In this kickoff episode of Managing Partner Realities: Leading the Modern CPA Firm, host Chad Person is joined by Dawn Howard, a fractional CMO with 25+ years of experience in marketing, sales, business development, and brand strategy inside CPA firms.

Together they unpack why talent is no longer just a hiring problem it’s a leadership and growth problem. They dive into culture beyond perks, what “belonging” really looks like in a firm, how remote and hybrid work are reshaping engagement, and why consistency from leadership and mid-level managers matters more than grand gestures.

They also explore how marketing, HR, and leadership can work together to build a culture that retains top people, upskills them into advisory roles, and ultimately drives firm growth.

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🔑 Key Topics & Takeaways

•Talent as a growth lever, not just a headcount issue

•Belonging, purpose & culture that actually sticks

•Remote/hybrid realities & engagement

•Employee experience ➝ Client experience

•Upskilling & advisory capacity

•Communication & consistency as culture drivers

•Gen Z and the evolving workforce

•The bottom line for managing partners

Links

Dawn Howard– Fractional CMO, YorCMO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-howard-m-s-b4a6b911

Accounting for Growth is the podcast for CPA firm leaders who know referrals aren’t enough. Hosted by Chad Person, founder of AccountingCMO and fractional CMO to high-growth accounting and advisory firms, each short episode features outside experts with fresh takes on how accounting firms can overcome inertia, unlock opportunity, and confidently scale.

In under 12 minutes, you’ll hear punchy, actionable conversations with marketers, data experts, technologists, and strategic advisors working at the edge of accounting innovation. Whether it's AI in sales, better positioning, or building a smarter pipeline, each guest brings a clear takeaway on how to drive meaningful, measurable growth.

Brought to you by AccountingCMO and powered by yorCMO, this podcast helps you rethink growth, without fluff or filler.

Ways to Tune In

Youtube: https://youtu.be/OOXTk9SsnAA

•Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/es-co/podcasts/0dd0a29a-4f47-4480-b01b-6115ddccb42e/accounting-for-growth

•Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uGxGsuJPMs2vgc7RThgWm?si=fQxYnDEiQtinP5co97EuZA

•Creator: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/accounting-for-growth-pod

•Fractional C-Suite Retreat is produced by Frost Media Group

Learn more at https://frostmediagroup.com