  In this continuation of our 2nd-career series, we delve into the different positions that Brian held, from cameraman to production manager, and how he ultimately made the decision to exit the field in hopes of finding something that better fit his long-term aspirations.

One very important step Brian took that you can’t miss is that he invested in himself.  Instead of simply looking for a new job, he decided to increase his skill set by going back to college and ultimately getting his accounting degree.  It wasn’t long after that when he completed his CPA as well, which has only helped to continue his success in the profession.  I admire that he not only took action, but made a long-term investment in himself… and much later in life than many.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Brian Henderson and Bill Fumetti

To listen to this episode with Brian Goldbard, please use the player below:

Gale Crosley, a CPA that has spent the majority of her career in sales, marketing, and product development, and now advises the nation’s top accounting firms on such issues, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Gale’s career has definitely turned out differently than her original master plan, but as we discuss near the end of the interview, it’s turned out much better than she ever could have dreamed.

Gale started her career with the plan to become a partner in an accounting firm, as many young students do.  However, after spending just a few years in two of the national firms, she decided to look elsewhere to continue her career… perhaps in industry.  She ended up interviewing with IBM, but found that they had no accounting opportunities in their local office.  Their local office only had a sales team, and so they tried to recruit her for that.  Sales was never something Gale had thought about, so she quickly turned down the opportunity and continued to look.  It wasn’t until they came back several times trying to recruit her that she decided to give it a chance and signed on for a special new program IBM was launching.  That was the start of a 12 year period with IBM, and also the start of her real world education in sales, marketing, and product development.

After her experience with IBM, as well as a few technology start-ups, she decided that she definitely wanted to have her own business, but not necessarily in the same space (technology).  After much market research, and cross-referencing that with her strengths in sales and marketing, she landed on the specialty of consulting with accounting firms on their market strategies, and now serves some of the largest accounting firms around.

This episode is not only a story of business growth, but also of finding your natural talent and using that to shape a career.  Gale is definitely a subject matter expert in her field, and you can tell she thoroughly enjoys it as well.

For more information on Crosley Company, visit them at Home - Crosley and Company (crosleycompany.com)

For Gale’s book on CPA firm success, click here - Amazon.com: At the Crossroads: The Remarkable CPA Firm that Nearly Crashed, then Soared (0884918221111): CPA, Gale Crosley, Stover, Debbie: Books

Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Ron Baker and Sarah Elliott

To listen in on this episode with Gale Crosley, please use the player below:

Ann Margaret Johnston, a CPA in Georgia with a unique niche for her practice in professional poker players (!), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

As with many guests, Ann Margaret was referred by a former guest of the show, and actually one of her former employers – Ben Loggins.  When Ben contacted us and asked if we wanted to interview the CPA for professional poker stars, we couldn’t refuse!

Even Ann Margaret’s early career was filled with ‘hussle’.  She’s worked hard to get to where she is today, and definitely took some risks along the way.  Ann Margaret originally got into accounting simply due to a job opportunity becoming available after she decided against pre-law as a major.  However, she quickly started to work on her accounting education over the next 9 years, going to school in the evenings.  After working at a few firms, and then unfortunately being caught in a layoff, she decided to start taking on clients of her own, and eventually parlayed that into a winning hand – her own accounting practice.

Along the way though, she recognized that there was an opportunity to combine her newly acquired love of poker with her career to form an exciting and much-needed niche: the niche of helping professional poker players handle their taxes.  And you will be able to tell quickly in this episode that it’s a specialty that she thoroughly enjoys.  A specialty is always a good idea, but when you thoroughly enjoy that specific arena yourself, it makes for a wonderful career choice.  Ann Margaret genuinely enjoys being able to help this very specific section of the marketplace.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Ben Loggins & CPAOnFire Josh Bauerle.

Also, to find Ann Margaret’s book, please click here.

To listen in on this episode with Ann Margaret Johnston, please use the player below.

Bill Von Fumetti, a CPA and the owner of Booming Bookkeeping Business, joined us for this special “2nd-career” edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Had we not already decided to call these our “2nd career” series, we would probably have to do something different since accounting was Bill’s 4th or 5th career choice depending on how you count them!  Bill worked in many different areas before finally landing on accounting as his career of choice.  He started out in database development actually, then moved on into an entrepreneurial calendar production business, then to a role as a personal/business assistant, and then he even managed a gym!  All along the way though he realized the importance of understanding accounting and business, and that is ultimately what led him to decide that accounting would be an excellent way to settle down with a long-term fruitful career.

Fast forward to today and Bill operates his own practice, and also helps other accountants and bookkeepers attract the clients they want through his Booming Bookkeeping Business company.  If you want to learn more about that, please make sure to check them out online as well.  He’s definitely very passionate about our profession, and I’m sure he would have some valuable advice for anyone looking to build a similar accounting/bookkeeping career.

For other episodes you may enjoy, please check out:  Brannon Poe and Chris Hervochon

To listen in on this episode with Bill Von Fumetti, please use the player below.

Brian Henderson in the Austin area joined us for this “2nd career” edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  This is one of our “second career” episodes meaning that the guest started in a different career first, and then migrated later on into accounting.  For Brian, it was professional baseball!

Brian’s boyhood dream was to play professional baseball, and unlike many though, he actually did get the opportunity to do so.  Although he was cut from his freshman team in high school, he continued to work at it, played college baseball, and eventually was able to get drafted to play professionally – which came with a signing bonus and two additional years of college scholarships for his post-baseball life.  Brian played for six to seven seasons, spending part of the time as a Durham Bull (reference the Kevin Costner movie), and was on a triple A team.

How does this relate to accounting though???  We will get to that now…

Many of the lessons Brian learned during his baseball days have served him well in accounting.  First was the lesson of persistence.  Had he not stuck it out in those early years, he never would have had the opportunity to play professionally later on.  This carried over to the determination he needed to return to school and finish his degree, hoping for a career that was a little easier from a physical standpoint.  Also, the people skills he developed during that time served him well for getting his first real accounting position… a position he basically got through networking.  And lastly, all kidding aside, he learned to “embrace the suck” (a quote from Brian), which definitely helped him through the time preparing for the CPA exam.  I think that’s something most of us will understand.  😊

This episode was a lot of fun to record.  I think you will really enjoy Brian’s story.

If you do enjoy this particular episode, make sure you check out:  Chris Hervochon and Geni Whitehouse

To listen in on this interview with Brian Henderson, please use the player below:

For this episode, we actually revisit an idea from a very recent guest - Chris Hervochon.

Due to very bad weather conditions in Texas, we got behind on recording episodes.  However, as luck would have it, there was a concept that Chris had shared in his recent episode with us that made for a good CareerTalk mini-episode.  It was great timing for sure!

In this mini-show, we talk about the value of 'learning what good looks like', or setting yourself up for opportunities that will do just that.  It was a very small portion of the previous show, but Chris mentioned it a couple times and I thought it was an important concept to delve deeper into in this additional broadcast.

We will return next week with another full episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, but in the  meantime, please listen in on a few thoughts I had on this very important concept that Chris Hervochon shared:  learning what good looks like.

Have a great week!

Maxene Bardwell, a highly-accomplished professional in the field of Internal Audit from the Maryland area, joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  If you have ever considered moving your own career in the direction of audit, or internal audit specifically, this episode will be extremely valuable for you.

Maxene’s career started in a role that she actually didn’t even realize was internal audit when she accepted it.  It was titled Risk Analyst, and was in the financial institution industry.  However, she quickly realized as she got into the job that it was an audit role at its core, and it ended up being a great career path for her.  After 24 years in the field now, she is the Associate Inspector General for a major water utility in the Northeast.

Another interesting facet of this episode is that we talk about the six, yes six (!), certifications that Maxene holds.  She became a CPA first, but then as she got deeper into the field of audit and as the field continued to adapt over the years, she continued to attain additional certifications that have helped her to continue to show excellence and capability across many aspects of the work.  Luckily, as we find out in this episode, much of the continuing education is cross-applicable.  😊

This episode truly has much value for anyone looking into audit as a possible career path.

If you enjoy this episode, please also listen in on these episodes as well:  Samantha Bowling and Amy Barrett

To listen to this interview with Maxene Bardwell, please use the player below:

Chris Hervochon, a CPA in South Carolina that has developed a niche business in the area of providing accounting services for marketing agencies and creatives, joined us this week for Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In addition to having a thorough discussion of the benefits of having a specialty, we also talk for a while about Chris’ experience as a professional golfer for a short time right before beginning his accounting career.  Right as he was graduating, he decided to pursue his other passion for a while and see how that worked out.  Although he is happy that he gave the field of professional golfing a chance, it ended up being a little more difficult to make a living than he preferred, so he returned to his originally chosen major – Accounting.

We spend most of the second half of this interview discussing Chris’ accounting practice and the specialty he’s developed in a relatively short period of time.  It really is a worthwhile discussion to listen to for anyone considering striking out on their own at some point.  Niches truly do make sense, and Chris does a great job of verbalizing why.

