Practice Success Podcast

Canopy
  • 3.7 (3)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Have you wondered what it takes to thrive in the accounting industry? Or how the experts established their successful careers? Learn from industry experts with Canopy.  In each episode of the Practice Success Podcast, Canopy takes a deep dive with accounting professionals, exploring their career trajectory, extracting advice for firms, and discussing the latest trending topics.

  1. 5d ago

    Ep 4: Stop Running a $2M Firm Like a Solo Shop

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! Why Solo-Owner Habits Break Fast-Growing Accounting Firms With Lera Kooper, COO & Owner, Proactive Advisory Group  Growing fast is easy. Growing without burning out your team, your clients, or yourself is the hard part. In episode four of this five-part series of Canopy Practice Success, host Luke Frye, CPA and Accountant in Residence at Canopy, sits down with Lera Kooper, owner and COO & Owner, Proactive Advisory Group. Her firm is scaling aggressively through acquisitions, so she's working through these questions in real time. Lera explains how she defines sustainable growth, why every system her firm builds is out of date within 18 months, and how she turns a big goal into three habits her team repeats a thousand times. She also shares the growth trap she's fallen into herself, the solo-owner habits she sees holding back acquired firms, and why she thinks firm owners who are uncomfortable with sales are doing their clients a disservice. The conversation closes with predictions on firms that wait on cloud and AI, the future of the billable hour, and why client relationships and advisory will make up most of the work in the next decade. If you own a growing firm, or you're thinking about how to grow without losing what made your firm work, this episode gives you a practical playbook from someone in the middle of it. What You'll Learn • How Lera defines sustainable growth: serving clients without underserving others or burning out the team • Why consistent client and team experience starts with standard operating procedures and a shared definition of good  • How to break a big goal into KPIs and daily habits that make fast growth feel manageable • Why chasing every new idea leads to failing at five things instead of succeeding at one  • Which solo-owner habits, like billing after the fact and undocumented procedures, hold back a growing firm  • Why retention and upselling existing clients are her top two growth priorities for the next two years  • How to reframe sales as recommending what clients need, and why not doing it is a disservice • Why firm owners who skip cloud and AI may end up accepting a lower acquisition offer Connect With Lera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerakooper/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Ep 4: Stop Running a $2M Firm Like a Solo Shop

  2. Sep 23

    Episode 3: Stop Managing Ghost Tasks

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! Why Your Best People Burn Out When Work Lives in Spreadsheets With Lera Kooper, COO and Owner of Proactive Advisory Group Capacity isn't an operations problem. It's a leadership one. In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, Luke Frye talks with Lera Kooper, COO and Owner of Proactive Advisory Group, about the hard calls a growing firm makes on time and staffing. Every yes is a no somewhere else, and Lera makes that trade deliberately instead of discovering it at the bottleneck. She walks through how she tiers clients, the math behind hiring versus optimizing, and what she says to a client when the firm has taken on too much. She also makes a direct case for keeping time sheets in a fixed-fee firm, not for billing, but as a diagnostic for whether a process has gone stale or a team member needs support. Then she names what she turned down. Marketing spend, Google Ads, and an offer to be acquired, because the client base she already has is the asset she'd rather work first. If you're protecting a high performer who's quietly buried, or deciding between a hire and a better process, this one gives you a framework and the numbers behind it. What You'll Learn How to tier clients before capacity becomes a crisisWhy a $100K hire has to produce three times their costHow to tell a client you're at capacity without damaging trustWhy ghost tasks are the real threat to your best peopleWhy Lera keeps time sheets in a fixed-fee firmHow an acquired client list becomes a lead listWhy she turned off marketing spend on purposeWhere a firm that skips cloud and AI lands in three yearsConnect With Lera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerakooper/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Episode 3: Stop Managing Ghost Tasks

