Life In Accounting - The Where Accountants Go Podcast

Kelly Richmond Pope, CPA, Associate Professor at DePaul University, and movie producer (!) joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Straight through to PhD Kelly knew at an early age that she was interested in accounting.  She took an accounting class in high school and just seemed to understand how it worked.  Fast forward a few years and she was obtaining her bachelors, masters, and then doctorate degree all in accounting.  After working a short internship with General Electric and then a couple years with KPMG in forensic accounting, she knew she wanted to go deeper and therefore became a professor. Producing a movie As we discuss in the audio interview, Kelly is the first individual we’ve had on the show that has produced her own movie, and it’s even related to forensics!  “All The Queen’s Horses” is a documentary that tells the story of the largest municipal fraud in history.  In total it was over $50 million dollars, and happened in a town of only about 16,000

Liz Mason, CPA and founder of High Rock Accounting, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Family of Accountants Liz comes from literally a family full of accountants.  She has several family members that chose accounting as a career; however, her career as an accountant started out much differently than you may think.  Liz is a self-described rebel, and tried a few of the other majors before settling on accounting.  As it turned out though, due to the early influences in her life, accounting was just something that came naturally for her.  She easily passed her classes and subsequently easily passed the CPA exam as well. Created an early ‘bot’ We frequently talk about ‘bots’ in the accounting profession now, but 10 years ago taking a process that was manual and making it automated was a very cutting-edge endeavor.  In Liz’s early years with Grant Thornton while she was still an entry-level staff person, she created an automation that cut down a process that typica

Amy Pitter, the President and CEO for the Massachusetts CPA Society, and former Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. From Law to Tax Amy’s path actually started in law school.  While pursuing her law degree, she found that she frankly didn’t enjoy the subject matter as much as she thought she would.  However, that all changed when she took her tax course.  She so enjoyed the tax subject matter that she went on to add a Masters in Accounting to her JD, and she started her career with one of the Big 8 national accounting firms. Finding her path It turned out that the Big 8 environment wasn’t as good a fit as she had hoped, so decided to look for something different.  Amy spent some time in industry and real estate development, before landing a position with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.  She thoroughly enjoyed her roles with the DOR, and that further propelled her career into the area of taxation

Kurt Rathmann, founder of ScaleFactor in Austin, Texas, re-joined us for an update show on this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast! Still feels like a start-up I asked this early on in the episode, because I honestly wasn’t sure if “start-up” was still an appropriate term.  However, while they are already in their 6th year of operation, Kurt agrees that the term still very much applies.  With their high-growth, focus on culture, and constant innovation, Kurt says that they definitely still have the start-up type of environment. 5x employee growth When we originally interviewed Kurt, they had just hired their 40th employee, and that was only about 15 months ago.  When we recorded this update though, they had a total of 230 team members including their interns!  Plus, they now are officing in 3 locations with a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes between them in order to remove the barriers that exist due to not being all centrally located.  And this is all while their new 52,000 squ

Chris Hooper from Accodex joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast.  In addition to being one of the most entrepreneurial guests we have had in a while, Chris lives in Adelaide, Australia, which makes him our first international guest for the show! Making money vs. keeping money Chris always had an interest in business, and happened on accounting as a career by necessity.  After starting his own business in the fitness industry, he quickly realized that keeping money wasn’t as easy as making it, and therefore it would be a good idea to become more educated in that area.  It was at that point that a friend introduced him to accounting. Not your “typical” accountant Chris seems to have always been a “people person”.  From his early self-employment days, to his extra-curricular activities in college, and now to building the Accodex network, it’s evident that he enjoys building relationships.  In addition, he definitely enjoys improving on how business is done.  While Chr

Greg Ogburn, CPA and Co-Executive Director of the Panhandle Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs (TXCPA), joined us to share his career story with us on Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Starting out early Greg’s career started along a traditional path.  Straight out of college he joined one of the Big 8 accounting firms, and a little later moved to a local firm in the Dallas area.  Not long after that he moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico area, and decided that it was time to venture out on his own.  Around 1991 he started his own accounting practice and grew it to two offices. Amarillo by morning In 2003 Greg moved back to Texas, but this time to Amarillo, which is located in the Texas “Panhandle”.  As he mentions in the interview, he had to start over a bit because not all his clientele followed, but he was fortunate enough to keep many of them… some of which he continues to service today.  Over the years he has been able to structure his work life to give him quite a variety of duties,

Don Maranca, originally our guest for episode number 1 (!), rejoined us for this new episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. An Old Friend… Yes, Don was the very first guest on our podcast, and we asked him back to both get an update and to go deeper on a few topics.  In many of our podcast interviews we have a wonderful conversation, but are limited by time in how deep we can go on various topics.  Don’s show was perhaps the most limited since it was our first episode and we were still learning the ropes, so we definitely needed to circle back and get Don’s insights on growing a business and just a general update on his own enterprise as well. Dramatic Growth! Since we last spoke in 2016, Don’s business structure has change dramatically… and in a good way.  What used to comprise 75% of his business, now only comprises 25%, but it didn’t shrink!  Instead, he has added a new coaching service that has grown incredibly since we last talked, and has now become three times larger than the

