Jason On Firms Podcast

Jason Staats

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

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    610 Most Accounting Firms Are Using Claude Wrong [5 Steps To Automate Agentic Work]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down how firms can move from live Claude conversations to AI workflows that run in the background. I walk through five levels of AI autonomy, from simple chats and scheduled tasks to hosted routines and managed agents. Then I roast a $700K bookkeeping/CFO firm dealing with operational heaviness, SOP sprawl, niche opportunities, and scaling pains. I also answer questions on custom AI tools, Claude for Small Business, referral partnerships, where to build agents first, email triage, and whether old-school firms are worth buying. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Verito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notesCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo // Chapters:00:00 - AI in the walls02:12 - Five levels of AI autonomy06:17 - Claude Code routines + webhooks14:18 - Managed agents explained18:20 - Roast a $700K bookkeeping firm27:45 - SOPs, systems, and standardization33:07 - Local vs national niche strategy35:28 - Mailbag35:45 - Custom AI tools vs software46:03 - Where to build AI agents first48:25 - AI email management52:58 - Buying old-school firms56:09 - Closing thoughts 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    59 min
  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    609 6 Blockers to Adopting AI In Accounting Firms [And how to build an AI native accounting firm]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down the six biggest blockers keeping accounting firms from becoming AI native. I explain why Claude is the best starting point right now, why AI adoption needs daily team habits, and why incentives matter more than training. I also cover pricing fears, staff anxiety, AI replacing task-based work, and how firm owners should think about their responsibility to help teams adapt. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notesMissive: https://missiveapp.com/jason // Chapters:00:00 - Why firms are struggling with AI02:54 - The 6 blockers to becoming AI native10:02 - Why teams resist AI adoption17:30 - AI pricing fears + job replacement29:23 - Mailbag44:15 - Will AI kill accounting work?49:31 - Content strategy + scaling content53:36 - Closing thoughts 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    55 min
  3. 15 MAY

    608 6 Claude Cowork Use-Cases for Accounting Firms [Accounting firms are actually doing this!]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down six real AI use cases accounting firms are actively using right now, from Claude creating SOPs from screen recordings and consolidating multi-entity financials, to tax checklist automation, document renaming, crypto dashboards, and AI-powered prospecting. I also explain where AI agents still break down, especially around month-end close document collection and browser automation. Then I answer questions on pricing confidence, niching, fast growth vs profitability, hallucinations, personal finance workflows, and whether firms should master app-specific AI or focus on cross-platform AI agents like Claude Cowork. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notesMissive: https://missiveapp.com/jason // Chapters:00:00 - Six real AI use cases for firms07:40 - AI checklists + hallucination risks17:24 - AI prospecting + newsletter CTA21:14 - Nerd Corner: month-end close chaos35:34 - Mailbag35:55 - Pricing confidence + charging more42:28 - Fast growth vs profitability49:16 - Personal finance + Claude vs Digits54:18 - AI hallucinations explained59:42 - Learn Claude or app-specific AI01:01:17 - Closing thoughts 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    1hr 2min
  4. 12 MAY

    607 Stop Trying To Land LEADS In Your Accounting Firm. Do This Instead. [This is putting accounting firms out of business]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down why accounting firms don’t just need more clients, they need better clients. I explain why referrals, low pricing, weak niche positioning, and poor proposal design can keep firms stuck with too much work and not enough profit. I also cover how to raise prices, cut bad-fit clients, build visibility with the right audience, and structure three-tier proposals around both scope and client access. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notesMissive: https://missiveapp.com/jason // Chapters:00:00 - Why firms need better clients01:57 - The Dirty Dozen: client quality03:17 - Better clients fix capacity05:08 - Cut low-margin clients08:18 - Word-of-mouth has limits16:20 - Why niching feels scary22:47 - Visibility creates better clients29:14 - Three-tier proposal problems35:45 - Mailbag40:46 - Should you discount pricing?44:59 - Catching scope creep49:16 - Better clients solve everything 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    52 min
  5. 8 MAY

