The Accounting Leads Now Podcast

James Donovan
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Biweekly

The accounting industry has a growth problem. This podcast is the solution.The ALN Podcast is the premier show for firm owners and financial professionals who are serious about building something significant. Hosted by James Donovan, this is where the most successful operators in the industry stop gatekeeping and hand you exactly what's driving their growth.Every episode is built to be the most valuable 30-60 minutes of your week. Solo episodes deliver James's unfiltered analysis, field-tested frameworks, and the insights most people in this industry never get access to. Interview episodes go deep with elite firm owners, industry vendors, and the professionals quietly reshaping what modern accounting looks like, giving you a front-row seat to the conversations that used to happen behind closed doors.Lead generation. Client acquisition. Sales strategy. Pricing. Marketing that actually works. The real numbers behind fast-growing firms.If it moves the needle for ambitious accounting professionals, we cover it.This isn't background noise. This is the podcast you pause, rewind, and take notes on. Subscribe now and get an insider edge on the industry's most important conversations, before your competitors do. 

  1. 4d ago

    From One $600 Client to a $500K Tax Practice | Luke Frye

    His first year: one client paying $600. Five years later: a $500K tax practice, built in a city where he knew nobody. No referrals, no network, no warm introductions. Episode 93 features Luke Frye, CPA and Accountant in Residence at Canopy. Luke was the first accountant hired at Bench, became the first account executive at Pilot to break $40K in MRR, and has helped platforms like Bench, Pilot and Puzzle reach thousands of firm clients. Today he works directly with firm owners on overcapacity, underpricing and the missing systems that keep them stuck. What you will take away: 1. Why "leads are the seeds": how to set up a simple CRM with a lead list and a 3 to 5 stage pipeline, and why a deal should not exist until the prospect is qualified against your ICP. 2. The three-sentence monthly email to lawyers, bankers and insurance contacts that can turn into a steady stream of referrals, and why you have to treat growth as an active sport. 3. How to find the bottleneck in your firm with an 11x17 sheet of paper, a pencil, and a value stream map that starts from "filed and paid" and works backward. Luke also shares why he would go in knowing it takes five years, not five months, why he closed his biggest deal on New Year's Eve, why sales and operations need productive tension, and the question he asks every client: what do you want to be when you die? Eliminate, automate, delegate. Connect with Luke: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukefrye/ Canopy: https://www.getcanopy.com Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    From One $600 Client to a $500K Tax Practice | Luke Frye

  2. Sep 24

    The Company Moving 1% of US GDP Says Your Old Playbook Is Dead | Jonathan Leaf

    When a company moves about 1% of the country's GDP in a year, you would expect its revenue chief to lean on experience. Jonathan Leaf says the opposite: the old principles, old ways of working and old decision frameworks all need rethinking, starting with his own. Episode 92 features Jonathan Leaf, Chief Revenue Officer at BILL, the financial operations platform trusted by close to half a million businesses and more than 9,500 accounting firms. Jonathan owns BILL's entire global go-to-market organization: sales, marketing, customer success, support, revenue operations, enablement and partnerships. Before BILL he was Chief Revenue Officer at BambooHR, SVP of Commercial Sales at RingCentral, where he led a 600-plus person team supporting over $2 billion in annual recurring revenue, and a sales leader at AWS during the public cloud boom. What you will take away: 1. Why using AI to make old processes a little faster is "optimizing our past," and how to make bolder bets that redefine the work instead. 2. The unglamorous wins that matter most: an AI agent for W-9 creation that 175,000 BILL customers adopted almost immediately, and fraud prevention that has saved customers tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. 3. Why, in a world where everyone is trying to AI everything, showing up, shaking hands and building trust is still the thing that cannot be replaced. Jonathan also shares why he believes the fastest learner in the seat now beats the best domain expert, what the cloud migration era taught him about which companies pull ahead, why pricing for firms is shifting toward outcomes over hours, and why his team probably does not want to work for an agent. Thank you to BILL for supporting the Accounting Leads Now podcast. eliminate, automate, delegate. Connect with Jonathan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-leaf BILL: https://www.bill.com Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    The Company Moving 1% of US GDP Says Your Old Playbook Is Dead | Jonathan Leaf

  3. Sep 17

    She Lost $500K in Pre-Booked Revenue in 30 Days. Her Rebuild Made 5 Team Members Homeowners | Madeline Reeves

