AI-powered search is fundamentally changing how people discover tax and accounting professionals — and the 2026 tax law reset is about to separate firms that are prepared from those that aren’t. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, Lee Reams and Rebekah Barton unpack two major forces converging at the same time: • Why AI search tools are reducing visibility for generic tax and accounting websites • How discovery now works when search engines synthesize answers instead of ran...
Most accountants say the same thing: “I’m already too busy… why would I need marketing?” In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the real reason fast-growing firms keep winning—while others unknowingly fall behind: 👉 Being busy today doesn’t keep you remembered tomorrow. 👉 Visibility—not workload—is what protects your firm. 👉 Top of Mind is the moat every accounting firm needs in 2025 and beyond. Lee and Rebekah explore why so ...
Stop billing by the hour. Start communicating your value. Step into advisory with confidence. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, Lee Reams II sits down with Linda Hunt, founder of SUM Solutions and creator of The Perfect Pricing Formula, to unpack the shift every bookkeeper and accounting professional is facing right now: moving from task-based work to outcome-based advisory — all while navigating the rise of AI. Together, Lee and Linda dive into: Why hourly billing caps y...
In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the impact of Intuit’s new $100M partnership with OpenAI and what it means for the future of the profession. Clients are no longer starting with Google or referrals. They’re starting with AI — and they trust the answer. We cover: Why the compliance-first model is getting compressedHow AI has become the new referral sourceWhy advisory is not just for high-net-worth clientsThe human moat: what AI can’t replaceThe Four Pillars of Trust ...
AI and automation are changing everything — including how accountants grow. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, host Lee Reams II talks with Adam Lean, CEO of The CFO Project, about how technology is helping tax and accounting pros finally scale beyond compliance work and step into lucrative CFO advisory roles. Adam shares how The CFO Project’s advisors average nearly $2,000 per month per client with 87% retention, using a repeatable system that helps business owners generate pos...
AI isn’t killing accounting. It’s reorganizing it. In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton dig into how automation is reshaping the profession... compressing the repetitive, low-value work at the bottom and expanding opportunities at the top where strategy, storytelling, and human relationships live. This isn’t about fear. It’s about leverage. The smartest firms are using AI to scale faster, deepen client connections, and free up time for higher-value work. You’ll also hear how Count...
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “yes” to one more client favor — knowing it won’t make it to the invoice — this episode is for you. Host Lee Reams II, founder of CountingWorks PRO, and co-host Rebekah Barton break down one of the most common profit leaks in accounting and advisory firms: service creep. They’ll walk you through: What service creep actually looks like (and why it’s so easy to miss)Why even seasoned pros struggle to say noHow to set better boundaries with clear engagement ...
Referrals have always powered accounting firm growth — but what happens when word-of-mouth goes digital? In this episode, hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton unpack how AI is quietly reshaping visibility, referrals, and client acquisition for accountants. From ChatGPT’s recommendations to Google’s new AI-driven search, algorithms are already deciding which firms get found — and which disappear. You’ll learn: Why AI is the new middleman between you and your next clientHow algorithms interpre...
Funnels are dead. And in this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, host Lee Reams II and guest Rebekah Barton explain why the old lead-generation playbook no longer works—and what accountants must do instead. For years, firms were told to rely on funnels: fill the top with ads and PDFs, nurture with email, and push leads down until they buy. But in Fall 2025, that’s not how clients make decisions. Clients now: Google you, check Yelp, scroll LinkedIn, and DM a friend.Ask ChatGPT who the be...
Welcome to another episode of The Growth-Minded Accountant Podcast, hosted by Lee Reams and Rebekah Barton. This week we’re tackling one of the most urgent challenges facing accounting firms in 2025: the hidden cost of delaying AI adoption. What You’ll Learn in This Episode The invisible tax of doing nothing: why waiting on AI is costing you revenue, hours, and growth.AI search visibility: how platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are changing client discovery — and what happens if your firm ...
