The DM Disruption Podcast with Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE

Dawn Brolin

Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE, and The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals hosts The DM Disruption podcast. She talks to changemakers and motivators in the accounting profession to get their insights on strategy, success and self-motivation in addition to motivating other professionals to achieve more in their practice and personal and professional lives.

  1. Matthew Cohen from Nine Toe Five Joins Dawn!

    23/11/2022

    Matthew Cohen from Nine Toe Five Joins Dawn!

    This episode is sponsored by Bookkeep. Learn more at https://www.bookkeep.com/   Matthew Cohen, Founder of Nine Toe Five, joins Dawn! In this episode, Matthew shares his difficult beginnings as an entrepreneur, how he built his sock business to inspire others, and how he plans to use this success to build a platform that motivates his community.   Listen now to learn how Matthew plans to grow his business, and what advice he would give to prospective entrepreneurs!     Matthew's Beginnings Matthew starts his conversation with Dawn by sharing how he got his start in business. Matt says that he began in college as an engineering major, but quickly learned it wasn’t for him. He graduated in 2017 with a business degree, and knew he wanted to start his own business, but wasn’t quite sure how to start. Having started a few businesses prior, Matt knew the basics of what he needed to get started but wanted to create something that would inspire people and help them achieve things they thought were impossible.     How Matthew Got His Start Matthew talks about a few of his other businesses and how he worked in software engineering and real estate before he started Nine Toe Five. He says he began to read books that helped influence his career path and started to make a change in his life after reading the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. He was fascinated by the idea of being able to work from anywhere, and he said he did not want to follow the traditional 40-hour workweek.     What’s in Store for Nine Toe Five Matthew says that all of the designs for the socks are drawn by his friend from junior high school. Matthew says that they plan on scaling the retail side of their business, but also shares that he wants to take his business in a different direction. He would like also to become a motivational speaker to help people achieve their dreams. He also would like to develop a community where people can connect and receive help from one another.   Matthew also shared that he would like to expand his business to offer custom jackets, t-shirts, and more additional apparel.     How Matthew Finds His Motivation Matthew shares that he has an amazing group of friends and family who encourage and support him. He says he does not find motivation in one person, but rather in everyone around him. He also highlights how his wife, Sara, is a huge supporter of his business and has helped him achieve great success.   Matthew also adds that new business owners should seek out a mentor. This can be a tremendous help to your business and can save you from making small mistakes that could cost you time and money in the long run.     Check out Nine Toe Five Socks! https://ninetoefive.com/     Follow Dawn Brolin!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDesignatedMotivator  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDesignatedM1  Dawn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnbrolin  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnbrolin/  Subscribe to Dawn on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1-…  Check our her Website – https://www.dawnbrolin.com/

    27 min
  2. Paul Hamann from RC Reports Joins Dawn!

    11/11/2022

    Paul Hamann from RC Reports Joins Dawn!

    This episode is sponsored by Canopy. Learn more at https://www.getcanopy.com/ Paul Hamann, the founder of RC Reports, joins Dawn to talk in-depth about reasonable compensation and how his business can help firms present accurate reasonable compensation figures to their clients. Listen now to learn why Paul started RC Reports, the consequences of incorrect reporting, and how RC Reports can be an educational resource for you and your firm!   Episode Notes RC Reports and their “Entity Planner” Paul Hamann is the founder of RC Reports, a service that allows firms to give their clients reasonable compensation figures. Paul shares that he developed RC Reports because he struggled to find an efficient and accurate way to determine reasonable compensation, and wanted to solve the pain point for himself. Paul then sought to develop a solution for this problem and launched RC Reports in 2012 Dawn and Paul talk about RC Reports and their “entity planner”; a tool that practitioners can use to offer trusted advisor services. Dawn shares that she recently used this tool to discern whether or not one of her clients should classify their business as an S-Corp.   Consequences for Ignoring Reasonable Compensation Paul also shares that when businesses get audited, they may be asked to prove how they achieved their reasonable compensation figures, especially if the IRS has flagged the amount you reported as above or below average. Paul also shared that the IRS just introduced the Compliance Initiative Project, which was formed specifically to check S-Corps and their reasonable compensation.  It’s also important for the practitioners to remain compliant, and Paul talks about the penalties firms can receive if they don’t. Paul shares a frightening story about a practitioner who was fined $130,000 in paid preparer penalties due to reasonable compensation errors.  Paul reiterates how important it is to properly determine reasonable compensation, and if your number was pulled out of thin air, it makes it much more difficult to prove and fight for.   Education Offerings from RC Reports Paul also shares that RC Reports offers a wide range of education to help firms and practitioners understand reasonable compensation better. He shares that their core class is a two-hour deep dive into the basics of reasonable compensation, and helps to resolve many of the main points practitioners are struggling with.  He also shares that they dive into fact vs myth, and that many practitioners believe incorrect information that could be hurting them and their clients.    What Next Steps Should Firms Take? Paul says that reasonable compensation should be revisited once a year. If an audit comes your way, you will be able to give the IRS a recent and accurate report of how you determined reasonable compensation for your client.    Learn more about RC Reports! Visit their website: https://rcreports.com/ Check out their classes: https://rcreports.com/classes/   Follow Dawn Brolin!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDesignatedMotivator  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDesignatedM1  Dawn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnbrolin  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnbrolin/  Subscribe to Dawn on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1-…  Check our her Website – https://www.dawnbrolin.com/

