Building in the Wild

Reimagining Tax: Building an Advisory-First Practice from Scratch

After a brief hiatus, Building in the Wild is officially back for Season 4. In this episode, Roman and Stacy dive deep into a topic many accounting firms avoid—or approach too traditionally: tax. But this isn’t a conversation about compliance for compliance’s sake. It’s a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at why Full Send is preparing to launch a tax practice built differently—one centered on relationships, systems, autonomy, and sustainable work. This episode doubles as both a vision cast and an open invitation for the right person to help lead what comes next. 🔑 Key Takeaways * Full Send is building a tax practice from the ground up, not acquiring one * The focus is advisory-first tax, not compliance-only work * The role requires an entrepreneurial CPA willing to build and execute * Strong systems and culture are the solution to tax-season burnout * Relationships matter more than volume, speed, or checklists * The opportunity blends ownership with stability, not one or the other * Full Send prioritizes sustainable work, autonomy, and whole humans ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 – Season 4 Kickoff & Why Tax Now Returning from hiatus, studio commitment, and why tax is the next evolution 04:30 – Building vs. Acquiring a Tax Practice Lessons from acquisition attempts and choosing a blank slate approach 08:40 – The Unicorn Role: Head of Tax Entrepreneurial mindset, ownership, and early-stage execution expectations 13:30 – Culture, Soft Skills & Being a Good Neighbor Humanity, humor, and relationship-first service inside and outside the firm 15:20 – Fixing Busy Season with Systems Why burnout is a systems problem—and how intentional design changes it 18:30 – Advisory-First Tax Services Proactive planning, right-fit clients, and moving beyond compliance 26:50 – Compensation, Timing & Hiring Philosophy Fair incentives, post–April 15 timing, and patience in finding the right fit 29:20 – What “Full Send” Really Means Commitment, autonomy, and supporting life beyond work A candid conversation about reimagining tax—why Full Send is building an advisory-first practice from scratch and who it’s for. 🔔 Like & subscribe for monthly episodes on what it really looks like to build in the wild. Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/] Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/]

It's Not Just All Willy Nilly | Balancing Growth & Profitability

🎙️ How We’re Building a Profitable Accounting Firm Without Burning Out | Building in the Wild – S3E2 🔔 Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content on growing a modern accounting firm 📢 In this candid episode, Roman and Stacey reflect on building Full Send in Year 3—navigating remote culture, profitability trade-offs, team growth, and staying focused. From how in-person strategy shapes better outcomes to how they’re modeling growth without chasing profit distributions, this one’s packed with real talk for firm owners building in the wild. ⸻ ⏱️ Chapters 00:30 – Why We Prefer In-Person Strategy (But Stay Remote-First) 04:50 – How Retreats & International Visits Boost Team Morale 07:00 – Balancing Profit with Team Health in Year 3 09:00 – Sales vs Delivery: Building Alignment for Sustainable Growth 10:30 – When Saying Yes to a Client Backfires (and What We Learned) 12:00 – Why Fit Is More Important Than Revenue in Client Selection 14:00 – Lessons from 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan 15:30 – Narrowing the Service Offering Without Losing Creativity 17:00 – Building a Scalable Business Model (Not Just Revenue) 20:00 – Structuring Roles to Keep Founders in Their Zones of Genius 21:00 – Why Profitability is a Tool for Team Investment 22:00 – Hiring Senior Talent First—And the Cost Tradeoff 25:30 – The Chicken-Egg Problem: Hire Before Revenue or After? 27:00 – What Our Forecasting Models Actually Look Like 30:45 – Reinvesting vs Distributing: Why We’re Playing the Long Game 36:00 – Why Employee Trust Is More Important Than Chasing Short-Term Profit 38:00 – Profit, Happiness, and Building a Long-Term Team 39:00 – Final Thoughts: Communicating the “Why” to Build a Firm That Lasts ⸻ ✅ Key Takeaways: ✔️ Focus beats everything—niching down helped Full Send grow more sustainably ✔️ Hiring senior talent early costs more upfront but unlocks scale ✔️ Profitability isn’t just a number—it’s a tool for reinvesting in team and process ✔️ Nearshore hiring enables flexibility and redundancy, not just cost savings ✔️ Transparent, strategic decision-making builds long-term team trust ⸻ 💬 How are you balancing growth and profitability in your firm? Drop your story below—we’d love to connect! 🔔 Like & subscribe for monthly episodes on what it really looks like to build in the wild. Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/]

