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/

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/

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/

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/

Mike Libbey joined his father’s accounting firm straight out of college, becoming its first employee and working alongside him from the family living room. Today, Mike is a partner and COO at YBL, a modern virtual firm with approximately 30 employees and $3.75 million in annual revenue.

Mike shares how the firm grew, why hiring an operations manager changed what he believed was possible, and how he gradually removed himself from client work to focus on strategy, technology, and growth. He also explains why firm owners should document their processes before they need to hire, even if that means simply turning on Loom and talking through the work as they do it.

The conversation also looks at AI’s rapidly expanding role in accounting. After building roughly 40 internal and client-facing apps, Mike believes the profession’s future is not simply about producing tax returns faster. It is about using technology to become a more deeply integrated financial partner while continuing to provide the judgment and peace of mind clients actually value.

Episode Highlights:

0:00 - Introduction

0:44 - Meet Mike Libbey

2:16 - Joining his father’s accounting firm

5:16 - Growing up around the accounting grind

10:50 - From two people to a 30-person firm

13:13 - Building a modern firm without the traditional CPA path

18:17 - Early hiring mistakes and the importance of operations

24:01 - How to document, delegate, and escape client work

31:11 - Knowing when the firm can afford its next hire

35:05 - Revenue, profit, and defining the firm you actually want

39:25 - Creating space to experiment with AI

41:43 - Building useful apps without knowing how to code

46:38 - What AI means for the future of accounting

52:02 - The changing role of entry-level accountants

55:12 - Protecting work-life balance while running the firm

58:15 - Building a public presence through YouTube and social media

1:02:05 - Final thoughts on making accounting more fun

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 MIKE LIBBEY

LinkedIn: Mike Libbey | LinkedIn

Website: https://mikelibbey.ybl.ca/

More money does not automatically create peace of mind. Without a healthy relationship with money, greater wealth can simply magnify the same anxiety, guilt, and uncertainty that were already there.

Matt Fizell, CFP® and founder of Harmony Wealth, joins Yuri to explore the human side of financial planning. Matt shares how early experiences shape the way people save, spend, and invest, and why even highly successful clients can struggle to enjoy what they have built. The real goal is not always maximizing the number. Sometimes it is understanding what “enough” looks like and creating a plan that gives someone permission to live.

The conversation also turns to the relationship between financial planners and CPAs. Matt and Yuri discuss how better communication, clearer expectations, and thoughtful pricing can create stronger partnerships for everyone involved. They also examine what it means to build a firm intentionally, work with the right clients, and charge enough to make the work sustainable.

Episode Highlights:

0:00 - Why more money does not eliminate financial anxiety
0:55 - Meet Matt Fizell of Harmony Wealth
2:18 - Leaving commission-based insurance for fee-only planning
6:39 - How wealth magnifies your relationship with money
11:57 - When disciplined savers struggle to enjoy their success
15:25 - Financial planning beyond investments
20:44 - Bitcoin, speculation, and investment regret
25:58 - Building a comprehensive financial plan
30:28 - Better partnerships between CPAs and financial planners
38:22 - Advisory work, communication, and fair compensation
43:36 - Setting minimum fees and qualifying referrals
45:14 - Designing the firm and client base you actually want
52:14 - The problem with complicated pricing models
55:43 - Wake surfing with country singer Jake Owen
59:01 - The future of CPA and financial planner collaboration

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 MATT FIZELL

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fizell-0606134a/

Website: https://planwithharmony.com/