The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEGovernance may sound like a back-office topic, but it directly impacts how firms grow, compete and make decisions. In this episode of the INSIDE Public Accounting podcast, Rob Brown sits down with Gary Thomson and David Bundy of Thompson Consulting to discuss why governance has become one of the most important conversations in the profession today. The conversation explores how governance affects everything from decision-making speed and succession planning to M&A activity, technology investments and leadership development. Gary and David explain why many firms are realizing that the structures which worked in the past may not support the pace and complexity of today’s accounting environment. They also discuss the importance of having the right people making key decisions, why governance should evolve alongside firm strategy, and how firms can stay competitive while preserving the culture and values that made them successful. For managing partners and firm leaders navigating growth and change, this episode offers practical insight into what governance really means and why it matters more than ever.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEConference season is underway, and Chelsea Summers is sharing the conversations that are surfacing across the accounting profession, not just on stage, but in hallways, dinners, and between sessions.In this solo bonus episode, Chelsea breaks down five themes showing up repeatedly across firms this year: a more mature approach to consolidation and private equity, AI moving beyond experimentation into practical application, the growing pressure to rethink traditional firm metrics, the structural barriers holding advisory growth back, and a talent market that’s finally beginning to stabilize.Rather than reacting to constant change, firms are starting to make more deliberate decisions about how they want to grow, structure their teams, and define success in the years ahead.If you’re a firm leader thinking about culture, technology, advisory, or the future of your business model, this episode offers a grounded look at where the profession stands today, and where it may be headed next.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPECompensation matters, but it’s no longer enough.In this episode, Chelsea Summers and Rob Brown break down new insights from the 2025 IPA HR Report to explore what’s really driving recruitment and retention in today’s talent market.From remote work and flexibility to parental leave, mentoring and overlooked benefits like elder care, the conversation highlights where firms are meeting expectations and where they’re falling short.What used to be considered “progressive” is now table stakes. And firms that continue to treat flexibility and work-life balance as perks, not fundamentals, are making unintentional retention decisions.The good news? Some of the most impactful changes don’t require big budgets. Small, intentional moves like summer hours, stay interviews and better communication can significantly improve the employee experience.If your firm is still trying to solve retention with compensation alone, this episode offers a practical reset.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPETurnover may be down, but the real cost hasn’t disappeared.In this episode, we break down what most firms miss when they think about turnover. While recruiting fees and open seats are easy to track, the biggest impacts are often invisible: lost productivity, strained teams and fragile client relationships.Using IPA data, we explore three lenses: financial, cultural and client impact, to show how turnover quietly reshapes firm performance. From six-month ramp-up periods to institutional knowledge walking out the door, the numbers and consequences add up quickly.We also discuss why firms consistently underestimate these costs and what the firms who are getting it right are doing differently. The takeaway: turnover isn’t just a staffing issue, it’s a signal about how your firm operates.If you haven’t calculated the true cost of losing a senior manager, this episode will likely change how you think about retention investments.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEWhat does it actually take to sustain enterprise value over time?Brian Blaha returns to go deeper into the mechanics behind value creation inside accounting firms. From governance and succession planning to the impact of AI and talent pipelines, the discussion focuses on the operational realities firms must address.Brian also breaks down common misconceptions around scale, enterprise value and private equity, and highlights the discipline and intentionality required to stay competitive.For firms navigating growth, leadership transitions or long-term strategy, this episode offers a practical roadmap grounded in real-world experience.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEPrivate equity continues to reshape the accounting profession, but does independence still have a place?Rob Brown sits down with Brian Blaha of Winding River Consulting to unpack what “enterprise value” really means for firms today. The conversation challenges a common assumption: that building value requires selling to private equity.Brian introduces the concept of strategic optionality, a disciplined approach that allows firms to remain independent while still creating long-term value. From governance and capital strategy to leadership alignment and growth planning, this episode outlines what it actually takes to compete in today’s environment.Independence isn’t passive; it’s intentional.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEThis episode takes a step back from single-issue conversations and looks at the bigger picture.Chelsea and Rob walk through the April issue of IPA Insights, pulling from 20 years of data to answer a simple question: what’s actually changed in the profession and what hasn’t?From the steady rise of advisory revenue to the surprising staying power of the billable hour, the data tells a story of progress, but not consistency. Larger firms are pulling ahead in advisory, pricing models are shifting slowly and staffing decisions are creating real operational strain.Some firms have been building toward this moment for years. Others are just getting started.If you’re trying to understand where your firm stands and what it will take to keep up. This episode is a practical place to start.