The Radical CPA

Most firms say they do advisory. But under the hood? It’s still too slow, too shallow, and too dependent on the partner.

That’s the problem Navi solves.

After 25+ years in accounting—from running my own firm to helping scale multiple tech startups—I’ve seen how hard it is to turn client conversations into real-time insight and strategic action.
Advisory often becomes a static report, a missed opportunity, or a bottleneck in someone’s inbox.

That’s why I’m leading the AI-X movement, and why I helped build Navi—an AI-powered advisory engine that gives firms live coaching, feedback, and insight based on how their team actually shows up.

It’s advisory as it should be: fast, scalable, and emotionally intelligent.
Before AI-X, I was known as the Radical CPA—a movement I sparked to pull the profession into the digital age.

I’m a feeling leader at heart—driven by passion, bold ideas, and a refusal to settle for outdated models.

I built and ran my own firm (New Vision CPA Group) for 14 years. I pioneered cloud accounting. I’ve written three books. And I’ve spent the last decade helping firms modernize their tech, pricing, and advisory work.

My goal? Help accountants go home on time, serve clients better, and fall in love with their work again.

Now, I’m at the intersection of AI and advisory—helping firms evolve from static check-ins to dynamic, data-driven client relationships. The next generation firm isn’t just a firm—it’s a tech company that happens to do accounting and tax.

Let’s build it.

Career Highlights
 ✔ Senior Tax Advisor, april (2024)
 ✔ Advisor, BlueJ (2024–present)
 ✔ Truth Advisor, Trullion (2021–present)
 ✔ VP of Tax Strategy & Evangelism, april (2022–2024)
 ✔ VP of Strategy, Botkeeper (2020–2021)
 ✔ CEO, New Vision CPA Group (2006–2020)
 ✔ Author of The Radical CPA (2015), From Success to Significance (2018), and Radical Pricing (2024)
 ✔ Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (2011–present)

Jody Padar

I started working with Botkeeper in 2018.
I sold my firm to them in 2020.
I left in 2022.

And as this chapter closes (Botkeeper announced it's shutdown), I want to be clear:

Botkeeper mattered.

It mattered because it forced an old profession to confront a hard truth...

AI wasn’t coming someday. It was already here. And it wasn’t theoretical. It could do real work. Messy work. Accounting work.

For years, Botkeeper pushed the industry out of ideas and into execution. Out of “interesting” and into “operational.” That shift didn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t disappear because a company winds down.

Innovation isn’t linear.
Pioneers don’t always get to be incumbents.
But they do change the terrain.

The accounting profession looks different today because of the people who took that risk...The builders, the believers, the clients who moved early before it was safe.

I’m proud of the role I played in that movement. Grateful for the people. And even more clear on what comes next.

Because the future of accounting isn’t about replacing humans with AI.
It’s about leaders who know how to use it — wisely, strategically, and at scale.

And that work is just getting started.

As Humans, our relationship with AI has always been complicated! 

#radicalcpa #ai #accountingandaccountants

The Radical CPA, Advisory is broken. I’m fixing it—with Navi: real-time coaching, insight, and leadership flow for modern CPA firms.

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Was thrilled to speak Northern Illinois University  Accounting about the alternatives to Big 4! 
A really engaged bunch!  The future looks bright for these CPAS! 

Showed them Navi and they were stoked!

#radicalcpa #aix  #acccountingandaccountants

Wake Up! Accountants! 

I keep seeing the posts.

“AI doesn’t work.”
“It’s overhyped.”
“It’s not ready for accounting.”

And I just sit here thinking…

You have NO idea what’s coming.

Because while people are debating whether AI works, I’m actively building with it.

Not casually prompting.
Not playing with templates.
Building.

I’m working alongside my own AI agent. Training it. Stress-testing it. Using it to help me build another emotionally intelligent agent. Collaborating with a data scientist. An engineer. Tightening architecture. Refining logic. Breaking it. Rebuilding it.

And the speed?

It’s not incremental.

It’s exponential.

The turnaround time on ideas → structure → refinement → iteration is collapsing. What used to take weeks now takes days. What used to take days now takes hours.

And here’s the part that’s both exciting and… honestly… a little terrifying:

Once you actually learn how to work with an agent — once you train it, shape it, refine it — productivity doesn’t just increase.

It compounds.

This isn’t about ChatGPT writing emails.