  3. Sep 16

    Episode 2: Delegate Authority, Not Tasks

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! Why Delegating Tasks Without Authority Keeps Firm Owners Stuck With Lera Kooper, COO and Owner of Proactive Advisory Group Define Good, Episode 2 of 5: Delegate Authority, Not Tasks What does it actually take to hand off a piece of your firm? In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, Luke Frye talks with Lera Kooper, COO and Owner of Proactive Advisory Group, about the gap between delegating tasks and delegating authority. Lera is based just outside Seattle with team members nationwide, and she treats her own workload the way she treats any inefficient system. She maps it, audits it, and redesigns the parts that don't hold up. Lera explains how handing over authority forced her to get specific about the result she wants instead of the path someone takes to get there. She describes why she documents processes as burnout prevention, how she separates "only I can do this" from "I've always done this," and what happens when the work you're best at is no longer the work worth your time. The conversation then moves into predictions. Lera agrees the profession has a talent shortage, and she argues the bigger problem is a shortage of firms people want to work for. She makes the case for scoping and billing upfront, building teams that move into advisory work faster, and staying remote capable by design. She also shares the habit she uses to protect her attention: no Reels, no TikTok, no YouTube Shorts. If you run a firm and you're still the bottleneck on work someone else could own, this episode gives you a practical place to start. What You'll Learn How Lera restructured her role by handing over authority, not just tasksWhy clarity about the result matters more than control over the pathHow documented SOPs prevent burnout instead of creating busyworkHow to tell "only I can do this" apart from "I've always done this"Why Lera calls the talent shortage real and misdiagnosed, and names the shortage of firms people want to join as the bigger problemWhy Lera made roughly six hires this year and still said no to three to five good candidates per roleWhy scoping and billing upfront protects client trust better than invoicing in arrearsWhy Lera stays off short-form video to keep her attention span intactConnect With Lera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerakooper/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Episode 2: Delegate Authority, Not Tasks

  4. Sep 9

    Episode 1: Treat AI Like a New Hire

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! Why Treating AI Like a New Hire Beats Chasing Every Tool Treat AI Like a New Hire (Define Good, Episode 1 of 5) With Lera Kooper, Owner and COO of Accountability Services Most AI conversations start with the tool. This one starts with the job description. In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, host Luke Frye, CPA, Accountant in Residence at Canopy, talks with Lera Kooper, owner and COO of Accountability Services, about the rule that keeps her firm's AI adoption grounded: onboard a new tool the same way you onboard a new person. Lera explains why she hands AI the tasks that require the least professional judgment first, how she sets expectations and weekly check-ins the way she would for any team member, and why a year spent documenting SOPs turned out to be the real prerequisite. She also gets candid about one rollout her firm paused, not because the tool underperformed, but because no one owned the standard for how to use it. Her words: "we haven't had the resources to go in and define good in our use of that type of tool." The conversation also covers what changes when bookkeepers and staff accountants spend more time in front of clients, where automation still stalls today, and how small firms can use their speed to close the efficiency gap with much larger ones. If you're deciding what to hand to AI next, or trying to work out why your last rollout stalled, this episode gives you a practical order of operations from someone running it inside a fast-growing firm. What You'll Learn Why Lera Kooper onboards a new AI tool the same way she onboards a new hireHow to sort which tasks belong with AI and which still need a personWhat "defining good" means, and why documented SOPs make AI easier to trustWhy an AI rollout without a clear champion ends up on pause instead of in productionHow AI meeting notes freed an admin to move into operations, workflow, and client experienceWhy her bookkeepers and staff accountants sit in front of clients more than they did three years agoWhat still has to happen with bank connections before bookkeeping is fully automatedHow small firms can close the efficiency gap with large firms, and where technology stops being the answerConnect With Lera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerakooper/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Episode 1: Treat AI Like a New Hire

