The Fun CPA Podcast

Yuri Kapilovich, CPA
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

It is no secret that the accounting profession needs a fresh perspective after years of status quo.The Fun CPA podcast aims to bring exactly that. Fun, refreshing and unique perspective on a profession that needs it the most. The conversations I will bring to you will bring you and your firm value. We discuss pricing, firm management, technology, social media and mental health. The guests on the show range from small accounting firm owners to big firm partners to incredible mental health coaches to our profession and much much more. Give it a listen, the fresh perspective you been waiting on is here!

  1. 1d ago

    How She Schedules Her Tax Prep

    What if April 15 was just another day at your CPA firm? After years of overwhelming tax seasons, too many clients, and inefficient processes, Brenda Cannon decided something had to change. At one point, 105 clients submitted their tax documents on the same day, leaving her firm buried in work and Brenda questioning how much longer she could keep doing things the same way. Brenda joins Yuri Kapilovich on The Fun CPA Podcast to share how she completely changed the way her firm operated. From letting go of roughly 500 clients and raising fees to implementing a tax preparation scheduling system, she found a way to make tax season manageable without sacrificing her weekends. They also get into choosing the right practice management software, setting boundaries with clients, and the lessons Brenda learned when she eventually sold her firm after 15 years of ownership. For firm owners who feel like they're constantly playing catch-up, Brenda's experience offers a different way to think about running a CPA practice.   Episode Highlights:   0:00 - Intro 1:08 - Meet Brenda Cannon 2:21 - The breaking point that changed everything 5:32 - Lessons from building a firm to 1,500 clients 8:26 - Raising fees and letting go of 500 clients 11:51 - How to identify clients who aren't a good fit 17:24 - How scheduling tax prep transformed tax season 19:33 - Choosing the right practice management software 23:35 - Getting clients to submit documents on time 27:45 - Making tax preparation scheduling work 34:40 - Scheduling business and individual returns 37:35 - Lessons from selling a CPA firm 42:26 - What makes a firm more valuable to buyers 45:05 - Life after selling the firm 51:35 - Episode wrap-up     ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH   Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/   Website: https://thefuncpa.beehiiv.com/     CONNECT WITH BRENDA CANNON   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-cannon-cpa-223a10273/   Website: https://bcannoncpa.com/

    How She Schedules Her Tax Prep

  2. Oct 14

    How To Implement AI In Your Firm Today

    AI isn’t a tool. It’s a lifestyle.  Jan Haugo, AI architect and founder of SmartAccountant.ai, joins Yuri to break down how accountants can start using AI safely and practically, without getting lost in the hype.  Jan shares her path from earning her accounting degree as a single mom to running a cloud-based CAS practice long before the cloud was the norm, and how she kept client relationships strong while taking her firm virtual.  They dig into Jan’s green, yellow, red method for deciding what data is safe to put into AI, the difference between free, paid, and enterprise tools like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, and what SOC 2 compliance really tells you about a vendor. Jan also walks through her RCRQ prompting framework and how to keep AI from simply telling you what you want to hear.  The conversation also explores why firms should build AI workflows instead of asking one-off questions, how recording yourself can turn into ready-made SOPs, why solo firms may benefit from AI the most, and where the accounting profession is headed as transactional work disappears.    Episode Highlights:    0:00 - Why AI is the hottest topic in accounting  1:33 - Meet Jan Haugo  2:16 - Earning an accounting degree as a single mom  3:01 - Leaving a CPA firm to start her own practice  4:41 - What sparked Jan’s interest in technology  6:54 - Growing to 150 clients with a five-person team  8:12 - Going cloud-based before it was popular  9:42 - Keeping client relationships during a virtual transition  11:18 - How to start using AI if you’ve been afraid of it  14:16 - AI security concerns for accountants  15:11 - The green, yellow, red method for client data  17:37 - Free vs. paid AI and staying inside the enterprise bubble  20:05 - What SOC 2 compliance really means  24:18 - What firm owners get wrong about AI  26:38 - The RCRQ prompting framework  30:14 - How to stop AI from telling you what you want to hear  33:51 - Building AI workflows instead of one-off questions  35:31 - Deciding if a task is for AI or your “OG brain”  38:53 - Inside Jan’s WorkflowCon sessions  41:31 - Recording yourself to create SOPs  45:23 - Why a firm of one still needs SOPs  48:42 - Using AI to run a lifestyle firm  51:25 - Deciding whether to buy or build AI tools  54:33 - How to vet AI vendors and products  56:54 - The future of the accounting profession  1:01:22 - Where to connect with Jan  1:03:17 - Jan’s “Read Anything in 10 Minutes” custom GPT  1:04:33 - Closing thoughts    SPONSOR Today's episode sponsor is Financial Cents bringing you an amazing 2 day free online CPE event. Sign up here:  https://workflowcon.com/?utm_campaign=28894380-WorkflowCon%202026&utm_source=TheFunCPA-YuriKapilovich&utm_medium=social   ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH    Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/    Website: https://www.thefuncpa.co/      CONNECT WITH JAN HAUGO    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janhaugo/    Website: https://www.smartaccountant.ai/

