Barnes: Redefine Your Career from Within | Gear Up For Growth

Growth doesn’t always mean moving on—it can mean moving deeper.

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Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

“I love Smith + Howard, and I loved marketing, but I didn’t think I was the person for that role anymore,” says Julie Barnes, chief of staff of Smith + Howard, during her appearance on Gear Up for Growth, powered by CPA Trendlines, and hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “I didn’t want to leave; I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be valuable to the firm and create value in whatever role I landed in.”

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Barnes shares how her 30-year journey at the firm has evolved through initiative, transparency, and a culture that supports growth from within.

Posted on November 7, 2025

Jean Marie Caragher

About the Author

Jean Caragher gets things done.

She is the creator and author of the best-selling 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms and the host of two major CPA Trendlines Research podcasts:

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the profession's most powerful trendmakers and reveals the new rules for success in the accounting business.
Capstone Conversations feature informed and informal discussions with leading growth strategists from the nation’s most dynamic CPA firms.

For CPA firms seeking to improve their marketing, Jean at Capstone Marketing is the go-to resource for strategy and implementation. With 30 years of experience working solely with CPAs, Jean knows the challenges and opportunities firms face today. Her experience and knowledge, combined with her practical approach, help growth-focused CPA firms attract the best clients and talent.

Click here for more by Jean Marie Caragher

Check out her free resources, including:
the event-driven marketing method,
the members-only Capstone Community, and
the "13 Ways to Waste Your Accounting Firm Marketing Budget" ebook.

Free Instant Download:
"Top 12 Questions to Ask at Your Next Networking Event"

A well-respected industry specialist, Jean is an inaugural AAM Hall of Fame inductee, a multiple AAM-MAA award winner, and a CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader. Before launching Capstone Marketing in 1998, Jean served as a CPA firm marketing director and association executive director. She has been named one of Accounting Today’s 100 Most Influential People in Accounting twice. Jean’s experience: Moore Stephens North America Inc., Executive Director; BDO Seidman, Regional Marketing Director; and Israeloff, Trattner & Company, Marketing Director.

She holds an MBA from Hofstra University and a BA from State University College at Oswego, N.Y. Her published works include "Bull’s-Eye! The Ultimate How-To Marketing and Sales Guide for CPAs;" "Double Digit Growth: Tools From Top Firms;" "How to Hire a Marketing Director and Make It Work;" "The Marketing Advantage II: New Ideas on Getting and Keeping Clients." Professional recognition: Inaugural member, Association for Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame; Association for Accounting Marketing-Marketing Achievement Award; Member, Editorial Advisory Board, CPA Marketing Report; Member, Practice Management Editorial Advisory Board, Accounting Today; “100 Most Influential People in Accounting,” Accounting Today; and Top 25 Thought Leader in Public Accounting, CPA Practice Advisor.

She belongs to the Association for Accounting Marketing, where she has served as president, board director and conference chair; the National Speakers Association; and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

For more information, contact her at 727.210.7306 or jcaragher@capstonemarketing.com. Follow Jean on Twitter.com/JeanCaragher; Linkedin.com/in/jeancaragher; facebook.com/capstonemarketing

Click here for more by Jean Marie Caragher

Barnes: Redefine Your Career from Within | Gear Up For Growth

This is a preview. The complete episode is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here

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This is a preview. The complete episode is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here

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