Episode 147

Why Authority Is Important for Accounting Professionals

Rob Brown is a former high school maths teacher and now founder of the Business Development Academy, which trains busy accountants and similar service professionals to be confident, effective work winners. He speaks internationally on growth, succession, trust, likeability, reputation, collaboration, mental resilience and sales for professional firms and networks.

He is also in demand as an online an and in person chair, moderator, interviewer, MC and event host for conferences and virtual events internationally. Rob is the bestselling author of Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TED talk ‘The Personal Brand of You’ has been viewed 250K times on Youtube.

He hosts the popular weekly Accounting Influencers podcast that interviews a range of influencers, vendors and experts who serve the accounting community to ask what makes the good firms and accountants great. Selected shownotes:

  • Announcing the launch of a monthly slot for show host Rob Brown on Accounting Influencers to round up wisdom from the show's expert interviewees
  • Upcoming podcast themes, including future proofing your career and your firm, post covid recovery strategies, client experience, loyalty, changes in the buyer journey, positioning and pricing of your services, opening up new services and markets, winning new business and standing out in competitive environments
  • How covid has magnified the good and the bad in accounting firms
  • The difference in accounting firms who have stepped up and those who have slipped behind
  • The two things the best accounting firms have invested in during the pandemic, and continue to do so to accelerate their recovery
  • How some accounting firms got their communication and thought leadership all wrong when covid hit the world
  • The upsides of the pandemic and what many firms got right to make the most of a tough situation
  • The downsides that nobody could really avoid, including mental health, zoom fatigue, lack of human contact and deterioration of 'in person' social skills
  • The outlook for the accounting profession globally in what is likely to be a very tough 2021
  • Where the opportunities will be for accountants and their firms in the next 12 months
  • Why growth and recovery are now top of the agenda in the boardrooms of accounting firms
  • Shout out to the Accounting Leaders podcast which interviews managing partners and heads of functions in large accounting firms, plus leaders of global accounting networks/alliances/associations to talk about their journey, their leadership and career stories and their take on what's happening in the accounting world right now.
  • Access free 30 min video training: Winning Business in Tough Times>>

Contact Rob here:

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About the Podcast

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Accounting Voices Podcast
Accounting Voices helps people in the accounting world stay relevant visible and vocal. Host Rob Brown interprets trends reshaping the profession and gives listeners insight to build authority influence and a stronger voice in firms and markets.

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About your host

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Rob Brown

Rob Brown is the founder and host of the Accounting Voices Podcast, the flagship solo show of the Accounting Voices Network. Each episode offers sharp analysis and commentary on the trends, ideas and people shaping the global accounting profession.

Through this Accounting Voices Podcast, Rob helps accounting firm leaders, decision makers and professionals stay relevant and make sense of disruption in areas like AI, automation, M&A, private equity and soft skills beyond the tech. His perspective blends clarity, insight and curiosity, making complex issues relevant and practical for professionals and decision makers across accounting and finance.

He also leads two monthly panel shows, Accounting M&A and Accounting AI, which bring together senior voices to explore consolidation, strategy and the impact of technology on firms and people.

Rob is the author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and a TEDx speaker whose talk The Personal Brand of You has more than 400,000 views. Over his career he has hosted and moderated more than 1,000 conversations with accounting and fintech leaders worldwide.

Based in Nottingham UK, Rob is a stroke survivor living with epilepsy, a black belt in kickboxing, a decent chess player and an average player of four musical instruments.