    606 Is Now The Time To SELL Your Accounting Firm? [Timing the AI wave]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I unpack whether AI is a real reason to sell your accounting firm right now. I walk through both sides: why AI creates more risk than ever, but also why accountants may become more valuable as human advisors and integrators. Then I break down how accounting firm websites should shift from faceless service pages to founder-led expertise, especially for niche advisory firms. In the mailbag, I cover AI for cash flow and budgeting, practice management mistakes, accounting firm margins, career moves, CFO services, and tax workflow tools. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notesMissive: https://missiveapp.com/jason // Chapters:00:00 - Should you sell before AI changes accounting?01:31 - AI risk + firm value03:00 - Are you selling what AI replaces?06:44 - The case for selling now07:28 - Accountants as human integrators10:59 - The real asset is you16:39 - Founder-led accounting websites27:48 - Mailbag28:07 - AI for cash flow and budgets32:04 - No practice management software37:56 - Accounting firm margins explained39:55 - Career path into a better firm44:30 - CFO advisory vs bookkeeping46:29 - Tax workflow tools 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    51 min
  6. 5 MAY

    605 6 Steps To Workflow Your Way Into A Better Accounting Firm [Let’s get more work out the door]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down why most accounting firm workflow problems are actually capacity problems. I walk through six common capacity bottlenecks—from not knowing your real bandwidth and busy season overload to owner burnout, hiring paralysis, and the client communication death spiral. The core issue usually isn’t workflow software—it’s pricing, bad-fit clients, and trying to serve too many people without enough margin. Then I shift into a rapid-fire “this or that” segment comparing accounting firm tools like Financial Cents vs TaxDome, Digits vs Double, MakersHub vs Ramp, offshore vs onshore hiring, firm acquisition vs building a sales team, and more. The big takeaway: better firms come from better clients, not just better workflows. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsMissive: https://missiveapp.com/jasonCanopy: g[etcanopy.com/jason](http://getcanopy.com/jason) Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo // Chapters:00:00 - Workflow problems are really capacity problems01:30 - Dirty Dozen + six capacity bottlenecks20:00 Hire vs workflow + firing clients23:20 Client responsiveness + service quality30:30 This or That begins (tech + firm decisions)46:40 Staffing: offshore vs onshore52:20 Buy a firm or build a sales team58:40 AI, hiring, and the future of accounting01:01:00 Events + final CTA 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    1hr 3min
  7. 1 MAY

    604 Two Incredible Claude Cowork Updates for Accounting Firms [The two best updates of 2026]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down two major Claude updates for accounting firms: Live Artifacts and Claude Design. I explain how Live Artifacts can become a personal dashboard across email, calendar, practice management, and month-end tools, and why AI agents working across apps may matter more than AI built inside one app. I also walk through how Claude could generate financial reports, slide decks, landing pages, and even workpaper documentation. Then I answer questions on going national with a niche firm, replacing SafeSend, building referral partnerships, changing tech stacks, using AI safely, and when to hire for a nonprofit accounting firm. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's Sponsors Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/ Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo // Chapters: 00:00 - Claude updates + nationwide growth 01:25 - Claude Live Artifacts explained 04:02 - Building a personal AI dashboard 10:16 - Should PM systems be worried? 17:31 - AI accounting ledger experiment 22:20 - Claude Design + client deliverables 37:54 - Mailbag begins 38:15 - Scaling beyond local clients 44:09 - Replacing SafeSend 47:08 - White label bookkeeping partnerships 50:18 - Changing tech when the team is tired 57:30 - Safe AI agents + OpenClaw 01:04:28 - Nonprofit CFO firm question 01:07:21 - AI workpaper automation experiment 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    1hr 14min
  8. 28 APR

    603 He Runs a $400k Accounting Firm and Takes 8 Weeks of Vacation [But now he’s become the bottleneck]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/ 📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968! 📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down a real accounting firm doing over $400K in revenue while the owner works about 30 hours a week most of the year and takes eight weeks off. I walk through the firm’s revenue mix, team structure, seasonal workflow, pricing model, billing approach, tech stack, and why the owner is still the main bottleneck. Then I explain the six most common owner bottlenecks in accounting firms, from review and knowledge transfer to structure, delegation, escalation, and pricing. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's Sponsors TeamUp: https://www.hireteamup.com/jason Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/ Makershub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats Missive: https://missiveapp.com/jason Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo Cloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidates // Chapters: 00:00 - A $400K calm firm 01:31 - Firm snapshot + revenue mix 05:36 - Seasonal workflow + vacation 08:51 - Three-tier pricing model 16:10 - Upfront billing strategy 20:21 - Marketing + tech stack 22:53 - Main pain: owner bottleneck 26:50 - The Dirty Dozen + events 30:23 - Six bottleneck causes 34:50 - Knowledge bottleneck 37:50 - Structural bottleneck 40:17 - Meddling bottleneck 43:02 - Escalation bottleneck 48:24 - Pricing bottleneck 54:55 - Community + referral network CTA 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social! X https://twitter.com/jasononfirms LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

    57 min

About

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

You Might Also Like