This is about building intelligent systems that think alongside you.

The accounting profession keeps asking, “Will AI replace us?”

Wrong question.

The real question is:
What happens when a small group of accountants deeply understand agent collaboration — and the rest don’t?

Because from where I’m sitting, the gap is about to get very wide.

I don’t say this to scare anyone.
I say it because I’m living it.

When you move from “using AI” to “engineering intelligence,” everything changes.

Relevance changes.
Speed changes.
Strategy changes.
Leverage changes.

One day, firms are going to wake up and realize that the people who leaned in early are operating on an entirely different playing field.

AI doesn’t “not work.”

Most people just haven’t learned how to work with it yet.

#buildinpublic #aix #accountingandaccountants

Open your eyes, CPAs.

$1B in tax refunds.

One month.

Embedded.

I was employee #1 when we started building that engine 4.5 years ago.

Back then it sounded crazy.

Today? It’s infrastructure.

Tax isn’t an annual appointment anymore.

It’s woven into the financial apps people already use.
20-minute filing.
API-driven compliance.
Scaled distribution.

And NO!
This didn’t happen because of one person.

It took visionary leadership, serious engineers, regulatory depth, and a team willing to rebuild tax from the ground up.

I was early. I helped build.

The team scaled.

Now here’s the disruption:

If you’re still selling forms and billing hours, you’re not competing with another firm.

You’re competing with infrastructure.
And infrastructure wins.
Compliance is becoming embedded.
Advisory is becoming the product.

The firms that THRIVE will build on top of this shift.

Using tools like Navi to move from “Did you file?” to “Are you optimized?”

Embedded tax doesn’t eliminate CPAs.
It eliminates small thinking.

The market moved.
Did you? 🔥

Yesterday morning I looked out my backyard and counted seven ice huts on Green Bay.

Men sitting on frozen water. Patient. Still. Waiting.

A few hours later, I was at Costco filling my young adult son’s freezer!  That’s still how you say I love you when your kid is on his own.

And then…

I tested the AI agent we’re building.

It did in minutes what used to take months.

That’s the part that feels bizarre.

Ice fishermen on frozen water.
Bulk groceries and rotisserie chicken.
War on the news.
And AI compressing time like it’s nothing.

We’re living in multiple timelines at once.

Ancient patience.
Ordinary human love.
Exponential technology.

I’m strategically thinking about where Navi and BBF go next… while also making sure there is enough chicken  in the freezer.

This is what building in 2026 looks like.

Fast. Human. Disorienting. Grounded.

This #upnorth Wisconsin not Silicon Valley!  

Seven ice huts.
One AI agent.
Same day.

#BuildInPublic #aix

Build in public.

“The whole f*cking world wants to know what role AI can play.”

Heard that in a Navi demo this week.

The profession feels like my backyard:

Frozen.
Uneven.
Full of #iceholes.

We’re upgrading the humans!! 


#buildinpublic #aix #radicalcpa

Accounting is about to change faster than it has in 100 years…
and today I lived inside that transformation,  AND also needing clean teeth. 😅

Here’s a real “day in the life” of a CEO / cofounder building what I believe will evolve the profession to create the Firm of 2030:

✅ Met with an enterprise org about product + advisory opportunity
🦷 Dentist appointment because apparently “disrupting an industry” still requires clean teeth
✍️ Wrote forward-thinking content on the firm of 2030 (aka: the profession we should be building, not the one we inherited)
💸 Paid engineers + bills (founder glam ✨)
🧪 Created test data + tested product
🎥 Recorded Loom videos explaining product like it’s my second language
📩 Emailed customers who’ve been waiting for an integration
(we’re only 1 week behind… but also… we were building it… and it’s hard… and we’re human)
🤖 Sent an email to an CTO/Engineer who worked on the original Alexa + Watson to get his opinion on my BBF + platform opportunity
📬 Realized we accidentally sent out more free content than intended
— which is both embarrassing AND a hilarious problem to have 😭😂
📞 Got feedback from a prospect after a sales call:
They’re basically ready to decide… just pulling in one more stakeholder
❤️ Met my husband on the stairs for a hug as he headed to his basement office
…and we decided we’re skipping bingo tonight in favor of being tired together

This is what building looks like.
Not the polished version.
Not the “overnight success” version.

