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  • Stop Selling Hours: Build a Valuable Accounting Firm with Ben Towne

    Stop Selling Hours: Build a Valuable Accounting Firm with Ben Towne
    2026/07/14
    Stop Selling Hours: Build a Valuable Accounting Firm with Ben Towne Kenny interviews Ben Towne, host of the Max Value Podcast and a business valuation expert who owns Towne Advisory and Assure Advisors, about why billable hours don’t equal value and how firms can focus on results clients care about. Ben explains shifting fear into manageable risk by taking small steps, sharing how he moved from outsourcing to building an India-based support firm. He describes valuation as a discovery process that depersonalizes the business to assess inputs, cash flow outputs, and uncertainty, and says businesses of any size can benefit from valuation thinking even without a full formal report. Common overlooked value drivers include clean books, transferability, repeatability, dependence on key individuals, SOPs, and revenue concentration. They discuss AI creating uncertainty but enabling “more with more,” and the ongoing importance of trusted human relationships. Ben encourages listeners to trust themselves and consider entrepreneurship sooner. 00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro 01:07 Beyond Billable Hours 03:34 Small Steps Beat Fear 06:02 Valuation As Discovery 08:39 Advising Clients With Valuation 12:38 Hidden Value Killers 14:52 Build A Sellable Firm 16:43 AI And The Profession 21:00 Human Trust Still Wins 23:18 Connect With Ben 24:17 Trust Yourself Closing
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    26 分
  • Jonathan Stark on Ditching Hourly Billing: Value-Based Pricing, Better Incentives, and Scaling as a Soloist

    Jonathan Stark on Ditching Hourly Billing: Value-Based Pricing, Better Incentives, and Scaling as a Soloist
    2026/06/21
    In this episode, Jonathan Stark—author of Hourly Billing is Nuts and host of Ditching Hourly—shares how a 2005 realization while managing a dev shop led him to reject hourly billing and pursue value-based fees. He explains how fixed or value-based pricing aligns incentives with clients, reduces micromanagement, and can dramatically improve income and quality of life. Jonathan discusses why optimizing employee utilization can be the wrong goal, proposing outcome-based incentives that reward efficiency and accurate estimating. He also addresses the fear professionals have of fixed pricing, how firms can transition without risking the whole business via a side offering or a skunkworks team, and why soloists can grow without hiring by charging more and building authority. He recommends starting with his free course at valuepricingbootcamp.com. 00:00 Meet Jonathan Stark 00:46 The Hourly Billing Epiphany 03:37 Discovering Value Pricing 05:45 Hiring for Outcomes 10:15 Contractor Risk and Fear 14:21 When to Quit Hourly 15:52 How Firms Can Transition 19:58 Resources and Bootcamp 21:33 Growing Without Hiring 25:04 Final Soloist Advice
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    27 分
  • How CPA Firms Can Adapt, Scale, and Thrive in the Age of AI with Will Hill

    How CPA Firms Can Adapt, Scale, and Thrive in the Age of AI with Will Hill
    2026/05/26
    Are you spending so much time working *in* your business that you no longer have space to work *on* it? In this episode of Growth Amplifiers, host Kenny Harper sits down with Will Hill, founder of Will Hill Consults and one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, to talk about how CPA firms and accounting professionals can adapt, grow, and create more meaningful impact in a rapidly changing market. Will shares practical insight on navigating AI and technology changes, avoiding analysis paralysis, choosing the right tools for your firm, and building scalable processes without losing the human connection that clients value most. This conversation explores why firm owners need to stop waiting for the “perfect” solution, how niching can actually create more opportunity, and why creating space for strategic thinking may be one of the most important growth moves you can make. In this episode, you’ll hear about: • Why working only in the business can keep firms stuck • How AI is changing the accounting and advisory landscape • Why waiting too long to adopt technology can put firms behind • How to choose tools based on your purpose and fundamentals • Why niching helps firms create repeatable, scalable services • How to separate true client nuance from process inefficiency • Why better client conversations create new advisory opportunities • The importance of creating space to think, connect, and grow Connect with Will Hill: Website: willhillconsults.com Email: will@willhillconsults.com LinkedIn: Search “Will Hill” If this episode gave you a new idea or helped you think differently about your business, share your biggest takeaway in the comments. Remember: new actions create new results. #GrowthAmplifiers #KennyHarper #WillHill #AccountingFirms #CPAFirms #AccountingTechnology #AIinAccounting #FirmGrowth #BusinessStrategy #AdvisoryServices #Leadership #ProcessImprovement #BusinessGrowth ```
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    23 分
  • Nobody Talks About the “Butterfly Goo” Stage of Transformation with Rachel Burr

    Nobody Talks About the “Butterfly Goo” Stage of Transformation with Rachel Burr
    2026/05/09
    Host Kenny welcomes executive coach, author, speaker, and leadership consultant Rachel Burr to discuss the myths of personal transformation and her book, “Butterfly Goo: The Down and Dirty Truth of Transformation.” Burr explains how social-media “highlight reels” can make change seem magical and unattainable, and uses the butterfly metaphor to show that real transformation requires entering the uncomfortable “goo” phase—dissolving old patterns and rebuilding from core “building blocks.” She emphasizes that people don’t find their path, they build it, and that hitting struggle doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. The conversation covers acting before feeling confident, treating emotions as data, silencing inner “gremlins,” setting goals while holding them lightly, and leading authentically rather than copying cookie-cutter models. Burr also describes the book’s optional “playground” exercises and shares where to find her work. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:03 Why Transformation Feels Like a Myth 03:16 Butterfly Goo Explained 06:22 Where People Get Stuck 08:06 Act First Then Feel 12:00 Goals Values and Authentic Paths 15:04 Coaching Leaders to Be Themselves 17:39 Playground Exercises in the Book 19:35 Origin Story of Butterfly Goo 22:39 Where to Find the Book 23:33 Final Takeaways and Closing
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    25 分
  • The Storytelling Advantage Every Coach and Advisor Is Missing with Bill Blankschaen

