Is your to-do list wrecking you?

This week's newsletter is all about systems, scale and smart questions. You'll meet a solo bookkeeper making $47K per month (yes, really!), get a peek inside a four-year client bookkeeping cleanup and learn why your to-do list might be sabotaging your sanity. 

We've also got insights from Keila Hill-Trawick on using podcasts to build trust, a private equity model that doesn't gobble up your firm's soul and a list of check-in questions that'll make "So, how's it going?" obsolete. 

Let's dive in—there's a little something for the CEO and the cleanup crew in all of us.

Solo, not small. Zach Pasquariello of Harrisburg Bookkeeping shares the systems behind his $47K per month solo firm.

Brand lift. Six small-but-mighty strategies to boost your brand online—no marketing degree required. 

Subtract to succeed. Your to-do list might be wrecking your workflow. Try this "not-to-do list" instead (and thank us later).

Cleanup mode. TikTok creator @frolicbookkeeping walks through cleaning up four years of a client's books. It took 89 hours over five months, but no data on the amount of caffeine consumed.

Want a peek inside 50 of the top modern accounting firms?

Future Firm just released a deep dive into the 50 firms leading the charge in modern accounting. It’s packed with real data, smart strategies and takeaways from firms that are actually growing, not just talking. Want to know how much they charge? How many hours they work per week? Lessons they learned the hard way? It's all in there.

Future Firm is run by Ryan Lazanis, CPA, who scaled and sold his cloud firm in just five years. Now over 9,000 accountants follow him to learn how to build leaner, more profitable firms—without burning out.

Get it here: Top 50 Modern Accounting Firms of 2025

Podcasting powers connection

Keila Hill-Trawick, CPA, MBA, is the powerhouse behind Little Fish Accounting and the voice of the "Build to Enough" podcast—a show that delivers sharp, actionable insight for solopreneurs in bite-sized doses.

In this Q&A with The Net Gains, Hill-Trawick shares how she turned a spontaneous speaking invitation into a strategic content engine, why she embraced podcasting as a way to deepen trust with clients (and future clients) and what she’s learned about balancing value and visibility without burning out.

If you’ve ever wondered whether podcasting is worth the effort for accountants, Hill-Trawick's got the real talk. -Janet Berry-Johnson

What inspired you to start your podcast, and how did you identify podcasting as the right platform to share your expertise?

I was actually invited to start a podcast after a local podcast studio heard me speak at an event for small businesses. I hadn’t thought about it as a mechanism for speaking to others, but I was immediately drawn to the idea that I could use a podcast to both provide value and act as a marketing tool for potential clients.

It ended up being the perfect vehicle for our messaging because we were able to provide value in short spurts on a consistent basis. Since we decided early on to keep the episodes short, it also provided the opportunity to cover topics multiple times in different ways, without losing the attention span needed to catch it all at once. 

What challenges did you face when you started podcasting, and how did you overcome them?

I struggled with costs for the podcasts, given that I hadn't planned to directly get paid from the podcast. Not only did it make me inconsistent in managing production (constantly changing to and from a seasonal model and determining the right content for sponsors), but it also made it hard for me to find and keep the right production team within a very limited budget.

Ultimately, I had to plan to pay for the podcast via the firm without an expected financial return on investment and instead use it as a baseline for all of the content we made throughout the month. That was beneficial because instead of looking at it as "just" a podcast cost, it became a method for planning and delivering messaging across platforms.

How has podcasting helped you market Little Fish Accounting and connect with your target audience in a more meaningful way?

One of the ways we’ve been able to use the podcast to connect is by giving an inside perspective on how we manage the issues our target clients experience, how we deal with them at Little Fish and how we take care of them for clients.

For example, we were able to go beyond simple tax topics to dig into the surprise clients feel when they file. This allowed a direct explanation of our Tax Prep Suite service and all included tasks to avoid that feeling.  

This is information on our website, but the podcast allowed us to dig deeper into why the proactive approach is important. People were able to connect by listening to the voice of the company as opposed to just reading it.

How has hosting a podcast established you as a thought leader in the accounting profession or shaped the way you approach client engagement?

The podcast is a good tool in thought leadership because it serves as an example to those looking for me to speak or participate in panels. Partners and conference organizers already have insight into my expertise and ability to deliver in an engaging way, even if they’ve never seen me on stage before. It also allowed me to give partners and sponsors the opportunity to talk to common audiences through our platform.

In terms of client engagement, the podcast acts as an easy resource to share on specific topics without starting from scratch, particularly for those not ready to work with us. 

They appreciate receiving expertise beyond our normal packages, and many became clients later because they didn’t feel left in the dark when they needed something initially.

Let CPAs lead, not just serve clients

What if private equity could fuel firm growth without turning your practice into a cookie-cutter clone? In a recent episode of the "Earmark Podcast," host Blake Oliver interviewed David Wurtzbacher, founder of Ascend.

Wurtzbacher breaks down his “anti-rollup” approach to investing in accounting firms. He makes a case for turning firm owners into actual CEOs, shares lessons from the dental industry (really), and talks talent strategy, AI and building irresistible offers. It’s a must-listen for leaders rethinking how their firm scales.

Why this matters: The profession is under pressure to deliver more with less. This episode shows how thoughtful structure—not just hustle—drives real growth. (Earmark Podcast)

From pay cut to powerhouse

When Parthenia Walker's employer slashed her salary, she didn't panic. She pivoted. In an inspiring interview with FeedbackWrench, the founder of Financially Faithful shares how she went from earning $0 to crossing the $100K mark in her bookkeeping business in just one year.  

Walker talks mindset shifts, niching down, building confidence and the very first thing she did to start getting clients. Hint: it wasn't posting on social media.

Why this matters: If you're dreaming of going solo or scaling faster, Walker's story is a real-world reminder that setbacks can spark serious growth. (FeedbackWrench)

 21%

Having $2,000 in emergency savings is linked to a 21% boost in reported financial well-being. (CBS News)

• Advocates want Americans living abroad taxed like the rest of the world
• Early onboarding for tax software saves time, stress and last-minute meltdowns in busy season
• Phishing emails, fake texts and shady refunds are back
• This quiet Japanese technique builds consensus before making decisions—no steamrolling required
• A new Minnesota law ditches the 150-hour rule in favor of flexibility and real-world experience

What you ask matters more than how often you check in

Want to improve team member communication with more frequent check-ins? Check out this list of 50+ thoughtful employee check-in questions that go way beyond the tired “How’s it going?”

Whether you're trying to gauge burnout, improve communication or just avoid another awkward silence on Zoom, the list is packed with prompts that encourage real, honest conversations. Categories range from day-to-day workflow and team dynamics to career growth and mental health. “Anything on your mind?” isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Why this matters: When deadlines hit like a freight train and busy season is always “coming soon,” regular check-ins can make or break team morale. Good questions spark better feedback, and better feedback means fewer surprise resignations, festering frustrations or Slack vent sessions. Ask smarter, lead better. (SurveySparrow)

The Net Gains is your one-stop shop for fresh, FREE accounting insights. You can reach the newsletter team at thenetgains@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

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The Net Gains is curated and written by Janet Berry-Johnson and edited by Bianca Prieto.