Jason On Firms Podcast

Jason Staats
  • 4.7 (73)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Daily

I'm Jason Staats, and on this podcast we talk through practical tips to run more profitable, calm accounting firms

  1. 1d ago

    625 Should Accounting Firms Build Their Own Software? [Actually.. here’s where it makes sense]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down what firms are actually creating, from custom integrations and reporting tools to trial balance workflows, and give my red-light/green-light take on what’s worth building. I also speedrun the latest AI releases, talk through whether small firms really need a practice management system, and answer questions about AI costs, offshoring, browser automation, and preparing your team for an AI-first accounting firm. 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoKarbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staatsVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes // Chapters:00:00 - Building Your Own Firm Software02:07 - How Firms Are Building Software04:08 - What Accounting Firms Are Building10:17 - What Should You Actually Build?18:13 - What Custom AI Apps Look Like25:26 - Nerd Corner: AI Updates26:00 - ChatGPT Work26:52 - Claude Combines Chat and Cowork29:17 - Grok Challenges Claude31:04 - GPT Live and Voice AI37:30 - OpenAI’s New AI Models45:29 - Mailbag45:53 - Getting AI Past Bot Restrictions49:03 - Do You Need a Practice Management System?54:42 - Building Referral Relationships57:32 - The Rising Cost of AI1:00:08 - Finding Time to Implement AI1:03:00 - What Happened When Clients Learned We Offshored1:07:48 - Automating Home Depot Receipts1:09:58 - Training Teams for an AI-First Firm1:15:16 - The Future of Accounting Firms 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  2. 6d ago

    624 The Faster Client Onboarding Method [Where most firms waste time]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I wrap up the Dirty Dozen series by tackling one of the highest-leverage areas in any accounting firm: client onboarding. I break down the four biggest onboarding mistakes, explain how the first 90 days shape the entire client relationship, and share ways to standardize the process without losing the human touch. Then I switch to hiring and career growth, how firms can attract ambitious people, how employees know when it’s time to leave, and why AI won’t replace great talent. Finally, I answer questions on pricing, AI tools, tax workflow automation, practice management software, IT providers, starting a firm, camera setups, and much more. 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoKarbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staatsVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes // Chapters:00:00 0 Client onboarding matters most01:55 - Dirty Dozen finale03:20 - Trap #1: Bad client filtering06:10 - Trap #2: Wrong onboarding owner11:20 - Trap #3: Chasing client documents16:40 - Trap #4: Standardize before automating21:05 - Hiring firms people won’t leave22:15 - When should you leave your firm?38:00 - Mailbag begins38:40 - Pricing and close rates41:50 - AI tax workflow & Filed47:10 - Starting your own bookkeeping firm50:15 - Most surprising AI use cases52:30 - Jason’s T-shirt recommendation54:20 - Self-hosting AI models55:45 - “Accounting department in a box”57:35 - Copilot vs Claude01:00:35 - Replacing Thomson Reuters File Cabinet01:02:50 - Camera, lighting & microphone setup01:05:25 - Closing thoughts 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  3. Jul 7

    623 Why Claude in Slack is DANGEROUS To Accounting Firms [The beginning of a troubling AI era]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I explore why Anthropic embedding Claude directly into Slack may be one of the biggest AI shifts we’ve seen yet—and why it makes me both excited and uncomfortable. I explain how goals, MCP connections, and Slack integration could eventually make AI the operating layer of an entire company. I also share three creative AI workflows accounting firms are already using, discuss whether QuickBooks and Xero are losing their grip on the market, answer questions about Claude, onboarding bookkeeping clients, hiring with AI, and explain why firms should rethink their workflow statuses for the AI era. 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoKarbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staatsVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes 📚 Here’s that service library resource: https://youtu.be/T8rQzr3ogkM?si=DRjYWbe-2LobQcuS📕The Alex Hormozi book I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/100M-Offers-People-Stupid-Saying-ebook/dp/B099QVG1H8 // Chapters:00:00 - Claude’s Trojan Horse?01:32 - Goals Change Everything05:29 - Claude Inside Slack10:34 - Is AI Running the Firm?15:31 - Why Software Developers Matter17:35 - Why MCP Wins19:48 - 3 Wild AI Use Cases20:23 - AI Proposal Generator24:55 - AI Client Reporting28:57 - AI Trial Balance Builder36:30 - Mailbag Begins38:13 - Will QuickBooks & Xero Lose?41:18 - Claude Chat vs Cowork46:58 - Best Alex Hormozi Book48:16 - Claude Projects Best Practices50:05 - Is ChatGPT Dead?51:48 - Pricing Cleanup Work56:27 - AI Resume Screening59:38 - Rebuilding Workflow Statuses for AI 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  4. Jul 3