    33 min
  3. Chris Farrell and Alison Ball from Liscio Join Dawn!

    03/11/2022

    Chris Farrell and Alison Ball from Liscio Join Dawn!

    This episode is sponsored by Liscio. Learn more at https://liscio.me/ Liscio joins the DM Disruption! Join Dawn as she chats with Chris Farrell, the CEO of Liscio, and Alison Ball, the Director of Marketing and Influencer Strategy at Liscio.  In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of maintaining proper cyber security in your firm, how Liscio can be the sole communication hub for your clients, and what new features are being released soon! Listen now to learn why Dawn uses Liscio in her firm, and how their software can save both you and your client time!      Why Security Needs to be Automatic Chris, Alison, and Dawn start their conversation by noting how important it is to keep your firm’s data secure. Alison notes that many cyber attacks are now hitting smaller firms and that it’s crucial that everyone practices proper security measures.  Chris notes that many firms leave clients’ EIN or Social Security numbers in their inboxes, and that can lead to a leak of your client’s data. Alison adds that implementing security measures needs to be automatic; if it’s too hard to put into practice or too inconvenient people will not do it.     How Liscio Keeps Communication Clear Dawn expresses her admiration for Lisicio and says she loves how all of your client’s data can be found in one place. Not only that, but in case she is out of the office, her team members can easily access each client's string of data without needing her to forward any emails or text messages. Dawn even shares a story about how much time she saved by adding all of her clients to the Liscio app.  Chris joins in and says he wanted to create Liscio for every sized firm. They don’t charge by the client, they are fairly priced, and they are easily accessible for clients and firm owners.     Why You Should Separate Your CRM from Your Project Management Software Alison also notes that having all your clients on a separate CRM platform can be very beneficial. It can take a long time to get all your clients to start using certain software, and having to switch them to a new application can take even more time. If you utilize Liscio, you can change your project management software as often as you like without disrupting your client's relationship.     How Liscio Can Save You Time Chris talks about how Liscio can save you time, especially while you are on vacation. Many practitioners find it difficult to turn their email off during vacation because they need to forward certain clients' information to their team members. With Liscio, all of your team members have access to each client's data, which allows them to access any information they need without emailing for support. Dawn says she appreciates how Liscio functions like "texting" but she doesn't have to give her clients her personal phone number. She appreciates the ability to be able to close the app when she is out of the office, and it saves her time from answering "quick questions" when she takes time off.   Learn more about Liscio : https://liscio.me/   Follow Dawn Brolin!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDesignatedMotivator  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDesignatedM1  Dawn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnbrolin  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnbrolin/  Subscribe to Dawn on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1-…  Check our her Website – https://www.dawnbrolin.com/

    47 min

About

Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE, and The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals hosts The DM Disruption podcast. She talks to changemakers and motivators in the accounting profession to get their insights on strategy, success and self-motivation in addition to motivating other professionals to achieve more in their practice and personal and professional lives.