  3. Oct 6

    The Automations He Uses Will Blow Your Mind

    The right tech stack can help a small firm serve more clients with fewer people.  AJ Zepeda joins Yuri to share how he went from small business accounting, big firms, and a COO role to co-founding Maverick CPA, a three-partner firm based in East Texas.  AJ explains why he wanted the freedom to make decisions without red tape, how his partners keep him from implementing too many tools too fast, and why Maverick started on budget-friendly software before moving to Karbon once cash flow and team size made sense.  They also break down Maverick’s full tech stack, including Karbon, StanfordTax, Ping, Quo, ProConnect, Anchor, Notion, Slack, Make, and Claude. AJ shares how these tools connect so that documents, phone calls, meeting notes, and workflow updates move through the firm with little manual effort.  The conversation also explores why AJ would rather build a $2–3 million firm than a massive one, his plans to niche into construction and law firms, and how he’s using podcasting and content as AJ the Accountant to help other firm owners grow.    Episode Highlights:    0:00 - Introduction and AJ’s background  2:26 - Living in East Texas and local insights  3:12 - AJ’s experience at big and small firms  4:10 - Deciding to start Maverick CPA  5:30 - Initial tech stack and budget considerations  8:07 - Tech choices at startup and scaling  11:18 - Switching from initial to more advanced tools  12:00 - Deep dive into StanfordTax and Karbon integration  14:02 - Using Ping and Quo for communication and phone  16:09 - Integrating phone calls and meeting notes  19:25 - Full tech stack overview and automation  21:40 - Workflow management and client tracking  23:03 - ProConnect and client process automation  25:16 - Tech frustrations and future improvements  28:50 - Firm growth goals and scaling strategy  32:10 - Marketing, niching, and podcasting  37:08 - AJ’s personal brand and social media  39:41 - Closing thoughts and future plans    SPONSOR Today's episode sponsor is Ping Assistant, a note taker made for accountants, so go check them out here: https://www.pingassistant.com/   ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH    Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/    Website: https://www.thefuncpa.co/      CONNECT WITH AJ ZEPEDA    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajtheaccountant/  Website: AJaccountant.com

    The Automations He Uses Will Blow Your Mind

  4. Sep 30

    He Launched A Firm With No Public Accounting Experience

    You may never feel completely ready to start your own firm. Nick Vernon joins Yuri to share how he left a successful career as a controller and launched a tax firm without any public accounting experience. Nick explains how he built confidence one return at a time, learned to separate a healthy challenge from work he wasn’t prepared to handle, and used savings and contract work to make the transition less risky. They also break down the technology behind Nick’s solo firm, including TaxDome, StanfordTax, Drake, and Claude. Nick shares how these tools help him collect documents, research tax questions, communicate with clients, and operate without an administrative employee. The conversation also explores the tradeoffs between scaling and staying small, why freedom requires discipline, and how to build a firm around the life you actually want.   Episode Highlights:   0:00 - Using AI and automation in a tax firm 1:07 - Meet Nick Vernon 3:10 - Starting a firm without public accounting experience 5:45 - Learning tax without knowing every rule 7:16 - Knowing which clients and returns to decline 11:30 - What gave Nick the confidence to leave his job 16:04 - Deciding when it was finally time to quit 18:53 - Using contract work to ease the transition 20:40 - Nick’s technology stack 24:22 - TaxDome versus StanfordTax organizers 34:01 - Walking away from the golden handcuffs 35:00 - Creating a financial runway before leaving 36:44 - Why freedom requires structure and discipline 39:58 - Competing with bad tax advice online 45:38 - Scaling a firm versus staying intentionally small 50:14 - Building the firm you actually want 53:22 - How networking can shape your business 54:50 - Where to connect with Nick 56:18 - Closing thoughts  SPONSORS Today's episode is sponsored by StanfordTax: Helping you manage tax document collection in the smoothest way possible.  Go check them out: https://stanfordtax.com/     ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH   Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/   Website: https://thefuncpa.beehiiv.com/     CONNECT WITH NICHOLAS VERNON   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-vernon-cpa-mba-0281b734/

