Are you using the same tax software you picked five years ago, even though your practice has completely changed? Still telling yourself it's too late in the year to evaluate alternatives? You're choosing software for the firm you had, not the firm you're building. Kristen Keats learned this the hard way. She built a firm around her ideal client, not the clients she had yesterday.

In this episode of Deduct This with Carrie and Lexi, Kristen Keats, owner of Sherwood Tax and Accounting, breaks down how to evaluate tax software for your future, not your past, and why "crawl, walk, run" beats betting the farm every time.

Kristen started with ProSeries when she was running a small practice out of her house. It worked perfectly for straightforward returns and a limited number of clients. But when she bought Sherwood Tax and Accounting, everything shifted. She had staff in Mexico. She had complex multi-state clients. She had consolidations that ProSeries couldn't handle. She asked herself a different question: 'Who do I actually want to serve in the next few years?' The answer wasn't yesterday's clients. It was tomorrow's clients. So she leveled up to Lacerte. That decision didn't just change her software. It built the firm she wanted, rather than trapping her in the one she inherited.

This wasn't just a software choice. This was Kristen's philosophy on everything: crawl, walk, run. You don't bet the farm on new technology. You test a few clients in ProConnect while keeping Lacerte as your safety net. You ask your best client to be your guinea pig. You build confidence gradually instead of risking everything during your busiest season. The beautiful part? ProConnect's interface looks just like Lacerte, so even her most change-resistant tax manager found the transition natural.

Kristen opens up about:

• Her mission to bring joy to accounting by making it fulfilling for both accountants and clients
• How the tax roadmap system stops April 10th panic emails and client anxiety from spiraling
• The crawl, walk, run philosophy: test gradually, don't bet the farm on new technology
• Her firm growth strategy: evaluate software for your ideal client three years from now, not the clients you serve today
• How to let go of clients who don't value you before tax season starts, not after
• Why January is when new clients are looking for preparers (not when to shut down marketing)
• Being intentional about client selection creates capacity for relationships that actually matter
• How diagnostics catch errors before the IRS does, letting your team focus on advisory work
• Why new tax legislation is the ultimate test of whether your software keeps up with compliance
• Her fully remote tech stack: Carbon, QuickBooks Online, and hosted Lacerte in Mexico
• How to frame advisory work you're already doing and charge for the value you bring all year
• Why intentionality in 2025 means being selective about what you take on and what you let go."

Are you stuck with tax software that worked five years ago but limits where you're trying to go? See how cloud-based solutions with intuitive interfaces let you test gradually while building the practice you actually want.
Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to start: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/

Connect with the hosts:
🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond
🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard

Follow Kristen Keats:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristenkeats

#JoyToAccounting #CrawlWalkRun #IdealClientProfile #TaxRoadmap #IntentionalBusiness #ChangeManagement #FireYourClients #ClientCommunication #TaxSoftwareSelection #RemoteTaxFirm #ProConnectTax #LacerteTax #IntuitTax #DeductThisPodcast

Are you charging $700 for a 1040 while working 70-hour weeks? Still telling yourself your market can't support higher rates? Megan Leesley's response: Stop it. The only real constraint isn't your market. It's your mindset. And when she challenged that belief, she doubled her revenue while cutting her client load in half. In this episode of Deduct This with Carrie and Lexi, Megan Leesley, Director of Tax at Dark Horse CPAs, reveals how advisory-first firms are charging $1,500 base rates, working normal hours, and proving that the only real constraint is your own mindset.

At Intuit Connect, Megan met a firm owner who charged $700 and worked 60-70 hours a week, convinced that higher rates were impossible in her market. Megan's response? 'Our base rate is $1,500. And we work normal hours.' The woman's reply: 'I can never do that in my market.' Here's the truth: 76% of clients want advisory services and will pay more for them. But only a small percentage of firms actually offer it. The gap isn't demand. It's a firm positioning.

Megan tested this herself. When transitioning to Tax Director, she raised rates across her entire practice, expecting significant client losses. She calculated she'd end the year at $48,000 in annual recurring revenue with her reduced client load. The actual result? $100,000 in ARR with significantly less work, tax firm profitability is also about value.. Double her target. The clients who wanted advisory services were already there. She just wasn't charging for them. She was her own bottleneck, putting constraints on clients that they never actually expressed.

