The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab FaaS

By The FaaS Evolution

The FaaS Evolution podcast is focused on how Finance-as-a-Service is transforming the accounting industry. The podcast is hosted by GrowthLab FaaS, where we interview thought leaders in the industry to ultimately help accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, & CFOs move to a FaaS mindset.

Listen on Spotify Send voice message

Available on

Report content on Spotify

Your Business Should be Doing This NOW

The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab FaaSAug 15, 2022

00:00

10:48

Optimizing Cash Flow: A Guide to R&D Tax Credit Benefits

Learn more about How to Understand R&D Tax Credits.

In this episode, Dan is joined by Ari Salafia, the Founder of Taxtaker.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Understanding R&D Tax Credits
Navigating the Application Process
Tips and Advice for Small Business Owners

Apr 15, 202439:40

Entrepreneurial Insights: Driving Innovation in Finance as a Service

Tim Scullion comes to us with a lot of experience and a passion for small businesses. With an understanding of customer needs and a commitment to creating positive relationships. Tim is dedicated to making your customer experience with GrowthLab rewarding.

John's Photography Website: https://solasight-media.mypixieset.com/

Segment 1: Tim's Entrepreneurial Evolution
Segment 2: Transition to Customer Experience Manager
Segment 3: Importance of Customer Experience Manager in FaaS

Mar 06, 202436:55

Breaking out of the Accounting Perception Box 📦 w/ Roman Villard

Breaking out of the Perception Box: Exploring the Dynamic Paths of Accountants Across Different Industries

This week we have a friend on The FaaS Evolution, Roman Villard! Roman is the Founder @ Full Send Finance -- Serving Seed and Series B Startups.

Segment 1: Exploring Full Send

Segment 2: Understanding the Perception of Accountants

Segment 3: The Versatility of Accountancy Roles

Segment 4: Advice and Insights

Jan 30, 202435:49

Empowering Your People: Insights on People Advisory Services with Will Lopez from Gusto

Welcoming Will Lopez to this episode of The FaaS Evolution! He's a jack of all trades, Gusto's Chief Ambassador | Creator of People Advisory™ | Host of Between Two Firms | Accountant

Understanding Will Lopez's Role at Gusto
Creation and Evolution of People Advisory Services (PAS)
GrowthLab and the Integration of PAS
The Future of PAS and Its Impact

The #1 key to success in any business is your team. GrowthLab's People Advisory helps maximize your investment in your people. Attract. Retain. Elevate.

Learn more about People Advisory Services

Learn more about Gusto

Jan 04, 202448:54

Streamlining 1099 Season: How GrowthLab Navigates with Ignition

Welcome to The FaaS Evolution hosted by GrowthLab FaaS. This podcast is focused on how Finance-as-a-Service is transforming the accounting industry.

The GrowthLab team was able to draft ~200 tax EAs in about 1.5 hours and was able to draft ~220 1099 EAs in about 15 minutes. Compared to last year, the tax EAs took about 1/3 of the time and the 1099 EAs took about 1/4 of the time.

Topics mentioned in this episode:

Understanding the 1099 Season
Utilizing Ignition for Bulk Proposal Sending
Best Practices and Tips for 1099 Season

Check out Ignitions 1099 EA Templates

Ignition makes it simple to sell, bill and get paid for your services - all in one place. With automated billing and payment collection through impressive online proposals, we help accounting and professional services businesses improve efficiency, optimize revenue and deliver seamless client experiences.

Dec 19, 202346:41

Balancing the Books and Emotions: Promoting Mental Well-Being in the Accounting Profession

Welcome to Season 2!! In this new season of the FaaS Evolution podcast, we're diving deep into the world of accounting, pulling back the curtain to reveal the challenges that come with running a successful accounting practice.

We understand that there's so much more to accounting than just numbers and spreadsheets. Our mission is to explore what really happens behind the scenes of owning a Finance-as-a-Service firm – the good, the bad, the ugly.

Today's topic is going to be a candid discussion about the unique challenges accountants face, and explore strategies, resources, and personal stories to promote mental well-being in the profession.

Host: Dan Gertrudes

Oct 05, 202336:57

FP&A - The Bridge Between Accounting and CFO w/ Paul Barnhurst & Stephen Newland

This episode is a 4 for 1! We've got 4 FP&A lovers talking about critical factors in bridging the gap between accounting and finance functions through the work of FP&A.