For other episodes you may enjoy, please check out:  CPAonFire Josh Bauerle and Amanda Aguillard

To listen to this interview with Chris Hervochon, please use the player below:

Carl Peterson, the VP of Small Firm Interests with AICPA, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.  In this episode, we cover Carl’s not-quite-traditional start to his career, his many years of successfully running his own practice with his wife whom is also a CPA, and his eventual transition into the Small Firm Interests role at AICPA.  There definitely is much variety in this episode.

If you…

Didn’t take college as seriously as you think you should have early on, and therefore had to work harder to get a good start, or
Found that you liked public accounting due to the variety of work, or
Ever felt like running your own practice may be the path to take, or
Ever simply wondered what life in a small firm may be like…

… then this episode will have value for you.

Carl’s interview is packed with great insight into what it means to work in a small firm, and what some of the unexpected advantages are.  In addition, he admittedly didn’t work as hard in his early college days as he should have, and therefore had to job hunt more than the typical accounting major.  However, there are great insights to be had from that part of the story as well.  You certainly will both enjoy and learn something from this particular interview.

If you do enjoy this interview, please also check out:  Josh Bauerle and Marcus Dillon

Also, for other career-related advice, please check out our book “49 Tips For A Successful Accounting Career” on Amazon.

To listen in on this interview with Carl Peterson, please use the player below.

In this special episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we pieced together five interviews with five distinguished accounting firm partners in order to bring you a special resource.

Our guests came from firms ranging in size from boutique, niche local firms, to multi-office firms, to a Big 4 firm as well.  The partners that generously donated their time for this endeavor were:

Joey Tackett with the national firm Deloitte
Kim Ford with theKFordGroup, a boutique firm in San Antonio, Texas
Tim Pike with Howard in Dallas,
Sheila Enriquez with Briggs & Veselka, a regional firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, and
Jocelyn Hill with Williams Adley, a niche firm in Washington, DC

We discuss how to move up to partner, what they learned about being a partner that they didn’t realize before, who may not enjoy being a partner in an accounting firm, and other general insights into what being a partner in a CPA firm truly means.  This is sure to be one of our more timeless resources as far as our podcast goes.

This show is definitely longer than others, but that’s because there wasn’t really much we could cut.  All of the information the five partners shared was key to the overall purpose of the show.  We hope you both enjoy the show and get much value from the information they were willing to share.

If you do enjoy this particular episode, please also check out:  How To Pass The CPA Exam

To listen to this conglomerate show with five CPA firm partners, please use the player below:

Tasha Fox, a CPA that was recently recognized by CPA Practice Advisor on the list of Most Powerful Women in Accounting, joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

This was a first for our show in that we have never had an accounting executive from a Native American tribe on our program, so we took the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the actual accounting processes and structures in hopes of gaining a little bit of an understanding of accounting in a tribal organization.  Tasha was very generous with her time and explanations of how the tribe operates from an accounting standpoint, so you will not only enjoy hearing the interview, but you will get an education as well!  This really was a valuable interview from several standpoints.

If you enjoy this interview, make sure to also check out our conversation with:  Sarah Elliott and Kimberly Ellison-Taylor

To listen in on this interview with Tasha Fox from the Osage Nation, please use the player below:

Carolyn Smith, Senior Partner with C3 Financial Partners in Texas, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Carolyn’s career started as many do… in public accounting.  And in fact, she spent the first 30 years of her career with the same accounting firm, minus a one-year detour into industry.  During that time, she developed expertise in helping business owners exit their businesses through a variety of scenarios.  However, one of the scenarios that sometimes happen particularly caused her to be emotionally attached to her work, the scenario of a business transfer due to a death.  After many years working through these transitions, Carolyn decided to try to get on the front-side of these tragedies by going into the field of planning around the insurance that is needed.  She got her life insurance license, and later on her CAP certification (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy), and now helps family businesses plan for the possibility of the passing on of a key member of their team, as well as how to plan for giving that they may want to do from a legacy perspective.  This really is an interesting episode.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Harriet Helmle

To listen to this interview with Carolyn Smith, please use the player below:

Kelly Boswell, the Director of Tax Controversy with the San Antonio based accounting firm ADKF, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Kelly accepted her new role as Director of Tax Controversy early last year, so we invited her on the show to talk more about that specific specialty.  “Tax controversy” specialists seem to be popping up with many firms in the marketplace, so it was time to do an episode that covered that area of interest in depth.  As you will hear in Kelly’s career story, many of her previous experiences helped build her into an ideal professional for this type of role, and we discuss some of that background in this interview so that those interested in the field can guide their own career in that direction.

However, we also stumbled on another interesting facet of Kelly’s career journey:  the fact that she postponed her career for 12 years after finishing school.  Kelly was at the point right after college where her and her husband wanted to start a family, so she temporarily put her career on hold about the time most people are just getting started.  This made for an inspiring story though, as you will hear about the steps she took to help better her situation when re-entering the workforce.  There is tremendous value in that portion of the story as well.

There truly is great value for many different types of professionals in this episode.  If you enjoy this interview, please also check out:  Shanikwa Davis and Elena Levario

For more information on Kelly’s firm, you can visit https://www.adkf.com/

To listen in on this interview with Kelly Boswell, Director of Tax Controversy, please use the player below:

Jose Campos, a Partner with Deloitte in California, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We were referred to Jose by a listener that heard him speak on the subject of diversity in the profession, and we certainly were not disappointed.  Jose has had an amazing career, staying with Deloitte all the way from starting as an entry-level accountant, to becoming Partner a while back.  Plus, he has been a leader with Deloitte in the area of Diversity & Inclusion, a true passion for Jose.  Interestingly enough, he almost chose a career working to advance the interests of minorities early in his life, and even though he chose accounting instead of that path, he has still been able to help the profession make significant headway in that area.

In addition to Jose’s work as a Big 4 Partner and in the diversity area, he has also served on the State Board of Accountancy for the state of California, a job that carries with it tremendous responsibility as well.  We truly do get into a wealth of information in this podcast episode.

To find out more about Deloitte specifically, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html.

For information on their D&I efforts, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/deloitte-inclusion.html?icid=top_deloitte-inclusion

For other episodes you may enjoy, make sure to listen to:  Joey Tackett and Amy Pitter

To listen in on this episode with Jose Campos, please use the player below:

Ron Baker, Founder of the Verasage Institute and one of my absolute favorite podcast hosts, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you haven’t heard The Soul Of Enterprise podcast, you are missing out.  Ron Baker co-hosts the program with another brilliant thinker, Ed Kless, and provides some of the most thought-provoking content I have ever experienced.  It’s quite literally one of my favorite two podcasts.

Ron started his career in public accounting, moved into industry, and then founded his own accounting firm.  It was during those early years that he began to severely dislike the concept of the billable hour and timesheets in public accounting.  That disdain for the billable hour led him to write a book, the first of many actually, and that launched his eventual consulting career working with firms to make the profession better.  He now devotes his full-time efforts to pricing strategy and related topics.  The organization he founded, the Verasage Institute, is a think-tank formed for exactly the purpose of reaching the tipping-point where the billable hour will become just a footnote in the history books.  And what’s interesting, is that it looks like we are there.  There definitely have been a large number of firms that have moved away from the billable-hour concept, and it appears that its eventual death is becoming a certainty.

If you like a story of finding your passion, and devoting your efforts to making a difference in the world, you will love this episode.

Make sure to check out the links above in the shownotes as well for Ron’s own podcast, as well as some of his books.

To listen in on this interview with Ron Baker, please use the player below:

Ben Loggins of Loggins, Kern, McCombs in Atlanta, Georgia, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  In this episode, we discuss the growth and progression of Ben’s firm, and also his outside-of-work interest in the area of Roswell history and supporting US figure skating!

We initially asked Ben to be on the show to discuss the progression and growth of his accounting firm because it has been a while since we had a long-term CPA firm owner on the program.  And we did have a good discussion of the history and changes with their firm over the years, including some talk regarding finding the right partners for your firm.  However, we also happened into a discussion surrounding Ben’s hobbies, both of which originated due to interests his daughter had.  His daughter was involved in figure skating for many years, and because of that Ben served on the Finance Committee for the US Figure Skating organization.  And in an even more interesting turn of events in our interview, we also found out that Ben speaks on the history surrounding extra-terrestrial events in Roswell, New Mexico – you know, alien stuff!  He’s done quite a bit of research on the topic, and even has a YouTube video about Roswell.  Check it out at: https://youtu.be/lQf8-AoAyoI

This interview was fun on many levels.

For more information on Ben’s firm, please visit their site at: https://www.logginscpa.com/our-firm/

I’m sure you will really enjoy this interview.  To listen in on the discussion we had with Ben Loggins, please use the player below:

Jaclyn Badeau of Badeau Consulting joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  Jaclyn’s career spans public accounting, large industry, global travel positions, and now her own consulting practice.  There is something here for everyone!

