Right People, Right Seats: How EOS Helps CPA Firm Owners Build Teams That Scale | Podcast

Meghan Hickman has spent over three years as our EOS implementer at Poe Group Advisors, and this conversation is one we have been looking forward to sharing. Meghan works with entrepreneurial leadership teams to help them build structure, create accountability, and scale with intention. She has helped over 40 organizations do exactly that, including ours 📚 Book Recommendations: 📚 Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman [https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-G...] The Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change [https://www.amazon.com/Five-Minute-Jo...] The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown [https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Imperfec...] Timestamps: 00:36 - Meghan's background: from US Senate press secretary to entrepreneur 01:26 - How a copy of "Traction" in 2014 changed the direction of Meghan's career 01:52 - Growing an EOS company by 62% in five years and launching her own practice 03:12 - Starting in the least entrepreneurial environment possible: bureaucracy vs. the private sector 04:43 - The moment Meghan knew it was time to leave: the night Osama bin Laden was captured 06:09 - Sending out resumes at 1:00 in the morning and the one that changed everything 07:48 - Effective self vs. destructive self activity: the exercise that explained everything 09:28 - What working in the private sector revealed about her unique abilities 11:14 - Core value alignment: using values to attract the right people like a magnet 13:04 - Why the press secretary seat was the wrong one and what EOS language helped her understand 15:21 - Burnout vs. readiness to sell: how to tell the difference 17:04 - Head signals: the business is running you, things feel harder than they should 19:14 - The prescription for heart signals: a leap, whether that is a transition, a sale, or a new chapter 22:02 - Meghan's own red flags: road rage, everyone seems difficult, an unmade bed 25:37 - What the Accountability Chart actually does and why it matters past five or ten employees 28:08 - The value of an outside perspective: seeing the game when you cannot see it from the field 30:22 - The Vision Traction Organizer: a two-page strategic plan that actually gets used 33:17 - How your ideal clients evolve as your firm evolves, and why revisiting matters every 90 days 37:20 - Why firms that obsess over simplification and say no more than yes scale the fastest 40:05 - Meghan's memorable career story: getting her senator to the Today show in the nick of time 45:06 - There is no learning in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the learning zone 45:48 - Book recommendations: "Traction," The Five Minute Journal, and "The Gifts of Imperfection" 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. 🎧 Subscribe to the Podcast: https://poegroupadvisors.com/podcast/ 💻 Poe Group Advisors: https://poegroupadvisors.com/ 📚 Accounting Practice Academy: https://www.accountingpracticeacademy... ✅ Subscribe to the channel:    / @poegroupadvisors   🤝 For Acquisitions https://poegroupadvisors.com/buying/p... ******************* Poe Group Advisors: Helping accountants buy, build, and sell exceptional firms. Poe Group Advisors is the premier accounting practice intermediary firm in the industry. With over 20 years of experience in the accounting industry Brannon Poe’s work helping certified public accountants in brokerage and acquisitions has made Poe Group Advisors one of the premier consulting firms in the business. For those looking to improve their firm for long term growth, our expertise can help maximize cash flow, increasing the bottom line and making your firm the best and most profitable that it can be. We offer many resources including Accounting Practice Academy: a community-based, 8-week workshop designed by Brannon Poe for accounting firm owners who want to increase profitability and reduce owner hours. As well as a TOP 50 featured accounting blog, the Accountant’s Flight Plan podcast and books on the issues that matter most: Prepare Your CPA Firm for a Sale , The Unplugged Vacation , and Scaling Your Cloud Accounting Practice to name a few. Subscribe for more resources to make your CPA firm the best that it can be!