    622 Accounting Firms: Watch This Before Selling Advisory [What The Industry Isn’t Saying About The Future]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I explain why I think advisory is often positioned the wrong way inside accounting firms and share five common traps that stop firms from building higher value services. I also cover Claude Fable returning to Claude, what its new pricing means, how I’d build a bookkeeping practice from scratch today, AI powered bookkeeping and review workflows, choosing practice management software, meeting transcript tools, Copilot versus Claude, training the next generation of accountants, and whether Intuit is falling behind. 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoKarbon: https://karbonhq.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=jason-staatsVerito: https://verito.com/jason?utm_campaign=42071442-Jason&utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=show-notes // Chapters:00:00 - Is Advisory Really the Future?01:43 - The Advisory Hype Problem04:05 - Trap #1: Imposter Syndrome09:31 - Trap #2: Giving Premium Work Away16:10 - Trap #3: Death by Deadlines19:07 - Trap #4: Selling Favors Instead of Products22:25 - Trap #5: Sell Outcomes, Not Coaching28:43 - Claude Fable Is Back38:31 - Mailbag38:58 - Best AI Meeting Transcript Tools41:44 - Which Accounting Ledger Would I Choose Today?44:10 - How Do You Avoid Buying the Wrong Software?49:58 - Do You Actually Use All These AI Tools?52:08 - Should Firms Standardize on Microsoft Copilot?53:43 - How Good Is AI at Reviewing Tax Returns?55:03 - Do File Naming Conventions Really Matter?56:39 - Will AI Create an Accounting Knowledge Gap?01:00:20 - Can Claude Help When Intuit Breaks? 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  5. Jun 30

    621 The 9 Most Asked Questions About Accounting Firm AI [AI for accounting firms]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I answer the nine AI questions I hear most often from accounting firms, covering how to securely use AI with client data, why I recommend Claude over ChatGPT and Copilot, where firms should start with AI, and practical workflows for QuickBooks, spreadsheets, email, and tax software. I also share my thoughts on the latest IRS AI guidance and why I disagree that AI savings should automatically lower client fees, then wrap up with a Mailbag on bank statement automation, QuickBooks MCPs, IT security, work papers, value pricing, and why I believe AI will make human expertise even more valuable. 🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.Soraban: https://www.soraban.com/MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaatsCanopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demo // Chapters:00:00 - The 9 Biggest AI Questions01:43 - AI & Client Data Security06:22 - Why Claude Beats Copilot08:04 - Should You Switch from ChatGPT?08:17 - Where Should You Start with AI?10:50 - Building Your First AI Agent14:49 - Best Beginner AI Use Cases17:00 - AI & QuickBooks Automation20:56 - Can AI Automate Tax Software?23:20 - Should Clients Know You Use AI?25:37 - IRS Says AI Should Lower Fees?32:23 - Mailbag32:48 - How Do I Automatically Fetch Bank Statements?38:09 - Secure Client Credentials Without Sharing Passwords40:44 - Are Traditional Work Papers Still Worth It?44:05 - How Do You Handle AI Discount Requests?47:22 - Can Claude Post Journal Entries to QuickBooks?52:04 - Is Thomson Reuters Falling Behind on AI?54:06 - IT Security for a New Fractional CFO Firm56:20 - Does AI Kill Creativity and Advisory?01:02:00 - Closing thoughts 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  6. Jun 26

    620 The Real Reason Clients and Staff Resist Change [Here’s what to do about it]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down five change management traps inside accounting firms, from overwhelming the team with too much change to letting C and D clients block the firm you actually want to build. I also talk about niche opportunities in soccer and space accounting, recurring AI workflows, Intuit’s stock drop, simplifying client onboarding, rolling out Claude to a team, trial balance workflows, and how large a solo AI-powered firm could become. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats // Chapters:00:00 - Getting Everyone Aligned01:19 - The Dirty Dozen Returns02:12 - Change Management Traps02:18 - Trap #1: Change Overload06:10 - Trap #2: Incentives Gap09:00 - Trap #3: Quiet Skeptics15:17 - Trap #4: Carve-Out Clients18:17 - Trap #5: Adoption Letdown21:49 - Change Management Recap22:27 - Accountants Power The World Cup22:39 - Niche Of The Week24:33 - Passion-Driven Firm Niches27:47 - Space Accounting Returns30:58 - Mailbag Begins31:29 - Building Recurring AI Workflows34:23 - Should I Sell Intuit Stock?38:07 - Simplifying Client Onboarding42:13 - Rolling Out Claude To A Team44:42 - Trial Balance After Engagement Manager49:27 - Fear Of AI Tool Switching51:05 - How Big Can A Solo AI Firm Get? 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  7. Jun 23