Jim Wallace, the CEO of BPM, a top 50 national CPA firm, joined us to share the story of his career, thoughts on diversity and inclusion, and insights into servant leadership on this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Be A Good Father As with all episodes, we began this one by asking how Jim originally chose accounting as a career.  For Jim, it came down to one simple purpose: to be a good father.  As he discusses later in the program, his father was a major positive influence on his life, and he wanted to be the same for his children.  Accounting as a career choice than ensured he would have both the flexibility he needed as well as the dependability that he could make a good living. Becoming CEO All except a very short portion of Jim’s career has been in public accounting.  First with one of the Big 8 firms, then 25 years with Rehmann as they grew to over $100M in revenues, to becoming the CEO of BPM in 2015, which is one of the largest CPA firms in California.  One of the “sec

Joey Havens, Executive Partner with Horne LLP, a large, regional firm with a national footprint, shared his time with us on Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. 35 years! With the exception of the first few years out of college, Joey has spent his entire career with Horne LLP – 35 years at this point!  Although Joey describes himself as a natural introvert, he made partner in only 8 years after joining the firm, and then became the Executive Partner in 2011.  You will definitely pick this up in the interview, but it’s worth mentioning here as well:  Joey is a very humble individual, and therefore a great leader.  He didn’t want to talk too much about himself on the show, but we were able to stretch and get him to share some of the details of his career.  It’s really is a good story. Natural introvert One of the key take-aways for this episode is the discussion of how those of us that are typically introverts can use that to our advantage in the business world.  Joey says it better than I woul

Amanda Aguillard, founder of three accounting-related businesses in the New Orleans area, and more importantly a mother of two wonderful children, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Paper Paper Everywhere… Even early in Amanda’s career, she wondered if things could be done differently.  She initially became interested in accounting as a profession while in high school, and even competed in the state rally competitions.  It was a very early interest for her.  However, as she got started in the industry, she realized how paper-oriented accounting work was at the time, and it seems like even at that early age she had a feeling that perhaps the work could be done in a more efficient way.  After later getting her Masters degree in Tax, she worked with Deloitte & Touche for a few years before moving on for a job in industry, and then deciding to take a seven-year break from the industry while she worked in an even more important role – being a mom. Returning On Her T

Erin Daiber, founder of Well Balanced Accountants, a coaching business specifically serving the accounting profession, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Anything But Accounting This episode started with a little surprise.  Erin told the story of her early decisions that led her to want to become an accountant in the first place.  Interestingly enough, her earliest career decision was that she wanted to become anything OTHER THAN and accountant!  However, it was a very influential professor in an undergraduate course that told her she would make a good accountant, and that she had a natural talent for it, that convinced her to pursue accounting as a profession. Coaching is Important During the first few years of Erin’s accounting career, she realized how important good managers and mentors were to an individual’s development both in her own experience as well as through what she was seeing in the workplace.  Some managers were exceptional, and some not so much.

Byron Patrick, a CPA whose career has been built in technology, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go. Learning Accounting through Monopoly! Byron’s was initially influenced to pursue accounting as a profession like many of us were – by taking a high school level accounting course.   He also tells the story of one of his earliest memories regarding accounting – playing a game of Monopoly and actually creating financial statements as a part of the game.  Through this experience, as well as becoming involved with Future Business Leaders of America, he realized he had a definite interest in the profession. Becoming the IT guy Byron’s career was just starting in the late 1990’s when computer systems were becoming more than just a single machine that was used for basic computations.  Systems were being connected and integrated, and he had a natural talent for being able to troubleshoot office computer issues as well as understand how to structure those early

Becoming a CPA has had a tremendous positive effect on my life and career, both in jobs within the core accounting profession as well as in roles where I didn’t even see a number most days, but rather was working more in support of the profession in people-serving positions.  However, no matter what the position or role was, in all cases being a CPA has been beneficial. I recorded this episode for two reasons.  The most practical reason was that we had scheduling issues with a few of the upcoming guests that left a small window where we wouldn’t have an episode.  However, I think that was truly an opportunity being presented to me to record an episode on this particular topic that’s been on my heart recently. About a month ago I was asked to speak at a university event, and as I pondered what would be an appropriate topic for someone with my background to speak on, the subject of becoming a CPA became the clear choice.  I’ve seen it make a huge difference in my own life, and at the same time I’ve seen the s