Dark Horse went fully advisory-first two years ago, not as a marketing position but as an existential business strategy. Here's why: AI is rapidly absorbing compliance work. The firms staying compliance-focused are building businesses with shrinking futures. The shift to advisory isn't about adding services on top. It's about recognizing that compliance is now table stakes; the software handles it. Your differentiator is what humans do: build relationships, understand goals, demonstrate impact. That's where advisory-first wins.

Megan opens up about:

• Why a majority of CPA time is spent gathering and inputting data adds zero client value
• How Dark Horse's $1,500 base rate includes advisory touchpoints, not just compliance
• Why 67% of CPA time spent on data entry adds little client value, and how to eliminate it
• The "stop it" moment when she realized her market excuse wasn't real
• Why only a small percentage of firms offer the advisory services most of your clients want
• How ProConnect Tax and Intuit Tax Advisor eliminated context switching and SaaS soup
• Why AI builds data while empathy builds impact, and how the human element is your competitive advantage in an AI-first world
• Why April 15th is "false news" and how to schedule clients for actual work-life balance
• Her framework for Opportunity Season, instead of busy season survival mode
• How intuitive software with fast learning curves freed her team to focus on advisory work
• How to reframe 'busy season' as 'opportunity season,' a mindset shift that changes your entire approach to January through April
• Why the profession needs to shift perception from grind culture to a rewarding partnership

Are you working 70-hour weeks for $700 returns while other advisory-first tax and accounting firms charge double and work half the hours? Stop asking if your market supports higher rates. Start asking how you can shift to advisory-first and reduce your client load while doubling your revenue.
Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to start: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/

Follow Megan Leesley:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/megan-leesley-cpa-25b67a9
Website: https://darkhorse.cpa/

Your team keeps burning out. You've upgraded your software, hired more people, adjusted workloads, but the tax accountant burnout cycle repeats. What if the real bottleneck isn't your tools or your headcount? In this episode of Deduct This with Carrie and Lexi, investor and finance expert Brandon Adjei, founder of Bargraph Solutions, reveals why personal development and mindset shifts drive success more powerfully than any technology purchase alone.

Brandon has seen every evolution of the accounting industry, from the Enron audits to AI adoption today. And he's discovered something most firms miss: the professionals who thrive aren't just the ones with the best software. They're the ones who've cultivated what he calls the "muscle emoji mindset," a deliberate practice of converting fear into fuel and building teams that operate from purpose rather than burnout.

Brandon opens up about:

• Why personal development for tax and accounting pros is the real competitive advantage most firms overlook
• His "purpose over fear equals progress" equation and how to apply it daily
• The "I am enough" exercise and why it's critical for overcoming imposter syndrome
• His proven approach to scaling tax and accounting firms nationwide during COVID by investing in mindset before technology
• Why accountants experience PTSD, which they call burnout, and how to break the cycle
• How documented workflows paired with confident teams create scalability
• His perspective on AI as a servant, not a replacement, for human intelligence
• How the 'muscle emoji mindset' builds the strength to overcome fear and lead teams through transformation
• Practical ways to help your team see their capabilities instead of their limitations

Is your team stuck in cycles of burnout while your software sits underutilized? See how building confident, purpose-driven people transforms your technology investments into actual competitive advantages.
Explore Intuit Professional Tax Software to start: https://accountants.intuit.com/tax-software/

Connect with the hosts:
🎙 Carrie Hammond: https://linkedin.com/in/cahammond
🎙 Lexi Bonicard: https://linkedin.com/in/lexibonicard

Follow Brandon Adjei:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-adjei-79522717
Website: https://cpa-asap.com/

#PersonalDevelopmentForCPAs #AccountingMindset #PurposeOverFear #TeamBurnoutSolutions #FirmCulture #LeadershipInAccounting #RemoteAccounting #MindsetShift #ScalableProcesses #CloudBasedAccounting #TaxPro #IntuitTax #ProConnectTax #DeductThisPodcast