Bookkeepers On Fire with Deb & Donna

From carrier decks to tax desks… meet Hal “in a towel” Hickey—Vietnam vet, ex-IRS auditor, and the quiet engine behind our practice. His story? Wild. His advice? 🔥

✈️➡️📊 Grit scales: From getting shot down over Vietnam to auditing 1040s in Manhattan, Hal proves resilience + discipline beat “luck” every time.

🧠💳 OPS > DIY: “Other People’s Skills” win. Stop winging it—bring in pros, charge for brains (not minutes), and fix value leakage before it costs clients real $$.

📚➕📉 Know your debits & credits: Software pushes buttons; bookkeepers interpret reality. Education first, then tech—so clients don’t pay for $50K mistakes.

PS: Our Bookkeepers on Fire community is where we go unfiltered 🔥—behind-the-scenes “Turn Up The Heat” episodes, downloads, and real talk. Link in comments.

🔥 Join our Bookkeepers On Fire Community to connect 🤝, collaborate 💬, and thrive 🚀 with like-minded professionals who are passionate about bookkeeping, accounting and business growth.

Join us here: Bookkeepers On Fire Community

Bookkeepers On Fire is proudly ad-free and 100% listener-supported, so we can bring you unfiltered conversations without outside agendas. If you enjoy the show, consider donating to help keep our mics hot and our mission independent.

🔥Donate with Venmo🔥    🔥Donate with PayPal🔥

#BookkeepersOnFire #AccountingLife #ValuePricing #TaxPros #SmallBusiness #VeteranLed #OpsNotChaos #LearningOverGuessing #QuickBooks #Advisory

What is Bookkeepers On Fire with Deb & Donna?

Where bookkeeping meets bold ideas, disruptive strategies with a whole lot of laughter. Donna with her genius in Systems, Processes, and Optimization and Debbie sharing Quick Wit, Funny Insights, Resolute Belief in people, break down what’s working - and what’s not.

Unlock the brilliance behind every episode. Experience the heat, the laughs, and the hard truths of virtual bookkeeping—come see what actually works.

Join us for the fire, the laughs, and the unfiltered truth about running a bookkeeping business today’s AI World.
Meet Your Hosts:

✨ Donna Reade
Visionary behind the award winning firms Team Reade and NextGenBookkeepers

Champion of AI-Native workflows and subscription pricing models

Known for mixing strategy with storytelling (and just the right dash of sarcasm)

✨ Debbie Kilsheimer
Founder of Behind the Scenes - A firm that redefines client relationships.

Speaker of Uncomfortable Curiosity - pushing boundaries, stirring deep thinking and meaningful change

Humor that slaps: cutting, honest, light-hearted

Together, Donna and Debbie light up conversations that Inspire, Educate, and Empower bookkeepers and accountants everywhere to build profitable, joyful, and future-ready businesses.

🎙️ Subscribe, tune in, and get ready to Turn Up The Heat on your bookkeeping journey!