Jaclyn’s career started very early.  She actually had her first accounting clerk job while in high school!  She very much enjoyed that position, so majoring in accounting was a natural choice.

After college, she worked in public accounting for six years, and then in industry with the Tempur Sealy organization for almost 9 years after that.  Through those various management roles, she continued to be involved in leadership training and coaching, which further refined her own leadership coaching skills.  Eventually, she decided in early 2020 to devote herself full-time to coaching others, and Badeau Consulting was formed.  Now she works with both groups and individual professionals who want to go the “extra M.I.L.E.”, an acronym that stands for motivate, inspire, lead, and empower.  You can tell that Jaclyn really enjoys helping others grow, so this was a natural next step in her journey.

Learn more about Jaclyn’s company at www.badeauconsulting.com

For other episodes you will enjoy, make sure to listen to:  Robina Benion and Brian Kush

To listen in on this interview with Jaclyn Badeau, please use the player below:

Joey Ryan, the CFO and Co-Founder of a company working in the blockchain solution space, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We haven’t touched on blockchain much yet on this show with the exception of an episode or two, so this was a refreshing topic.  Joey started his career in public accounting, but as he worked to keep up his knowledge of current issues in the profession, he became interested in blockchain and crypto-currency.  Fast forward a couple years and he was meeting the individuals he co-founded Gilded with at a crypto-currency Meetup event.  And as they say, the rest is history.

Gilded creates accounting solutions for companies that transact business in crypto-currency.  Their products plug into existing accounting systems in order to enable functions such as billing and collections to be handled in crypto-currency mediums.

If you want to know more about how crypto-currency affects the accounting profession from a very practical standpoint, this episode is for you.

For another episode that may interest you, check out:  Shehan Chandrasekera

To listen in on this episode with Joey Ryan, please use the player below:

It’s hard to believe that the time flew by so fast, but we are celebrating our 200th episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you’ve been a listener for a while, you know we’ve changed several things along the way.  We’ve changed our intro section a few times, our outro section many times, our website address, and even our intro music – which we like much, much better now!  But one thing that never changed is our commitment to bringing you great guests each and every week.  Until now that is… ha!

For this episode, we decided to turn the tables and I (Mark Goldman, the regular host) asked a good friend to interview me for this particular show.  Sarah Elliott of Intend2Lead, a wonderful friend of the show, agreed to do the job of interviewing me for this one episode.  We discuss many things, and honestly it was a new experience for me.  It’s odd being interviewed for your own show 😊, however Sarah did a great job.

In this celebration episode, we talk about how the show became reality, my own career journey, and some of the lessons and insights I’ve been able to glean from interviewing so many wonderful guests.

I hope you enjoy this special episode.  And don’t worry, we will return to our regular format next week.

To listen in on this interview with Mark Goldman, and hosted by Sarah Elliott, please use the player below:

Greg Kyte, a CPA in Utah that does stand-up comedy, serves as host for several conferences, and still works his full-time day job as a Controller, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.

I first encountered Greg through the “mind-numbingly repetitive” commercials he has done for one of my own personal favorite podcasts – “The Soul of Enterprise”.  I didn’t know this until the interview, but the commercial spots he recorded for that show were supposed to be used for a short time (or so he thought), but ended up being so impactful that they continued to be used over and over for years.  If you haven’t listened to that particular podcast, please check it out.  They have great content, and you will crack up when you hear Greg’s 3 commercial spots – they truly are hilarious.

Greg works as a Controller for a medical building management company full-time as well.  However, that doesn’t stop him from being the comedic host for conferences such as Xerocon, or from recording comedic CPE sessions for online providers.  He’s found the best of all worlds!

One take-away for me personally was that Greg has been able to pursue his passion because he was willing to put himself out there and be judged.  Whether it was in the initial years doing stand-up, or the letters he wrote to the editor of the Journal of Accountancy, Greg hasn’t been shy about expressing himself and waiting to see how it’s received.  And obviously it’s been received well – he really is a funny guy.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure to also check out:  John Garrett and Geni Whitehouse

To listen in on this interview with Greg Kyte, please use the player below.

Stephen Oliver, a CPA that focused his career early on in consulting areas such as forensic projects, litigation support, and merger/acquisition analysis, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

I’ve personally known Stephen for many years, but even I learned quite a bit from this interview.

Stephen started his career with a small start-up accounting firm in an intern role, but it wasn’t the type of work you may expect.  Due to the focus and start-up nature of that firm, he ended up working with clients on business planning very early in his career.  That experience, coupled with some valuable relationships, ended up landing him another internship with Arthur Andersen in consulting & litigation support immediately afterwards.  As you can tell, he was becoming a specialist even as an intern, so when he graduated and began working full-time, he was able to continue working on consulting projects instead of the typical tax or audit roles, which was exactly what he wanted to do.

Fast forward many years now, and he has been able to become a well-respected subject matter expert in the areas of litigation support, forensics, and mergers & acquisitions.  He’s worked at both large and small accounting firms, and large & small companies in industry.  He’s also been a featured panel speaker at local business owner focused events.

Gethsemane Partners, Stephen’s own practice that he launched several years ago, is now expanding into fractional CFO offerings as well, which is a natural evolution given his own personal background.

For more information on Gethsemane Partners, please check out:  https://g-ptrs.com/

For other related podcast episodes, please listen to:  Robin Thieme and Ramsey Womack

To listen to this interview with Stephen Oliver, please use the player below:

Twyla Verhelst joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  As you would expect, we discussed FreshBooks and how that accounting solution has expanded in recent years, but we also cover Twyla’s earlier career history as well.  Twyla has had an amazing journey, spanning typical accounting roles, to starting several businesses, to founding a charitable endeavor, to her role now with FreshBooks.  It truly is an amazing journey.

I confess that I typically thought of FreshBooks as a micro-business solution for solo-preneurs.  However, I was mistaken.  Make sure you listen all the way to the end on this episode.  Twyla gives us a great overview of the platform changes they have made in recent years, and how that has enabled them to handle much larger enterprises in the small & mid-market space.

If you enjoy a story of entrepreneurism, you will love this episode as well.  Twyla co-founded a cloud accounting company, a software application company, a charitable organization, and even a mortgage company early in her career.  She definitely has an entrepreneurial streak.

Once you listen to this episode, if you would like more episodes on similar topics, make sure you check out:  Mike Whitmire and Amanda Aguillard

To listen in on this episode, please use the player below.

Felicia Farrar, a CPA, CFE, and now a PhD candidate as well, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We haven’t touched on careers within governmental accounting in a while, so this episode will be a refreshing change.  Felicia joined us for this program to discuss her career path that started with several years early on working with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  In an interesting turn of events though, as she progressed in her education, she decided to leave the Service in order to expand her experience base.  After some time in the Big 4, and then some time in accounting for a major municipality, she decided to return to the IRS and continue her career there.

In addition to the discussion of Felicia’s career, we also delve into the importance of attaining appropriate credentials along the way.  As you will hear during this interview, Felicia made most (if not all) of her career decisions based on the experience she would gain or the importance of the work.  Also, she always made sure that she worked towards getting the appropriate credentials for the job, such as the CFE certification, CPA certification, and even advanced degrees.  She definitely has worked hard to get to where she is today.

Governmental accounting positions can be very rewarding for many individuals, and Felicia’s career path is an excellent example of that.  I think you will thoroughly enjoy this episode.

For similar episodes, check out:  Bill Cotter and Amy Pitter

To listen in on this interview with Felicia Farrar, please click on the player below:

Mike Lovelace, a CPA, CMA, and CISA working as a fractional CFO and systems consultant with Vaco, joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Mike has spent many years working as what many people refer to as a “fractional CFO”, and we have a frank discussion about both the joys and challenges that come along with moving from project to project.

Mike thoroughly enjoys his work, and he has handled very interesting engagements.  As you will hear in this interview, he’s done many things to position himself from both a professional and personal perspective to be able to focus his career on this particular path.  And by doing so, he’s been able to greatly increase the variety he experiences, as well as the flexibility he enjoys, throughout his career.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you check out the following as well:  Robin Thieme and Anthony Hansen.

To listen in on this episode with Mike Lovelace, please use the player below:

John Garrett, arguably the funniest man in accounting (in a good way 😊), joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

John was a guest about two years ago on the show, and he mentioned working on a book back then.  That peaked our interest, so naturally when that book was published, we definitely had to invite him back on the show.  And since that apparently somehow earned us an “advanced readers copy” – it was a good move!

John’s book, “What’s Your And?”, is an exceptionally well-written business book.  I’m not sure he would agree with me positioning it as a business book, but in all honesty it is.  It has some wonderful stories of professionals opening up about their outside-of-work hobbies, and how that has made the workplace that much better, but he also backs up his premise with insights from other professionals, and even a few statistics.  It has a tremendous amount of value.  And if that scares you by the way, he did write it in micro-chapters, which makes it much easier to read than you would anticipate.  This was a job well done.