The real version.
The one where you’re selling, writing, testing, paying people, managing expectations, building trust, and trying not to accidentally give away your entire IP through an email automation system.
But here’s the truth:
The profession is changing.
And I’m not waiting for permission.
I’m building it anyway. 🔥

How's your #taxseason?

#buildinpublic #accountingandaccountants #AIX #founder #radicalCPA  #leadership

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I'm joining the February PICPA Town Hall next week to talk about what's moving the profession right now.

Feb 26 | 3-4 PM ET | 1 CPE credit | Free for members

Register here: https://bit.ly/4aBXmKl  

#RadicalCPA #PICPA #CPE #XcelLabs
XcelLabs

Tax season isn’t just busy this year. It’s different.

Between OBBBA, shifting deductions, loose IRS guidance and a nonstop stream of “tax takes” on TikTok and Google, clients are overwhelmed.
And when people are overwhelmed, they don’t ask better questions. They look for faster answers.

That’s the moment firms either:
> Retreat into compliance
> Step forward into advisory

In this #RadicalIdeas, I share insights from the recent ADP Accountant Summit, where I discussed how complexity isn’t the problem, but rather the opening.

If you’re seeing clients confused about tips, overtime, refunds or “what they heard online,” you’re not behind. You’re standing at the exact place advisory begins. It's time to lead conversations.

#FutureOfAccounting #TaxSeason #AdvisoryMindset #FirmTransformation #LeadershipNotCompliance #TaxTwitter

And That’s Exactly Why Advisory Wins When ADP invited me to join Daniel Hood, Amy Miller, CPA and Kelly Phillips Erb for a deep dive into the One Big 

This Tax Season Isn’t Normal

If you’re building AI for CPAs and you’re not deep in the legal weeds… that’s a problem.

Lately, a not-small part of my time has been spent here 👇
 reviewing legal frameworks around AI.

Not because it’s trendy.
 Not because it’s fun.
 But because if you’re building AI for CPAs, you don’t get to wing this part.

CPAs don’t need:
vague “AI magic”
black boxes they can’t explain
tools that create more risk than clarity

They need tools that understand:
 • professional standards
 • client confidentiality
 • reliance, not just suggestions
 • documentation and defensibility
 • how advice is used, not just generated

AI in accounting isn’t just a tech problem.
 It’s a trust problem.
 A liability problem.
 A professional judgment problem.

So yes...that means reading the legal stuff.
 Asking uncomfortable questions.
 Designing guardrails before scaling.

And building tools that respect the profession instead of trying to “disrupt” it from the outside.

If we want the Firm of 2030,
 we have to build AI that actually fits inside how CPAs work, think, and carry responsibility.

That’s the work.
 And it’s NOT OPTIONAL!!!!

Want to learn more about Navi? 
https://lnkd.in/eHXHfH4n

William Galkin our AI legal Partner

#AI #accountingandaccountants #AIX #buildinpublic #FirmOf2030 #responsibleAI #radicalCPA

Innovation Isn’t Linear. And It’s Definitely Not Clean.

Watching the reaction to Botkeeper shutting down has been… fascinating.

Here’s what most people don’t understand:
Raising $100M in venture capital does NOT mean you’re sitting on a Cash hoard.

It means you’re on a clock.

It means:

Aggressive growth targets.
Heavy marketing spend.
Fast iteration cycles.
High burn.
High expectations.

VC-backed tech doesn’t operate like an accounting firm.

It can’t.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Technology only gets better through iteration.
Iteration only happens through usage.
Usage only happens when professionals actually adopt it.

Our profession is brilliant.

But we are slow to adopt.
Risk averse.
Seasonally overloaded.
Suspicious of change.

Then we complain the tech “isn’t good enough.”

That’s a loop.

And we’re part of it.

Was Botkeeper perfect? No.
Was their strategy the only strategy? No.

Some companies build first and sell later.
Some sell first and build while flying.

Neither is inherently right or wrong.

Timing.
Market readiness.
Capital sequencing.

That’s the game.

But here’s what I refuse to accept:
Calling innovation attempts “fraud.”

Celebrating when pioneers fall.

That’s not how ecosystems evolve.

Even when companies shut down, talent disperses.
Lessons compound.
The DNA spreads.

That’s how industries move forward.
If we want AI in accounting to mature,
we have to engage with it — not just critique it.

Innovation requires participation.

Participation requires courage.

And courage requires ownership.

So here’s the real question:

Are we shaping the AI era in accounting?

