From bookkeeper to AI builder: what the profession needs to know with Jan Haugo

From bookkeeper to AI builder: what the profession needs to know with Jan Haugo

Jan Haugo spent 40 hours a week for over 18 months learning, building, and breaking AI tools outside the accounting industry because she felt what was available inside it wasn't enough. What she came back with wasn't a collection of tips for writing better emails. It was a system: general ledger error detection, 1099 audit checking, brand voice training, and over 80 operations built to match how accounting firms actually work. In this conversation, Jan walks through how she thinks about AI tool selection, why anonymizing client data matters more than avoiding AI altogether, and what it means to get 100 hours of production out of a 40-hour week. She also talks honestly about imposter syndrome, the validation that finally gave her confidence to teach, and why the accounting profession tends to sit quietly while the world changes around it. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch. [https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=57]

Problems are really opportunities if you think about it with Richard Soo Hoo

A nonprofit's CPA said they didn't qualify. Their payroll company said the same. So did a second advisor. Richard Soo Hoo, owner of Richard Soo Hoo CPA and Associates, looked at the paperwork anyway, told everyone they were wrong, and three weeks later the organization had $425,000 in Employee Retention Tax Credits in hand. That story sits at the center of this conversation, but it's hardly the only one. Richard reflects on what it actually means to get a tax refund (hint: it's an interest-free loan to the government), what happens when in-laws compare your work to the guy down the street who got them a $75 refund, and why decades of working inside Fortune 100 companies left him genuinely unprepared for the most interesting part of the job: dealing with people. Candid, understated, and quietly sharp, Richard brings a perspective that only comes from working at every level of the profession. Listen to the full episode, and follow the show so you never miss a conversation. Powered by Anchor. [https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=56]

Collaboration without competition: building better accounting firms with Richard Roppa-Roberts

Richard Roppa-Roberts did not plan to start a business. He bought a house on October 11, 2014, and was laid off the very next day. What followed was an accidental entrepreneurial career that now includes two businesses, over 7,600 hours of live peer conversation, and a near-coma hospitalization that tested every contingency plan he had built. In [http://built.In] this episode, Richard shares what he has learned running Quasar Cowboy and Roundtable Labs, including a simple calendar strategy for reclaiming time every month, how moving client communications entirely out of email changed the quality of his work, and why he believes collaboration without competition is the most underused growth lever in accounting. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch. [https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=55]

Stop listening to what clients say they want with Ron Stauffer

Ron Stauffer walked in the door after his second layoff, gave himself one afternoon to feel bad about it, and had a check in his hand by the next day. That mindset, combining deep curiosity with relentless relationship-building, is at the core of how he has run Leader Digital for eighteen years without spending a single dollar on advertising. In this conversation, Ron shares why most businesses asking for more website traffic actually have a broken sales funnel, and how asking the question behind the question changes everything. He talks about the gap between what clients say they want and what they actually need, why networking is fundamentally storytelling, and what it looks like to build a referral-based business from scratch, twice. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch. [https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=54]

Why your cash flow problem probably isn't what you think it is with David Safeer

In this episode, David joins Sam and Candy to talk about what really drives small business financial trouble, why the root cause is almost never what the owner suspects, and what it takes for accountants and bookkeepers to make the shift into genuine advisory work. They also get into the realities of building a first-year conference, why most accounting-adjacent advice stays frustratingly surface-level, and what it means to charge for work while you're still learning to do it. David is also hosting PIVOT, an intentionally small cash flow conference limited to 20 attendees, taking place May 24 through 29, 2026 at the Secrets Riviera Cancun in Mexico. Spots are still available. Mention The Unbalanced Podcast for a discount. Learn more at pivot2026.com [http://pivot2026.com]. Unbalanced is brought to you by Anchor. We help accounting and professional services firms send agreements, collect payments, and manage billing in one simple system. Join the thousands of accounting firms who have made the switch. [https://go.sayanchor.com/website-book-a-demo/?utm_channel=customer_marketing&utm_source=apple&utm_medium=soft_cta&utm_campaign=37683-unbalanced&utm_term=53]