    619 The NEW AI Agent Approach for Accounting Firms [An entirely new AI agent platform for firms]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I explore the sudden rise of AI agent platforms built specifically for accounting firms and ask whether Claude will remain the long-term home for firm-built agents. I compare launches from Ramp, Digits, Pilot, Puzzle, Mercury, Canopy, and Double, then answer a listener question about what firm owners should focus on during the summer months. In the mailbag, I cover software firms should avoid,  practice management system selection, and what to do when Claude makes mistakes in bookkeeping workflows. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats ⚒️ Tools I mentioned-Ramp Stack https://ramp.com/lp2/stack-Digits Agentic Close https://digits.com/blog/agentic-close/-Pilot Meridian https://meridian.pilot.com/-Puzzle AI Close https://puzzle.io/ai-close-Canopy Coworker https://www.getcanopy.com/coworker/-Mercury Command https://mercury.com/command-Double https://doublehq.com/ // Chapters:00:00 - The AI Agent Gold Rush07:58 - Where Agents Actually Live12:11 - The Future Of Firm Automation15:31 - Summer Priorities For Firms18:36 - Take A Break This Summer20:17 - Make Big Tech Changes22:04 - Building Better Systems26:51 - Planning For Growth30:57 - Hiring Before Busy Season31:53 - Strategic Thinking Time33:32 - Mailbag33:43 - Any Software To Completely Avoid?36:22 - AI Influencers & Phantom Products40:50 - Should Firms Try Instead?42:18 - What Happened To SmartVault?46:11 - Which Practice Management System Should I Choose?49:30 - What If Claude Makes Mistakes?54:01 - From How-To To What-To-Do55:00 - The Future Of Space Accounting 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

  8. Jun 19

    618 Accounting Firms: Stop Taking New Clients. Watch This First. [How to know when you’re digging yourself a deeper hole]

    🚀 Get smarter faster by learning with other firm owners: https://www.rlz.io/📩 Want a simple way to keep up with accounting firm and AI? I break it down every week in my newsletter: https://www.jasononfirms.com/newsletter ☎️ Leave me a voicemail at (1)516-980-4968!📧 Email me! jason@jasononfirms.com In this episode, I break down the six biggest traps accounting firm owners fall into when trying to build a higher-quality, more profitable client list. I explain why concentration risk is often overblown, why firms struggle to commit to a niche, how big-money clients can distract you from your ideal business, and why regularly curating your client list is one of the most important jobs of a firm owner. I also answer questions about firing clients through pricing increases, whether prompt libraries still matter in the AI era, partnering with specialists for services like sales tax and payroll, and what I think about Claude’s QuickBooks Online integration and the future of AI-powered accounting workflows. 🎤 I’m going live! Grab your tickets here: https://www.jasononfirms.com/events🔥 Here’s that Roast-My-Firm intake form: https://airtable.com/appZ7dtNz3oaTWWZT/shrybn5166E9t12ag📚 A curated list of the apps I actually use and recommend: https://www.jasononfirms.com/apps 💰 Today's SponsorsCloud Accounting Staffing: https://portal.cloudaccountantstaffing.com/candidatesSoraban: https://www.soraban.com/Canopy: getcanopy.com/jason Schedule a demo to see for yourself, and receive a $75 gift card after your demoFinancial Cents: Book a demo here: https://hubs.li/Q03PYVrp0 and use code Jason10 to receive 10% off the Team or Scale annual plan for firms with 2+ users.MakersHub: https://makershub.com/get-started?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=jasonstaats // Chapters:00:00 - The Client List Asset01:27 - The Dirty Dozen Returns02:23 - Trap #1: Concentration Risk Fear06:38 - Trap #2: The Commitment Gap09:10 - Trap #3: Big Money Clients10:28 - Trap #4: Curation Hesitation13:09 - Trap #5: Big Fish vs Minnows18:17 - Trap #6: The Machine Problem22:24 - Protecting The Client List23:18 - Mailbag23:44 - Raising Prices to Lose Bad Clients26:54 - Are Prompt Libraries Still Worth It?30:17 - Goals vs Prompts in AI32:07 - Strongest AI Use Cases Today36:14 - Process Improvement Career Paths38:14 - Sales Tax Apps for Ecommerce43:18 - Claude + QuickBooks Integration52:35 - Tour Wrap-Up & Community Thanks 🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!X https://twitter.com/jasononfirmsLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaats/YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jasoncpa

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4.7
out of 5
73 Ratings

About

I'm Jason Staats, and on this podcast we talk through practical tips to run more profitable, calm accounting firms

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Staats
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    625
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mesa Media LLC
  • Show Website
    Jason On Firms Podcast

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