Plus of course, we will talk about John’s humble beginnings as an accountant.  He has an interesting story, and is definitely a good person to address being your “true self” in the workplace.

To find out more about John, his podcast, and his new book “What’s Your And?”, visit https://thejohngarrett.com/whats-your-and/

If you’d like to hear our previous interview with John, click here - https://mgrar.com/094-the-recovering-cpa-an-interview-with-john-garrett/

To listen in on this most recent interview with John Garrett, please use the player below:

Terrell Turner, a CPA in North Carolina, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  Terrell caught our attention due to all the effort he has been putting into developing and producing video content for the small business community.

Terrell started his career with the big firms – a Big 4 CPA firm in fact, and then a few other larger enterprises in industry, and it was there that he developed his understanding of business processes and his analytical skills.  As time went on, he found himself as many do, trying to find the right balance between professional life and personal endeavors, and thus decided to start his consulting practice.  With both him and his wife working in large corporate America, it was difficult to find the time that they would like outside of work, so it just made sense for them.  Terrell had always enjoyed helping out small businesses on occasion, so branching out into the self-employment world simply made sense.

Fast forward several months now and Terrell has produced over 130 videos on business topics for prospective clients, and already started to build his portfolio of steady, repeat clientele.  He’s definitely already well on his way to success, but there is still much more growth to come we are sure.  It will be fun to catch up with Terrell in a year or two for a follow-up episode.  He’s doing some very interesting stuff.

For more information on Terrell Turner’s business, check out Business Talk Library online.

Other episodes that may interest you will include:  Robin Thieme and Amanda Aguillard

To listen in on this interview with Terrell Turner, please use the player below:

Tracie Miller-Nobles, a college-level instructor that spends additional time developing supplemental materials for both faculty and students, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Many accountants eventually realize that they enjoy helping others through teaching, and that is how Tracie got started in the academic world as well.  Interestingly enough, her mother was a teacher and wasn’t entirely crazy about her going into the profession, but as luck would have it Tracie ended up teaching at the college level anyway, which was probably a better choice given her interests.

Fast forward well over a decade now, and Tracie not only teaches accounting at Austin Community College, but also has authored text books for the profession and created supplemental materials for use by other faculty.  Her initial start in tax, and her interests in data analytics, has blossomed into her being able to develop learning materials in those areas for the benefit of both students and faculty members.  She’s definitely a creative individual, and she isn’t the type to be satisfied with the status quo.  She’s making a difference in accounting academics.  I think both instructors and accounting professionals alike will get a lot of value out of this episode.

If you do enjoy this show, please also check out:  Kathy Kapka and Kelly Richmond-Pope.

To listen to this interview with Tracie Miller-Nobles, please use the player below:

Jocelyn Hill, a Partner with Williams, Adley & Company in Washington, DC, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.

This episode is unique for several reasons.  First of all, Jocelyn has been with her firm for over 25 years, something we don’t see too often anymore.  And in addition, their firm has an interesting niche.  Williams, Adley & Company is a federal contractor that works on engagements for the United States federal government in areas such as HUD contracts, Department of Justice audits, and even audits of the FBI and DEA.  Very interesting work!

And as if that wasn’t enough, as a pleasant surprise we find out later in this interview that Jocelyn enjoys spending her free time indulging in the arts!  She loves the theatre, movies, live music, and museums.  “Hamilton” and “The Lion King” are among some of her favorites.  We don’t often get into talking about hobbies and other interests on this podcast, so that was a refreshing change.  You can tell it’s something that Jocelyn truly enjoys.

If you appreciate the content in this particular episode, please make sure you also listen in on these interviews:  Libby King and Amy Pitter.

To hear this conversation with Jocelyn Hill, please use the player below:

Susan Stutzel, a CPA that operates both in the non-profit specialty accounting field, as well as in the coaching space for female entrepreneurs, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

As many of us in the accounting field realize at some point in our careers, there are certain aspects of our jobs that we thoroughly enjoy, and others that don’t bring us as much happiness.  Susan’s career tells that story as well.  Starting out as an auditor, she always enjoyed the people aspect of auditing, specifically that of helping others to improve, but not so much the audit duties themselves.  As her career progressed, she found herself more and more appreciating the opportunity to help organizations improve, and therefore steered her career further into the strategic consulting arena.  Along the way she founded her own accounting firm, which gave her even more freedom to do that.

Now, as a way of extending her reach in the area of helping others, Susan has started and been very successful with a new coaching business as well – S Stutzel Coaching.  Through this new branch of her professional career, Susan is able to reach further than the non-profits she serves in her accounting practice, and now help women entrepreneurs trying to navigate their way through success in both professional and personal circles.  Susan has found her true passion, and is helping others achieve their own goals as well.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you check out these related episodes as well:  Brian Kush and Robina Bennion.

To listen in on this interview with Susan Stutzel, please use the player below:

Brannon Poe, the founder of Poe Group Advisors, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you are the entrepreneurial sort, this episode will really speak to you.  Brannon started his career in a typical accounting job, but it was only a few years later when he was able to join a small business in a combination accounting & sales role, and then eventually become a partner there.  Through that experience, and another partnership opportunity in a related business along the way, he found his passion:  buying and selling businesses.

It wasn’t much later and he got into the accounting firm brokerage business, and the rest is history.  He now operates Poe Group Advisors, a brokerage that specifically helps accounting practices transition.

For those listeners that may be thinking about acquiring a practice, make sure you check out his free online resource:  https://poegroupadvisors.com/choosing-right-cpa-firm-sale/

Also, if you enjoy this show, you will also enjoy the following episodes:  Ryan Lazanis and Ben Simiskey.

To listen in on this interview with Brannon Poe, please use the player below:

Kent Klaus & Christine Landoll, two professors from two separate universities, joined us for this special edition episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We invited these two exceptional educators on the show to share the unique and creative programs they and their respective universities were providing for accounting students related to starting their careers.  Kent is with DePaul University and Christine is with George Mason.

Professors and other decision-makers in academia will benefit from this episode in that we cover numerous different programs that each university is offering.  However, students and recent graduates will benefit as well because we cover quite a bit of job-search advice while talking about each program.  This episode has value for individuals at many different points in their careers.

A few of the items we cover include:

A 10-week career course specifically for accounting majors
Mentorship programs at both schools (separate from the internship programs)
A program one of the universities offers called “Executive in Residence”
And many other individual aspects of the programs such as both long-term and short-term career planning, networking skills, and virtual interviewing pointers

This episode is a little longer than our typical shows, but it will definitely make you think more creatively about your own career planning or benefits you may be able to offer your students if you are an instructor yourself.

For episodes on related topics, please check out:  Dr. Scott Dell and Mentor Program Creators Bryan Morgan and Sarah Vargas

To listen to this episode, please use the player below.

I'm behind!

I can't believe it, but between my own schedule and guests rescheduling, we missed our production deadline and don't have a guest interview ready for release.  It's a painful thing for a podcaster.

However, given that we have a special class starting next week, we take the opportunity to tell you more about our Individual Tax Bootcamp in this short episode.  If you always wanted to know more about tax, but you haven't had the chance to work in a CPA firm, this class was built for you.

Make sure you listen to the episode below, and check out our class information page at: https://mgrar.com/classes

It starts this coming Monday - August 24, 2020.

Stacey Rodgers, a CPA and the Director of Learning & People Development with Cohen & Company, joined us for this week’s episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

We always enjoy a story of how someone’s initial background in accounting continues to benefit them in other areas of business as their career progresses.  Stacey’s story is one of those.

Stacey started in public accounting as many accountants do, and her career progressed all the way up to Senior Manager with Cohen & Company.  She worked in audit in both their private company practice and their investments / hedge fund practice.  It was after about 10 years though that she decided it was time for a change in her career, and the opportunity presented itself to lead the learning & people development department at that same firm.  Cohen & Company had become home for Stacey, so it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.  Now she enjoys still being able to work in the same environment, but instead of being a leader in the audit area, she now helps develop current and future leaders throughout the firm.

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure you also check out these as well:  Joey Tackett and Delene Taylor

To listen in on this interview with Stacey Rodgers, please use the player below:

If you haven't noticed it recently, we teach unique courses for accounting professionals at all levels as well!

Actually, this isn't a new thing.  We have taught specialized, unique classes for several years, but always as live, in-classroom instruction.  However, with the pandemic situation we were forced to take those courses online, which ended up being a great thing!  Now we not only can serve the local community, but the greater accounting community virtually anywhere at this point.

If you haven't yet checked out the schedule, some of the more interesting courses that may benefit you on our current schedule include:

Individual Tax Bootcamp - A 5 week, 3 hours/week intensive course on CPA-firm-level tax preparation.  This is for entry-level staff (or at least with no tax experience) that want a good foundation in individual tax and work-paper prep.
Excel - We actually have many Excel classes, all on specific topics to help you become a power user.  Check out the schedule for contents.
QuickBooks Online - Our instructor-led, online, live class on using QBO.