    Five women on one team became first-time homeowners. Not because of a bank, a nonprofit or a government program, but because their agency changed how it paid people. Episode 91 features Madeline Reeves, Founder and CEO of Fearless Foundry, a global collective of senior strategists, storytellers and creatives serving fintech, B2B SaaS, professional services and technology. Madeline spent her earlier career on the business development side at Intuit, Avalara and Fathom, where she was Fathom's first US employee, before building Fearless Foundry into a boutique brand and production firm now approaching its 10th anniversary. She also created Advisory Amplified, the only US tour dedicated entirely to advisory, running across six cities from September 22 to October 9. What you will take away: 1. Why your logo is not your brand, and how a generic five-page website and a name made of three last names quietly repels the clients you want. 2. The operating model shift that changed everything: paying every team member a percentage of project revenue instead of hourly, which let Fearless charge properly, reward quality over hours and share both wins and losses with the team. 3. How to spot the pitch that will burn you. If someone promises a full rebrand in two weeks or hundreds of leads, ask the only question that matters: are they good? Madeline also walks through the hardest stretch of her ten years, losing roughly half a million in pre-booked revenue in under 30 days in 2022 and letting go of half her team, and why that loss is the reason the business works the way it does now. She closes on the skill she believes will decide the next era for firms: relationships. Get out from behind the books and in front of people. James's sign-off still applies: eliminate, automate, delegate. Connect with Madeline: Website: https://www.fearlessfoundry.com Advisory Amplified tour: https://www.advisoryamplified.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelinekreeves  Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    She Lost $500K in Pre-Booked Revenue in 30 Days. Her Rebuild Made 5 Team Members Homeowners | Madeline Reeves

  4. Sep 10

    How Karen Reyburn Fired 15 People to Save Her Own Agency

    You built the team. Delegated everything. Followed all the advice. And somehow you're more miserable than when you started. Episode #90: Karen Reyburn built a marketing agency for accountants up to 21 full-time employees. Then she cut it down to six. Not because business was bad. Because she was sacrificing her health, her finances, and her own goals to keep everyone else happy. In this episode, Karen walks through the exact moment she realized the team wasn't the problem, she was. The leading indicators she ignored for years. And why she now believes "20 seconds of courage" is the difference between staying stuck and actually changing your business. You'll walk away with: The profit trends most firm owners never checkHow to spot resentment before it wrecks your businessWhy living out your real goal (even something as specific as buying a house on an island) can rebuild your entire pricing modelSend us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    How Karen Reyburn Fired 15 People to Save Her Own Agency

  5. Sep 3

    30+ Acquisitions, a $10M Budget, and Zero Marketing Strategy | Mike Payne

    What if your firm never ran a single ad, never sent a cold email, never hired a marketing agency, and still grew fast enough to expand across multiple states? Episode 89 features Mike Payne, Chief Growth Officer at Haga Kommer, Ltd. and founder of BOSS Advisors, the first Arizona firm approved as an Alternative Business Structure. Mike is a lawyer and a CPA who ignored every colleague who told him to wear one hat, built a CPA firm and a law firm side by side, then sold to a group doing 30+ acquisitions with a $10M annual acquisition budget. Today he leads growth for a platform that delivers CPA, legal, wealth management, banking and insurance under one roof. What you will learn in this episode: - Why "we will refer that out" quietly costs firms their most trusted client relationship, and what the one-roof model changes - How Haga Kommer grows through acquisition plus mining the relationships already sitting under their feet, no ad spend required - The "three C's" of accountability (curious, confused, concerned) for getting a team to actually follow the process - Why you should sell the result and never the how, and how that ends the fear of giving away free advice - The advice Mike ignored for years, and what it cost him before he reset If you are a firm owner who keeps referring work out, or one who is winning on referrals but has no repeatable growth engine, this one is for you. Connect with Mike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpaynejdcpa Website: https://themikepayne.com Firm: https://hagakommer.com Also: if you run a $1M to $2M CPA firm and want to hear about joining a multidisciplinary group, Mike is actively looking. Reach out to him directly. Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    30+ Acquisitions, a $10M Budget, and Zero Marketing Strategy | Mike Payne

  6. Aug 27

    The AI Math Every Firm Owner Is Getting Wrong | With Blake Oliver

    Most firm owners calculate the ROI of AI in hours saved. Blake Oliver says that math is exactly why the savings never show up in the bank account. Episode 88 features Blake Oliver, CPA, founder and CEO of Earmark and co-host of The Accounting Podcast, the most popular show for accountants and bookkeepers in the world. Blake started as a cello major, talked his way into a bookkeeping job during the Great Recession, became one of the first Xero partners in the United States, sold his firm Cloud Sourced Accounting in 2015, and has been named to CPA Practice Advisor's 40 Under 40 twice and Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People. Three takeaways: 1. Time saved is not money earned. Speeding up prep while client document collection and partner review stay clogged just moves the bottleneck. Fix the constraint, not the easy part. 2. Great marketing exposes every weakness behind it. If a firm has no documented processes and no spare capacity, more leads can make the firm worse, not better. 3. Raise your prices before you change anything else. Price creates the margin, margin creates capacity, and capacity is what lets you actually serve the clients you keep. Blake also gets honest about burning out at $1M, why he wishes he had held on, and the day two friends died and he started logging off at 3PM and got sharper, not slower. Connect with Blake: Blog and newsletter: https://blakeoliver.com LinkedIn: Blake Oliver CPA The Accounting Podcast: on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube Free CPE app: https://earmark.app Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    The AI Math Every Firm Owner Is Getting Wrong | With Blake Oliver

