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The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast

The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast

Serena Shoup, CPA 256 Episodes Oct 14, 2026

The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast is aimed at bookkeepers and accountants who are growing or starting their own firms. Hosted by Serena Shoup, CPA, it offers practical guidance on running a successful bookkeeping business, including tools, workflows and resources. Episodes also feature guest expert interviews that help listeners elevate their services and operations. The show's mission is to support both new and experienced firm owners and raise the profile of the bookkeeping profession.

Episodes

254 | Trusting Your Team & Stepping into Advisory with Anne Napolitano
254 | Trusting Your Team & Stepping into Advisory with Anne Napolitano Oct 14, 2026 2596 You don’t need to add budgeting and forecasting to your menu to start delivering advisory-level value.In this episode, I sit down with Anne Napolitano, a former Hermès controller turned private chef turned owner of a 10-person restaurant-focused accounting firm. We get into the small shifts in your services and your marketing that change how clients see your value, plus how Anne went from doing ev
253 | Q&A: Xero Fresh Start or QBO Migrate, A2X, Gusto Payroll, and More
253 | Q&A: Xero Fresh Start or QBO Migrate, A2X, Gusto Payroll, and More Oct 7, 2026 2699 In this September live Q&A, we covered a lot of ground. We talked about whether to convert a client from QBO to Xero or start fresh, how to realistically land more clients heading into 2026, and how I handle clients who won't send receipts no matter how many times you ask.We also got into Shopify bookkeeping, paying contractors, what to do when a credit union is making your life miserable
252 ⎸ Bookkeeping is NOT a commodity when done right with Katie Ferro Part 2
252 ⎸ Bookkeeping is NOT a commodity when done right with Katie Ferro Part 2 Sep 30, 2026 3983 Katie Ferro is back for part two, and we picked up right where we left off with Katie's line that stuck with me all week: if you don't have a stance, it's because you're not in the room enough. The same goes for advisory. You won't feel confident until you put yourself in the room, and you can't get in the room until you build some confidence. So we talked about how t
251 ⎸ Bookkeeping is NOT a commodity when done right with Katie Ferro
251 ⎸ Bookkeeping is NOT a commodity when done right with Katie Ferro Sep 23, 2026 4922 I've been connected with Katie Ferro since the very beginning of my business. I literally found her on a podcast while I was on maternity leave dreaming about starting a bookkeeping business, and I probably reached out to her like a weirdo on Instagram. We reconnected recently, had a conversation that was way too good to keep to ourselves, and decided to hit record. This one is a true coffee
250 | X2Uno: The Chrome Extension for Xero with Mark Corum
250 | X2Uno: The Chrome Extension for Xero with Mark Corum Sep 16, 2026 2979 What if the tool you've been waiting for, the one that finally makes Xero as efficient as QuickBooks with Right Tool, already exists, and it's being built by a former bookkeeper who accidentally fell into coding? In this episode, Serena sits down with Mark Corum, the developer behind X2Uno and Right Tool, to talk about building Chrome extensions for accounting software, the surprising pa
249 ⎸ [Q&A] Starting a Firm While Employed, Hiring Advice, and Employee Benefits
249 ⎸ [Q&A] Starting a Firm While Employed, Hiring Advice, and Employee Benefits Sep 8, 2026 3117 This round of Live Q&A we got into some really good stuff: how to navigate starting your firm while you're still employed, why book to tax differences are completely normal and not something to lose sleep over, and how I approach the "can I afford to hire" conversation with clients (spoiler: it's rarely just about the numbers). I also pulled back the curtain on my monthly c
248 | How to Be a Collaborative Professional with Emily Bowie
248 | How to Be a Collaborative Professional with Emily Bowie Sep 2, 2026 2141 I got to reconnect with Emily Bowie, a partner at Thorne Advisors, and someone I actually met years ago in a tiny mastermind back when she was doing something completely different in her business.We talked about what actually makes a partnership work (and what makes it collapse), why staying in your lane protects your reputation, how bookkeepers can collaborate with tax pros instead of competing w
247 | Tax + Bookkeeping; Should You Do Both? With Nick Cobos
247 | Tax + Bookkeeping; Should You Do Both? With Nick Cobos Aug 26, 2026 2867 If you have ever had that passing thought of "should I add tax to my bookkeeping firm?" this is the episode you need to hear before you make a move.In this one, I'm sitting down with Nick Cobos of Saga Accounting Solutions. Nick has built a five-person firm that does both tax and bookkeeping. We get into the real pros and cons of running both under one roof, and I share why I went d
246 | Q&A - Transitioning to Advisory, Xero Integrations Disengaging with Clients, and More
246 | Q&A - Transitioning to Advisory, Xero Integrations Disengaging with Clients, and More Aug 19, 2026 2216 We're back from summer break with a live Q&A with SO much good stuff in this one. This was one of those episodes where the questions kept getting better and better, and I got to go deep on the things that trip us all up: running an advisory firm, getting your pricing right, Xero integrations, closing out clients the right way, and knowing when to make your first hire. If you've ever
245 | Starting Your Firm from Scratch with Jaime Rodriguez
245 | Starting Your Firm from Scratch with Jaime Rodriguez Aug 12, 2026 2076 This episode hit close to home for me because Jaime Rodriguez and I are basically living the same double life, and I loved getting to compare notes.Jaime is the CEO of Bookkeepers.com (you probably know them as Bookkeeper Launch), and his story is wild. He went to school for accounting chasing that "safe job" American dream, hated the corporate grind so much he Googled how to start a boo
244 ⎸ The Summer Slump + Podcast Update
244 ⎸ The Summer Slump + Podcast Update Aug 5, 2026 694 Real talk: if your summer felt slow and you were low-key stressing about it, this episode is for you. This week's a short and sweet solo update where I walk you through what's coming up on the podcast over the next month, plus a little pep talk about the summer slump so many of us hit as bookkeepers. Slow season is normal, my friend, and it doesn't mean anything is wrong with your b
243 | The Advisor Activation Series
243 | The Advisor Activation Series Jul 29, 2026 525 In this episode you’ll hear:A very short update about the audio series I just released & why you need to listen before it goes away!Resources mentioned in this episode:Listen to The Advisor Activation Audio Series → https://www.ambitiousbookkeeper.com/activateThanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your In

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