Make It Count
Make It Count
Podcast Description
The Make It Count podcast features interviews with top-tier accounting, finance, and tax leaders from the Big 4, accounting firms, industry, and the CFO's office. Through their personal stories and career paths, we aim to deliver valuable insights and empower you with the knowledge to excel professionally. We delve into the defining moments, the challenges conquered, and the real-world experiences from those at the forefront. Grab your headphones and join us as we Make It Count!
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes centered around career development in finance, professional challenges in accounting, and industry evolution, with specific episodes addressing the transition from Big Four to entrepreneurship, the significance of technology in accounting, and the importance of community networking for business growth.
The Make It Count podcast features interviews with top-tier accounting, finance, and tax leaders from the Big 4, accounting firms, industry, and the CFO’s office. Through their personal stories and career paths, we aim to deliver valuable insights and empower you with the knowledge to excel professionally. We delve into the defining moments, the challenges conquered, and the real-world experiences from those at the forefront. Grab your headphones and join us as we Make It Count!
Matt Tait is the CEO and co-founder of Decimal, a fully remote, tech-forward accounting firm that’s transforming the way small businesses manage bookkeeping, tax, and back-office operations. With a background that spans law, sales, and entrepreneurship, Matt brings a dynamic, future-focused perspective to an industry often stuck in the past.
Under Matt’s leadership, Decimal has scaled rapidly, serving hundreds of businesses nationwide and acquiring KPMG Spark to become one of the largest bookkeeping and tax firms in the U.S. His mission? To simplify accounting, empower business owners, and build firms that reflect their founders’ life goals, not the other way around.
Matt is also the voice behind After the First Million, a podcast where he explores the real, messy middle of growing a business with fellow entrepreneurs. In this episode of Make It Count, we delve into how Matt’s multidimensional experience, spanning from launching startups to leading innovation at Somerset CPAs, has shaped his vision for a more human and intentional future in accounting.
In this episode, we dig into:
Matt’s journey from law school to leading a top-tier modern accounting firm
Why he believes AI and automation should assist, not replace, accountants
The secrets behind Decimal’s growth and operational playbook
His experience acquiring KPMG Spark and what it taught him about scale
Building a remote-first, tech-enabled firm that feels human
Why partnerships, not cold outreach, have fueled Decimal’s growth
How the next wave of firm owners can build for freedom, efficiency, and impact
- And so much more
Some Takeaways:
1. Hybrid Backgrounds Drive Innovation: Matt’s unique experience across law, tech, and entrepreneurship allows him to question legacy systems and build bold new models that prioritize both precision and scalability.
2. Accounting Should Serve the Entrepreneur: Decimal’s client-first philosophy focuses on building accounting systems that support how founders want to live and lead, not force them into rigid structures.
3. Tech is a Tool, Not the Goal: From workflow automation to client portals, Matt sees technology as a way to deepen human connection, speed up onboarding, and create more meaningful advisory relationships.
4. Firm Design is Leadership Strategy: A modern firm isn’t just about services; it’s about culture, process, and purpose. Matt shares how intentional firm design can unlock balance, scale, and long-term satisfaction.
5. The Messy Middle Matters: On After the First Million, Matt uncovers the unpolished truths behind building a business, offering practical insights and honest stories that help entrepreneurs feel less alone in their journey.
6. Modern Firms Reflect Modern Life: Fully remote, flexible, and values-driven, Decimal is proof that accounting firms can grow fast and stay human, leading with both efficiency and empathy.
Where to Find Matt Tait:
Website: https://www.decimal.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtait83/
Podcast: After the First Million
In this episode, we cover:
01:55 Introduction and Background
03:03 The Accounting Landscape in Indianapolis
07:27 Decimal’s Unique Approach to Accounting
09:01 Change Management and Technology Implementation
15:30 Reflections on Five Years of Decimal
21:16 Brand Awareness and Marketing Strategies
28:05 Transforming Accounting Firms for Profitability
29:16 Building a Pyramid Structure for Success
32:17 The Importance of Partnerships in Accounting
35:23 Challenges of VC-Backed Accounting Firms
40:05 AI as a Co-Pilot for Accountants
46:41 The Future of the Accounting Industry
51:27 The Fast Five Questions
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