All of these courses, and new ones as they are scheduled, can be found at www.mgrar.com/classes

Let us know if you have any questions!  You can email us at info@mgrar.com

Have a great week!

Lynn Davey, a CPA that started her career with the national accounting firms, and then transitioned into financial reporting at publicly-traded companies, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Lynn was a special guest for our show.  We generally don’t delve quite so much into a guest’s personal life during the early years, but Lynn was generous with her story and shared some of the insights she gained through growing up in South Africa during apartheid.  She was definitely fortunate to have a few key mentors that encouraged her to pursue becoming a Chartered Accountant, and she recognizes the impact they had on her life.  Things may have been very different if it were not for those gracious individuals.

From there we covered Lynn’s experience with both EY and PwC, and then her transition into industry for a financial reporting role.  If work/life balance is important to you, you will enjoy that portion of the show as well.  Lynn was very open about the choices she’s made in order to both keep the time with her family that she enjoys, plus maintain an interesting and challenging career path.  It really was a great conversation.

This was one of our shorter interviews, so please make sure you listen all the way to the end.  There wasn’t simply one theme throughout this one.  We touched on many topics.  There really is something for everyone in this interview.

If you enjoy this interview with Lynn Davey, please also check out:   Adriana Carpenter and Jessica McClain

To listen in on the interview with Lynn, please use the recorder below:

Dr. Scott Dell with Francis Marion University in South Carolina joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  Everyone says they want “variety” in their careers, but I will challenge you to find a career with more variety than Scott’s.  In this episode we touch on entrepreneurship in many, many industries, public accounting, teaching, and even a little industry accounting as well.

Dr. Dell started his career in public accounting, but quickly realized that he wanted something different.  Fast forward a few years and he was well into his entrepreneurial journey.  Scott’s background is so diverse that I’m sure we missed a few things, but his business endeavors include training in the IT space, a cheesecake restaurant, and owning a Dish Network sales company to name just a few.  However, one theme that runs through all of it is that he enjoys teaching.  He started as an adjunct professor many years ago and has continued to enjoy teaching throughout his career.  He has been the Accounting Program Director for another university in the past, and most recently had joined Francis Marion University as an accounting professor in 2019.
A few of Dr. Dell’s more recent endeavors include…


Joining the founder of Sylvan Learning Centers as a partner in a new venture helping  job seekers make a “killer” first impression when asked the question “Tell me about yourself”: www.IntroEDGE.com
A new start-up venture in the job search space: MyCareerOpportunity.com
A new book, “Your Complete Guide to Succeeding With LinkedIn”. Visit Amazon for more details:  https://www.amazon.com/Your-COMPLETE-Guide-SUCCEEDING-LinkedIn/dp/B08B37VVV1/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=scott+dell&qid=1592921987&sr=8-3

If you would like to connect with Dr. Scott Dell, please connect on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdell/
PS:  Make sure you check out the Harley picture as well… yet another of Scott’s interests.  😊
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If you enjoy this episode, others that may interest you will include:  Byron Patrick and Mansour Farhat

To listen in on this interview with Dr. Scott Dell, please use the player below:

Melisa Galasso, the owner of Galasso Learning Solutions, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Many of us have had the thought that we may like to teach, whether it be at a university or privately for companies and continuing education needs, and most of us feel at some level that we would like to help others.  Melisa has turned these two passions into a new career for herself, building on her original foundation of being an accountant.

Her career started as many do.  Melisa was an auditor in the Big 4.  However, it wasn’t long and she decided that path wasn’t for her, so she ventured into industry.  After trying a few positions outside of public accounting, she still hadn’t quite found her niche, and at the same time she was starting her family.  It was at that point that she decided to try teaching… and her passion was found.

Fast forward through several positions with progressive responsibility with Becker, plus some additional adjunct professor work, and now she owns her own custom continuing education company, Galasso Learning Solutions.  As we also discover, while many CE instructors are frequently one-person shows, Melisa has been able to add a substantial support team as well as contract instructors that shine in areas where she isn’t quite as knowledgeable.  All this makes for a much better solution for her customers.

I found it inspiring that Melisa so accurately was able to identify what she would enjoy long-term, and it all started from her initial background as an accountant.

If you enjoy this episode, please also make sure you check out:  Amanda Aguillard and Kathy Kapka

To listen in on this episode with Melisa Galasso, please use the player below:

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, I talk about an issue that has become vastly more important in this pandemic-era job market:  certification.  

Recently I was having a conversation with an employer about a position they needed to fill, and the employer said, "Well, I assume there are several people available due to the layoffs."  Although they were correct (there had been layoffs), for what they were requesting (a CPA), there really hadn't been as many as they thought.  We had to have a conversation about what's been happening in today's market.

As soon as this episode is released, I'm sure someone that is a CPA and has been laid off from their job will hear it, and I will be proven wrong.  However, it's not a blanket statement I'm making, just a generalization.  Yes, some CPAs may be laid off during an economic downturn, but they are usually not the first people that are considered.

So does this mean you are always safe from a layoff if you are a CPA?  Not entirely.  You still have to provide value to your employer of course.  However, having the certification definitely gives you a higher level of job security regardless of how the economy may turn.

So what does this mean if you are not certified yet?  It means you should start, or continue, the journey.  Work towards your certification regardless of your job situation.  Yes, it's harder if you are having to put in more hours at work, or have even been laid off and are having to look for a new job full-time, but there is no time like the present to get started.  It may seem hard now, but your later-self will thank you for it.

If you are not yet certified, get started now.  The sooner you do, the faster you will reap the rewards in both promote-ability as well as in job security.

As always, I wish you the best in your career.

Anthony Hanson, an accountant that started his career in Colorado, and later moved to East Sussex in the United Kingdom after getting engaged to his British fiancé, joined us to discuss his early career as well as founding iFinance, on this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

This show has a little of something for everyone.  Anthony started his career as a night auditor because he wanted to spend the days snowboarding in Colorado where he lived at the time.  As his career grew in accounting, he had the opportunity to co-found a construction company and helped build that up to over 30 million in revenues.

Unfortunately though, his business partner passed away and he was forced to divest of the construction start-up.  At that point, he was already engaged to a lady from Great Britain that was working her way through the immigration process for the US.  With no business here to make moving difficult, they decided that it would be easier for Anthony to move to the United Kingdom, and therefore he embarked on that journey.

Finding work immediately was more of a problem that he had suspected due to immigration laws, but he ended up doing ERP consulting and it was through that experience that his dream was born.

Anthony most recently has started iFinance, a company focused on bringing large-company level financial advisory services to the small business world.  He, along with some remote staff, help small businesses get the same financial insights that a large business would benefit from, but on a fractional basis.

If you are interested in consulting, or enjoy a story involving moves between continents and the challenges that come along with that, you will love this interview.

For more information on Anthony’s business, visit www.ifinancedept.com

Other episodes will enjoy include:  Robin Thieme and Wayne Richard

To listen in on this episode with Anthony Hanson, please use the player below:

Mindy Mejia, an experienced accounting professional, recently-certified CPA, and a full-time author now with 4 (!) books published, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Mindy’s journey was different than most of our guests on the program.  She started as a Liberal Arts major actually, and then worked her way into accounting through her employment at the time.  She stayed with the same employer for 15 years, continually getting bigger and better opportunities there until she became their Global Credit Manager.

It was also during this time that she decided to work on becoming an author.  She successfully published her first book through a small publishing house, but it was her second book that gained mass popularity.  By then she had obtained a literary agent, and was even able to auction the publishing rights to that second book.  It ended up being published in 20 languages!

Her fourth book has just now been published, and she continues to work as a professional author.  However, she does still use her accounting knowledge in service of her new profession.  She helps other authors with tax issues and now even prepares tax returns seasonally as a way to diversify her work.  She sounds like she truly enjoys what she does.

For more information on Mindy Mejia’s books, visit her Amazon page at: https://www.amazon.com/Mindy-Mejia/e/B0091WH25E?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1591369898&sr=8-1

Other episodes that may interest you will include:  Ed Polansky and Carl Chilton

To listen in on this episode with author Mindy Mejia CPA, please use the player below:

Lynda Artesani of Artesani Bookkeeping in Florida joined us for the program this week.

Lynda has had her business for over 20 years now, but we asked her on the program to discuss a decision she made only about 4 years ago.  That decision was to focus on a niche for her bookkeeping business.

Selecting and sticking with a niche can be a difficult decision for many business owners, particularly in accounting.  For that reason, we thought it would be a good topic to discuss on the show.

However, just as with all our episodes, we also delve deeper into Lynda’s early career so we understand where she came from.  If you’ve ever had a job or two that weren’t quite ideal, I think you will find some truth in what Lynda shares there as well.  She was very transparent and generous with her time describing her early career.  There is a lot of value in that segment of the interview.

