Sandra Koch returns to share how she's built a firm around flexibility, trust, responsiveness, and genuine care for both her team and clients. She discusses leading a fully remote team, creating a people-first culture, and why aligning your firm with your own values is more sustainable than trying to follow someone else's blueprint.

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

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• (00:00) - Welcome Back Sandra
• (02:59) - Life Moves Mexico Build
• (06:17) - Rest And Perspective
• (09:09) - Pause And Parking Lot
• (11:55) - Firm Snapshot Services
• (14:01) - Remote Tech Stack
• (19:53) - AI Tools And Training
• (29:18) - Flexibility Ground Rules
• (32:45) - Client Experience Responsiveness
• (40:38) - Team Meetings Pep Rally
• (44:27) - Book Club Favorites
• (48:05) - Final Values And Community
• (51:29) - Thanks And Wrap Up

Marcus and Rachel break down their Tax Advisory Plan (TAP), the $500/month individual tax offering built for high-income clients, referrals, and business owners exiting their companies. They cover pricing, onboarding fees, the "team of three" structure, and why they deliberately cap new TAP clients at 10 per year and keep the service off their website.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss Podcast
• (01:02) - Why Create TAP
• (02:24) - Lessons From AIM
• (04:28) - TAP Pitch and Inclusions
• (05:50) - Pricing and Add Ons
• (08:44) - Who TAP Is For
• (10:01) - Off Ramp Client Story
• (15:13) - Onboarding Fees Explained
• (21:31) - Team of Three Handoff
• (26:46) - Role Breakdown and Workflow
• (34:28) - Capacity Goals for TAP
• (36:07) - Jerry Case Study
• (46:59) - Kickoff and Early Wins
• (52:16) - Wrap Up and Secret Menu

Fletcher Wimbush of Discover.ai returns to break down his FACT system for hiring at accounting firms: Focus, Attract, Candidate Evaluation, and Training. He explains why most firms don't have a job posting problem, they have a talent market access problem, and why waiting until you're desperate to hire almost always leads to a bad match. Marcus and Rachel dig into real examples from their own hiring history, from overvaluing big-name resumes to the questions that actually reveal whether a candidate wants full-time work at all.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Link Access Hiring Resources
https://2pmby.share.hsforms.com/2uVddML85SK-D-sca6e4OcA

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro
• (01:00) - Fletcher Origin Story
• (03:55) - Discoverai Background
• (05:43) - Why Hiring Still Hard
• (06:23) - Measure Twice Cut Once
• (08:39) - Fact Driven Hiring Mindset
• (09:59) - Talent Market Access
• (13:44) - Build Your Talent Bench
• (16:07) - Define Roles and Scorecards
• (18:15) - Hire for Integrity
• (22:43) - Winning System Overview
• (24:51) - Proactive Sourcing Playbook
• (27:30) - Employee Referral Engine
• (30:08) - Referral Gratitude Wins
• (31:41) - Avoid Desperation Hiring
• (33:21) - Define the Job Clearly
• (36:28) - What Top Candidates Want
• (41:28) - Build Employer of Choice
• (44:15) - Onboarding for Year One
• (50:57) - Interview for Schedule Fit
• (54:54) - Final Hiring Advice

Marcus and Rachel set a goal of 15 new monthly clients for all of 2026 — and blew past it by June, landing 20. They walk through the $101,415 in onboarding fees that came with those clients, why 85% of that growth traces back to referrals and existing relationships instead of paid marketing, and what a 75% jump in PTO usage tells them about their new flexible time-off policy.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Retreat Recap Setup
• (01:15) - Mexico Travel Lessons
• (03:07) - Goals And Metrics
• (07:22) - New Client Wins
• (14:22) - Onboarding Fees Breakdown
• (19:22) - Tax Plan Adds
• (20:17) - Flexible PTO Results
• (23:14) - PTO Policy Evolution
• (26:31) - Why Unlimited PTO
• (28:36) - Onboarding Workflow
• (35:14) - Two Week Onboarding
• (41:19) - Where Clients Come From
• (54:13) - Relationship Marketing Tips
• (56:07) - Wrap Up And Contact