Paul Barnhurst AKA "The FP&A Guy," is a seasoned finance professional with over a decade of experience in diverse industries. He has held key roles at American Express and Solera and now runs his own FP&A consulting firm. A well-respected influencer in the FP&A community, Paul is passionate about sharing his insights and expertise.

Stephen Newland has held key roles at GrowthLab, Delta, Qoins, and Gravy. Not only does has a lot of experience in finance, he also likes to share the mistakes that he has made and the skills that he has gained to help others get promoted within corporate finance. 📈

Aug 01, 202350:32

Growing Pains: Running a Multifaceted Accounting Business

1. It Always Starts with the Economy. 📊📚

Dan Gertrudes and Steven Byler talk about how the economy is impacting GrowthLab and it's peers.

2. Growing Pains! 📈😫

With growth, comes some pain. Here, at GrowthLab, we been struggling with capacity to onboard new clients. What we are doing to improve/ restructure our operations and accounting teams and how does this impact the top of the funnel through our recurring accounting services?

Who is GrowthLab? 👉🏼 About The GL Team🌟

#FaaSEvolution #accounting #podcast #cloudaccounting #FaaS

Jul 24, 202342:48

A Busy Tax Season With Logan Graf -- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!!

Logan Graf is a CPA & Chief Tax Officer at The Graf Tax Co. PLLC. He is experienced in tax compliance and consultation for a wide variety of industries, entities, and people... & he is a YouTuber!!

In this episode, Dan Gertrudes talks with Logan about how and why you he started in the tax industry. Some of the questions asked are:

What are you doing differently?
Have you exceeded your own expectations?
Are you making any changes for the fall tax season?
Is there any new tech you are discovering or leveraging?
What drove your YouTube stardom?

Jun 26, 202349:19

How is the Accounting Industry Going to Grow?

Over the last 10 years, there has been an amazing expansion of private equity and venture capital funding. In 2010, VC investments totaled $32 billion. In 2021, they totaled $345 billion. Where does this growth come from?

The pie is continuing to grow from two areas; the addressable market & business formations.

AccountingToday Article

Jun 05, 202325:21

Not Your Average Podcast about the Same Old Marketing Tips w/ Katie Thomas

In this episode of The FaaS Evolution, Dan Gertrudes is joined by Katie Thomas; a 40 under 40 CPA Practice Advisor recipient, Top 50 Women in Accounting recipient, and the owner of Leaders Online, where they help accounting professionals and B2A (business to an accountant) professionals increase their impact, influence, and income through thought leadership and digital marketing.

They won't be talking about the same old marketing tips, instead they are diving into the unique ways accounting firms can market themselves and why it is important for them to do so.

We all know video does best...🎥👍🏼

We all know email is dead...(traditional, boring newsletters) 📧☠️

We all know social media algorithms suck 👀👎🏼

But what can we do about it?

Data driven decisions – don’t just put stuff out because
Take risks
Be unique
Get people talking / Create Buzz
Generate interest without compromising credibility

May 30, 202343:10

Success is More than Just Numbers, Success is all About People

What does Hot Chicken and Company Culture have in common? 🔥🍗 Listen to find out.

Company culture is very important at GrowthLab and today, Dan & Steve talk about the new GL initiative; "Culture Club"

The Culture Club is going to be a way fro GL employees to meet with each other outside of their regular teams. This is a way for employees on the marketing team or FP&A team to also build relationships with the accounting team or tax team, etc.

May 17, 202347:00

Greatest Synergies in Accounting Acquisitions come from Technology Overlap

Looking to acquire an accounting business? Before you do so, make sure you think about the importance of synergies.

Do you use the same technology as the accounting firm you are looking to acquire? If not, do the technologies integrate easily?

Dan Gertrudes and Korey Cournoyer talk about synergies in the world of the accounting industry, focusing on corporate functions and the overlap of tech partners.

Looking to Join Forces with GrowthLab? Let's Chat!!

May 08, 202346:36

Building the FP&A Shop in a FaaS Business

👀 What's the difference between an FP&A Shop vs FP&A Services? Systematic vs. Ad Hoc is the difference. 🚀

In this episode Dan & Steve talk about how they got started with providing Financial Planning and Analysis as a service within GrowthLab. With Dans background in the corporate world and Steve starting in the Startup world, they were able to take their individual journeys and create a service within their Finance-as-a-Service firm.

Learn more about our FP&A services: https://www.growthlabfinancial.com/fpa

May 04, 202344:42

Are Acquisitions Right for Your Accounting Firm?