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEOffshoring has quickly moved from a staffing workaround to a core operating strategy in public accounting.But does it actually improve firm performance?Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers unpack what the latest IPA data shows about how offshoring is impacting growth, profitability and productivity across firms.They explore how adoption has expanded across firm sizes, why larger firms are further along in building global teams and how smaller firms are beginning to experiment with similar models.The conversation also highlights a central tension in the data. Firms using offshore staff are reporting higher partner income and slightly higher growth. At the same time, traditional productivity metrics like revenue per FTE appear lower.Rob and Chelsea discuss what is driving that shift and why it may not be a negative signal, but rather a reflection of increased capacity and different staffing structures.They also explore how offshoring is evolving beyond compliance work into areas like client accounting services, analytics and advisory support.Offshoring is no longer just a staffing solution. It is becoming part of how firms design their operating model.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEStrategy gets all the attention. Execution determines the outcome.In this episode, Chelsea Summers sits down with Jeff Pawlow, Principal and Chief Execution Officer at Brady Martz, to unpack what execution really means inside a modern CPA firm.The conversation explores why so many firms fall short after strategic planning sessions and what it takes to close that gap. They also dive into why partners understand strategy intellectually, but don’t operate with a true ownership mindset. Jeff explains how firms can shift behavior by tying performance to measurable, controllable actions and making progress visible across the organization.The episode also covers:The difference between strategy and execution (and why confusing the two is costly)How to measure “soft” metrics like employee experienceWhy controllable metrics matter more than outcomesHow dashboards and transparency can drive accountability without being punitiveWhat execution looks like in M&A and firm growth decisionsAs Jeff puts it, strategy is the compass but execution is what gets you there.

Earn free CPE with Earmark. Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz and download your certificate.Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPE[CS1]Advisory services have long been positioned as the future of accounting. For many firms, it has remained more of an aspiration than a fully executed strategy.In this episode, Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers break down what is actually happening inside firms today. Drawing on IPA data and ongoing conversations with firm leaders, they explore whether advisory is truly taking hold or still largely conceptual.The data shows meaningful movement. Advisory now represents roughly one-third of firm revenue across IPA firms. That signals a real shift away from a purely compliance-driven model.But the more important question is why this shift is happening now.Several forces are converging:Client expectations are changing, with businesses looking for guidance, not just reportingTechnology is automating compliance work, limiting its growth potentialTalent expectations are shifting, with professionals seeking more consultative and client-facing rolesAt the same time, advisory is not something firms can simply layer on.It requires changes across the firm, such as:Pricing modelsTraining and skill developmentLeadership alignmentSuccess measurementsIt also requires a different mindset. One focused on insights and outcomes, not just efficiency and utilization.Looking ahead, the conversation highlights a broader transition. The past decade was about recognizing advisory as an opportunity. The next decade will be about scaling it.Firms that invest in leadership, client relationships and specialized expertise are more likely to succeed. Others may continue to struggle to move beyond compliance.

One of the most common and costly mistakes CPA firms make is assuming that technical excellence automatically translates into leadership ability.In most firms, promotions are based on utilization, billable production and technical proficiency. Those metrics matter. But the skills required to succeed at the manager and partner levels are fundamentally different.Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers unpack why so many firms unintentionally create overwhelmed managers and underprepared partners.They explore the growing complexity of leadership inside accounting firms, from private equity structures and M&A integrations to hybrid workforces and advisory expansion, and why the traditional promotion model hasn’t kept up.Rob and Chelsea also discuss:Why leadership fatigue is rising among managers and senior managersThe risks of promoting technicians without leadership developmentWhy leadership training must start earlier in careersThe importance of transparency around firm governance and financialsWhether firms should hire leaders from outside the accounting professionWhy modern firms benefit from complementary leadership strengths, not identical partner profilesThey also challenge firms to rethink traditional career paths. Not every talented professional wants or needs to manage people. Creating parallel career tracks for technical experts and leadership roles could reduce burnout and improve retention across the profession.