For more information on Lynda’s business, please visit https://www.artesanibookkeeping.com/

Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Mariette Martinez and Robin Thieme and Robina Bennion

To listen in on this interview with Lynda Artesani, please use the player below:

Our guest for this week’s Where Accountants Go episode is Charlene Rhinehart, who joined us from the Greater Chicago area.  I usually say our guest’s career started off in a ‘typical’ fashion, but that wouldn’t be true in this case.  Charlene’s career has been exceptional from the beginning!

Starting with several internship opportunities at PwC, plus an additional internship at JP Morgan Chase, her career started with a bang.  She had more diverse experience than many professionals are able to get in the first few years of their careers, and this was all before graduation.

After graduation, Charlene managed a major project for JP Morgan involving investing millions into the city of Detroit, and not long after won the Miss Corporate America pageant as well.  Her pageant experience launched her further into the public speaking arena, and she additionally joined Up With People, an organization that provides uplifting experiences through song & dance acts across the globe.  She literally has been a world traveler.

Fast forward to the last few years, and Charlene has taken all that experience and molded it into the skills she needed to launch Wealthy Women Daily, a platform helping corporate women and entrepreneurs better manage their finances.  It’s definitely an area she is passionate about.

And this doesn’t even start to touch on the other areas of her business, such as the publishing of books and her podcast.  Charlene has many irons in the fire.

For more information on Charlene’s company, visit www.wealthywomendaily.com

For her book (Dividends Are a Queen's Best Friend), please visit https://amzn.com/1689283386

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure to also listen to:  Kelly Richmond-Pope and Bridget Kaigler

To listen in on this interview with Charlene Rhinehart, please use the player below:

Mike Whitmire, CPA turned Co-Founder of a software-as-a-service company (FloQast) joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Mike’s career started as most do.  He majored in accounting in college, and through the college interview process he obtained his first professional position – in this case, audit.  However, in this case as his career progressed through public accounting and then into industry, he realized there was a lack of efficiency around closing processes that caused he and his colleagues to have to work much more than really should be necessary.  At that point Mike set out to fix the problem, and FloQast was born.

FloQast is a software solution for managing the close process better, so that it is both faster and less time-consuming from the work hour standpoint.  However, this episode isn’t simply about the product; this show is more about Mike’s own career journey and the decisions he worked through to get to where he is today.  I think you will truly find a lot of value in this episode.

Other episodes you may enjoy will include:  Kurt Rathmann and Ryan Lazanis

For more information on FloQast, visit www.floqast.com

For Mike’s book mentioned in the show, click here, or for his podcast, click here.

To listen in on this episode with Mike Whitmire, please use the player below:

The owner of Fit Advisors and host of the Money Checkup Podcast, Anjali Jariwala, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

Anjali was always interested in business, and decided to major in Accounting after spending a little time as a Pre-Med major.  However, she found that medicine was not for her, and therefore had switched while still in school.

What’s interesting about Anjali’s career though is that now she has come full circle, using her medical knowledge combined with her business and accounting knowledge, to serve business owners and physicians in their own financial planning efforts.  And of course, she picked up the CPA and CFP certifications along the way.

If you have an interest in financial planning, or even just starting your own business of any kind, you will enjoy this episode.

For other episodes on similar topics, make sure to check out:  Ben Simiskey and Alan Roth

You can find more information online regarding Anjali’s business Fit Advisors by clicking here.

To listen in on this episode, please use the player below:

(Disclaimer:  The rights to the terms “data sleuthing” and “data sleuth” are legally protected.  Please contact Workman Forensics for more details.)

For this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we are joined by forensics expert Leah Wietholter, CFE and PI in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.  If you are interested in starting, or continuing to develop a career in forensics, you will love this episode.

We start with the story of how Leah was selected for a very rare internship opportunity with the FBI that lasted for 2 years, and how much she learned during that early period in her career.  We then move on to discussing a position she accepted in tax, and how she was able to expand that into additional forensic investigation work with her employer at the time.   And then to finish out the second half of the episode, we go deep into the details of how she formed Workman Forensics and how the company has developed over the last 10 years.

Make sure you listen all the way to the end to find out more about her own podcast, and how they have ‘gamified’ the process of learning about fraud investigations.  “The Investigation Game” is definitely a creative and interesting way to learn!

If you enjoy this episode, you will also enjoy:   Kelly Richmond Pope and Rubik Yeriazarian

To listen in on this interview with Leah Wietholter, please use the player below:

Eric P. Butts, a CPA in the Atlanta, Georgia, area joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.  If you have an interest in taking your accounting career in the direction of high-level consulting engagements, this is an ideal episode for you.

In this interview, we discuss how Eric started his career with Quaker Oats, a division of PepsiCo, but then later took it in the direction of consulting by joining Accenture and most recently PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers).  Along the way of course, he added a Masters degree and CPA certification as well – both of which were integral to his continued move up.

In addition though, we get into talking about career advice as well.  Eric is very insightful when it comes to building the career you want, particularly in consulting.  In fact, he has his own website with resources available to the public that you can access: www.ericpbutts.com

For a free resource that Eric is offering specifically for our podcast audience, visit www.ericpbutts.com/accountants

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out:  Susan Hough and our CareerTalk Mini-Shows.

To listen in on this interview with Eric P. Butts, please use the player below or subscribe on your favorite phone podcast app.

Steve Watson, a combined finance and human resources professional in the Phoenix, Arizona area, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

You are going to get a double learning opportunity from this episode.  First, we discuss how Steve’s career started with an interest in finance due to both familial and educator influences, and how his career eventually built up to Director of Finance and CFO roles.  Secondly though, we talk about how his move into smaller organizations gave him the opportunity to take on more responsibility with respect to controlling rising healthcare costs, and how that now has become a deeply-rooted passion for him.

Steve now not only helps his own organization control medical insurance costs, but now he also teaches other financial professionals about cost-saving options that they typically don’t hear from their inurance providers.  It’s become a calling for Steve.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure to also check out:  Stefanie Cavanaugh and David Porter.

For more information on Steve and TrendBreakers, visit https://www.trendbreakers.com/

To listen in on this interview with Steve Watson, please use the player below:

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, I discuss an issue that came up when trying to assist an accountant with their career.  And it happens to be one of the tips in my book - "49 Tips For A Successful Accounting Career".

When times are challenging at work, and things are changing rapidly, it's important to know when to read the proverbial 'writing on the wall.'  For those not familiar with the term, it means to be aware of how things are changing, and to be realistic with yourself about the potential consequences.

In this mini-episode, I talk about some of the signs that things may be going well for you at work, and some of the signs that you may not have a good long-term future at work.  When things aren't going well, it's not necessarily time to make a job change, but it is definitely time to be honest with yourself about the potential outcomes, and to take action as necessary.

I hope this episode is beneficial for you.  Please feel free to reach out to us if we can be of assistance in any way.

Amber Setter, a now frequent guest on Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, joined us for a very special and specific episode discussion.  As we move through this COVID-19 crisis, although many people would like to put extra time into studying for a certification exam, we realize that it is difficult.  Amber is not only a CPA herself, but also a professional coach, and therefore was the perfect person to join us to talk about this topic.

In this interview with Amber, we cover…

Practical issues and changes to the exam-taking process as of the time of this recording,
Being honest with yourself as to whether this really is the right time to devote to passing, and if so, how to optimize the opportunity,
How to care for yourself in such a way that promotes success in studying without wearing yourself out, and
How to shift your thinking regarding certification to a more optimistic outlook.

If you are determined to achieve your CPA certification, or any other for that matter, during this pandemic time, and you are struggling with making it a reality, this will be a very valuable episode for you.

For more information on Amber Setter, or to contact her directly, visit www.ambersettercoaching.com

To listen to this interview with Amber Setter, please use the player below.

This short mini-episode idea came to me after helping a job candidate prepare for a video interview they were going to be participating in recently.  The content not only applies to our shelter-at-home period, but I think will continue to apply for months to come as companies potentially change how they do interviews for the foreseeable future.  It's likely that some percentage of companies will increase their usage of video conferencing for interview purposes, so this topic will be helpful to you even if you aren't currently in the job market.

If you are going to be interviewed via video conferencing (Zoom, FaceTime, etc), remember... "Smile, you're on camera!"

(Make sure you listen to the full episode for an additional thought on how to prepare for video interviews in general)

In this CareerTalk mini-episode, I cover a simple concept, or personal rule of mine, that we all likely break on occasion.  That idea is that we should never answer an email when we are emotional.

This experience came to me during the adjustment period while 'sheltering-at-home', and I suspect similar situations happen to many people during these unusual times.  I was trying to balance my family needs and professional obligations, and honestly I was feeling very overwhelmed at that moment.  It lasted for a short time, perhaps an hour or two, and during that time I sent a work-related email.  The next morning I read the email over again and realized that my emotional overwhelmed feeling had come through, and that's not what I would have wished.  I should have waited a while to send it, at least until my emotions had settled.

