The past few years have fundamentally changed the nature of work and what it takes to run a business. Whether it’s the rise of remote work and contractors, understanding R&D tax credits, or navigating an economic downturn, entrepreneurs and SMBs are charting new territory – many able to do so thanks to the support of their accountants. Accountants are trusted advisors to entrepreneurs and SMBs, and their guidance is paramount to their success. 

In this blog post, we’ve rounded up some of the most influential leaders in accounting. Through their social posts, newsletters, or podcasts, these leaders are sharing invaluable advice on taxes and payroll, plus their thoughts on how to collectively evolve the accounting industry for the better. 

If you’re an entrepreneur or fellow accounting professional – consider giving these leaders a follow. We think you’ll gain a ton from their tips and insights. And if you think we’ve missed anyone, tell us who! You can tweet us at @GustoHQ or send an email to [email protected].

Mitchell Baldridge, CPA, CFP® 

Owner, Baldridge Financial 

LinkedIn | Twitter 
Mitchell helps business owners save taxes and grow wealth by building lifelong relationships with entrepreneurs to help them thrive. If you’re an entrepreneur, follow him on Twitter for strategies on tax planning, cost segregation, bonus depreciation, and more.

Chase Birky, CPA

CEO & Co-Founder, Dark Horse CPAs

LinkedIn 

Chase is passionate about reducing employee burnout amongst accountants. Many of his LinkedIn posts focus on ways of making the accounting industry a better place to work. If you’re the principal of your accounting firm and looking for resources on scaling in a sustainable way – Chase is your guy.

Nayo Carter-Gray, EA, MBA

CEO, 1st Step Accounting

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Nayo is a technology enthusiast, firm owner, and accounting professional on a quest to make accounting less taxing for small business owners. She’s also the host of the Taking Your Firm Virtual Summit, an event designed to help accountants confidently and securely take their firms to the cloud. Follow her for the latest tips and tricks to get more value from your tech, so you can spend more time on serving your clients and growing your firm. 

Carter Cofield, CPA, PFS

Accountant & Financial Advisor, Cofield Advisors 

Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube

From tips for small business owners to sharing timely tax news and hosting a podcast focused on entrepreneurship, wealth building, and personal finance for people of color, Carter is an expert on all things accounting with a passion for providing financial guidance to creatives and entrepreneurs. For informative, quick tips and advice, make sure to give him a follow.

Nicole Davis, CPA

Founder & CEO, Butler-Davis Tax & Accounting

LinkedIn | Twitter 

Nicole is an advocate for entrepreneurs and women in leadership. Her motto is simple: It doesn’t cost to have a good accountant. It pays. We couldn’t agree more. 

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, follow her channels for advice on how to optimize your tax credits and deductions. And if you’re an accountant, she shares tons of wisdom on optimizing how you run your firm and serve your clients.

Michael Eckstein, EA

Owner, Resting Business Face

LinkedIn 

Michael is an expert in accounting for agency and consultancy owners. Check out his weekly newsletter, “The Resting Business Face,” where he shares microlessons on profitability, cash flow, business strategy. If you’re a marketer or consultant and figuring out how to scale your agency, this one’s for you.

Greg Kyte, CPA

Founder, Comedy CPE

LinkedIn | Twitter

Greg is a comedian, CPA, and cartoon creator who is widely known in the accounting industry for his comedy accounting podcast Oh My Fraud!, which is co-hosted with Caleb Newquist, editor of the On the Margins newsletter at Gusto. Follow him for comment on what’s happening in the accounting world – never dry or boring, always delivered with wit and humor.

Logan Graf, CPA

Owner, The Graf Tax Company and the Tax TeleGraf

LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

From sharing memes, his perspective as a firm owner, to sharing advice for small businesses looking for help with their own taxes, Logan’s posts are a lot of fun while still being incredibly informative. 

If you’re an entrepreneur, he explains how tax professionals can help you better run your business. And if you’re an accountant, follow him on his journey of running his own firm – he’s been incredibly open in sharing his revenues and expenses as a second-year firm owner.

Ryan Lazanis, CPA

Founder, Future Firm

LinkedIn | Twitter

Ryan is interested in how innovative technologies and disruptive business models can help accountants quickly scale their firms. His weekly newsletter, Future Firm, shares insights on how to leverage tech and optimize your business model to quickly grow. So if you’re an accountant seeking to grow your firm or be more efficient with your time – make sure you give Ryan a follow.

Nikole Mackenzie, CPA

Founder & CEO, Momentum Accounting

LinkedIn | Twitter

Nikole is an expert in helping marketing and creative agency owners implement modern integrated accounting solutions. She also contributes #NiksTips segments to the podcast, Accounting High with Scott Scarano, where she speaks openly and honestly about both the successes and struggles she’s had as a CEO of a firm. Give her a follow for her lessons and takeaways as she’s shared what’s worked in scaling her firm, Momentum Accounting.