Diversifying growth is important to GrowthLab. When it comes to running an accounting firm, do you want to have a niche customer base or diversify your customer base and work with other industries?

For GrowthLab, we knew we wanted to expand from our traditional startups and tech based businesses into the hospitality and experiences industries. That's why we acquired FoggedIn Bookkeeping.

1️⃣ Diversify Customer Base
This is a step in diversifying our customer base after years of focusing on venture-backed startups and e-commerce while continuing to expand our team.
2️⃣ Industry Growth
Many believed the hospitality, restaurant, and experiences industries would never recover, yet we believe this industry segment will grow and stabilize in 2023 as consumer behavior moves from buying stuff to increasing spend on experiences.
3️⃣ Strategic Growth
As recessionary fears continue to mount, businesses and consumers now focus their attention on whether 2023 brings a soft landing or years of stagnated growth.

Apr 24, 202339:57

Customer Onboarding: Nobody Talks About the Customer Experience

Customer Onboarding is both a key to success yet a major stress point in our business.

Dan Gertrudes talks about the importance of customer onboarding for GrowthLab FaaS and some of the ways we elevate the customer experience.

While we strive to give our customers the best experience, the most painful process internally is the process of onboarding a customer. Here's what we've done to make that process a little less painful!

Let's Connect:

Website

Instagram

YouTube

Apr 06, 202314:30

What's Happening on Wall Street will Impact Bank Lending and SMB Credit

What happens on Wall Street impacts Main Street!! Bank lending and Small Business credit is going to be impacted by everything that is happening on Wall Street. Rolling 12 month Cash Forecasting is going to be key to survival in a credit tightening environment.

With all the talk of SVB and Credit Suisse and #TooSmallToFail 📉

We better be ready to support #SMBs with a tightening credit cycle. The 2-Year Note dropped from 5% to 4% in a matter of 3 days, the fastest decrease since 1987!!

FP&A Teams need to refocus on mid-term rolling 12-month forecasting and long-term liquidity planning because it will impact growth plans.

CFO Teams better focus on banking relationships and strengthening them by sharing more not less about your customers.

Bank portfolios are cleaner and more transparent than in 2008, but they're holding on to CRM portfolios in the wake of the seismic change in worker behavior - Remote Work is here to stay.

A tsunami of CRM leases are coming up for renewal... 😱

Let's connect! 👉🏼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielgertrudes/

Mar 27, 202321:26

Ditch the Niche -- Why Diversification of your Customer Base is so Important

In this episode of The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab, Dan & Steve talk about why you should #ditchtheniche. They discuss the importance of diversifying your customer base.

3 Areas that Experience Industries Need to Focus on:

1. Capital

2. Customer Experience

3. Labor

Mar 23, 202325:16

The Evolution of Financial Planning & Analysis w/ Chris Reilly

On this episode of The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab Financial, Dan Gertrudes is Joined by Chris Reilly to talk all things FP&A, how to be intentional, and how to get started on LinkedIn.

Chris Reilly began his career with FTI Consulting during the Financial Crisis and worked on several high-profile bankruptcies including Lehman Brothers and ResCap. Then, he transitioned to Corporate Finance and Treasury with Hilton Worldwide, and helped build the rating agency model for Hilton’s eventual IPO in 2013. From there, Chris transitioned to Middle-Market Private Equity where he spent the majority of his career before going out in his own in 2020. Today, Chris works as a M&A and FP&A Contractor, and is the creator of Financial Modeling Education, which offers self-study financial modeling courses for Private Equity and FP&A Professionals.

Check out Chris's courses HERE.

Mar 09, 202350:57

How the Economy will Affect Accounting Firms (Layoffs, Interest Rates, & More)

We're Back!!! We took a quick break but we are back, and we have a lot to uncover here on The FaaS Evolution. The economy, tech layoffs, interest rates, & more!!

The FaaS Evolution show is focused on how Finance-as-a-Service is transforming the accounting industry. The podcast is hosted by GrowthLab FaaS, where we interview thought leaders in the industry to ultimately help accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, & CFOs move to a FaaS mindset. The hosts are Dan Gertrudes & Steven Byler Cofounders of GrowthLab Faas! Learn More about GrowthLab🚀

Feb 14, 202324:41

QuickBooks Connect, Acquisitions, & Keeping Your Team Focused

Soft Launch Alert... in this episode Dan announces an acquisition that GrowthLab has made. 🤫 Listen in to hear who we acquired and why this is part of our growth strategy!