This is a simple concept, and I'm sure you are thinking, "Of course you should wait!"  And in fact, I know that as well.  However, we all need a reminder even of the basics sometimes, so I hope this serves as your reminder and you don't have to personally commit the mistake.

Remember, even though you already know it, don't answer emails when emotional.

Kathy Kapka, a CPA and former Texas Society of CPAs Chair, joined us on this unique edition of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.

The reason this episode is a little unique is that we don’t spend as much time covering Kathy’s own career, although we do give a short synopsis.  Kathy was actually one of our early guests back in the first few months of the show (Episode 15 to be exact), so we’ve already covered much of her own professional background.  For this episode, we took the opportunity to speak with Kathy about a very timely topic:  ethical considerations for the accounting community.

Kathy is the instructor for the TXCPA-provided online approved ethics course that is complimentary with TXCPA membership, and she has a background in internal audit herself, so she was the perfect individual to discuss this important topic.  With the economy taking a dramatic turn, the additional stresses may affect the ethical behavior of otherwise very trustworthy individuals.

Whether you are just starting your career, or are many years into your professional journey, this episode will be a good refresher on some of the items we all need to keep in mind.

For other similar episodes, listen to:  Kathy Kapka original episode and David Holt.

To listen in on this 2nd interview with Kathy Kapka, please use the player below:

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we talk about a concept that came up on one of our primary shows - the concept of "self-care".

In that other episode though, we specifically discuss it with regards to preparing for the CPA exam.  However, in this mini-episode I apply it in a broader sense with regards to your overall career and life, particularly as we will be moving forward out of this pandemic crisis in coming days or months.

This unique time period has given many of us the opportunity to think about what is truly important to us, and therefore how to best care for ourselves as unique individuals.  It's important that going forward we don't let some of those realizations slip away.  In fact, if you haven't made time for a little self-reflection, now is the time.  Do it before life starts to return back to "normal" - maybe that's not 100% what you really want anyway.

Ponder this:  What will "self-care" look like for you going forward?

Jessica McClain, CPA, CGFM, CISA, and PMP, joined us from Washington, D.C., for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

If you are considering whether public accounting or industry would be the better fit for you, you will find tremendous value in this episode.

Jessica started in public accounting, moved into industry, moved back into public accounting, and then most recently back into industry.  As Jessica mentions in the interview, everyone’s needs are unique and it’s important to find the path that works best for you.  Although she enjoyed her time in public accounting, there came a time in her life when it just wasn’t quite the right fit anymore, and therefore she made a change.

In addition to Jessica’s career story, we also talk about “work/life balance”, “work/life integration”, and the difference between the two.  Plus, we discover how she ended up getting four, yes count them… four (!), certifications.

If you enjoy this episode, please also listen in these interviews:  Shanikwa Davis and Lindsay Stevenson.

To listen in on this interview with Jessica McClain, please use the player below.

In this CareerTalk mini-episode, we talk about an observation I had while shopping in the grocery store during the COVID-19 crisis, wearing my medical safety mask.

During that excursion, I had the odd realization that even though I couldn't necessarily see the other individual's faces, I pretty much could tell whether or not they were smiling even with their mask covering their face.  It occurred to me that this had an application in the employment world too, both for phone interviews and for video interviews.

Listen to this short mini-episode on how this realization can apply to your own virtual interview process.

The question is... are you smiling?

Believe it or not, recession creates opportunity.

In this CareerTalk mini-episode, we briefly discuss the fact that recessions really can create opportunity, even in the employment market.

We all know that while some industries have difficult times, others see even more business during crisis periods.  (Boy, what I would do to have an extra toilet paper factory ready to go!)

However, we don't often think about it from the standpoint of the longer-term affects on retirement plans.  In this mini-show, I propose that while this recession (possibly short-term) may delay some retirements, it also is likely to make those individuals that were on the fence about retiring become even more resolute to actually retire, albeit perhaps slightly later.  And that's another item I discuss... I don't think it will be much later than they may have originally planned.

So what does this mean to you as an upwardly-mobile accounting professional?  It means that those promotion opportunities are likely to be even more solidified as a little time moves forward.

Please listen in on my line of thought by using the player below.

And as always, please reach out if we can help with your own career!

Lee Ann Crockett of Bellwether Church Solutions in San Antonio, Texas, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast.

Lee Ann actually started as a Liberal Arts major, but while putting herself through school by working a bookkeeping position, she realized she enjoyed accounting and decided to switch her major.

Lee Ann’s story really has something for almost everyone.  She started with the multi-national Halliburton organization, worked in several roles with them, and then eventually decided to leave to start her family.  Many years later, and after quite a bit of part-time consulting, she started Bellwether Church Solutions, which is an accounting advisory service focused on churches.  In addition, she just recently added a small-church solution that she calls GoodBooks to her mix of services.  She really does have a unique practice.

And don’t miss our short discussion of why she decided to become a CPA, and how happy she is that she made that decision.  There is quite a bit of insight in that very short discussion as well.

If you enjoy this episode, please also check out our interviews with Matt Malcom and Craig Fuller.

To find out more about Lee Ann’s business, you can visit them online at either of these links:  Bellwether Church Solutions or GoodBooks

To listen in on this interview with Lee Ann Crockett, please use the player below:

For this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we talk about the affect of different types of employment markets on our choices of employment.

This came to me as I was shopping in the grocery store during this pandemic time.  I made it to the salsa aisle of my local grocery store, only to find that the dozens and dozens of choices that I usually had were reduced to only two options:  Red or Green.  To my dismay, those where the only two choices I had.

If you find yourself needing to find a new job during this crisis time, you may face a similar issue.  You may find that there are less opportunities to pick from depending on your specific background, desires, and your local job market.  It's important to let that feeling pass quickly though and take action, as I discuss in this episode.

No matter how limited your options may be, if it's necessary to find something, then it's beneficial to make a decision sooner rather than later.

... red, or green?

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, we discuss the importance of not procrastinating when it comes to your job search.

Even though I personally believe that the economy will bounce back relatively quickly once the COVID situation is under control, that may take longer than we anticipate to fully return.  And in addition to this, job seekers frequently underestimate how slowly an employer may move when hiring.  For these reasons, it's important to start your job search many weeks, or even several months, before you absolutely have to work, particularly in an uncertain marketplace.

Demand for accountants is still reasonably healthy, but there definitely are sectors of the economy that are struggling as we all know, and that creeps into the accounting marketplace as well.  If you have been affected and believe that you may as well wait a while before looking, that can be a dangerous decision.  Those that start their search earlier, generally end up with more options.  Starting too late can lead to either not having a good option when you need it, or having to settle for something that won't necessarily be a good long-term fit.

"Don't delay, call today!"  :)

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, we talk about a core truth to the employment market.

I had this insight while reading a quote from Michael Hyatt in a newsletter.  The newsletter was meant for business owners, but the concept applies equally to anyone providing a service for compensation... such as all of us that are employed.

While the economic market has definitely changed, and even the way we work has dramatically changed in recent days, there is one truth that has certainly not changed.  That truth is that to be successful, we still have to do one very important thing:  provide something of value to someone that needs it.  Whether that is a product you produce, or a service you perform, you must provide value to your customer (employer) in order to continue to thrive.

As odd as it may sound to you, I find comfort in this thought.  While everything may be changing around us, the ultimate determining factor to whether or not you (and I) will be successful, remains the same.  We need to provide something that helps others.

If we can be of any assistance in any way in your career, please reach out to us.  We are happy to help.

Mark Goldman, CPA

Paul Meissner of 5Ways Group Chartered Accountants, the “From The Trenches” podcast, and Freedom Mentoring, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast.

Paul is actually our second guest from Australia, but this time from the Melbourne area.  A previous guest, Ryan Lazanis, recommended we contact Paul for the show and we definitely weren’t disappointed.  Not only is Paul quite a character, he has structured his professional life to integrate into exactly the work / life balance he was looking for.  He is able to spend the time that he desires with his family, plus he is able to work on his golf swing quite a bit!  In a nutshell, he spends about two-and-a-half days in his accounting practice, and then spends the rest of his time on personal endeavors, other business interests (the podcast, mentoring, etc), and golf.  😊

If you’re long-term plans are to leverage your accounting expertise into shaping the perfect work / life balance situation for yourself, this episode is definitely one you won’t want to miss.

Other episodes you will find valuable include:  Ryan Lazanis and Matt Malcom

To listen in on this interview with Paul Meissner, please use the player below:

For this short CareerTalk episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers podcast, we address a career fact in accounting:  You Have Transferable Skills.

If you have been caught up in layoffs, or may be in the future, something to always remember as an accounting professional is that your skills apply in many different industries, not just the one you are in.