    He Launched A Firm With No Public Accounting Experience

  5. Sep 23

    Triple The Revenue With This CAS Unlock

    Marit Burmood joins Yuri to talk about what it really takes to build an accounting firm that fits your life instead of taking it over. After years of juggling tax work, kids, and a growing client list, Marit realized she was doing far more for clients than she was actually getting paid for. Once she learned how to package that value, her firm went from earning roughly $50,000 to $60,000 a year to bringing in at least $10,000 a month. She and Yuri talk about pricing the knowledge accountants tend to give away for free, creating recurring revenue, and recognizing when a client is no longer worth the stress. They also share how they use TaxDome, what they have learned from building personal brands online, and why growing a successful firm does not have to mean building a massive one.   Episode Highlights:   0:00 - Intro 1:00 - Meet Marit Burmood 5:04 - How different generations communicate with their accountants 11:59 - The decision that transformed Marit’s firm 16:05 - Pricing the knowledge accountants give away for free 19:36 - What CAS services actually include 24:50 - Finding the clients who need more than tax preparation 31:36 - Packaging tax prep into multiple service tiers 34:10 - Using TaxDome to automate workflows and centralize communication 38:21 - Building a personal brand as an accountant 47:26 - What is the actual goal of social media? 54:28 - Why accountants do not need a huge firm or online following 1:00:16 - Marit’s book, Think Before You S Corp 1:02:31 - Final advice and where to connect with Marit    SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by TaxDome Check them out and book a demo: https://taxdome.com/   ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH   Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/   Website: https://thefuncpa.beehiiv.com/     CONNECT WITH MARIT BURMOOD   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marit-burmood/   Website: https://www.maritburmoodcpa.com/

    Triple The Revenue With This CAS Unlock

  6. Sep 16

    Here Is What He Learned From 1000+ Firm Owners

    After working with over 1,000 accounting firms, from solo practices to firms generating over $100 million, Petar Iliev has a pretty clear view of what separates firms that stay dependent on the owner from those that can actually scale.  Petar joins Yuri to talk about the shift from running a practice to building a business. What is the “standard”? What should you know, or prioritize?  They also get into how Petar would build an accounting firm from scratch, why he would choose a specific niche, and how he would handle everything from finding leads to onboarding and retaining clients.  Along the way, Petar shares some practical ideas around pricing, communication, automation, and AI that firm owners can start applying without completely rebuilding their businesses.    Episode Highlights:    0:00 - How TaxDome identifies high-intent leads  0:50 - Meet Petar Iliev  3:14 - Electronic music and European work culture  9:00 - What successful accounting firms do differently  14:38 - Building a business that can run without you  20:40 - How Petar would build an accounting firm  28:20 - Niche marketing, industry events, and SEO  30:12 - Using lead scoring to find serious prospects  36:46 - Why speed wins accounting clients  40:30 - How successful firms use AI and automation  46:25 - Creating a better client experience  53:14 - Retention, pricing, and service packages  1:02:00 - Turning feedback into reviews and referrals  1:06:40 - Building a client status tracker with AI  1:07:38 - Balancing business and Brazilian jiu-jitsu      ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH    Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/    Website: https://www.thefuncpa.co/      CONNECT WITH PETAR ILIEV    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/p-iliev/    Website: https://taxdome.com/

