On The Books

In this episode of On the Books, host Jessica McCracken welcomes Matthew May, known online as the tech CPA and now head of the client advisory services (CAS) at Sorren to talk about his firm’s year-long journey to move entrenched QuickBook Desktop Clients to QuickBooks Online. Matthew shares the real story behind scaling a firm through rapid M&A, hunting down QuickBooks Desktop files scattered across dozens of systems, consolidating more than 400 realms, and building a client migration plan ahead of the QuickBooks Desktop sunset. He also gets candid about his unglamorous approach to AI, why he treats technology providers as partners instead of vendors, and how his firm learned to simplify big technology decisions for overwhelmed clients. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Chris Ortega has spent more than 20 years in accounting, finance, FP&A, and CFO leadership, including guiding a $150 million, 2,700 person company through an acquisition by SAP. Five years ago he founded Fresh FP&A, a fractional CFO and advisory firm for small and mid sized businesses. In this conversation with Jessica, Chris breaks down why the CFO role has shifted from scorekeeper to strategic partner, how to turn financial data into a story people actually care about, and why trust and emotional intelligence matter more than being the smartest person in the room. He also shares a simple, repeatable habit any finance professional can use to build stronger relationships across the business. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Tailor Hartman, Founder and CEO of Celerity Accounting flips the script this episode, stepping into the host chair to interview Intuit's Simon Williams and Jessica McCracken about where the accounting profession is headed and how Intuit is responding to industry needs. The conversation covers the shift from compliance to advisory work, the pain points accountants are feeling around trust, overdigitization, and control, and a candid look back at the promises Intuit made over the past year. The episode closes with a preview of Intuit Connect in Las Vegas, including what Tailor, Simon, and Jessica each hope to hear from attendees. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

QuickBooks Online Accountant is sunsetting, and Intuit Accountant Suite is the new home for managing your firm and clients. In this episode, Janelle Fox and Ryall Fox from Intuit's Professional Services team join Jessica to bust the biggest myths about the switch: there's no data migration, no major project plan, and no client-facing disruption. They cover what's actually changing under the hood, the timeline for the rolling move to Accountant Suite (with the ability to switch back through December 1), and what happens after the hard sunset. They also dig into pricing, the Books Close add-on, and how console consolidation works if your firm is operating out of multiple realms. The conversation wraps with practical advice for firms: try the new features now while they're free, use the in-product Client Transfer Tool to consolidate down to one console, and take advantage of ProAdvisor Academy training to get your team ready. Janelle and Ryall also share how firms can share feedback directly with the product team as Intuit continues building out Accountant Suite. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com

Most firms think their story is a tagline on the website. Elliott Bastien Morin thinks the story is already there, buried, waiting to be excavated. In this episode, Jessica McCracken flips the mic on a longtime friend of the show (Elliott has been part of the production team since On the Books launched almost two years ago) to talk about the craft of firm storytelling. Elliott walks through his Narrative Archeology workshop, the difference between a bumper-sticker tagline and a narrative that actually drives decisions, and why numbers and stories are partners rather than opposites. Along the way he shares the real-firm moment when "we use better technology" became "you'll never be alone," how mergers are secretly a storytelling opportunity, where AI fits (and where pen and paper still wins), and the red flags that tell him a firm has not done the work yet. Whether you are a solo practitioner with a short history or a multi-service firm stitching together several acquisitions, this one gives you a practical way to find, refine, and share what makes your firm worth choosing. For full show notes, visit firmofthefuture.com