Big Moves and Mindsets in a Changing Profession

In episode 166 of the Woodard Report Podcast, Joe Woodard and Heather Satterley discussed merger activity across the accounting profession, Microsoft’s sponsorship of Scaling New Heights, practical technology tips, and a member spotlight centered on resilience and scope management.

Mergers, acquisitions, and Microsoft

Heather opened the episode by looking at recent merger and acquisition activity among accounting firms. She reviewed the last 30 days and found 14 CPA firm acquisitions, with a few additional deals falling outside that category. As Heather put it, “there were actually 16, but two got disqualified because they weren’t really CPA firms. They were advisory firms, so they were expanding.”

Joe then turned to exciting news around Scaling New Heights. Microsoft will sponsor the conference for the first time, which he described as a significant moment after years of outreach. Joe tied the move to Microsoft’s broader commitment to artificial intelligence and the way Copilot now sits across its product ecosystem. As Joe put it, “This indicates a play. A play by a company with a $3 trillion market cap that they believe in and want to lean into the accounting space.”

In his view, Microsoft’s presence is not only about conference sponsorship. It also signals that the company sees accounting as a meaningful market as AI becomes more deeply integrated into software platforms. For firms, that means paying attention not only to the tools they use today but also to the direction of the companies building them.

Watch Episode 166 here

The quote of the week focused on identity and will

For the quote of the week segment, Heather picked a line from The Iron Giant. She shared the quote, “you are who you choose to be.”

Heather connected that line to both personal growth and practice development. A firm is not locked into what it was last year, and a leader is not limited by past decisions or past identity. She emphasized that actions taken today shape who a person becomes and what a practice becomes.

Joe picked a quote from Avengers: Infinity War. In the scene, Thanos tells Doctor Strange, “The hardest choices require the strongest will.”

Joe connected that idea to the intentional work of building a practice rather than simply reacting to circumstances. He suggested that many professionals drift into the future instead of choosing it. His point fit naturally with Heather’s. Leaders have to decide what they want their practice to become and then make the difficult choices required to move it forward.

Two useful lessons on technology and productivity

Heather’s excellent thing of the week was a practical Windows tip that many users still do not know about. She explained that Windows includes a clipboard history feature that can store up to 25 recently copied items. After enabling it in settings, users can press the Windows key and V to open the history and paste from recent clipboard items.

Heather described the feature as especially useful for people moving data between screens or applications.

Joe’s excellent thing of the week took a wider view. He discussed the Autor–Levy–Murnane (ALM) hypothesis, which argues that technology does not simply replace jobs. It replaces specific tasks. Joe used that framework to explain why reports about AI replacing entire roles can be misleading. The better question is which tasks within a role are most vulnerable to automation. He summarized the practical implication in a simple line. “The softer the skill, the safer the role.”

That observation carries real weight for accounting professionals. As AI becomes more capable, technical production work may become easier to automate, while human skills such as judgment, accountability, and relationship building become even more valuable. Heather reinforced that caution in practical terms later in the discussion, noting that generative AI is “built to please you.”

Two truths and lie

In two truths and a lie, Heather used Easter themed trivia. Joe correctly identified the false statement and worked through the possibilities out loud, drawing on both religious history and common sense. The segment touched on decorated eggs, Holy Week traditions, and a Swiss Easter custom involving a cuckoo.

Joe followed with cat trivia, which gave Heather a chance to show off her well-known affection for cats. She correctly identified one of the truths but missed the others, leading to a brief discussion about cats having a third eyelid and the official term for a group of cats.

A member spotlight shaped by discipline and resilience

For the member spotlight, Lamont Nesbitt highlighted Lana Jo Hill of Hill Bookkeeping and Consulting in Maryland. Lamont shared that Lana Jo has been dealing with cancer while continuing to make major progress in her practice. He described the past year as difficult but also impressive, especially in the way she has strengthened pricing, reduced scope creep, and improved monthly recurring revenue.

Lamont emphasized that the real breakthrough was not only new client growth. It was better control over what the firm does for clients and what falls outside the agreed scope. He noted that Lana Jo has become much firmer in drawing boundaries and empowering her team to do the same.

Joe connected that progress back to the broader practice model, pointing to capacity, energy, and attention as key resources that must be protected. In this case, tighter scope management and pricing discipline created the room needed for both the business and Lana Jo herself.

An article of the week with practical value

To close the episode, Heather highlighted a Woodard Report article designed to help professionals make the case for attending Scaling New Heights. She noted that not everyone can simply register without approval, especially those working inside a larger firm. The article offers practical guidance on communicating the return on investment and includes a template readers can use when reaching out to leadership.

Joe added that even practice owners or sole practitioners may need to make the case to themselves or their families before committing the time and money to attend.

This episode covered a wide range of topics, but the thread running through it remained steady. Firms continue to operate in a profession shaped by change, whether the issue is consolidation, AI, pricing, or leadership. The stronger path forward comes from making deliberate choices, protecting what matters most, and building a practice with intention.

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Thank you to our show sponsor, Woodard™ Membership!
Woodard™ Membership empowers accounting professionals to build scalable, advisory-centric practices through community, education, and mentorship. Members gain access to exclusive resources, collaborative forums, guided implementation programs, and live events designed to accelerate professional and business growth. To learn more about how Woodard™ Membership can support your journey, visit: Woodard Memberships

This article was written with the assistance of AI and edited by a human.