Recorded on: May 5, 2015 Behind-the-scenes reflection, Dan, CEO of GrowthLab, shares the raw and candid story of a pivotal acquisition that reshaped the company’s trajectory: the purchase of Grinnell Bookkeeping. Recorded just after the deal was finalized nearly a decade ago, Dan walks through his mindset in real time. The risks, the rationale, and the relationships that made it possible. He opens up about the strategic potential he saw (and initially underestimated), the evolving role of key pa...
Apr 18, 2025•8 min
In this episode of The FaaS Evolution , we sit down with Anna Khayet , Founder of Mastermind and Chief Marketing Officer at Padgett , to explore the intersection of fintech, marketing, and the accounting industry. Anna shares her journey from leading marketing at Google Cloud and SoFi to advising top fintech companies like Rho and Ignition . We dive into why marketing is often overlooked in accounting and finance technology, the challenges fintechs face in reaching accountants and CFOs, and how ...
Mar 18, 2025•44 min
This week Dan is joined by Geoffrey Gualano , Head of Marketing at A2X . With the rise of AI and increasing competition, they talk about the importance of going back to marketing fundamentals—building deeper relationships, creating valuable content, and being present within your community. From leveraging existing customer bases to experimenting with remarketing strategies, they discuss how businesses can thrive by focusing on long-term, consistent efforts rather than quick fixes....
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 13 min
In this episode of The FaaS Evolution , Luke Templin shares the transformative power of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) for service-based entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses strategically. Luke, founder of a2 advisers and CEO of FinDaily.io, breaks down the essential difference between working in the business versus on it, highlighting how EOS helps streamline decision-making, delegation, and scalability. Tune in for Luke’s insights on common blind spots for entrepreneurs, ...
Nov 13, 2024•48 min
In this episode, we talk about the power of building authentic relationships and communities in the accounting industry. Our guest, Alex Miles , Founder of Alex Miles Marketing , shares insights on how accounting firms and fintech apps can stand out by fostering genuine connections with their ideal clients. We explore Alex’s journey from early beginnings in the accounting and fintech marketing space to founding a business centered on community-driven growth. Alex discusses the critical role that...
Oct 07, 2024•51 min
In this episode of The FaaS Evolution , host Dan Gertrudes sits down with Jonathan Stark to explore the rise and fall of the billable hour. Jonathan, a former tech professional turned pricing expert, shares his insights on why this traditional pricing model still dominates industries like accounting, despite its drawbacks. They discuss the impact of the billable hour on client relationships and business growth, why customers are shifting toward value-based pricing, and the challenges firms face ...
Sep 23, 2024•58 min
This podcast is produced by GrowthLab Financial , your Finance-as-a-Service Partner . Today on The FaaS Evolution we have a special guest! Dan Gertrudes is joined by Robert Hughes ! Robert works at Citizens bank as a Managing Director and he is also an Angel Investor, LP, and an Advisor to several startups. In this episode we discuss: The Importance of Banking Relationships Importance of strong banking relationships for businesses and startups. Explanation of why banking relat...
Aug 21, 2024•36 min
Join us as we talk about the world of business experimentation with our special guest, Korey Cournoyer, CEO of STRMS . Try STRMS for Free for 1 Month --> https://www.strms.io Hosted by Dan Gertrudes, founder of GrowthLab , this episode covers Korey's journey and insights from growing STRMS and attending the Scaling New Heights conference. Discover how experimentation can propel your business forward....
Jul 23, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode, we dive into the world of financial planning and analysis with a special guest, Ryan Clifford , the Manager of the FP&A team at GrowthLab. Join us as we explore Ryan's journey from his early days at GrowthLab to his current role, where he oversees crucial financial planning activities. Segment 1: Ryan's Journey We'll start by uncovering Ryan's career path, discussing how he started at GrowthLab and progressed to managing the FP&A team. Ryan will also share insights into ...
Jun 17, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Steve Walsh is the founder of Hands On Angel LLC, an entrepreneur, and angel investor. He has over 20 years of experience in executive roles across sales, marketing, and operations at prominent technology and media companies in Fortune 500 companies. Steve has invested in more than 60 early-stage companies, raining millions of dollars in capital. Segment 1: Experience in Corporate America Segment 2: Startups and Entrepreneurship Segment 3: Advice for Startups Through every stage of your business...