  5. Aug 26

    Luke Frye on Why Tax Season Is the Best Time to Start a Firm

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, Luke Frye explains how he built his own tax practice to $500,000 in recurring revenue in a little over four years without raising a dollar. He walks through the math on a single S-Corp client, six touchpoints a year instead of one, and why the quarterly projection is the piece accountants undercharge for most. Luke also compares what he learned as the first accountant at Bench.co, where Facebook ads drove growth, with what he had to do on his own: chambers of commerce, BNI groups, and teaching classes at camera stores to reach photographers. He explains why he runs his sales pipeline in HubSpot with the same rigor his partner runs the client list, why he's a Deming guy about visualizing work, and why he thinks accounting firms should stop building their own software. The conversation closes on private equity and succession, and Luke's argument that you should decide how your partnership ends while you're still happy in it. If you're building a firm you actually want to own, this episode shows how recurring revenue comes together one touchpoint at a time. What You'll Learn Why Luke built his practice around single member LLCs and S corporations, the entity he calls "everyman's entity"How one S-Corp client turns into six touchpoints a year instead of oneWhy handing clients last year's safe harbor number undercharges for the answer they actually wantHow treating your sales pipeline like a client deliverable will double your salesWhy March 1st to April 15th is the best window to launch a new firm, when every other firm has stopped taking clientsWhat Luke burned through before year three clicked, including his savings and credit cardsHow automating proposals, e-signatures, payments, and invoices saves 40 hours a week for two monthsWhy "playing not to lose" costs firm owners more than the software they refuse to buyWhy you should decide how your partnership ends while you and your partner are still happyWhy Luke thinks firms should buy software instead of building it, and what maintenance really costsConnect With Luke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukefrye/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Luke Frye on Why Tax Season Is the Best Time to Start a Firm

  6. Aug 19

    Jonathan Medows on Why the Right Clients Find You

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! How Writing Built a Niche CPA Practice for Freelancers and the Self-Employed With Jonathan Medows, CPA, Founder and Managing Member of Medows CPA and Founder of CPA for Freelancers® Most accountants don't write. Jonathan Medows built a firm on it. In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, Jonathan Medows shares how he went from one client and a Craigslist ad in 2004 to a 15-person New York City firm serving freelancers, creatives, clergy, and independent professionals. The niche wasn't a plan. It came from paying attention to which clients he actually enjoyed serving, and where he added the most value. Jonathan explains why he writes constantly, how that content teaches him and his staff as much as it attracts clients, and why articles are showing up in AI-driven search results for the exact questions his ideal clients are asking. He also walks through the workflow he built to route returns by risk level, the culture of accountability he looks for when hiring, and why he'd rather let a client leave than fire them. The conversation closes with rapid fire advice: the deduction New York firms are too cautious about, why new business owners go backwards before they go forward, and the one habit every self-employed person needs. If you're building a firm around a specific type of client, or wondering whether content marketing is worth the time, this episode gives you a practical, unglamorous look at what it actually takes. What You'll Learn How Jonathan found his freelancer niche by tracking which clients he enjoyed mostWhy writing articles makes you a better technician, not just a better marketerHow consistent content builds domain authority and shows up in AI search resultsWhy you should hire a copy editor instead of trying to write everything yourselfHow to route tax returns by risk level so work lands at the right supervision tierWhy tiered pricing and services beat a one-size-fits-all offer for self-employed clientsHow to raise fees professionally so clients leave on their own instead of being firedWhat Jonathan looks for in new hires, and why he'll happily hire siblingsWhy the home office deduction is underused and travel and meals get firms auditedWhat to expect financially in your first years of self-employmentConnect With Jonathan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-medows-cpa-9729702/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Jonathan Medows on Why the Right Clients Find You

