Who's Really the BOSS?
Marcus Dillon, Rachel Dillon
Recent Episodes
Nick Liguori shares how he transformed his New Hampshire accounting firm into a med spa specialist, growing to seven employees and approaching $1 million in revenue within five years. He discusses the strategic decision to niche down despite losing legacy clients, implementing Team of Three for better delegation and scalability, and cutting client onboarding time from 60 days to 30 days. Nick also reveals his pricing evolution from $200/month packages to $2,000+ premium services, plus how industry specific conferences can generate better ROI than traditional marketing.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
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- (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
- (01:03) - Nick's Background and Firm Overview
- (01:49) - Best Advice Ever Received
- (04:06) - Finding a Niche in the Med Spa Industry
- (09:42) - Marketing Strategies for Med Spa Clients
- (15:47) - Service Tiers and Team Structure
- (24:47) - The Role of Keeper in Streamlining Processes
- (28:41) - Future Goals and Revenue Targets
- (30:29) - Reducing Client Onboarding Time
- (35:43) - Reflections on Starting a Firm
- (37:02) - Pricing Evolution and Onboarding Fees
- (40:20) - Benefits of Working with Collective by DBA
Marcus and Rachel recap Gather 2025, their fall event that brought 105 firm owners, leaders, and team members together in Grapevine, Texas. They walk through the four Ps framework for change management (purpose, picture, plan, and part) and share highlights from sessions on KPIs, firm valuation, AI agents, and collaborative problem-solving.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
- (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
- (01:45) - Event Details and Attendees
- (04:05) - Feedback and Highlights
- (09:10) - Upcoming Events
- (10:57) - Opening Session Insights
- (18:22) - Change Management Framework
- (23:14) - The Four Ps of Leading Through Change
- (24:53) - Importance of Defining Roles in Change
- (25:50) - Reflecting on Past Change Management
- (27:46) - Challenges for Leaders in Communicating Change
- (28:49) - Personal and Team Leadership in Change
- (29:36) - Event Recap: Setting the Stage for Success
- (32:48) - Diving into KPIs and Firm Performance
- (35:40) - Case Studies and Mastermind Groups
- (40:38) - Firm Challenges and Collaborative Solutions
- (44:24) - Innovative Use of AI and Technology
- (49:27) - Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans
James and Cindy Buss join Rachel and Marcus to share their 20-year journey building Buss CPA in Hartford, South Dakota, from surviving the 2008 recession to transforming their business model around fixed-fee engagements. The conversation covers their transition from hourly billing to monthly recurring revenue, navigating price increases, building a committee-based client acceptance process, and what it's really like when the operations manager gives her retirement notice years in advance. Both couples offer candid insights about communication, community support, and why treating clients well matters more than perfect execution.
Learn More About Buss CPA
https://busscpa.us/
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
- (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
- (00:38) - Meet James and Cindy Buss
- (02:55) - James Introduces the Firm
- (06:50) - Cindy Shares Personal Life
- (19:41) - Cindy's Retirement Plans
- (23:21) - Evolution of the Firm
- (30:16) - Budgeting and Fee Structures
- (31:47) - Impact of Economic Downturns
- (33:25) - Goals and Initiatives
- (44:22) - Onboarding Fees and Client Management
- (49:35) - The Importance of Community and Peer Networks
- (59:31) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Fletcher Wimbush from Discovered.AI joins the show to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing CPA firms today: finding and hiring quality talent. Fletcher shares his proven interviewing techniques, including the career performance history interview, strategic reference checking, and assessment tools that help predict candidate success. Learn why integrity trumps experience, how to compress your hiring timeline to just five days, and why becoming an "employer of choice" requires more than just offering remote work options.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
- (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
- (00:53) - Fletcher's Background and Experience
- (02:38) - Best Hiring Advice
- (03:26) - Defining Integrity in Business
- (05:08) - Challenges in Talent Acquisition
- (06:29) - Techniques for Assessing Integrity
- (13:41) - Current Hiring Landscape
- (17:06) - Becoming an Employer of Choice
- (19:18) - Remote vs. In-Office Work
- (26:06) - Effective Interviewing Techniques
- (29:26) - Candidate Selection and Structured Interviews
- (31:57) - Key Interview Questions
- (36:04) - Reference Checks and Integrity
- (41:54) - Efficient Interview Process
- (48:39) - Final Thoughts and Resources
Rachel and Marcus reveal how they use organizational charts as a strategic tool for firm growth at Dillon Business Advisors. They walk through their process of identifying bottlenecks, defining roles before hiring, and evolving from a chaotic "spider web" structure to their streamlined team-of-three model. Learn how mapping out future roles, including their new tax advisory service line and CSM assistant positions, helps them scale intentionally while maintaining client service quality and avoiding the trap of reactive hiring.
Introducing Collective by DBA
https://collective.cpa
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivebydba
Learn More About Dillon Business Advisors
https://www.dillonadvisors.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillonbusinessadvisors
Sign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcast
https://earmarkcpe.com
Download the Earmark CPE App
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
- (00:00) - Introduction and Recap
- (01:26) - Strategic Growth and Acquisition
- (04:09) - Defining Roles and Responsibilities
- (06:29) - Identifying Bottlenecks and Capacity
- (10:56) - Additional Metrics
- (16:42) - Roles and Responsibilities
- (19:55) - Utilizing Part-Time and Remote Team Members
- (28:24) - Expanding Tax Advisory Services
- (37:04) - The Value of Clear Team Structure