Jun 10, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Join us as we dive into the world of entrepreneurship with Steve Snyder , the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Gesmer Updegrove . In this episode, Steve shares his wealth of experience and insights gained from years of supporting and advising emerging businesses and tech companies. Segment 1 – Gesmer : Learn about Steve's journey to becoming an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and his diverse background. Hear firsthand stories of his entrepreneurial ventures and how they shaped his approach to supporting s...
Jun 03, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Learn more about How to Understand R&D Tax Credits . In this episode, Dan is joined by Ari Salafia , the Founder of Taxtaker . Topics discussed in this episode: Understanding R&D Tax Credits Navigating the Application Process Tips and Advice for Small Business Owners...
Apr 15, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Tim Scullion comes to us with a lot of experience and a passion for small businesses. With an understanding of customer needs and a commitment to creating positive relationships. Tim is dedicated to making your customer experience with GrowthLab rewarding. John's Photography Website: https://solasight-media.mypixieset.com/ Segment 1: Tim's Entrepreneurial Evolution Segment 2: Transition to Customer Experience Manager Segment 3: Importance of Customer Experience Manager in FaaS...
Mar 06, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Breaking out of the Perception Box: Exploring the Dynamic Paths of Accountants Across Different Industries This week we have a friend on The FaaS Evolution, Roman Villard ! Roman is the Founder @ Full Send Finance -- Serving Seed and Series B Startups. Segment 1: Exploring Full Send Segment 2: Understanding the Perception of Accountants Segment 3: The Versatility of Accountancy Roles Segment 4: Advice and Insights...
Jan 30, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Welcoming Will Lopez to this episode of The FaaS Evolution! He's a jack of all trades, Gusto's Chief Ambassador | Creator of People Advisory™ | Host of Between Two Firms | Accountant Understanding Will Lopez's Role at Gusto Creation and Evolution of People Advisory Services (PAS) GrowthLab and the Integration of PAS The Future of PAS and Its Impact The #1 key to success in any business is your team. GrowthLab's People Advisory helps maximize your investment in your people. Attract. Retain. Eleva...
Jan 04, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Welcome to The FaaS Evolution hosted by GrowthLab FaaS. This podcast is focused on how Finance-as-a-Service is transforming the accounting industry. The GrowthLab team was able to draft ~200 tax EAs in about 1.5 hours and was able to draft ~220 1099 EAs in about 15 minutes. Compared to last year, the tax EAs took about 1/3 of the time and the 1099 EAs took about 1/4 of the time. Topics mentioned in this episode: Understanding the 1099 Season Utilizing Ignition for Bulk Proposal Sending Best Prac...
Dec 19, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 2!! In this new season of the FaaS Evolution podcast, we're diving deep into the world of accounting, pulling back the curtain to reveal the challenges that come with running a successful accounting practice. We understand that there's so much more to accounting than just numbers and spreadsheets. Our mission is to explore what really happens behind the scenes of owning a Finance-as-a-Service firm – the good, the bad, the ugly. Today's topic is going to be a candid discussion a...
Oct 05, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This episode is a 4 for 1! We've got 4 FP&A lovers talking about critical factors in bridging the gap between accounting and finance functions through the work of FP&A. Paul Barnhurst AKA "The FP&A Guy," is a seasoned finance professional with over a decade of experience in diverse industries. He has held key roles at American Express and Solera and now runs his own FP&A consulting firm. A well-respected influencer in the FP&A community, Paul is passionate about sharing his i...
Aug 01, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 48
1. It Always Starts with the Economy. 📊📚 Dan Gertrudes and Steven Byler talk about how the economy is impacting GrowthLab and it's peers. 2. Growing Pains! 📈😫 With growth, comes some pain. Here, at GrowthLab, we been struggling with capacity to onboard new clients. What we are doing to improve/ restructure our operations and accounting teams and how does this impact the top of the funnel through our recurring accounting services? Who is GrowthLab? 👉🏼 About The GL Team 🌟 #FaaSEvolution #ac...
Jul 24, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Logan Graf is a CPA & Chief Tax Officer at The Graf Tax Co. PLLC. He is experienced in tax compliance and consultation for a wide variety of industries, entities, and people... & he is a YouTuber!! In this episode, Dan Gertrudes talks with Logan about how and why you he started in the tax industry. Some of the questions asked are: What are you doing differently? Have you exceeded your own expectations? Are you making any changes for the fall tax season? Is there any new tech you are disc...