Let's Connect: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

Dec 22, 202221:40

Recruiting Millennials for Cloud Accounting w/ Ben Curtis

In this episode, Dan is joined by Ben Curtis, President of Good Measure Financial. They discuss the challenges of recruiting new, young, millennial talent for accounting roles within the cloud accounting industry. They also talk about some of the 2023 goals that Ben & Joe have for Good Measure.

Dec 14, 202244:08

Overcoming Struggles while Maintaining a Positive Attitude Towards Life & Helping Others w/ Josiah Mihok

On this episode, of The FaaS Evolution, Daniel is joined by Josiah Mihok. They talk about post traumatic growth and how Josiah was able to #embracethesuck of what he was struggling with.

“I have leadership in my blood. No matter what profession I find myself in, I always end up in a leadership role. It's just who I am. And I take pride in being a leader. Nothing is more gratifying than taking a group of individuals and developing them into an effective team that can complete projects and improve processes for any mission or task put before us.” - Josiah

Dec 08, 202242:22

QuickBooks Connect, Acquisition, Tax Strategy, & The World Cup ⚽️

In this episode, of The FaaS Evolution, Daniel gives his #rawtake about a few things. He talks about his excitement for Quickbooks Connect 🤩, a new GrowthLab Acquisition 👀, how our new Tax Pricing Strategy has been doing 👏🏼, & The World Cup ⚽️🇺🇸🇵🇹!!

💬 Connect with Dan!

Nov 29, 202218:26

Reinventing Tax Capacity Planning

Reinventing tax capacity planning - Starts with the Customer (or Client) so you can protect your team and flatten the curve!!

Here's are 3 keys to success to improving your tax work life balance for you team:

Must be an Accounting Customer
Pricing Structure
Is it a Good Fit (Entity x Complexity)

Nov 18, 202217:31

How to be more Tactical with Revenue Operations, People Operations, & Corporate Operations

This year GrowthLab became more tactical with our business operations.

We doubled down on:

💰Revenue Operations💰
👥People Operations👥
👩🏼‍💻Corporate Operations🧑🏽‍💻

In this episode, of The FaaS Evolution, Daniel gives his #rawtake about how GrowthLab became more tactical while planning for the new year. 💬 Connect with Dan!

Nov 15, 202221:21

What is an HR Business Partner & How is it Different from an HR Manager?

This week, Dan Gertrudes is joined by GrowthLab's HR Business Partner, Abigail Church. They discuss the difference between Abigail's role as an HR Business Partner and what a role in HR management looks like. The talk about 4 things that businesses should be focusing on starting January 1st from an HR standpoint:

Create a Pool of Job Descriptions
Review your Recruiting Process (attitude over aptitude)
Show your team Growth Options
Be prepared for Annual Reviews

Oct 28, 202244:32

The Community Around Advisory & Consulting

After attending Thriveal Deeper Weekend, it has become so apparent to me how important community is and the importance for people to participate in these communities.

It takes a village to grow an Advisory and Consulting Firm, and without the community of friends to learn from and grow with, it can be a bit daunting. This is your sign to get out there and attend some retreats/conferences!

Oct 25, 202213:27

What You Need to Know About Productizing Financial Planning & Analysis

Meet Stephen Newland our Director of FP&A. 👏🏼🚀 Stephen directs our FP&A department and does a great job doing it! Not only does he have a lot of experience in finance, he also likes to share the mistakes that he has made and the skills that he has gained to help others get promoted within corporate finance. 📈

In this Episode Dan & Stephen Newland talk about past jobs Stephen has had in finance (Delta, Qoins, Gravy, etc.) and what he learned from those experiences. They talk about how accounting firms can productize FP&A services and they should do so by being nimble. It all comes down to cadence, rigor and the right team.

Oct 13, 202246:36

Accountants Need Community Too

It takes a village to own any business. As accountants and firm owners, it is important that you join communities and reciprocate by being open and starting conversations. Dan reflects on his time at 'Appy Camp by Heather Satterley and Liz Scott.

He entered the week with a set of superficial expectations...Traveling isn't fun anymore; there's always work and team stuff to deal with; leaving the family for a week is a burden on the better half. Yet he exited the week with a profound appreciation for the connected profession and industry and the need for deeper partnerships... not to mention new and old friends.