  7. Aug 20

    The Banker Behind 500 Accounting Firm Acquisitions Says Buyers Get This Wrong | Shannon Hay

    He has closed over 500 accounting firm acquisitions. Not 50, but 500. He knows exactly which deals fall apart and why. Episode 87 features Shannon Hay, Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending at United Midwest Savings Bank, where he leads SBA and commercial lending for accounting and tax firms nationwide. Over 30 years in commercial lending, with stops at Bank of America and Live Oak Bank, and nearly $500 million in accounting and tax firm transactions behind him. In this conversation Shannon explains why the SBA 7(a) program lets an existing firm owner buy another firm with no money down, what actually kills a deal before closing, and the tax advice that makes accountants wince: if you plan to sell in the next three to five years, stop mitigating so hard and start dropping income to the bottom line, because margin drives value and banks lend on the last three years of returns. He also breaks down why it is still a seller's market, what buyers get wrong in the letter of intent, how private equity consolidation is changing the lower market, and why his philosophy is education first, sales second, including the trade show he called a waste of time that turned into a $3 million loan three years later. His number one action item: never stop learning, and never stop teaching. Connect with Shannon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-hay-accounting-tax-leader X: @shaysba Email: shay@umwsb.com Cell: 614-648-9199 United Midwest Savings Bank: https://umwsb.com/about/experience/shannon-hay Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    The Banker Behind 500 Accounting Firm Acquisitions Says Buyers Get This Wrong | Shannon Hay

  8. Aug 13

    The Fix for a Firm That Eats Your Whole Life? Charge More, Serve Fewer | Marit Burmood

    Most firm owners think the problem is the market. Sometimes the problem is that you do not believe the number you are about to say out loud. Episode 86 features Marit Burmood, CPA, EA, MTax, owner of Flair Financial LLC in Salt Lake City. She holds a master's in taxation from Weber State, was named a 2026 Top U.S. Tax Advisor by Insightful Accountant, speaks at GrowCon and AICPA Engage, and writes for OnPay. She also tripled her firm's revenue in eight months, and not by finding a better niche or hiring a sales team. In this conversation Marit explains how imposter syndrome quietly set her pricing for years, why she chased an EA and then a CPA hoping credentials would finally make clients respect her advice, and the mindset shift that changed everything: raise your prices so you need fewer clients, which buys back the time you thought building a firm would cost you. She breaks down how to price the intangible value you are already giving away for free, why you should test a new price on your least favorite client first, and how she got to the point where she can say her range out loud without wanting to barf. Then it turns to marketing. Marit shares the advice she got from a seven-figure firm owner at GrowCon about niching plus showing up at industry events, why visibility beats credentials, and the line every firm owner needs to hear: making a social media post is not marketing. James adds the Nine Two Media side of raising prices, why the best kept secret in town never gets the phone call, and why the firms you dislike are winning on visibility alone. Her number one action item: block half a day every single week for your own firm and your own growth. She blocked every Friday and calls it the best decision she has made. Connect with Marit: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marit-burmood Instagram: @the_extroverted_accountant Send us Fan Mail Tired of referrals that only show up during tax season? Most firm owners are one slow quarter away from panic. We fix that. We help accounting and bookkeeping firm owners build predictable client acquisition systems using paid advertising, so qualified prospects are coming to you year-round, not just when it's convenient for them. Book a free strategy call > accountingleadsnow.com We'll look at your firm specifically and map out exactly what it would take to build a pipeline that doesn't go quiet in July. Grab my book, Booked Solid > Get your copy here The digital marketing playbook built specifically for accounting firms. No theory. Just what works. Join our Skool community - 7 days free  > Join here Get access to the exact systems we implement for our clients. Frameworks, templates, and a community of firm owners doing the work.

    The Fix for a Firm That Eats Your Whole Life? Charge More, Serve Fewer | Marit Burmood
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About

The accounting industry has a growth problem. This podcast is the solution.The ALN Podcast is the premier show for firm owners and financial professionals who are serious about building something significant. Hosted by James Donovan, this is where the most successful operators in the industry stop gatekeeping and hand you exactly what's driving their growth.Every episode is built to be the most valuable 30-60 minutes of your week. Solo episodes deliver James's unfiltered analysis, field-tested frameworks, and the insights most people in this industry never get access to. Interview episodes go deep with elite firm owners, industry vendors, and the professionals quietly reshaping what modern accounting looks like, giving you a front-row seat to the conversations that used to happen behind closed doors.Lead generation. Client acquisition. Sales strategy. Pricing. Marketing that actually works. The real numbers behind fast-growing firms.If it moves the needle for ambitious accounting professionals, we cover it.This isn't background noise. This is the podcast you pause, rewind, and take notes on. Subscribe now and get an insider edge on the industry's most important conversations, before your competitors do. 

Information

  • Creator
    James Donovan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Accounting Leads Now Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Accounting Leads Now Podcast

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