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

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/

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/