🔴 Bookkeepers On Fire | Welcomes Wayne Higdon

Bookkeepers On Fire 🔥 w/ Wayne Higdon — From Hourly to Value, QBD to QBO, and Building a Firm You Love 

Today we’re joined by the legendary (and proudly introverted!) Wayne Higdon to talk about his journey—from a sociology major and “Bob Cratchit with a coal stove” 😄 to a modern firm owner running on value pricing and QuickBooks Online. 

We swap stories from Scaling New Heights (remember that wild Orlando hotel + Bahamas trip?!), why Brittany Brown’s keynote hit so hard, and get real about moving clients from QuickBooks Desktop to QBO, adopting RightTool, and preparing a lifestyle exit toward retirement without losing the joy (or profits). In this episode, you’ll learn: 

How Wayne shifted from hourly billing to fixed-fee/value pricing—and why that unlocked team growth

A practical playbook for transitioning clients from Desktop to QBO (who to migrate first, and how to position the change)

When it’s still smart to keep a client on Desktop payroll (allocations + cleanup realities)
Power-user tips with RightTool (allocations, batch edit, balance-sheet adjustments for TB-to-tax cleanups)

What to tell clients about the new QBO UI so they don’t panic (shortcuts, favorites, and teaching the “same engine, new face”)

Real-world perspectives on firm succession: sell, team buy-in, or lifestyle exit (keep profits, work a few hours/week)

Resources & Mentions 
RightTool for QBO (free + pro tiers) — allocations, batch edits, balance-sheet tools
QBO Desktop App (multi-company convenience—why Wayne liked it before RightTool took over)
QBO’s new UI — set Favorites/Shortcuts; teach clients the “same under the hood” mindset
Hector Garcia’s QBO UI deep-dive video (great client-friendly walkthrough)

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#BookkeepersOnFire #QuickBooksOnline #RightTool #ValuePricing #ScalingNewHeights #QBO #AccountingCommunity #FirmGrowth #BookkeepingTips

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.

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