Jun 26, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Over the last 10 years, there has been an amazing expansion of private equity and venture capital funding. In 2010, VC investments totaled $32 billion. In 2021, they totaled $345 billion. Where does this growth come from? The pie is continuing to grow from two areas; the addressable market & business formations. AccountingToday Article Follow us: LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram...
Jun 05, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 45
In this episode of The FaaS Evolution, Dan Gertrudes is joined by Katie Thomas ; a 40 under 40 CPA Practice Advisor recipient, Top 50 Women in Accounting recipient, and the owner of Leaders Online, where they help accounting professionals and B2A (business to an accountant) professionals increase their impact, influence, and income through thought leadership and digital marketing. They won't be talking about the same old marketing tips, instead they are diving into the unique ways accounting fir...
May 30, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 44
What does Hot Chicken and Company Culture have in common? 🔥🍗 Listen to find out. Company culture is very important at GrowthLab and today, Dan & Steve talk about the new GL initiative; "Culture Club" The Culture Club is going to be a way fro GL employees to meet with each other outside of their regular teams. This is a way for employees on the marketing team or FP&A team to also build relationships with the accounting team or tax team, etc....
May 17, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Looking to acquire an accounting business? Before you do so, make sure you think about the importance of synergies. Do you use the same technology as the accounting firm you are looking to acquire? If not, do the technologies integrate easily? Dan Gertrudes and Korey Cournoyer talk about synergies in the world of the accounting industry, focusing on corporate functions and the overlap of tech partners. Looking to Join Forces with GrowthLab? Let's Chat!!...
May 08, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 42
👀 What's the difference between an FP&A Shop vs FP&A Services? Systematic vs. Ad Hoc is the difference. 🚀 In this episode Dan & Steve talk about how they got started with providing Financial Planning and Analysis as a service within GrowthLab. With Dans background in the corporate world and Steve starting in the Startup world, they were able to take their individual journeys and create a service within their Finance-as-a-Service firm. Learn more about our FP&A services: https:/...
May 04, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Diversifying growth is important to GrowthLab. When it comes to running an accounting firm, do you want to have a niche customer base or diversify your customer base and work with other industries? For GrowthLab, we knew we wanted to expand from our traditional startups and tech based businesses into the hospitality and experiences industries. That's why we acquired FoggedIn Bookkeeping. 1️⃣ Diversify Customer Base This is a step in diversifying our customer base after years of focusing on ventu...
Apr 24, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Customer Onboarding is both a key to success yet a major stress point in our business. Dan Gertrudes talks about the importance of customer onboarding for GrowthLab FaaS and some of the ways we elevate the customer experience. While we strive to give our customers the best experience, the most painful process internally is the process of onboarding a customer. Here's what we've done to make that process a little less painful! Let's Connect: Website Instagram LinkedIn YouTube...
Apr 06, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 39
What happens on Wall Street impacts Main Street!! Bank lending and Small Business credit is going to be impacted by everything that is happening on Wall Street. Rolling 12 month Cash Forecasting is going to be key to survival in a credit tightening environment. With all the talk of SVB and Credit Suisse and #TooSmallToFail 📉 We better be ready to support #SMBs with a tightening credit cycle. The 2-Year Note dropped from 5% to 4% in a matter of 3 days, the fastest decrease since 1987!! FP&A ...
Mar 27, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In this episode of The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab, Dan & Steve talk about why you should #ditchtheniche. They discuss the importance of diversifying your customer base. 3 Areas that Experience Industries Need to Focus on: 1. Capital 2. Customer Experience 3. Labor
Mar 23, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 37
On this episode of The FaaS Evolution by GrowthLab Financial, Dan Gertrudes is Joined by Chris Reilly to talk all things FP&A, how to be intentional, and how to get started on LinkedIn. Chris Reilly began his career with FTI Consulting during the Financial Crisis and worked on several high-profile bankruptcies including Lehman Brothers and ResCap. Then, he transitioned to Corporate Finance and Treasury with Hilton Worldwide, and helped build the rating agency model for Hilton’s eventual IPO ...
Mar 09, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 36