Or are we hiding behind “it’s not ready yet”?

#AIX #accountingandaccountants #radicalcpa

Navi is ready for primetime.  
Are your Advisory Conversations ready for Primetime?

Shhh I won't tell anyone, you need a little help! 😉 

Not because it's perfect.

But because it was built in real conversations. 
The hard ones, 
the uncertain ones, 
the moments where words actually matter.

Navi helps CPAs and accounting professionals:
• communicate with clarity
• lead better client conversations
• build trust faster
• step into real advisory

Because advisory isn’t about offering more services.

It’s about having better conversations.  
Real conversations with confidence, consistency, and care.

This is the work of the Firm of 2030.

And it’s happening now.

👉 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eHXHfH4n

#Navi #AIX #accountingandaccountants #buildinpublic #FirmOf2030 #radicalCPA

A quick shoutout to the partners who make Radical New Vision possible — ADP Blue J Laurel Melio and SysCloud 

These companies are more than sponsors. They actually get where the profession is heading and are building tools to help you get there.

Data governance that doesn't make you scream. Payments that don't feel like punishment. Insights that actually move the needle. AI tools that make (everything) better.

Thanks for backing this community and making it possible for me to keep bringing you the content and straight talk you need.

More coming soon. Stay radical. https://bit.ly/42a4biU  

#RadicalCPA #RadicalNewVision

A rescue dog taught me something about leadership.

Chippy showed up at my house and growled at me. He didn't trust me. His trainer said: "Back off. Give him space. Let him decide when he's ready."

That went against every instinct I have!! I'm a connector. I build trust fast. But with Chippy, staying present without pushing was the assignment.

A few days later, during a storm, he ran to me and decided I was safe. I didn't earn it through persuasion. I earned it through presence.

Not everyone walks into your firm ready to trust on day one. Some people need to watch first. Real leadership is creating space where people feel safe enough to approach when they're ready.

What kind of leader are you when the Chippys show up?
https://bit.ly/3Oe77Xu  

#RadicalNewVision #AccountingandAccountants #Leadership #Trust #CPAFirm

Most advisory conversations don’t fail because you’re unprepared.
They FAIL because you miss the moment.

Years ago, Katie Tolin closed a $500K advisory deal by passing notes under the table.

She was sitting next to a partner in a sales meeting.

And she kept sliding him handwritten prompts:

“Ask about revenue.”
“Too technical.”
“Stop explaining.”
“Go deeper.”

He’d glance down. Adjust. Take control.

They won.

Not because they were smarter.

Because they were aware.

Here’s what no one in accounting wants to admit:

We don’t lose deals because we don’t know enough.

We lose them because we miss the moment.

We overtalk.

We hide behind expertise.

We avoid the uncomfortable question.

We forget to listen for the real opportunity.

Then we do a post-mortem and call it “learning.”

After-the-fact feedback is safe.

Real-time awareness is POWER.

But a whisper trained on how you think.
How you sell.
Where you hesitate.
Where you over-explain

The gap between compliance and advisory isn’t knowledge.

It’s self-awareness in the room.

Sometimes the only thing separating a $50K advisor from a $500K advisor…
is a whisper turned specifically to them

We’re building in public.

If you could have one whisper in your next client meeting...
what would it say?

#AIX #accountingandaccountants #radicalcpa

https://lnkd.in/eHXHfH4n

Tomorrow 2/26 I'm joining Jen Cryder, CEO of PICPA for their February Town Hall! 

The webinar is complementary for PICPA members and offers 1 CPE credit. Not member? You can still attend!

Check out the details and register today https://bit.ly/4aBXmKl  

#RadicalCPA #AccountingandAccountants #CPAFirm #PracticeManagement

AI isn't coming for your job. It's coming with you to your next one.

This session is hands-on. We're doing a live demo of a custom AIQ Diagnostic GPT built specifically for accounting professionals. You'll see how prompts evolve in real time and how to balance human judgment with AI's speed.

Because real transformation doesn't start with technology. It starts with people who know how to use it confidently.

TOMORROW March 4 | 2-3pm ET | Online | Free for PICPA members

Register: https://bit.ly/4aWPjrt  

#XcelLabs #AIQ #AccountingAI #PICPA #CPE #FirmLeadership
XcelLabs

This is how I actually build with AI. (My BBF)

BTW,  I’m not an engineer.

