Weak Business Models Exposed | Gear Up For Growth
AI accelerates advisory work, but only if firms rethink pricing and risk.
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Grassi: How the Hell Did This Happen? | Gear Up For Growth
Grow a CPA firm from zero to the Top 100—without losing your soul.
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With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines
Leesley: Your Clients Will Pay More | Gear Up For Growth
Here’s how to label, package, and price the value you already provide.
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With Jean Caragher
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Baker: Transformation Economy Will Redefine Accounting | Gear Up For Growth
Stop “playing small ball,” and reimagine client experiences.
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“A business model describes how you earn revenue when services are given away for free,” said Ron Baker, co-founder of THRESHOLD: A Revelation for the Transformation Economy, during his appearance on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing.
“That terrifies people, but it’s where the economy is going.”
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Baker discusses the profession’s next major evolution: the transformation economy, where firms no longer compete on services, scope, or efficiency, but on their ability to change lives.
He argues that CPAs are uniquely positioned to guide clients through lasting financial and personal transformation. CPA value will shift from work performed to life and business outcomes: healthier, wealthier, wiser clients living with meaning.
Meihaus: The Courage to Say “Enough” at the Top | Gear Up For Growth
Partners who cap their own comp can solve staffing, retention, and motivation in one bold move.
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Originally published Sept. 4, 2025.
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With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines
When public accounting firms talk about “leadership challenges,” the conversation often turns into a soft focus on communication styles or vague culture issues.
Michael Meihaus goes straight for the hard truths.
On Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Capstone Marketing president Jean Caragher, Meihaus—owner of Meihaus CPA in Escondido, California—lays out the structural leadership failings he sees across the profession: outdated ownership models, harmful work expectations, broken incentives, and leaders who resist change because the current system works for them, even as it burns everyone else out.
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“It’s simply that we don’t change unless we have to,” he tells Caragher. In a profession that’s been “stable, profitable, successful” for decades, too many people at the top have little incentive to transform how firms actually operate.
Majchrzak: Marketer-Turned-CEO Redesigns the Modern CPA Firm | Gear Up For Growth
Collaboration, transparency, and independence drive BeachFleischman’s growth.
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When most people picture a CPA firm CEO, they don’t envision a former marketing director in the big chair.
That’s exactly what makes Eric Majchrzak worth listening to.
Majchrzak, CEO and Principal of BeachFleischman—Arizona’s largest locally owned CPA firm and a Top 200 firm in the U.S.—has been named multiple times to Accounting Today’s “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” and is an Association for Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame inductee.
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On Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Capstone Marketing president Jean Caragher, Majchrzak pulls back the curtain on how his growth-minded, marketing-first lens is reshaping BeachFleischman’s strategy, culture, and business model—and what other firms can steal from that playbook.
Steffen: Leadership Is About Energy, Not Tenure | Gear Up For Growth
When you’re too tired to lead, step aside.
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“Leaders who realize they’re too tired to keep managing change should recognize that it might be time to transition to somebody who has that energy,” says Carrie Steffen, CEO of the Iowa Society of CPAs, during her appearance on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “The longer you hang on when you don’t have the energy for change, the more of a disservice you’re doing, not only to your firm, but to the profession as a whole.”
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In addition to highlighting self-awareness as a key leadership skill, Steffen offered valuable insights for CPA firm leaders navigating today’s dynamic environment.
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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“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.
Pirolli: You Can’t “Declare” Independence — You Have to Earn It | Gear Up For Growth
Firms that want to stay independent must transform how they operate, lead, and plan for succession.
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“The problem that a lot of firms have is they just don’t pay attention to what succession really is until they get to the last few years,” explains William “Bill” Pirolli, executive vice president of firm services at Succession Institute, LLC, on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing. “It has to happen all throughout the lifetime of the firm in order to be properly established at the end.”
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Pirolli, a former AICPA Chair and longtime CPA firm partner, emphasizes that succession planning must begin on day one, not five years before retirement. He cautions that too many firms wait until it’s too late to build future leaders or transfer client relationships effectively.
Call and Geraci: Future-Proofing Without P.E. | Gear Up For Growth
Reserves, credit lines, and leadership pipelines fuel expansion.
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“Fiercely independent isn’t a strategy, it’s a stance,” says John Geraci, managing partner of LGA CPAs & Advisors. “To truly remain independent, firms must be strategic about how they differentiate themselves, understand the threats posed by private equity, and have the conviction to invest in their people and future leaders.”
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Geraci and Jeff Call, managing partner of Bennett Thrasher, were guests on Gear Up for Growth, hosted by Jean Caragher of Capstone Marketing.
As private equity continues to reshape the accounting profession, both leaders agree on two critical factors for firms choosing to remain self-owned: independence must be intentional, and culture is the ultimate differentiator.
Rampe: Make Strategy Stick | Gear Up For Growth
Five steps turn vision into execution.
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On the latest episode of “Gear Up for Growth,” host Jean Caragher interviews Matt Rampe, partner at Rosenberg Associates and author of the forthcoming book, “CPA Firm Strategic Planning: Your Roadmap for Long-Term Success,” about how accounting firms can move beyond ad-hoc retreats to a disciplined, accountable planning process that sticks.
Rampe, who advises firms on strategy, succession, partner development, and profitability, said the book grew out of years of facilitation and coaching with firms of all sizes. “The book was in my brain for a long time before it got put on paper,” he says. “When I started writing, it actually came pretty quickly—but I learned there’s a lot more to making a book than a Word document.”
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Rampe argues that the profession has reached a disruption point, citing converging pressures including private equity, technology, staffing shortages, succession for retiring Baby Boomers, and a shift toward advisory services. “What worked for us 10 years ago isn’t going to work for us 10 years in the future,” he says. “The old model, where a few partners disappear into a room and come out with a plan, doesn’t work in this age. We need to be nimble.”
Weiner: Leadership Lessons from a Billion-Dollar Builder | Gear Up For Growth
Great firms are built, not bought.
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In this episode of Gear Up for Growth, host Jean Caragher sits down with Jeffrey Weiner, former CEO and Chairman of Marcum LLP and current Senior Advisor at CBIZ. Weiner shares candid insights from his 40-year leadership journey, explaining how a Long Island accounting firm with seven employees and $300,000 in revenue became a $1.3 billion national powerhouse—before merging with CBIZ.
Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth here.
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“Back in 1981, I didn’t even know what $1.3 billion was,” Weiner quips. “But I always knew I wanted to build something.”
Over the decades, Weiner redefined what it meant to lead in public accounting, emphasizing trust, talent, and strategic growth. Rather than micromanaging, he viewed his role as “architect,” guiding the firm’s culture, empowering top-tier professionals, and letting his team do what they did best. “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room,” he said.
Melancon: P.E. and the Partnership | Gear Up For Growth
Not all will succeed, but accounting will influence and evolve the models.
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With Jean Caragher
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