CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success

James Donovan
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success, the ultimate podcast for Fractional CFOs and Accounting Firm owners who are eager to land more high-paying clients and elevate their businesses to new heights. Hosted by James Donovan from Nine Two Media, we specialize in helping financial professionals achieve their goals through innovative and effective marketing strategies. In each episode, we dive deep into the world of finance and marketing, interviewing industry leaders who share their insider secrets and success stories. You'll gain access to unique marketing tactics specifically designed for Fractional CFOs and Accounting Firms, covering everything from lead generation and client acquisition to branding and digital presence. Whether you're looking to refine your marketing approach or seeking inspiration from top financial experts, CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success is your go-to resource for actionable insights and proven strategies. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind thriving financial practices and help you unlock the full potential of your business. Tune in and transform the way you attract and retain clients, one episode at a time.

  1. You’re Losing Clients in Every Meeting and Don’t Know It - With Jordan Vickery

    2D AGO

    You’re Losing Clients in Every Meeting and Don’t Know It - With Jordan Vickery

    Most firms treat meetings like a checkbox. Talk. Wrap. Move on. But what if the way you run and follow up on meetings is quietly costing you hours each week and revenue you don’t realize you’re losing? Jordan Vickery, co-founder of Vinyl, joins the show to reveal how firms are reclaiming 30-40 minutes per meeting, identifying hidden sales opportunities, and coaching their teams using nothing but meeting transcripts. If you’ve ever felt buried in post-call admin, or suspect your team is missing the mark in QBRs and sales convos… this episode might change the way you work. What you’ll learn: • How to turn every client call into marketing and sales data • The “silent killer” in advisory meetings and how to catch it • Why most post-call workflows are broken • How top firms are automating 90% of their follow-up 🔗 Learn more: usevinyl.com 💬 Connect with Jordan: LinkedIn Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    34 min
  2. The Anti-Hourly Firm Model That Clients Actually Prefer - With Dylan Fabbi

    DEC 18

    The Anti-Hourly Firm Model That Clients Actually Prefer - With Dylan Fabbi

    Hourly billing isn’t just outdated, it’s blocking your growth. In this episode, Dylan from Fabbi breaks down how his firm ditched time-based pricing, scaled past 500 clients, and became the go-to financial team for business owners who want more than just “books and taxes.” You’ll learn: Why hourly billing kills service quality and client retentionThe tech + team system that allows his firm to run 200+ WhatsApp support threadsHow Fabbi replaced Facebook ad flops with a smarter, higher-converting client funnelReal-world tax strategies saving clients $25K+ annuallyThe mindset shift that helped Dylan stop doing “cheap accounting” and build a scalable, premium service firm🔗 Connect with Dylan: 📍LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moshe-fabbi-11013a162/ 🌐 Website: https://www.fabbi.co/ Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    37 min
  3. The Business Model You’re Using Is Outdated (Here's How to Fix It) - with Michael Ly

    DEC 11

    The Business Model You’re Using Is Outdated (Here's How to Fix It) - with Michael Ly

    Still billing by the hour and afraid to raise prices? That’s exactly why you’re stuck. Michael Ly, founder of Reconciled, joins CFO Chronicles to dismantle outdated firm models and share the mindset shifts that helped him scale a nationally recognized cloud accounting firm. From team turnover to pricing psychology, Michael opens up about the real work it takes to grow and why value-based pricing isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the future. In this episode: ✅ Why hourly billing traps you in low-value work ✅ How to confidently raise prices (even for legacy clients) ✅ The 90-day review process Michael uses to grow recurring revenue ✅ The most overlooked threat to firm culture during rapid growth ✅ What AI won’t replace and how to double down on it If you’re tired of being underpaid and overworked, this episode will shift your perspective and give you the steps to fix it. 📍 Connect with Michael Ly 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelly Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    37 min
  4. Why So Many Accountants Are Broke by December, Even the Good Ones - With Tony Proctor

    DEC 4

    Why So Many Accountants Are Broke by December, Even the Good Ones - With Tony Proctor

    Why are so many firm owners flat broke in Q4, even after six-figure tax seasons? Tony Proctor’s been running a firm for 20 years, and he’s seen it all: tax pros who bleed cash every December, clients who push for fraud, and practitioners who won’t raise prices because they’re scared to lose “friend” clients. In this episode: Why Proctor fired a paying client (and what it cost him)What he really thinks about Profit First (it’s not what you expect)The cash flow trap that keeps firms broke after tax seasonHow to stop being the “best-kept secret” in your cityThe biggest marketing lie most accountants still believeIf you’ve ever said, “We make good money but I don’t know where it all goes,” this one’s a must-listen. 📍 Connect with Tony Proctor Website: https://www.proctortaxprep.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyproctor/Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    38 min
  5. You Don’t Need More Leads, You Need Better Conversations- With Kwame Agyei