Most accountants think growth = more leads. More ads. More SEO. More hustle. But if you’re losing 15 out of every 100 clients each year? You’re not growing—you’re standing still. Retention is your moat. It’s what protects your firm when AI search punishes cookie-cutter sites, when clients tune out generic newsletters, and when compliance-only firms get commoditized. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton (Chief Visibility Officer at CountingWorks PRO)...
Referrals aren’t what they used to be. Clients don’t just ask a friend anymore—they ask ChatGPT. And if your firm doesn’t show up with credibility, reviews, and content that AI can cite… you’re invisible. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, host Lee Reams II and guest Rebekah Barton share the Modern SEO + GEO Playbook for Accountants. You’ll discover how to build a digital presence that passes the AI visibility test, converts digital referrals, and proves your authority before pr...
Every tax season, accountants hit the same wall: too many clients, not enough hours. The knee-jerk reaction? Cut clients, cut stress, cut back. But here’s the problem: you can’t cut your way to growth. And you sure can’t cut your way to a 7-figure exit. In this episode of The Growth-Minded Accountant, Lee Reams II (Founder of CountingWorks) reveals why the most successful firms aren’t trimming — they’re transforming. With AI and modern workflows, firms can cut hours instead of revenue, scale ...
AI has changed everything for tax and accounting firms. Referrals and Google rankings are no longer enough—clients now turn to AI tools for answers, and only the most trusted firms get recommended. In this episode, Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton unpack what this shift means, why compliance-only models are at risk, and how firms can pivot to advisory, leverage AI to scale, and protect their client base from competitors.
Think tax planning is only for billionaires? Think again. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, we break down why middle-income, dual-earner families often see the biggest savings — and how accountants can turn complexity into opportunity. You’ll hear how a $150K household (one spouse W-2, one spouse 1099) can unlock $10K–$20K in annual savings through smart strategies like entity optimization, retirement planning, health benefits, and quarterly tax alignment. More importantly, we’...
Most tax professionals and accountants are still guessing at their prices — and it’s costing them thousands. In this episode of The Growth Minded Accountant, hosts Lee Reams II and Rebekah Barton break down the three big pricing models in the profession: ⚖️ Published Price Guides: Transparent and simple — but often leave money on the table.💰 Value Pricing: Aligns with client outcomes — but hard to scale and defend.🤖 Dynamic Pricing with MAX: AI-powered proposals that adapt to client demograph...
This NASBA-compliant nano course delivers expert tax insight in a fresh, podcast-style format. Carefully curated by our team of seasoned tax professionals and presented by advanced AI for the best possible learning experience, this course makes complex tax law easy to understand and engaging to follow. In just 12 minutes, discover how the new above-the-line deduction for tip income (2025–2028) works, who qualifies, the $25,000 cap and AGI phase-out, and how the expanded FICA tip credit benefi...
This episode of The Growth Minded Accountant hosted by Lee Reams II, focuses on building a "Referral Growth Engine That Runs Itself." It emphasizes that referrals are the most profitable lead source and can be generated through a repeatable process using existing tools like an inbox and calendar, without needing ads or AI. The podcast outlines a 4-part "Referral Blueprint Framework": Trigger the Ask: Identify optimal times to ask for referrals, such as after a client signs their return, exper...
The SEO game has changed—and most tax and accounting firms haven’t caught up. In the age of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI-powered results, only a few sources get cited. The rest? Ignored. In this episode, Lee and Rebekah reveal how to become the firm that AI search engines trust and reference. 🔎 You’ll learn: Why AI search isn’t about keywords—it’s about relevanceThe content patterns AI is trained to recognize and citeWhat makes your blog, podcast, or voice “reference-worthy”How to wri...
President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law on July 4th—and while most people were watching fireworks, tax pros just got handed a golden opportunity. In this episode, Lee breaks down how to turn this 1,000-page bill into your next revenue stream with a productized offer he calls the Big Beautiful Tax Planning Appointment. You’ll learn how to price it, who to target, and how to use MAX to generate marketing campaigns instantly—without hiring a copywriter or writing f...