    The Storytelling Advantage Every Coach and Advisor Is Missing with Bill Blankschaen
    2026/04/22
    Host Kenny Harper welcomes Bill Blankschaen, founder of StoryBuilders and author of "Your Story Advantage," to discuss how coaches, consultants, and advisors can differentiate in the market by crafting and sharing a compelling brand story. Bill shares his transition from running a private school to studying the art and science of messaging, leading to a published book and a company that helps leaders create brand-defining storytelling. They address myths such as “I don’t have a story,” explaining the “normalcy trap” and that being one step ahead is enough to help others, and “who reads books,” emphasizing books as authority builders and message multipliers. They also caution against relying on AI to generate a book without original thought, stressing collaboration, alignment of values, and creating a cornerstone asset you can be proud of. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:38 Meet Bill Blankschaen 01:23 Bills Origin Story 03:31 Breakthrough Starts With Story 04:49 Myth I Have No Story 05:56 Normalcy Trap Explained 07:39 Myth Nobody Reads Books 09:08 Books as Message Multipliers 10:11 AI Writing Books Caution 13:07 Get the Book and Resources 15:06 Books as Marketing Assets 16:18 Collaborate and Take Action 19:06 Closing and Final Encouragement
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    20 分
  • Stop Tracking Everything: Build a KPI Dashboard That Drives Decisions (with Jack Tompkins)

    Stop Tracking Everything: Build a KPI Dashboard That Drives Decisions (with Jack Tompkins)
    2026/04/12
    Kenny Harper interviews Jack Tompkins of Pineapple Consulting about tracking the right business metrics and turning data into decision-driving insights through customized dashboards. Jack shares the origin of his company name, his mission helping business owners with thousands of dashboards, and how dashboards should start with clear goals and strategy rather than dumping in every possible metric. He explains common mistakes like over-tracking, outlines his process of identifying core KPIs and mapping data sources, and notes typical build timelines of about four to six weeks. Jack discusses pricing ranges, white-labeled dashboard partnerships that scale across many clients, and ways advisors can get client buy-in through samples. He also offers a simple starting approach using existing software dashboards or spreadsheets, and emphasizes prioritization and step-by-step execution for entrepreneurs. 00:00 Why Tracking Matters 00:28 Meet Dashboard Expert Jack 01:45 Pineapple Consulting Origin 03:16 From Dashboards to Decisions 05:22 Stop Tracking Everything 07:38 Goals First Dashboard Method 09:37 Build Timeline and Workflow 10:31 Pricing and ROI Breakdown 12:38 White Label Dashboard Scaling 17:11 DIY Starting Point Metrics 19:09 Where to Find Jack 20:04 Entrepreneur Prioritization Lesson 21:18 Final Call to Action
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    22 分
  • Tax Season Chaos? This Scheduling System Fixes It with Brenda Cannon

    Tax Season Chaos? This Scheduling System Fixes It with Brenda Cannon
    2026/03/13
    Kenny Harper interviews Brenda Cannon about reducing tax-season chaos by scheduling tax prep and controlling workload instead of accepting documents anytime. Cannon explains how her firm previously promised 2–3 week turnarounds without knowing capacity, leading to bottlenecks like 105 clients submitting documents on March 15, and how the pandemic highlighted the lack of workload control. Inspired by a podcast, she implemented a scheduling system using Calendly, Make, and Airtable, then co-developed the SchedulEase software to better track client scheduling, automate reminders, and support flexible calendars by preparer or client type. She emphasizes proactive client communication about extensions, using tax projections when needed, improving efficiency, reducing status checks and errors, and using scheduling for capacity planning, client fit, and better work-life balance. 00:00 Why Scheduling Matters 01:12 Meet Brenda Cannon 03:26 From Chaos to Control 05:11 Building SchedulEase 06:34 Client Buy In 08:42 Rolling It Out 15:22 Handling Extensions 15:48 Community and Setup 22:28 Capacity and Team 24:51 Lessons and Wrap Up
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    27 分
  • Strategic Tax Planning & CPA Partnerships with Shauna “Tax Goddess” Wekherlien

    Strategic Tax Planning & CPA Partnerships with Shauna “Tax Goddess” Wekherlien
    2026/03/03
    Strategic Tax Planning & CPA Partnerships with Shauna “Tax Goddess” Wekherlien | Growth Amplifiers On Growth Amplifiers, host Rashana interviews Shauna, the “Tax Goddess,” a top-ranked US tax strategist and founder of Tax Goddess Business Services (2004), about proactive, legal tax strategy and how CPAs can better serve clients through strategic partnerships. Shauna shares her path from astrophysics to tax, compares tax planning to chess, and explains why specializing beats trying to do everything. She outlines key triggers that signal clients need deeper strategy (e.g., bringing Wall Street Journal articles or outside investment pitches), stresses aligning “aggression levels” between CPA, client, and strategist, and recommends including the CPA in strategy calls to build trust and protect relationships. They discuss referral partnerships, “inspect what you expect,” and a practical AI step using Google NotebookLM to match tax strategies to client situations. Shauna directs viewers to taxgoddess.com. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:04 Origin of Tax Goddess 02:47 Why Partnerships Matter 04:28 Client Triggers to Refer 08:13 Matching Risk and Trust 11:53 Specialize to Grow 14:24 Referral Systems That Work 16:50 AI for Future Focus 18:16 Connect and Closing
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    19 分