Marcus and Rachel break down how Dillon Business Advisors moved from an owner-led firm to a director-led one, walking through the seven components they use to define every director role, from ownership and KPIs to the weekly question that keeps people accountable. They also share how scorecards and monthly reviews keep decisions from flowing back up to the owners. It's a practical framework for firms that have outgrown a single person holding everything together.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome and Catch Up
• (01:36) - Custom Closet Sticker Shock
• (05:41) - Sales Value and Vacations
• (07:23) - Why Go Director Led
• (16:12) - Improvement Season Explained
• (18:37) - Seven Parts of Director Roles
• (23:55) - Not Responsible For Clarity
• (33:09) - Director Roles at DBA
• (43:31) - Scorecards and Accountability
• (51:45) - Resources and Wrap Up

Marcus is back from five weeks on the conference circuit, from Collective's Recharge to Intuit and ADP councils to Accounting Today's Firm Growth Forum, and he and Rachel unpack what it signals for firms. They cover the surge in roll-ups and private equity moving down market, the tension between staying autonomous and centralizing operations, the AI agents landing inside nearly every platform, and the QuickBooks sunsets and price increases hitting this summer. They close with a preview of Gather and a case for using the slow season to act on what you learn, not just collect more sessions.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
• (03:00) - San Diego With The Girls
• (06:21) - Why Attend These Rooms
• (07:50) - Firm Growth Awards
• (09:17) - M&A Market Breakdown
• (14:47) - Centralize Or Stay Decentralized
• (22:57) - Rebrands And Proprietary AI
• (25:05) - AI Agents And Token Costs
• (32:47) - Platform Shifts And Price Hikes
• (37:24) - Gather Event Preview
• (43:22) - Improvement Season Takeaways
• (45:22) - How To Get Involved

Marcus and Rachel publicly unveil Streamlined OS, the operating system Collective by DBA built specifically for accounting firms to connect strategy, execution, measurement, and improvement in one place. They walk through how its 62-question assessment surfaces a firm's strengths and improvement areas, prioritizes three or fewer to tackle next, links each one to training and templates, and tracks progress against five core KPIs. They also get candid about running a less owner-dependent firm, why transparency with your team is worth the discomfort, and how the stabilize, systemize, and scale framework applied to DBA itself after its 2025 acquisitions.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
• (01:20) - What Is Streamlined OS
• (03:23) - Gather Conference Invite
• (07:16) - Why Firms Need It Now
• (09:40) - Optionality and Owner Dependence
• (11:46) - KPIs Dashboards Alignment
• (15:26) - Priorities and Next Steps
• (17:43) - Built From Real Experience
• (22:18) - Origin Story and Resources
• (26:15) - Pacing Change for Success
• (29:51) - What It Includes Next
• (30:59) - Dashboard KPI Tracking
• (31:45) - Team Assessment Setup
• (34:07) - Interpreting Results
• (35:45) - Focus Zones Resources
• (37:20) - Transparency With KPIs
• (42:45) - Five Core Metrics
• (46:34) - Owner Hours Value
• (50:53) - From Reporting To Action
• (53:49) - Collective Support Paths
• (55:10) - Credits Webinar Next Steps

Marcus and Rachel introduce the Automation Idea Generator from Collected by DBA, a free tool designed to help accounting firm teams identify what to automate, assess ROI, and get started without hiring a consultant. The episode walks through a live demo and breaks down a key distinction the whole firm needs to understand: AI designs the process, automation runs it. They also get honest about the real barrier to adoption in most firms, which isn't the technology, it's the team.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

The Automation Idea Generator:
https://collective.cpa/automationprompt

Watch on YouTube
https://youtu.be/zIW4hkn8wYw

Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba

Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors

Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com

Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

• (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
• (01:15) - Episode Tool Teaser
• (01:34) - Family Travel Update
• (05:42) - Why This Free Tool
• (07:07) - AI Vs Automation Basics
• (08:38) - Tech Pace And Firm Context
• (11:25) - Automation Initiative Start
• (12:47) - Credit To Tool Builders
• (14:10) - Temporary Tool Mindset
• (16:31) - Team Training Exercise
• (18:49) - Evaluating Automation ROI
• (21:08) - Real Example Prospect Folder
• (23:06) - Integration Reality Check
• (28:05) - Demo Begins Tool Link
• (30:36) - Software Stack Setup
• (32:12) - File Storage Choices
• (33:02) - Define the Pain Point
• (34:06) - Payroll Email Use Case
• (36:49) - Time Savings and ROI
• (38:57) - Generate the Prompt
• (41:10) - Claude Reviews Automation Ideas
• (44:18) - Risks and Change Management
• (48:13) - Empower the Whole Team
• (51:39) - Wrap Up and Feedback