  7. Aug 5

    The Software Mistake That's Quietly Costing Your Clients Money

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! The Software Mistake That's Quietly Costing Your Clients Money With Alicia Katz Pollock, Owner of Royalwise What happens when a business owner thinks QuickBooks is easy enough to run on their own, and it isn't? In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, Alicia Katz Pollock, the "Queen of QuickBooks" and owner of Royalwise, breaks down the gap between what Intuit teaches and what firms actually need to know. She walks through the most common (and most expensive) QuickBooks mistake she sees, why certification only gets you to the fundamentals, and how she built a training business that goes far deeper than any 10-minute tutorial. The conversation covers how Royalwise evolved from in-person classes to a national training and coaching community, why firms are shifting from bookkeeping into advisory, and how AI-driven reporting tools are finally giving bookkeepers the data they need to have real advisory conversations. Alicia also makes the case for niching by client style or size, not just industry. Whether you're a bookkeeper looking to move into CAS, a firm owner deciding whether to train your clients or do everything for them, or someone who just wants to get more out of the software you're already paying for, this episode is packed with practical, real-world takeaways. What You'll Learn Why the banking feed and Undeposited Funds are where most QuickBooks errors start, and how they lead to duplicated income and overpaid taxesHow Royalwise grew from local, in-person classes into a national training and coaching businessWhy Intuit's official certification only teaches the fundamentals, and what a deeper, real-world curriculum addsHow custom-branded training portals let firms offer education as part of their service menu without building it themselvesWhy a niche doesn't have to be an industry, and how client style, size, or life stage can define your specialtyHow new AI-powered KPI boards and anomaly detection in QuickBooks Online Advanced are opening the door to advisory workWhat separates a pro advisor from someone who just knows which buttons to clickWhy hands-on practice, not just watching videos, is what actually builds confidence with the softwareConnect With Alicia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciakatzpollock Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    The Software Mistake That's Quietly Costing Your Clients Money

  8. Jul 22

    Jason Staats on What Firms Get Wrong About AI Security

    Send us your thoughts or what you want to hear more about! Why Firms Keep Falling for AI Hype, and How to Actually Use It Well With Jason Staats, Founder of Jason On Firms How does a firm separate real AI progress from another landing page dressed up as a breakthrough? In this episode of Canopy Practice Success, host Luke Frye sits down with Jason Staats, who ran a $5 million accounting firm before launching and selling a SaaS product and becoming one of the most trusted voices in accounting on AI strategy. Jason explains why validating new tools with peers beats trusting any coach, YouTuber, or vendor, and walks through the real security gap between consumer and business AI plans, including why redacting client data isn't the safety net most firms think it is. The conversation covers far more than tools. Jason and Luke dig into how firms can use AI to restore human touch points instead of replacing them, why cutting junior hires to lean on AI creates a talent pipeline problem down the road, and what the latest IRS guidance on AI in tax prep actually gets right. They also tackle capacity planning without toxic time tracking, why "protecting the client list" is the highest-leverage work an owner can do, and how PE, staffing shortages, and AI are reshaping the profession at the same time. Whether you're a partner deciding what to greenlight, a solo practitioner trying to learn without a team around you, or an operations manager trying to bring skeptical partners along, this episode offers a grounded, no-hype look at where AI actually helps and where it doesn't. What You'll Learn Why validating new AI tools and vendors with peers beats trusting coaches, influencers, or landing pagesHow consumer AI plans differ from business plans, and why that difference matters for client dataWhy redacting documents before uploading them to AI isn't a realistic firm-wide policyHow AI can restore client touch points that got cut during overcapacity, instead of replacing themWhy cutting junior hires to lean on AI creates a talent pipeline problem for the firm's futureHow to structure a weekly AI habit that builds a learning culture instead of a mandate people fakeWhy time tracking still matters for capacity planning, even if it's not used to police staffHow firms can protect and upgrade their client list instead of trying to serve everyoneConnect With Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/ Subscribe to Canopy Practice SuccessIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and follow Canopy Practice Success wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Jason Staats on What Firms Get Wrong About AI Security
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3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Have you wondered what it takes to thrive in the accounting industry? Or how the experts established their successful careers? Learn from industry experts with Canopy.  In each episode of the Practice Success Podcast, Canopy takes a deep dive with accounting professionals, exploring their career trajectory, extracting advice for firms, and discussing the latest trending topics.

Information

  • Creator
    Canopy
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Practice Success Podcast
  • Show Website
    Practice Success Podcast

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