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEPrivate equity has quickly become one of the most talked-about developments in public accounting. But the profession is still trying to determine what it really means for firms, talent and long-term strategy.In this episode, Chelsea Summers speaks with Stuart Ferguson, managing partner at Point Advisory, now Stout Strategy, a firm that has advised more than 15 of the top 25 accounting firms and dozens more globally.Together they explore how private equity investment is changing the competitive landscape for CPA firms, why PE-backed firms are growing faster and how governance (not just capital) may be driving many of the operational differences we’re seeing.The conversation also digs into the tension many firm leaders are feeling: concerns about culture, talent and long-term professional values versus the measurable growth and strategic discipline PE-backed firms are demonstrating.Stuart shares insights on where private equity is investing, why advisory services are becoming central to firm strategy and how leadership teams can rethink governance and strategy, even without outside capital.Chelsea and Stuart also look ahead to what the next five years may bring, including:Consolidation across the accounting marketIncreased investment in advisory and technologyPossible IPOs of accounting firmsGreater diversification into services like legal and wealth managementThe emergence of AI-native accounting firmsWhether firms pursue private equity or remain independent, one theme is clear: the profession is entering a period of significant change, and leadership strategy will matter more than ever.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEFor decades, public accounting firms have operated on a simple economic engine: leverage and billing rates.Leverage — typically measured as staff per equity partner — determines how much production capacity sits under each partner. The wider the base of the pyramid, the greater the potential revenue and profit per partner.But that model relied on several assumptions:A steady pipeline of entry-level talentManageable turnoverConsistent rate increasesToday, those assumptions are under pressure.Across all IPA firms, the average staff-to-equity-partner ratio is 11.8. But it varies significantly by firm size:Firms over $150M: 16$20M–$30M firms: 13.6Firms under $5M: 7.7At the same time, more than 70% of the IPA 100 now use offshore staffing, and many firms are redesigning their operating models by building barbell structures, flatter organizations or advisory-heavy teams.The takeaway? Leverage isn’t obsolete. But it must be intentional.Profitability in a CPA firm still comes down to two drivers:Production capacity (leverage)Pricing discipline (billing rates and realization)If leverage declines and rates stagnate, margin compresses. It’s that simple.Managing partners should be asking:What is our current staff-to-partner ratio?How has it changed over five years?Have billing rates risen proportionally?Are we protecting margin intentionally or assuming “same as last year”?The firms that win the next decade won’t simply work harder. They’ll deliberately design their operating model.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEIn this crossover episode, Rob Brown welcomes Brannon Poe of the Accountants Flight Plan Podcast for a wide-ranging, practical conversation about what’s happening right now in CPA firm M&A and why private equity continues to accelerate consolidation across the profession.Brannon shares what he’s seeing in the market and why accounting checks so many boxes for investors: recurring revenue, a fragmented marketplace, and plenty of opportunity to improve systems and scale. But as Rob and Brannon point out, not every deal is a good deal, especially when firm owners get pulled in by the “headline offer” without slowing down to evaluate fit, culture and the fine print behind earn-outs and performance targets.They break down how PE-backed transactions differ from traditional firm-to-firm deals, why diligence can feel intense (and exhausting), and how competition in the process can protect sellers from getting “pulled around” late in the game. From there, the conversation shifts to timing: when is it actually time to sell and how much of that decision is less about money and more about time, lifestyle and opportunity cost?You’ll also hear what buyers value most today (profitability, low owner dependency, strong teams and curated client bases), why the jump from $2.5M to $5M can be a “hard stretch” for growing firms, and a simple but powerful takeaway for firm leaders: boundaries matter—around time, pricing and priorities.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEIn this episode, we return to one of our favorite formats: listener Q&A.The questions in this episode aren’t tactical. They’re structural. They reflect what firm leaders are really wrestling with behind closed doors:Is the talent shortage real — or is the traditional firm model the issue?Why does growth stall even when firms say they’re committed to it?Is 2026 finally the year advisory becomes more than a talking point?What’s the most valuable training future CPA leaders should prioritize?Are firms underestimating change fatigue?Will the firms that win the next decade look like the ones that won the last?Chelsea brings the data. Rob brings perspective from conversations with firm leaders around the world. Together, they unpack the tension between intention and execution — and why adaptability, leadership alignment and clarity of direction may define the next generation of successful firms.One theme emerges clearly: The future isn’t about getting bigger. It’s about becoming better designed.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEWhat is CPA firm data really telling us about the future of tax advice and why does it feel different this time?In this crossover episode with Heidi Henderson (Chief Marketing Officer at Engineered Tax Services and host of the Slash Tax Podcast), we connect the dots between firm benchmarking data and what taxpayers are experiencing in real life.IPA has been surveying the profession since 1987, and the latest trends point to a profession at an inflection point. Staffing shortages, succession challenges, private equity consolidation, offshoring and rapid technology adoption are all converging at once. The result: compliance work is being reshaped and advisory services are moving from “nice to have” to a core growth engine.We dig into:Why advisory is growing and what that means for tax planning and client expectationsHow technology (and AI) is accelerating efficiency and forcing new operating modelsThe pressure points around staffing, partner time, and leadership pipelinesWhy billable-hour dependence is still high and what’s pushing firms toward fixed-fee, value, and subscription modelsWhat benchmarks suggest about where pricing is going (and how inflation plays into it)How offshoring is evolving from third-party work to fully integrated teamsWhat firm leaders can do now to stay profitable and sustainableWhether you run a firm or rely on one, this episode will help you understand why tax advice is changing—and what to do about it.Follow the Slash Tax Podcast: https://slashtax.transistor.fm/

