Accountant's Flight Plan
Welcome to The Accountant's Flight Plan, where we guide you toward building a top-tier CPA firm that you would want to buy. With over 20 years of working with accountants in mergers and acquisitions, Brannon Poe, CPA delves into engaging and vital topics with industry leaders. Unpacking everything from transition planning and accounting practice sales to practice management and firm development, Brannon equips you with the tools you need to build the practice of your dreams. Whether you are navigating firm growth or exploring the nuances of succession planning, join us to learn actionable insights that will empower and inspire you to love your firm again.
Accountant's Flight Plan
Telling a Better Story: Using Personal Branding to Shape Better Accounting Firms with Rob Brown
The Power of Authenticity in Attracting Talent and Changing Perceptions
In this episode of the Accountant’s Flight Plan Podcast, we interviewed fellow podcaster and reputation-building expert Rob Brown. Rob is the host of three accounting-related podcasts with a collective following of over 50,000 listeners and is the author of Build Your Reputation. He has spent over two decades working in business development and training for accountants, who he found to be passionate but often struggling with the interpersonal side of growing a firm.
After a life-changing stroke, Rob recalibrated his career to focus on helping accountants shape their stories, amplify their impact, and build personal brands that not only elevate their firms—but the profession as a whole.
Timestamps:
00:21 – Introduction of Rob Brown and his background
2:40 – How Rob moved from education to accounting business development
8:00 – The talent crisis and why firm branding matters
12:40 – Authenticity and representation in your firm’s story
17:19 – How to build a personal brand (without burning out)
26:46 – Scaling, saying “no,” and making space for growth
32:27 – Who’s responsible for the profession’s brand?
37:00 – Brannon shares why he chose accounting
40:00 – Funny personal story from Rob
44:30 – Book recommendation: Deep Work by Cal Newport