    NOV 27

    You Don’t Need More Leads, You Need Better Conversations- With Kwame Agyei

    Most accounting firms are burning cash on cold leads and broken outreach funnels, but what if that’s not your real growth problem? In this episode, I sit down with Kwame Agyei, founder of Appoynt, to reveal what actually scales firm growth: community, relationships, and real conversations. Kwame´s built a global team across Africa and shares how showing up in person has done more for growth than any automation ever could. We talk about: Why cold outreach flopped (and what to do instead)The underrated power of in-person networkingHow US firms can tap top-tier talent from Ghana (and why it works)The mindset shift from operator to builderWhy your first hire overseas is more about culture fit than costThis isn’t about theory, it’s what’s working now for firms trying to scale lean and smart. Connect with Kwame on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-agyei-b3ab1333/ Learn more about Appoynt: https://www.appoynt.co.uk/ Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    40 min
  6. Your Bookkeeping Isn’t Broken. Your Strategy Is - With Cameron Williams

    NOV 20

    Your Bookkeeping Isn’t Broken. Your Strategy Is - With Cameron Williams

    Most firm owners stay stuck under $10K/month because they think “good work” is enough. It’s not. Cameron Williams got fired while expecting his first child. Since then, he’s built KynLi Consulting, helped clients save $2M+ in taxes, and built a lean CFO firm with a 7-person team. In this episode, he breaks down the real steps that helped him scale, without relying on referrals, ads, or undercharging. We talk: Why bookkeeping alone is a race to the bottomThe mindset shift that helped him raise prices and set boundariesThe #1 mistake accountants make trying to “do marketing”How touchpoints and trust-building are key to scaling a firmWhat most fractional CFOs misunderstand about sales👉 If you want clients who stay, pay well, and refer others, don’t skip this one. Cameron shares what’s working right now and what wasted his time. 🔗 Connect with Cameron Williams: Website: www.kynliconsulting.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronwilliams11/ Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    36 min
  7. Still Billing by the Hour? It’s Why You Can’t Scale - With Debra Kilsheimer

    NOV 13

    Still Billing by the Hour? It’s Why You Can’t Scale - With Debra Kilsheimer

    Most accountants are losing business and don’t even realize it. In this episode, we break down the 3 silent killers that are costing firms revenue, retention, and referrals, starting with outdated pricing models and ending with what your clients actually care about (hint: it’s not your reconciliations). Debra Kilsheimer joins to share what actually drives client loyalty, why she ditched hourly billing decades ago, and how she built her firm "Behind the Scenes Accounting" that runs on relationships, not reports. You’ll learn: The 3 questions that close high-value clients fastWhy your financial reports are being ignoredThe hidden price of sticking to “industry best practices”How small touches (like a handwritten note or birthday call) get remembered longer than your year-end package📲 Want to connect with Debra? Reach out on LinkedIn or email her at debra@bsfaccounting.com. This one will have you rethinking everything from pricing to client retention. Hit play now. Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    42 min
  8. Get a Flood of Inbound Leads with Zero Cold Outreach

    NOV 6

    Get a Flood of Inbound Leads with Zero Cold Outreach

    You’re not invisible. You’re just not on Google. In this special workshop episode, you'll learn the exact strategy that's generated: $125K of new revenue in 49 days (Shaun)113 inbound calls in 16 days (Shalini)$83K in five months (Justin)If you’re tired of referrals drying up or watching competitors win business that should be yours, this is your blueprint. You’ll learn: How to rank at the top of Google MapsWhy most Google Business Profiles never generate leadsA 7-day checklist to turn your listings into a lead magnetHow to get high-intent calls without blowing money on PPC⚠️ 76% of people who search for a local service visit or contact that business within 24 hours. If you’re not there, someone else is. 📲 Want help setting this up or want us to do it for you? Book a free strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com ➕ Connect with us on LinkedIn and follow the show for more tactical episodes like this. Send us a text Don’t miss out! Subscribe, rate, and review CFO Chronicles to help others discover these insights. Ready to transform your growth strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and book your strategy call at accountingleadsnow.com to position yourself as the advisor clients truly need. Ready to turn your firm into a lead-generating, profit-driving machine? We help Bookkeepers, Accountants & Fractional CFOs generate consistent local leads, book perfect-fit appointments, and close premium clients, without cold outreach or ad guesswork. Let’s map out your growth plan together → Book your free strategy call

    59 min
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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success, the ultimate podcast for Fractional CFOs and Accounting Firm owners who are eager to land more high-paying clients and elevate their businesses to new heights. Hosted by James Donovan from Nine Two Media, we specialize in helping financial professionals achieve their goals through innovative and effective marketing strategies. In each episode, we dive deep into the world of finance and marketing, interviewing industry leaders who share their insider secrets and success stories. You'll gain access to unique marketing tactics specifically designed for Fractional CFOs and Accounting Firms, covering everything from lead generation and client acquisition to branding and digital presence. Whether you're looking to refine your marketing approach or seeking inspiration from top financial experts, CFO Chronicles: The Secrets Behind Success is your go-to resource for actionable insights and proven strategies. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind thriving financial practices and help you unlock the full potential of your business. Tune in and transform the way you attract and retain clients, one episode at a time.

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