Connect with Dan

Sep 30, 202214:52

HubSpot Inbound 2022 - What Our Marketing & Sales Team Learned from Neil Patel, Brian Halligan & Other Speakers

GrowthLab's Marketing & Sales Managers took on Hubspot's Inbound 2022. They learned a lot of valuable information from Neil Patel, Brian Halligan, and many other great speakers. Oh ... and you can't forget about Barack Obama.

Topics discussed:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) 🚀

Social Media Algorithms 😳

Thoughtful Content ▶️

Sales Intent 👀

~Let's Connect~

Dan's LinkedIn, Steven's LinkedIn, Alison's LinkedIn, John's LinkedIn

Sep 21, 202249:36

Appy Hour Camp ⛺️ & Sneaking into Brown University? 👀

Dan & Steve talk about a few things:

What's been going on within the accounting industry, downsizing the market, planning for your cash runway💰
They spill the tea ☕️ on how they snuck into the Brown University faculty lounge 👀
What they are looking forward to at the First Appy Hour Camp ⛺️

Let's connect🚀

Sep 16, 202219:38

How to Move from an Accountant to a Trusted Advisor for Startups

Top 5 reasons you as an accounting firm should focus on #startups.

1. Other Peoples Money at the Table 💰

2. Hyper Focused Management - The founders are focused on Product Development and Customers 👀

3. Opportunity 🧐

4. Test yourself, learn yourself 📝

5. It's a Competitive Advantage for your Business 👩🏼‍💻

Dan & Steve dive into what a 409a and captable is, and why it is important for you to understand when working with startups.

Let's connect🚀

Sep 14, 202249:06

Inflation, Expense Reduction & People, OH MY!

How is the future of the economy going to impact businesses? Companies need to begin to look into expense reduction & how they can retain their key people.

💬 Let's Connect! 💬

Aug 16, 202243:56

Your Business Should be Doing This NOW

Cost cutting, why do it now? In this episode Dan talks about why your business needs to begin to look at expenses and start to cut costs. Many businesses are going to start to do this in 6 months, but it is going to be too late.

💬 Let's Connect 💬

Aug 15, 202210:48

It's Time to Automate your Workflow

Let's Automate!🚀 Automate the transfer of data between systems, without changing processes or applications. Dan & Korey dive into the benefits of automating your accounting firm, and some of the simple automations that will change your business.

Aug 11, 202247:02

Strategic Business Review 2022 (a sneak peek at GrowthLab 3.0)

In this episode, Dan talks about the Strategic Business Review, the opportunity it gives for businesses to grab their thoughts and see their vision. He dives into GrowthLab's 2022 Strategic Business Review and gives an inside look on GrowthLab 3.0 🤩

Check out more about GrowthLab's ManagedConnect service HERE.

Jun 22, 202219:42

KarbonX: How we Feel About Recieving the Practice Excellence Award

This past week Dan & Steve went to the Karbon ceremony where GrowthLab was given the Practice Excellence Award. We are so beyond honored to have received this award, practice excellence starts with the team and doing our job to service and add value to our customers day in and day out.

Check out more about GrowthLab HERE.

Jun 21, 202221:54

The Importance of Partnership

15-minute RAW TAKES podcast focuses on how Finance-as-a-Service is revolutionizing the accounting sector. GrowthLab FaaS hosts the podcast, in which we interview industry thought leaders in order to help accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, and CFOs adopt a FaaS attitude.

Jun 01, 202215:19

The Fractional CFO & The Exit Plan w/ Jody Grunden

The guys are back! With a new episode of FaaS Evolution Podcast powered by GrowthLab Financial. This week's episode we address a myriad of Virtual and Fractional CFO based topics and much more with this week’s special guest Accounting visionary Jody Grunden, CEO and co-founder of Summit CPA Group, a distributed company with a non-traditional approach to accounting.

Learn More about GrowthLab here:https://www.growthlabfinancial.com/GrowthlabPodcast

Apr 29, 202250:36

Why Automation is the Future of Accounting w/ Chris Williams

The guys are back! with a New Episode of FaaS Evolution Podcast. This week we address our recent acquisition of Satterley Consulting and it’s implications as well as exploring automation in accounting, process optimization, “Stickiness” and much more with this week’s special guest Chris Williams of SystemSix, a Cloud-based accounting firm based in the Bay Area

Learn More about GrowthLab here: bit.ly/FaaSEvo

Apr 07, 202249:46

How We Plan to Grow via Acquisition

In this episode Dan Gertrudes & Steven Byler talk about acquisition of Satterley Business Solutions lead by Heather Satterley. The guys also delve into NoCode LowCode, advancements in QuickBooks and much more.