For instance, if you work in construction accounting, your experience is typically readily transferable to a manufacturing accounting job.  Positions in retail and hospitality often transfer well to any industry with a large labor force or inventory involvement.   No matter what industry you work in, your accounting skills are very transferable.  Debits are still debits, and credits are still credits.  :)

If you find yourself needing to transition to something different, particularly if it's not voluntary, remember that fact.  Accounting is a resilient career field.  Everyone needs some type of accounting help, and ultimately you can work in practically any industry.

Please listen to the short audio discussion of this topic by using the audio player below, or through your favorite podcast app.

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast, I talk about a very practical tactic for today's ever-changing economy during the epidemic.  That tactic is to Be Flexible.

Hopefully you are just as busy as always in your job, but if you are seeing a slowdown or have been furloughed/laid-off recently, then this is an important concept.  In addition, it also applies to recent graduates and those about to graduate.

Just a month ago I would have been the first to say that it's not necessary to "settle" for a job that's not perfect.  The economy was strong, and opportunities were plentiful.  Fast-forward only a few weeks now though and the world has changed.

If you find yourself  needing to look for a new position, or your first position, and your ideal situation isn't available, be flexible and accept something close.  Later on when things improve, you can always reassess at that point.  However, if it takes a while for things to improve, you will be a whole lot happier having been working during this time than waiting for the perfect opportunity.  Being a little flexible in a dynamic economy such as this pays off in the long run.

As always, if we can be of assistance please let us know.

In another short special 'CareerTalk' episode of Where Accountants Go, we talk about another career-building effort you can do since you may have more time due to a shelter-at-home order or a quarantine:  Expand Your Skills!

Now is a great time to learn that skill you always wanted to learn for later in your career.  Whether it's for growth in your own line of work, or even for an eventual move into something different.  You have additional time now - use it for growth!  (Netflix is great, but not exactly a career-builder)

Let us know what you think about these mini-episodes.  I can be emailed at mgoldman@mgrar.com.

Thanks!

Elena Levario, a CPA with years of experience in the banking world, joined us for this episode of the Where Accountants Go podcast.

We originally heard about Elena’s inspiring story while attending a state CPA event, but we didn’t know quite how inspirational it was until we had her join us for the program.

Elena originally migrated to the United States from Mexico with her family at the age of 4.  She and her sister were the first in their family to graduate from high school, which was an accomplishment that was highly supported by their mother.

Initially Elena actually wanted to be a nurse, and in fact has a degree in nursing.  However, she had to work while in college and during that time realized that she enjoyed business.  She remained at the bank where she worked while continuing her education for a second degree, this time in accounting.  That accounting degree ended up launching her into the career she has today, as an Assistant Controller with a well-respected bank in the Midland / Odessa area.

If you have ever felt like you had a few life situations working against you, or that it was “too late” to pursue your dream, you need to listen to Elena’s story.  You will find inspiration in the tale of how Elena’s career has ended up unfolding.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you check out these others as well:  Amanda Aguillard and Shanikwa Davis

To listen in on this interview with Elena Levario, please use the player below:

In this CareerTalk mini-episode of Where Accountants Go, The Accounting Careers Podcast, we touch on possibly the most important question you should consider in your career:  What's Important To You?  (!)

Whether you've contemplated making a change, or just have a little extra free time at the moment to step back and think about your long-term goals, this truly is an all-important question.  Many people move into a new job, either by choice or not, only to find themselves still lacking the fulfillment they desire.  In times like we are facing now, where many of us have a little extra time to reflect, this is a great question to consider.

Seriously ask yourself... What's Important To You?

In this mini-episode, as we continue in this time of a "new normal" for many people working remotely that didn't before, I address the issue of staying connected.

Staying connected is important even if you don't feel you will need to look for something else later on.  It will benefit you now as well - even without an anticipated future job change.

And to add to that, it's also a great time to re-establish relationships as well.

Listen in to this mini-episode using the player below.

(And just a reminder, full interview episodes will still be posted weekly.)

Have a great week!

For a short period, we are going to be releasing "fractional" episodes on topics related to your career.  With the uncertainty happening in our world due to the coronavirus outbreak, it's important that we focus on what is truly important in our lives.  Obviously family and personal life are two of the top items, but without some way to continue to get the financial resources you need to continue to provide for yourself and those you care about, life can get very difficult very fast.  Therefore, your career is one of those important items as well.

In this episode, we talk about the concept of 'being valuable'.  In uncertain times, it's important to be valuable to those you serve, whether they are your clients or your employer.  Provide enough value, and you become close to irreplaceable, which is a good situation to be in during uncertain times.

If we can help you in any way, please let us know.  And as always, I wish you the best in your career.  Stay safe.

Allan Roth, a CPA turned financial planning professional, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast!

Allan was suggested to us by a listener of the show, and we were very intrigued when we did a little research on Allan’s business.  If you have ever thought that you could use your accounting background to launch you into the field of investment management, this show is going to be a ‘must hear’.

In this interview, we explore how Allan…

Started in accounting due to an aptitude test he took while still in high school,
Then got into the profession, earned his CPA certification, but then realized it wasn’t for him,
So he went back to school and soon after continued his career in Corporate Finance,
To then eventually start his own financial advising consulting practice in 2003, which he still operates today.

Allan has a unique perspective on investing, as you can tell from the URL for his website – www.DareToBeDull.com.  I think you will not only enjoy this interview, but gain many insights that make you both re-consider how you view your investment planning as well as your career.

For more episodes on related topics, check out these episodes as well:  Ben Simiskey and Steve Goodman

To listen in on this interview with Allan Roth, please click on the player below.

Ben Richmond, the Country Manager for the United States for the fast-growing Xero software company, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In addition to our conversation about Xero and their continuing growth in popularity here in the US, you will also find Ben’s own career progression interesting as he recounts that journey for us during the first half of the show.

Ben took a chance early in his career to join a firm in a “Cadet” position, which is similar to an internship or entry—level role.  It was a little risky because it was something he chose to do prior to attending college.  However, the risk paid off in that he was able to gain some incredible experience, and still end up continuing his education to eventually become a Chartered Accountant (CA).

The discussion we have about Xero and their ongoing growth is valuable just in itself, but I think you will also find Ben’s early career intriguing as it covers small businesses, public accounting, and even a national corporation during their transition from being a government operated entity to being privatized.

We also get into how he met his initial contact at Xero and ended up transitioning to be a part of their sales team, eventually becoming their Country Manager for the US not long ago.

In addition to Xero.com obviously, some of the other links you will want to visit include:

The Xero Forward Fund: https://www.xero.com/us/forwardfund/
Partner program signup: https://www.xero.com/us/partner-programs/partners/signup/

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you check out these as well:  Kurt Rathmann of ScaleFactor, and Jay Kimelman

To listen in on this interview with Ben Richmond, please use the player below:

Dena Jansen, CPA, former accounting firm partner, and the Founder of Dena Speaks, joined us for a second time on this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast.

Dena’s career spans public accounting in small firms, to the “Big 4”, to then a major Austin-based regional firm.  As her career developed in the approximately 15 years she spent in the audit field, she found that it was largely the interpersonal, or people development areas that she enjoyed.  For that reason, she took the bold step of leaving her partner status in public accounting to venture out on her own and build a coaching and speaking business.  That was about where our last episode with Dena began (“Episode 75:  Dena Jansen – It’s All About People”).

In this update episode though, we start with a recap of Dena’s career, but delve deeper into the topic of building trust.  Dena is a frequent continuing education speaker in the accounting profession on this very topic, plus she does private training and consulting sessions with firms.  She cites several books as sources for her research, but one book in particular that we wanted to make sure we highlighted is her own!  Since our first podcast with Dena, she has become an author and written “Road To Hope” which can be found in paper form, e-book format, and even Audible editions.  Make sure you check it out at the link above.

No matter what point you are at in your own career, you will find value in this episode.

For related podcast, make sure you check out these episodes as well:  Dena Jansen (the first interview) and Sarah Elliott

To listen in on this new episode with Dena Jansen, please use the player below:

Anthony Pugliese, the CEO for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), joined us for this episode of the Where Accountants Go podcast!



Anthony had a wonderful career story to tell, as well as tremendous insight for us on the profession.  If you are curious how an individual could start their career in a traditional staff auditor role, become the Chief Operating Officer of AICPA, and then go on to eventually lead the largest state society of CPAs as their CEO, you will really enjoy this episode.



In this episode, Anthony shares…



How he started with one of the national accounting firms in an audit position,

How his career advanced with Deloitte through several positions across the country,

To how he had the opportunity to join AICPA where he served for about 20 years,

To deciding to move across the country and join CalCPA, eventually becoming their CEO.



Anthony shares his thoughts on what we are doing well as a profession and where we can continue to improve, as well as some of the strategic initiatives there at CalCPA.  This interview touches on many areas.  It was truly fun to record.



If  you enjoy this episode with Anthony Pugliese, you will also enjoy these interviews:  Amy Pitter and Natasha Schamberger



To listen in on this interview with Anthony Pugliese, please use the player below: