Marcus and Rachel Dillon pick up where they left off, walking through the third major chapter of Dillon Business Advisors: from the shift to fully remote work and the development of their Team of Three model, to two strategic acquisitions that pushed the firm past $6 million in revenue. Marcus also pulls back the curtain on the conversations he's having now with firm owners at every size, from $1M to $250M, about succession, technology, and what it really means to build enterprise value. It's a candid look at where DBA has been and the questions every firm owner should be asking about where the industry is headed.

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Discover.AI - discover.ai

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
• (02:21) - Remote Work Pivot
• (03:33) - Tech Stack for Remote
• (06:02) - Exiting Audit Practice
• (07:27) - PPP and ERC Surge
• (08:24) - Team of Three Model
• (14:45) - Rebrand SEO Fallout
• (18:11) - Capacity and Growth Choices
• (19:21) - Strategic Acquisitions 2025
• (26:18) - Owner Hours and Balance
• (29:47) - Leadership Retreat Insights
• (30:39) - Industry Deal Chatter
• (32:39) - Succession Stewardship Mindset
• (34:43) - Managing Partner Reality Check
• (36:54) - Legacy Firms vs Enterprise Value
• (41:31) - Rollups Create New Niches
• (46:43) - Optionality and Independence
• (51:47) - Short Horizon Strategy
• (53:16) - Team Structure Upskilling
• (56:42) - Closing Advice and Patience

Marcus and Rachel Dillon reflect on 15 years of Dillon Business Advisors, tracing the firm's origins from a cold-letter acquisition of a $400K book in 2011 through two distinct five-year chapters of growth, tough lessons, and reinvention. They cover the early grind of building stability, a mentor acquisition that didn't go as planned, strategic client block sales, and the unexpected pivot that COVID forced on the firm.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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
• (01:00) - Life Updates
• (06:42) - Recharge Mexico Plans
• (08:57) - DBA 15 Year Lookback
• (12:23) - Why Start DBA
• (18:44) - Leaving Firm For Family
• (22:24) - Early Goals And Acquisition
• (25:38) - Scrappy First Years
• (32:15) - First Five Years Growth
• (34:53) - 2016 Milestones And Family
• (38:10) - Acquiring Mentor Practice
• (39:17) - Culture Clash And New Office
• (40:56) - Tax Season Chaos And Billing
• (44:10) - Systems Coach And MRR Push
• (48:34) - Spinning Off Clients And Office
• (51:11) - 2019 Focus And Boundaries
• (55:40) - COVID Remote Shift And Audit Exit
• (59:33) - Revenue Floor And Margin Goals
• (01:02:52) - Wrapping Up & Chapter Two

Sandra Koch founded Aurora Consulting Group in 2011 and spent years chasing the dream of a beautiful brick-and-mortar office — then sold the building, went fully remote, and eventually moved to a small coastal town in Baja California with dirt roads and 25 species of whales. She joins Marcus and Rachel to talk about the anxiety of going remote, the grief of letting go of a physical space, and why she now believes her clients get a better version of her than they ever did when she was managing an office.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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
• (01:19) - Life in Mexico
• (02:00) - Firm Origins and Growth
• (04:05) - Going Fully Remote
• (12:05) - Client Visits and Meals
• (13:57) - Client Mixer Playbook
• (20:23) - Letting Go of Office
• (25:45) - Remote Hiring and Culture
• (30:37) - Incentives That Stick
• (34:48) - Why Retreats Matter
• (36:16) - Missing The Office Myth
• (39:50) - Better Owner Better Service
• (42:50) - 2026 Focus Words
• (46:05) - Trust Clean Help
• (47:41) - Science Experiment Mindset
• (50:59) - Collective Community Impact
• (55:52) - Closing And Next Steps

Rachel and Marcus pull back the curtain on how Dillon Business Advisors went from zero website leads after a botched domain migration to a packed January calendar full of prospective client meetings. They trace the full lead journey — from SEO recovery and HubSpot automation to referral partner relationships and the pre-call nurturing that warms prospects before Rachel even says hello.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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) - BOSS S5E5
• (00:28) - January Survival Recap
• (02:18) - Sales Calls Surge
• (04:18) - Rebrand Website Fallout
• (08:40) - Traffic Drops to Zero
• (10:38) - Audits and Vendor Lessons
• (13:12) - Calendar Automation Flow
• (21:03) - Nurturing Before Calls
• (23:21) - Where Leads Come From
• (25:31) - Tax Season Referral Tips
• (26:29) - Reviews and Testimonials
• (27:50) - Make Reviews Easy
• (28:31) - Celebrate Team Wins
• (29:43) - Track Client Case Studies
• (31:40) - Lead With Results
• (33:25) - Discovery Call Agenda
• (36:11) - Where Leads Come From
• (37:34) - Referral Partner Outreach
• (40:26) - Webinars and Playbook
• (42:58) - Events and Capacity
• (46:31) - In Person Lead Gen
• (50:33) - Final Action Steps

Tax season doesn't have to mean overtime, blackout dates, and pizza-party morale boosts. Marcus and Rachel walk through the operational decisions and team structures that keep DBA running at 36 hours a week year-round. From Flex Fridays and unlimited PTO to ditching 1099 prep for annual-only clients, rethinking which client relationships to keep, and using video commentary and text messaging to meet clients where they are.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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
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• (00:00) - Welcome to Who's Really the Boss
• (02:23) - Life Update: Moving to Fort Worth
• (12:20) - Tax Season Norms and Firm Practices
• (27:31) - Flexible Work Hours and PTO Policies
• (29:16) - Transition to Unlimited PTO
• (32:20) - Team Collaboration and PTO Planning
• (36:08) - Client Services and Team Structure
• (46:43) - Refinement and Client Evaluation
• (49:47) - Tax Advisory Plan (TAP)
• (56:20) - Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

Marcus and Rachel sit down with Amy McCarty to unpack the reality of DBA's two 2025 acquisitions—from pre-close team meetings and tech stack migrations to payment processor transitions and the decision to space deals 90 days apart. They share specific timelines, technology consolidation wins and challenges. This is the acquisition conversation focused on what happens after everyone stops congratulating you.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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
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Download the Earmark CPE App
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• (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome
• (00:47) - Amy Background and Role
• (02:36) - Discussing Recent Acquisitions
• (04:20) - Growth and Team Expansion
• (07:15) - Pre-Acquisition Planning
• (13:56) - Onboarding and Integration
• (30:01) - Introduction to the 2025 Tech Stack
• (30:36) - Building the Azure Environment
• (31:28) - First Acquisition: Technology Integration
• (34:24) - Second Acquisition: Technology Integration
• (38:37) - Managing Legacy Systems
• (47:40) - Payment Systems and Client Invoicing
• (51:48) - Engagement Letters and Standardization
• (54:14) - Conclusion and Future Plans

Rachel and Marcus unveil the DBA Impact Fund, a donor-advised fund through National Christian Foundation that channels 1% of every revenue dollar toward charitable causes. They share how they chose Living Water International as their primary charity partner, including plans to purchase and install water wells with the team in 2027, and explain their unique approach to employee giving through $1,000 birthday gifts to charities of each team member's choice.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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

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• (00:00) - Introduction and New Year Greetings
• (01:00) - Defining Positive Impact
• (02:09) - Reflecting on 2025 and Setting 2026 Goals
• (06:35) - Creating the DBA Impact Fund
• (08:59) - Implementing the DBA Impact Fund
• (16:01) - Choosing Living Water International
• (19:19) - Mission Trip Experiences
• (25:23) - Reflecting on Past Experiences
• (25:55) - Living Water Mission Trips
• (26:58) - Roles and Responsibilities on Trips
• (27:42) - Engaging with Local Communities
• (28:21) - Fun and Games with Children
• (29:29) - DBA Impact Fund Introduction
• (31:47) - Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries
• (35:36) - Measuring Impact and Sharing Stories
• (37:05) - Supporting Team Members
• (39:28) - Creating a Culture of Gratitude
• (42:00) - Setting Up Impact Channels
• (44:24) - Conclusion and Future Goals

Marcus and Rachel break down the five essential KPIs that drive firm value, using real data from over 200 accounting firms. They reveal how the average firm in their network decreased owner production hours by 12% while growing revenue by 10%, and share the exact backwards mapping framework they use to identify which levers to pull for improvement. Marcus also walks through DBA's 2024 price increase strategy that netted a 4% revenue gain despite losing $12,000 in monthly recurring clients.

Sponsors
Discover.AI - discover.ai

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 Life Updates
• (06:28) - Transition to Business Discussion
• (07:32) - Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Overview
• (12:36) - Gross Revenue Insights
• (17:15) - Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
• (23:11) - Revenue per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
• (27:17) - Earnings Before Owner Compensation (EBOC)
• (28:28) - Understanding EBOC and Valuation
• (29:47) - Profitability Trends and Analysis
• (30:48) - EBOC and Market Attractiveness
• (33:03) - Owner Production Hours and Efficiency
• (37:25) - Leveraging KPIs for Business Improvement
• (38:27) - Real-Life Examples of Business Levers
• (39:45) - Price Increases: Strategy and Impact
• (49:56) - Backward Mapping for KPI Improvement
• (53:34) - Final Thoughts and Encouragement