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Logan Graf and AJ Zepeda kick things off with their latest random finds — a camera robot that follows you around and a metal smart business card — before diving into the main topic: Logan's viral LinkedIn post about losing an $8,000 accounting engagement because a prospect wanted to use AI to do their own bookkeeping cleanup. They break down the proposal details, why the cleanup wasn't optional, how AI is changing client confidence and expectations, and what it means for firm owners navigating the new landscape of AI-assisted accounting.

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How Much Should Your Accounting Firm Make? Hitting $200K–$250K Take-Home

Logan and AJ discuss money goals for accounting firm owners on the Own Your Firm podcast, starting with their early-career earnings. They note entry-level public accounting pay has risen to roughly $75K–$84K. AJ’s target is $250K personal income for retirement contributions, lower stress, travel, and increased giving, and he estimates their three-partner firm needs about $2M in annual revenue to support $200K–$300K each. Logan’s target is similarly $200K–$250K net; he describes previously netting about $200K on roughly $280K gross with heavy workload, and estimates $350K gross could net $200K with a manager. They compare budgeting, insurance and car costs, and outline growth plans focused on staying lean, improving sales, and reducing day-to-day workload.

00:00 Money Talk Kickoff
01:21 First Paychecks Revealed
04:02 Entry Level Salaries Today
05:47 Income Goals for Firm Owners
11:43 What It Takes to Net 250K
12:32 Keeping the Firm Lean
12:54 AI Tools and Subscriptions
14:20 AI Thumbnails and LinkedIn Flags
16:27 Why 250K Means Freedom
17:55 Giving Goals and Autopilot Money
18:50 Timeline to 250K and Cutting Consulting
20:02 Cars and Lifestyle Boundaries
20:41 Host Shares His 200–250K Target
24:12 Retirement vs Taxable Investing Debate
25:01 Family Priorities and Catching Up
27:38 Budgeting Reality Check
30:37 What It Takes to Net 200K
33:01 How to Scale to 250K Net
34:25 Client Math and Pricing Strategy
35:05 Wrap Up and Listener Q&A

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Logan Graff’s Origin Story: From UIL Accounting to Launching a Virtual Tax Firm

Logan Graff and AJ Zepeda introduce an episode of the Own Your Firm podcast focused on Logan, briefly discuss possibly attending QuickBooks Connect, and joke about doing a live podcast from the beach. Logan shares personal background (living in Austin, married 12 years, three daughters), interests (a 1965 Mustang project, fitness, hiking, mountain biking, making pizza), and that his faith in Christ is central to his life, noting it influenced AJ to speak about it online. Logan explains how he became an accountant through high school accounting classes and UIL competitions, then an internship at Padgett Stradoman (later merged with RSM), and being rejected by Big Four. After being terminated from Padgett, he moved to smaller firms, pursued a partner path, became a tax director at a tiny firm, and ultimately launched his own firm in 2020 by purchasing about 60 clients and starting with roughly 90–100 during COVID. He describes early challenges (income stability, taking the wrong work), later focusing on pricing and client fit, and his current setup: about 130 clients, $250k–$300k revenue, a remote CPA manager, and splitting time across firm, community, and content. His advice to day-one Logan is to worry less, take the right clients, and raise rates faster.

00:00 Welcome Back and AJ Shoutout
00:42 QuickBooks Connect and Beach Plans
01:28 Meet Logan Graff
03:02 Hobbies Fitness and Pizza
05:04 Faith and Speaking Up
06:01 Origin Story Becoming an Accountant
08:48 Early Career Internships and Big Four
11:08 Fired Then Finding the Ownership Path
14:57 Launching the Firm During COVID
17:59 Early Struggles Pricing and Survival Mode
20:07 Graff Tax Co Today Team Clients Revenue
21:37 Advice to Day One Logan and Wrap Up

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AJ Zepeda and Logan Graf introduce the new Own Your Firm podcast and begin by sharing AJ’s background. AJ describes himself as a quirky, tattooed accountant, a father of three, churchgoer, HYROX athlete, and Rivian owner. He explains his firm today: a tech-forward, client-focused practice with seven employees, three partners (including a tax partner), about $500K in annual sales, and a mostly virtual setup with an office in Tyler, Texas. AJ recounts stumbling into accounting after leaving electrical engineering, becoming an accounting manager right after college, and learning management through early mistakes. He later worked at Kruze, Acuity (running a crypto practice), and served as COO at Tooth and Coin (dental niche) before launching his current firm with partners, merging books of business and teams. He discusses lessons on pricing, firing clients sooner, month-end close by the 15th, and plans to target construction clients in East Texas.

00:00 Podcast Kickoff
00:46 Meet The Hosts
01:30 AJ Personal Intro
02:32 Fitness And Rivian
04:18 Firm Snapshot Today
05:57 Becoming An Accountant
08:24 Early Career Leadership
11:55 Burnout And Startup Shift
14:59 Path To Firm Ownership
17:44 Launching With Partners
20:45 Lessons And Daily Rhythm
23:31 Owning The Firm
24:08 Next Six Months Goals
24:44 Wrap Up And Mustaches

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Own Your Firm: Why We’re Starting This Podcast and What to Expect

AJ and Logan announce their new podcast, “Own Your Firm,” created as scheduled “bro time” and a space to discuss how firm owners can build businesses that don’t lead to burnout. They explain the title’s inspiration and aim to help accountants become better business owners, noting industry trends like consolidation, acquisitions, and AI. Planned topics include running firms effectively, bridging CAS and tax perspectives, light current events, listener questions, and pulling discussions from Logan’s accounting firm owner community, Counter, plus possible product/tech reviews and a “random” segment. They share brief personal backgrounds: both are Christian dads with three kids; AJ (32) worked at small and large firms, including niche dental accounting, now owns a firm with partners and does consulting; Logan (35) runs The Graff Tax Co. (founded 2020), creates content, and built Counter to about 280 members.

00:00 Podcast Kickoff

00:49 Why Own Your Firm

02:12 Firms That Dont Own You

04:11 Planned Segments And Reviews

08:27 From Job To Business Owner

12:15 Meet AJ Background Story

16:53 Meet Logan Counter And Firm

19:17 Future Ideas And Wrap Up