Humans in Accounting

About Humans in Accounting

Behind every balance sheet, there’s a human story. Humans in Accounting is a podcast about the people redefining what it means to work in finance and accounting today. Hosted by Alex Roman of South Offices, each episode features honest, unfiltered conversations with accountants, firm owners, and financial leaders who are building businesses on their own terms—remote, niche, value-driven, and unapologetically human. Whether you're a solo accountant, a fractional CFO, or just curious about what it’s really like behind the spreadsheets, this podcast will inspire you to do things differently.

Publisher

South Offices

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 May 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

55 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Why I'm Choosing Accounting in the Age of AI - Davis Starling

   Davis Starling grew up in a South Carolina town of about 290 people, kept bees, raised frogs, and earned the nickname Coach Barkley on a high school basketball court. At 12, a YouTube channel about failing companies had him reading balance sheets for fun. Today, Davis is based in New York, has spent five years working in accounting, and is pursuing his CPA license while staying deeply involved in AI and technology. In this episode of Humans in Accounting, Davis joins Alex Roman to talk about choosing accounting at a time when the profession is facing a talent shortage and AI is changing how the work gets done. They discuss how Davis found his way into the profession, what tax and startup environments taught him, how he used AI to run cold outreach to recruiters during his job search, whether AI will make accounting more or less attractive to the next generation, and why he believes the CPA license will stay relevant for a long time. Topics covered: • From beekeeper and basketball coach to accounting • The YouTube channel that sparked his interest at 12 • Seeing how a global company's tax function fits together • Building accounting functions in PE- and VC-backed startups • How the accountant shortage shaped his career choice • Why firms still need to develop junior talent • The power of cold outreach • Using AI to reach recruiters during a job search • Why you should always take the call • Outsourcing your thinking vs. outsourcing your understanding • Will AI make accounting more attractive to young people? • Is the CPA license still worth it? Humans in Accounting is brought to you by South Offices, connecting accounting firms with skilled professionals across Latin America. 🎧 South Offices Home https://southoffices.com/ (https://southoffices.com/) 🌎 Nearshore Accounting Company https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/ (https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/) 📞 Talk to a CPA-led Nearshore Team Specialist https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices (https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices)

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Protect the King: Business Lessons From a Live Chess Game - Tyler Otto

   Tyler Otto and Alex Roman have been playing chess for about two years, usually taking a day or three to make each move. For the Season 4 premiere of Humans in Accounting, they finally played a game live, and talked business between moves. Tyler runs a 16-person accounting firm that now operates day to day without him, co-hosts the Unaccountable podcast, and does his best work the same way he plays chess: fast, and on the fly. In this episode, Tyler and Alex play a 10-minute game while exploring what chess can teach business owners: when to follow the playbook and when to leave it, why giving up material can be the right move, and how protecting the king looks a lot like protecting company culture. Tyler also shares why his firm walked away from nearly $26K in monthly recurring revenue, what he learned after losing a big part of his team in a single month, why owning your mistakes in front of your team matters, and his advice for anyone who thinks it's too late to start a firm. Topics covered: • Playing a live chess game while talking business • How Tyler got into chess • Why Tyler does his best work on the fly • Knowing when to leave your playbook • Walking away from $26K in monthly recurring revenue • How Tyler inspired Humans in Accounting • Knight or bishop? What your piece says about you • Trading resources to get closer to your goal • Losing a big part of the team in one month • Protect the king: protecting company culture • Reviewing your losses • Owning your mistakes in front of your team • Advice for starting an accounting firm in 2026 Humans in Accounting is brought to you by South Offices, connecting accounting firms with skilled professionals across Latin America. 🎧 South Offices Home https://southoffices.com/ (https://southoffices.com/) 🌎 Nearshore Accounting Company https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/ (https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/) 📞 Talk to a CPA-led Nearshore Team Specialist https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices (https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices)

3. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Embrace Evolution, Not Perfection - Ryan Page

   Ryan Page’s path to building Backpocket CPA wasn’t a straight line. After starting his career at PwC, working in financial reporting and FP&A, and experimenting with different businesses along the way, he spent years building his accounting firm on the side before finally going all in. In this episode of Humans in Accounting, Ryan joins Alex Roman to talk about what his first year as a full-time firm owner has really looked like, from landing large clients to navigating concentration risk, losing a key team member, and rebuilding with a more sustainable approach. They also discuss why Backpocket CPA chose to niche down into creative marketing agencies, the importance of intentionally building company culture from the beginning, and why aspiring firm owners should think about entrepreneurship as an evolution rather than expecting perfection from day one. Topics covered: Ryan’s path from PwC to entrepreneurship Building Backpocket CPA as a side business Why becoming a father pushed Ryan to go all in Navigating client concentration risk Losing a key team member and continuing to rebuild Why Backpocket CPA niched down into creative marketing agencies How writing on LinkedIn helped Ryan clarify his ideal client Building company culture intentionally from the beginning Turning personal values into company values Why new entrepreneurs shouldn’t expect perfection Thinking about entrepreneurship as an evolution Humans in Accounting is brought to you by South Offices, connecting accounting firms with skilled professionals across Latin America. 🎧 South Offices Home (https://southoffices.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)https://southoffices.com/ (https://southoffices.com/) 🌎 Nearshore Accounting Company (https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/ (https://southoffices.com/nearshore-accounting-company/) 📞 Talk to a CPA-led Nearshore Team Specialist https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices (https://calendly.com/alex-southoffices)

Who has been a guest on Humans in Accounting

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Michael Eckstein
• Adel Senoussi
• Jeanne Hardy
• Ashley Carroll
• Tailor Hartman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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