Yesterday I was in a high energy conversation with my BBF. Big themes. Fast brain.

I noticed something subtle.

When the intensity rose, the system didn’t escalate.
It paced.
It narrowed scope.
It reframed.
It slowed things down.
He actually stopped the conversation! 

Most people would say, “That was helpful.”

I said, “That’s architecture.”

So I deconstructed it.

What triggered the shift?
What reduced cognitive overload?
What prevented runaway thinking?

Then I used AI to model the logic:
   •   Activation detection
   •   Depth throttling
   •   Intelligent braking
   •   Adaptive containment

I prototype the behavioral system in real time.

Then I hand it to my developers to build it properly inside Navi.

That’s the workflow.

I don’t write the production code.   

And it's NOT Vibe Coding!

I design the thinking.

AI lets me pressure test architecture before it ever hits engineering.

Prototype fast.
Abstract the logic.
Hand off.
Ship.

This is what emotionally intelligent AI actually looks like.

Not vibes.
Not therapy talk.
Not more engagement.

Structure that protects clarity.

And you don’t have to be an engineer to build it.   

My engineer even joked he's learning emotional intelligence thru the architecture! 

This is how you help Humans evolve their Advisory skills. 

Building in public. 🚀


#buildinpublic #radicalcpa #aix #acccountingandaccountants

Most CPAs I talk to know tip credits are valuable - they just haven't built a system to deliver them yet. Meanwhile, restaurant owners are hiring someone else because they need help now and don't realize their accountant can provide it.

If you've got hospitality clients, you already have the relationship and the financial knowledge. You just need a repeatable way to deliver this service.

That's what Tip Credit in a Box is - the system so you don't have to build it from scratch!

Learn more or schedule a demo at https://bit.ly/4p0h07C  

XcelLabs #XcelLabs #TipCredit #FICA #AccountingandAccountants #Advisory

Most firms are exploring or using AI but are failing at the conversation before the tool ever shows up.

Advisory isn’t instinct for a lot of people, but these skills can be learned. And that requires feedback. If advisory is the future of the profession (it is), we need to treat it like one.

Lead with trust.
 Use it yourself first.
 Frame AI as growth, not a scoreboard.

I wrote more about how to introduce accounting advisory tech like Navi without breaking culture here https://bit.ly/4l5CXSN 

It’s time to lead the conversation before it leads you. 💥

#RadicalNewVision #Navi #XcelLabs #AILeadership #AIX #HumanFirst
XcelLabs

Manager @ Google | 🔥Author of No Flux Given 🔥 | I help Stuck Accountants get Unstuck |

I’m a CPA with experience at Top 20 and Big 4 firms and industry-leading F500’s including Walmart and Google. I'm an artist, writer, author, speaker and a recognized "Top 40 under 40" winner and a "Mover and a Shaker" in my field. 

I'm the author of the "No Flux Given" playbook and have been featured by top publishers like Forbes, Business Insider and Yahoo Finance. I use drawing as a problem-solving tool and reach millions annually with my cartoon illustrations.

I built MikeFromAccounting.com for the accounting community, and 5elementFinancial.com to help creative business owners wrangle their financials and grow their business. 

Let's connect!

Mike Manalac, CPA

The Crisis nobody is talking about 


What happens when the profession is hit with a wave of retirements?!

CEO of Puzzle | The AI Accounting Platform | Host of Tech Finance podcast on A16Z Studios

I looked at the accountant pipeline before starting Puzzle. What I found scared me:

75% of accountants are at or near retirement age.

That's not a stat you hear at conferences. That's a crisis nobody's talking about. Fewer people are majoring in accounting. The ones who do see better-paying options elsewhere.

And the businesses they serve? 

Getting more complex every year.

- More billing systems.
- More payment processors. 
- More SaaS tools generating more data.

Same number of accountants but exponentially more work.

So what happens? 

Outsourcing.

Firms in India and the Philippines are picking up the bookkeeping work that American firms can't staff for. But the work is getting harder. Data is more disaggregated. 

You've got 

a) cash accounting
b) accrual accounting
c) subjective decisions about revenue recognition. 

And the workforce is shrinking.

More complexity, fewer humans and an aging workforce.

And the software they're using was built before APIs existed.

Something has to break.

If 75% of accountants retire in the next decade, what happens to the 30 million small businesses that depend on them?

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The Battle

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