Jessica E. McClain, CPA/CITP, CISA, PMP, CGFM

Chief Financial Officer, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital

LinkedIn

Jessica is an accomplished financial leader and has been recognized as part of the CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40. She’s also the NFP Board Committee Chair & Officer and is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Follow her for shares of thoughtful and insightful content from SHRM, Journal of Accountancy, and many others on topics like attracting top talent and upskilling your current employees.

Blake Oliver, CPA

Founder & CEO, Earmark

LinkedIn | Twitter

If you get your news through podcasts, you probably know all about the Cloud Accounting Podcast, hosted by Blake alongside David Leary. If you want to get the latest on accounting tech, tools for remote work, and strategies for online sales and marketing, follow Blake and check out his podcast. 

And bonus – if you’re an accountant who needs to earn CPE credits, check out Earmark CPE–  a free app he launched to offer NASBA-approved CPE credits just for listening to your favorite accounting and tax podcasts.

Kelly Phillips Erb

Tax Counsel, White and Williams; Owner, Taxgirl

LinkedIn | Twitter

A writer, tax attorney, podcast host, and more, Kelly is one of the biggest names in the tax world. Currently in practice as tax counsel at White and Williams LLP, Kelly was a former columnist at Bloomberg Tax and Accounting – and she announced this week that she’s rejoining Forbes to write stories that matter to tax professionals and taxpayers. Huge congrats to Kelly!

For thoughtful and opinionated commentary on the latest in the tax world, make sure to follow her social posts and the Taxgirl podcast.  

Scott Scarano

President, Padgett NC

LinkedIn | Twitter

Scott works to help growth-minded entrepreneurs thrive and prosper via business and individual tax planning, IRS and local representation, full service payroll, bookkeeping, and more. He’s also the host of the Accounting High podcast – kickstarting fun, honest, and oftentimes colorful conversations about the state of the accounting and tax industry. Want real insight about the ups and downs of managing your practice? Scott’s a must-follow.

Jason Staats, CPA, MBA

Partner, Brenner & Company

LinkedIn | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube

Looking for ways to automate the more mundane parts of your day, so you can get back to growing your firm? Then look no further. Jason is an expert on how technology and artificial intelligence can help the accounting community, and he’s passionate about creating the future of the accounting profession. 

If you’re an accounting professional, make sure to subscribe to his weekly newsletter, “What’s Next for Accounting,” where he shares helpful tips on leveraging accounting and tax technology to effectively run your firm – like training a ChatGPT on your voice to strengthen emails.

Katie Thomas, CPA

Owner, Leaders Online

Facebook |  LinkedIn | Twitter

A 40 Under 40 CPA Practice Advisor and Top 50 Women in Accounting, Katie is an advocate for accountants to increase their influence, impact, and income through thought leadership building. If you’re an accountant seeking to build your brand, follow Katie for invaluable advice on how you can stand out by sharing your perspective online.

Twyla Verhelst, CPA

Head of Accountant Channel, FreshBooks

Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter

A former entrepreneur and financial advisor, Twyla is Head of the Accountant Channel and Leader of the FreshBooks Accounting Partner Program, where she empowers other accounting professionals as they help small businesses flourish. Follow her for thoughtful, community-oriented posts that will help inspire you to move forward in your accounting career, on days where it might feel like an uphill battle. 

Lorilyn Wilson, CPA

Owner, Lake Oswego Tax; Heater Media

LinkedIn | TikTok | Twitter

As an expert in entrepreneurship, taxes, and accounting, Lorilyn’s goal is to equip business owners with the tools and support to move forward and grow their businesses with confidence. 

If you’re an accountant, follow her on Twitter, where she comments on the latest happenings in accounting. And don’t miss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Accounting Podcast, which covers accounting leaders’ thoughts on the current and future state of the industry. And if you’re looking to expand your own content marketing, look no further than her new content marketing and creation service, Heater Media.

If you’re a small business owner, Lorilyn has you covered with a ton of tax and accounting tips. Follow her on TikTok to get honest, grounded advice on how to straighten out your business’ finances. 

@thenotspicyaccountant #greenscreen Christmas miracles really do happen 🥹🥹🥹 #taxwriteoffs #taxwriteoffs? #smallbusinesstaxes #smallusinesstaxes #smallbusinesataxtips #smallbusinesstax#llctaxes #llctax ♬ original sound – Lorilyn Wilson

Will Lopez Will Lopez is Gusto's Head Ambassador to accountant partners and customers. Previously, he empowered accountants as Head of Community & Education. He has dedicated his career to supporting accounting professionals and small businesses with more than 20 years of public- and private-sector experience, including founding and building a modern, cloud-based accounting firm.

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