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEIn this special “Behind the Curtain” episode, Rob Brown sits down with Chelsea Summers to explore how IPA’s data is collected, interpreted and translated into insight for firm leaders. Chelsea shares how nearly 40 years of longitudinal data requires judgment, context and responsibility—not just spreadsheets.They discuss how IPA distinguishes real trends from short-term noise, why not all data should be published without interpretation, and how oversimplifying numbers can lead firms in the wrong direction. Chelsea also opens up about leadership fatigue, gaps between planning and execution inside firms, and what recent survey cycles have revealed that genuinely surprised her.The episode also gets personal. Chelsea shares her unconventional path into public accounting, her leadership philosophy and why transparency has become a defining theme in her work. Together, Rob and Chelsea explore how the podcast creates space for nuance, emotion and practical application that a report alone can’t deliver.This episode is a candid look at the responsibility behind the data—and why IPA’s role is about creating clarity, not judgment.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPECompensation has always been one of the largest line items on an accounting firm’s income statement. But according to the latest IPA data, the pressure around pay feels different this year.In this episode, Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers take a closer look at what firm leaders are really facing when it comes to compensation — and why this conversation has moved well beyond HR.Using insights from IPA’s 2025 Practice Management and HR data, they explore how firms are navigating thinner margins, moderating salary increases, and shifting from blanket raises to more targeted investments. The discussion highlights how firms are differentiating pay by experience level, with a strong focus on protecting mid-level professionals who are critical to succession planning and firm stability.Rob and Chelsea also examine longer-term trends, including rising entry-level pay, slower escalation for standardized or automated roles, and the growing gap between junior compensation and partner pay. They unpack what partner compensation data reveals about governance, equity structures, and generational transition inside firms.The conversation wraps with practical takeaways for firm leaders from aligning compensation strategy with pricing and margins, to using transparency and clarity to build trust, even when firms can’t lead the market on pay.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPERevenue per employee is one of the most honest indicators of how well an accounting firm is truly performing. In this episode of the INSIDE Public Accounting podcast, Rob Brown is joined by Chelsea Summers to unpack why this metric cuts through the noise of growth headlines, chargeable hours and surface-level productivity measures.Drawing on IPA’s 2025 data, Chelsea explains how revenue per FTE captures the full workforce—onshore, offshore, chargeable and non-chargeable—and reflects how effectively a firm translates people into revenue. The conversation explores year-over-year trends, inflation-adjusted performance and why recent gains still reflect firms running slightly uphill.Rob and Chelsea also dive into firm size comparisons, highlighting the widening gap between small firms, middle-market firms and the largest organizations. They discuss why premium billing rates, pricing confidence and intentional operating models matter more than simply working harder or adding headcount.The episode closes with practical guidance for firm leaders: how to use revenue per FTE as a diagnostic tool, what questions it should prompt and why it deserves a central place in strategic decision-making—especially as firms navigate rising compensation costs, evolving staffing models, and increasing pressure to do more with less.

Earn free CPE with Earmark! Take your learning on the go and earn NASBA-approved CPE just for listening to The INSIDE Public Accounting Podcast. Simply listen, take a short quiz, and download your certificate. Start now on the IPA channel in the Earmark app: INSIDE Public Accounting | Earmark CPEThe IPA Practice Management Survey is one of the most powerful tools available to accounting firm leaders—and one of the most misunderstood.In this episode of the INSIDE Public Accounting podcast, Rob Brown is joined by Chelsea Summers, Executive Director of IPA, for a practical, step-by-step breakdown of the survey that powers IPA’s benchmarking, rankings and long-term insights into the profession.They cover what the survey includes, how firms of all sizes can participate, and why more than 600 firms submit data each year. Chelsea explains how IPA standardizes and reviews submissions, the cost to participate and how the data ultimately drives the IPA 500, Best of the Best firms and a wide range of benchmarking reports.The conversation also dives into how firms actually use the data—supporting strategic planning, compensation decisions, talent strategy, board reporting and even M&A diligence. Plus, Chelsea shares tips for first-time participants and discusses how IPA is expanding its data collection around AI and technology adoption.If you’re looking for clarity, comparison, and a data-driven roadmap for your firm, this episode explains why the IPA Practice Management Survey is a critical place to start.