Amy Vetter, author, technologist, and CEO of The B3 Method Institute, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Amy’s earliest influencer regarding accounting was the legacy her grandfather left the family:  He was a CPA.  Her mother talked about her grandfather and how big a part of his life being a CPA was, and it had a dramatic positive influence in her early years.  She saw it as a path for both career safety and security. Launching Into Parenthood and Business Her career started as many do, working a few internships and then joining a national accounting firm – KPMG in her case.  However, after having a difficult pregnancy that resulted in a premature delivery, she decided that she needed additional flexibility and moved on so that she could work from home.  Amy started a bookkeeping service, AV Accounting Services, and attained her QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification. Accounting Tech After about 9 years with her bookkeeping service, she had become well-versed i

Jody Padar, author of “The Radical CPA” publications and founder of New Visions CPA Group, was our guest for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go! Ice Cream and Taxes Jody was influenced to pursue accounting in the same manner as many accountants – she had family in the industry.  Her father had a tax practice, and she helped him out from a very early age.  He knew how to motivate as well… every trip to get the returns processed at Computax meant a trip for ice cream as well!  The reward at the end of the work was a strong influencer early in life, and so accounting was a career interest for Jody from early on. Unfortunate Circumstances Lead to Joy As her career progressed in public accounting during her first few years, she found that she enjoyed and was talented in the tech side of accounting.  She was doing well pursuing a career with CPA firms, when she unfortunately got laid off from a firm due to needing to be out during busy season for the birth of her child.

Natasha Schamberger, CPA and CEO of the Kansas Society of CPAs, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go! Midwest Girl Moves To The Big City! …is pretty much a direct quote from the audio interview in this podcast.  Natasha is from Kansas and attended Kansas State University when pursuing her accounting degree, but upon completion decided she wanted to move the “big city”.  After doing some initial research, she decided that San Diego would fit her best and made the move.  So although she was from the Midwest, the first few years of her career and some of the key relationships actually started out on the West Coast. 3 Month Vacation After getting married, her and husband thought that it was time to move back closer to home.  However, they realized they had a unique opportunity at this point in their lives given that they had few commitments to tie them down, so they took a 3 month hiatus to Italy!  They even considered a permanent move at some point, but s

Joseph Rugger, a CPA that has been able to structure his work life to be 100% remote, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go. Getting Started We start this interview in the same manner as most, with the story of Joseph’s early career.  Joseph started in public accounting, but only stayed for a few years.  As he states, the issue was “99% me, 1% public accounting.”  It just wasn’t the right fit for him.  He was fortunate though in that a friend’s family business needed an accountant, and through that connection he was able to make the move into industry. Predictable, Baby Steps After a few years with the prosthetics business, he decided to approach them about venturing into other interests while still ensuring his job got done.  It started with teaching a couple days at the local university, but then later moved into working remotely a couple days a week.  One of the keys to making the situation work for Joseph was that he outlined how he envisioned getti

Tim Gearty, Editor-In-Chief and National Lead Instructor for Becker CPA Review, as well as Managing Partner for Gearty & McIntyre, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go. Snow Shoveling Is Hard Work Like most of our episodes, we started off by asking how Tim got into the accounting profession.  And like many guests, it came down to a very practical decision for Tim early in life.  He had experienced other ways of making income as a kid (snow shoveling, a paper route, etc), and realized that many of those required a high amount of physical labor.  That was hard work!    So instead, when a family friend suggested he consider accounting as a potential career choice, he felt it would be a more practical way to make a good living. His career started as many do.  He worked for a short while in industry, and then with Peat Marwick Mitchell, a predecessor to KPMG.  After about 3-4 years in public accounting, he decided to take time off for law school. Becoming

Mariette Martinez, an EA (Enrolled Agent) from the Los Angeles area, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast! Runs In The Family… Mariette’s initial interest in becoming an accountant stemmed from her family legacy of entrepreneurship.  Through constantly being around her family of entrepreneurs, she realized how important becoming knowledgeable in finance and accounting was to a business owner.  Because of this, although none of her family were accountants by trade, she decided to pursue accounting as a career choice at an early age. Building a Career Like many do, Mariette worked for an accounting firm during her time in college and gained wonderful experience.  After college, she was recruited into one of the national accounting firms and continued to grow professionally.  Becoming a mom changed her life though, and she decided to start her own business instead of continue down the corporate path.  She worked hard to build her own accounting practice, and in a ver

Lindsay Stevenson, a CPA, VP of Finance, and consulting firm owner in South Dakota, joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast. Perseverance & Determination We open up the interview with the story of how Lindsay decided to choose accounting as her career path in the first place, and it’s quite an eventful tale.  Lindsay was very open about how early in life she made some bad choices, the consequences of which almost caused her to not pursue a professional career so-to-speak.  However, it was the determination she had to provide a better life for her family that drove her to go back to school and eventually complete her accounting degree. Moving up… Her career developed as many do.  Once she had her degree she started working in public accounting.  She chose the tax side because it required far less travel than audit, and that was better for her family.  She moved up quickly though and did well in public accounting, even though it was a while before she passed the CPA ex