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