Accounting is no longer just about compliance. In this episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm, host Roger Knecht and guest Jodi Paydar, the "Radical CPA" and co-founder of Excel Labs, explore how accounting professionals can stay relevant as AI takes over the technical work in accounting. They discuss trust, communication, leadership, and why human relationships will define the future of the accounting firm.

00:00 Introduction and Why Humans Stay Relevant
05:00 Building Trust Through Better Communication
08:36 Change, Fight-Flight-Freeze, and Leadership
11:55 Competition, Firm Futures, and Sponsor Message
17:02 AI Agents and the Human Sign-Off
22:12 Upskilling and Deepening Client Relationships
25:54 Competing on Empathy and Training Teams
28:41 Better Questions and Excitement About the Future
31:51 Efficiency, Training the Next Generation
38:12 Listener Resources and Event Invitations
41:16 Closing Thoughts and Sign-Off

• Separate the conversation from the compliance deliverable so clients see the value of your advice.

• Build stronger communication skills to deepen trust with every client, not just your top four.

• Upskill your team in advisory conversations, because tax preparation is becoming automated.

• Ask better questions to uncover client needs and create better financial futures.

• Choose whether to fight, freeze, or flee the change, and lead with intention before 2030.

• "AI is going to do the accounting work for us. It truly is. It already is." -Jodi Paydar

• "Our competition today is a fintech or a venture funded, VC backed brand new company." -Jodi Paydar

• "Accounting has never been a technology problem, it's a value problem." -Roger Knecht

Earn CPE: NASBA-approved CPE and IRS-approved CE credits are offered via Earmark by listening to this episode. ⁠

Access our QAS Self-Study Courses here: https://www.earmark.app/channels/0384dbbe-df08-4ae3-ba82-621a7a465e95

Conclusion:

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm with Roger Knecht. For more information on how you can establish your own accounting firm and take control of your time and income, call 435-344-2060 or schedule an appointment to connect with Roger's team here.

Sponsors:

Universal Accounting Center

• Helping accounting professionals confidently and competently offer quality accounting services to get paid what they are worth.

Offers:

Special Offers for our Podcast Listeners, CLICK HERE to take advantage of them today!

Remember this: Accounting Success IS Universal.

Be sure to listen to our next episode and subscribe.

Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have. We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback

For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your bookkeeping, accounting, & tax business, please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 801-265-3777. And know that if it's about accounting, it's Universal.

Join us this Wednesday for a new episode where Roger discusses the human and AI with Jody Padar.

Your business has value, but does a buyer see it the way you do? In today's episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm, Roger sits down with Marc Adams, strategy mentor and business exit planner with Acquisitions for You. Together they explore why most small businesses never sell and how accounting professionals can prepare clients for a tax-efficient exit. Learn what buyers really pay for, where founders lose money, and how to build a more transferable business.

00:00 Welcome and Beginning With the End in Mind
03:19 Marc's Cancer Diagnosis and COVID Recovery
07:20 Nine in Ten Businesses and a Promise
14:20 Value Leakage and Doubling Business Worth
21:00 Transferable Value and Messy Businesses
27:35 Hidden Leaks and the AI Valuation Premium
31:28 How Accountants Prepare Clients for Exit
38:41 Private Equity Versus Faster Direct Exits
44:50 Show Promotions and Event Invitations
50:04 Closing Thoughts and Speaker Invitation

• Start with the end in mind. Define the exit outcome you want, and set your timeline, whether that is one year or ten.

• Build systems, processes, and a management team so the business can run without the owner.

• Raise prices regularly. Ask clients when they last increased fees, because small increases can lift profit significantly.

• Plan early. Restructuring a business just before a sale can trigger IRS scrutiny, so prepare well before going to market.

• "They're the people that you need to help. If one of them does sell, they don't need your help. Somebody's going to buy it." — Marc Adams

• "Owners buy certainty of profitability, and the more that you've got around it, effectively, that can make it certain and run without you." — Marc Adams

• "Start with the end in mind. Very few of us actually practice it." — Marc Adams

Earn CPE: NASBA-approved CPE and IRS-approved CE credits are offered via Earmark by listening to this episode. ⁠

Access our QAS Self-Study Courses here: https://www.earmark.app/channels/0384dbbe-df08-4ae3-ba82-621a7a465e95

Conclusion:

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm with Roger Knecht. For more information on how you can establish your own accounting firm and take control of your time and income, call 435-344-2060 or schedule an appointment to connect with Roger's team here.

Sponsors:

Universal Accounting Center

• Helping accounting professionals confidently and competently offer quality accounting services to get paid what they are worth.

Offers:

Are you a founder, business owner, or advisor, helping clients think through exit readiness, business value, tax-efficient outcomes, or what may be reducing the owner's keep rate before a sale? Connect with Marc to learn how to double your/their business value in 6 months: https://acquisitions4you.com/

Special Offers for our Podcast Listeners: CLICK HERE to take advantage of them today!

Remember this: Accounting Success IS Universal.

Be sure to listen to our next episode and subscribe.

Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have. We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback

For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your bookkeeping, accounting, & tax business, please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 801-265-3777. And know that if it's about accounting, it's Universal.