Growing Gains & Pains: A Reflection on 2024

🚀 Lessons from a Year of Growth: Building a Firm in the Wild 📢 What happens when you build a firm from the ground up—live, in public? In this episode, we reflect on a full year of rapid growth, team expansion, and the challenges of scaling. We cover: ✔️ How we grew 116% YoY while maintaining team balance ✔️ Lessons from hiring, leadership, and culture-building ✔️ Launching a data intelligence practice & what we’ve learned ✔️ Why firm owners must focus on long-term vision over short-term gains ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Reflecting on a Year of Growth 00:48 - Building in Public: Why We Share Our Journey 02:10 - Why We’re Relaunching This Podcast & What’s Changed 02:56 - Expanding Our Team: Hiring in Argentina & Growing the Firm 04:42 - 116% YoY Growth: Managing Scale Without Burnout 06:31 - How We Built a Strong Firm Culture (Without Forcing It) 08:03 - 56,000 Slack Messages: How We Built Our Culture 11:04 - Balancing Work, Growth & Personal Priorities as Owners 14:37 - How We Protect Team Well-Being While Scaling 19:00 - Launching a Data Intelligence Practice: What We’ve Learned 23:08 - How Data & Accounting Services Are Converging 25:23 - Building Internal Systems & Automation for Scaling 29:42 - Private Equity, Firm Mergers & The Future of Accounting 32:26 - Why People-First Firms Will Outperform M&A Profit-Driven Firms 34:08 - Website Relaunch: Why We Moved to TheFullSend.com 37:54 - Hiring Plans & What’s Next for 2024 40:08 - Final Thoughts: Why The Journey is the Real Reward ✅ Key Takeaways: ✔️ Intentional hiring & leadership structure help firms scale without breaking. ✔️ Firm culture happens naturally—when you focus on people, not just policies. ✔️ Expanding into new services (like data intelligence) requires education & strategy. ✔️ Automation & internal systems are key to sustainable growth. ✔️ Long-term success is about balance—between profitability, purpose, and people. 🔔 Subscribe & turn on notifications so you never miss an episode! Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/]

The Techstars Journey ft. Chelsea Lamego, Co-Founder at FundMiner

Key Takeaways: 1. Initial Inspiration: Chelsea's experience at UTEP, dealing with technological gaps, motivated her to create FundMiner. 2. Market Validation: She validated the market need through her network and professional organizations. 3. Partnership: Finding a skilled partner was crucial to the success of FundMiner. 4. Raising Capital: Early fundraising taught Chelsea the importance of financial planning and understanding the needs of a technology company. 5. Accelerator Experience: Chelsea shares her transformative experience at Techstars Boulder, emphasizing community and mentorship. 6. Sales Cycle: Strategies for managing long sales cycles, including building a robust pipeline and market education. 7. Future Planning: The necessity of balancing immediate operational tasks with strategic future planning. Getting in Touch: Interested listeners can find out more about FundMiner by visiting their website at www.fundminer.com [http://www.fundminer.com] or by searching for FundMiner on social media platforms like LinkedIn. 👥 CONNECT WITH US 👥 Roman Villard, CPA [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdvcpa]: X @fullsendcpa Chelsea Lamego [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsealamego/] 👣 FOLLOW US 👣 Full Send LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/gofullsend] Full Send Website [https://www.fullsendfinance.com] FundMiner Website [https://fundminer.com/] 👉 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL [https://www.youtube.com/@fullsendfinance] 👈 Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/]

Building a NEW Venture Ecosystem // Emma Clark, COO at Sweater Ventures

Transforming Venture Capital: The Sweater Ventures Journey with COO Emma Clark In this in-depth conversation, Emma Clark, COO of Sweater Ventures, shares her journey from a background in FinTech and her pivotal role at Recurly to join Sweater Ventures, aiming to democratize access to venture capital. Through self-reflection on her pathway and experiences in the Boulder startup scene, she highlights the innovative approach of Sweater Ventures in opening venture capital investment to a broader audience. The discussion covers the creation of the Cashmere Fund, regulatory hurdles, marketing strategies, and the operational challenges of leading a fintech startup at the intersection of technology and investment. Additionally, Emma elaborates on the company's evolution towards enabling other fund managers to launch similar offerings and her vision for the future of accessible private market investments. 00:00 Introduction and Getting to Know Emma 01:20 Journey to Sweater Ventures: From FinTech to Venture Capital 03:58 The Mission of Sweater Ventures: Democratizing VC Investment 05:23 Operational Challenges and Achievements as COO 06:22 Expanding the Team and Launching the Cashmere Fund 08:03 Navigating the Venture Capital Ecosystem and Fundraising Insights 19:23 Building Trust and Educating Investors 28:01 Future Directions and Expanding the Platform 36:39 Reflections and Advice for Aspiring COOs 39:16 Vision for Sweater's Future and Final Thoughts 👥 CONNECT WITH US 👥 Roman Villard, CPA: @fullsendcpa, https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdvcpa Emma Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmadonaho/ 👣 FOLLOW US 👣 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gofullsend Website: https://www.fullsendfinance.com Sweater Website: https://www.sweaterventures.com/ 👇 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL👇 https://www.youtube.com/@fullsendfinance Check us out! Full Send | Accounting & Data [https://www.thefullsend.com/]