    Here Is What He Learned From 1000+ Firm Owners

  7. Sep 10

    Jasmine DiLucci - Combatting Tax Hacks While Running Her Firm

    Bad tax advice has never been easier to find. Jasmine DiLucci is a tax attorney, CPA, and enrolled agent who has built a large online following by calling out illegal strategies and the people selling them. She joins Yuri to talk about why unqualified influencers gain so much credibility online, why disproving their claims takes far more work than making them, and what people misunderstand about the tax strategies used by the wealthy. Jasmine also shares how she took over her parents’ firm, fixed its billing and client problems, and grew it into a team of 45 people. They get into pricing, firing bad clients, building the right team, and how educational content helped Jasmine establish trust with better clients. The wealthy still plan around taxes. They just understand that saving money is rarely worth risking the entire business.   Episode Highlights:   0:00 - Introduction 0:53 - Meet Jasmine DiLucci 2:42 - Becoming a tax professional in high school 4:28 - Why bad tax advice wins online 9:08 - Growing up in a family tax firm 14:07 - Taking over and fixing her parents’ firm 17:36 - Why accountants struggle to communicate their value 19:07 - How better clients eliminate most firm problems 27:20 - Growing the firm to a team of 45 28:40 - Jasmine’s accounting firm technology 31:55 - How Jasmine started creating tax videos 36:00 - Managing the demands of social media 40:07 - Creating a roadmap for legal tax planning 43:31 - The real risk behind viral tax strategies 45:48 - How wealthy people make tax decisions 49:32 - Closing thoughts and where to find Jasmine      ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH   Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/   Newsletter: https://thefuncpa.beehiiv.com/   Website: https://www.thefuncpa.co/     CONNECT WITH JASMINE DILUCCI   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@taxleverage   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taxleverage/   Website: https://jasminedilucci.com/

    Jasmine DiLucci - Combatting Tax Hacks While Running Her Firm

  8. Sep 2

    How He Runs His 6 Figure Solo Firm

    A $500,000 firm with employees may not leave its owner much better off than a $300,000 solo practice.   Aaron Zimmerman joins Yuri to talk honestly about that tradeoff and the kind of accounting firm he actually wants to build. After leaving his job and launching Brickhouse CPAs, Aaron grew the firm to roughly 75 clients and 120 tax returns while developing a niche serving real estate investors.   Rather than chasing headcount or revenue for its own sake, Aaron has focused on strong pricing, better-fit clients, and enough flexibility to spend time with his family. He shares how he found his first clients, why he started with three-tiered pricing, and how a solid financial foundation gave him the freedom to turn down work that didn’t make sense.   Aaron and Yuri also compare their technology, workflows, and client experience before digging into the bigger question facing many firm owners: once the business provides a great income and lifestyle, what exactly are you scaling toward?   Episode Highlights:   0:00 - Introduction 0:41 - Meet Aaron Zimmerman 2:13 - The reality of owning a CPA firm 4:10 - Building a niche around real estate investors 6:21 - Aaron’s path from employee to firm owner 9:18 - Cutting through information overload and technology choices 11:30 - Preparing financially to launch a firm 15:36 - Finding clients through local real estate communities 20:48 - Raising prices as the firm approaches capacity 22:49 - The tradeoffs of hiring and scaling 28:22 - Projecting $250,000 to $300,000 in revenue 30:27 - Reducing administrative work before tax season 31:39 - Aaron’s accounting technology stack 40:51 - Managing workflows and creating a better client experience 43:55 - Aaron’s four-and-a-half-month honeymoon 47:16 - Controlling the workload instead of chasing more revenue 49:00 - Building a firm without building a large company 51:43 - Final advice and where to connect with Aaron    SPONSORS Today' episode is sponsored by Stanford Tax: Helping you manage tax document collection in the smoothest way possible. Aaron does a deeper dive on how he uses Stanford Tax in his firm around 31 minute marker.  Go check them out: https://stanfordtax.com/ ABOUT HOST YURI KAPILOVICH   Yuri, aka #thefuncpa, has been in the accounting profession for over 15 years and has seen, first hand, the challenges the profession brings. After seeing that no firm was fitting the bill, Yuri set out to do things his own way with his firm K&A and the journey began with LinkedIn posting at the front end.    Yuri is proud to bring you #thefuncpa podcast highlighting the fun and all the amazing opportunities our profession can bring us all.    CONNECT WITH YURI KAPILOVICH   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykapilovich/   Newsletter: https://thefuncpa.beehiiv.com/   CONNECT WITH AARON ZIMMERMAN   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarondzimmerman/   Website: https://www.brickhousecpas.com/

    How He Runs His 6 Figure Solo Firm
See All (88)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

It is no secret that the accounting profession needs a fresh perspective after years of status quo.The Fun CPA podcast aims to bring exactly that. Fun, refreshing and unique perspective on a profession that needs it the most. The conversations I will bring to you will bring you and your firm value. We discuss pricing, firm management, technology, social media and mental health. The guests on the show range from small accounting firm owners to big firm partners to incredible mental health coaches to our profession and much much more. Give it a listen, the fresh perspective you been waiting on is here!

Information

  • Creator
    Yuri Kapilovich, CPA
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Fun CPA Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Fun CPA Podcast

You Might Also Like