make no mistake about it: the face of accounting is changing.
accountants at work
by seth fineberg
at large
many accountants today have lives that aren’t quite as sedentary as the career and personality an accounting professional may have once dictated. the old guard has been passing the torch to the new. technology has permeated every aspect of accounting work, and even the skillsets have evolved.
more fineberg: what bogs down accountants | your classic business model won’t allow growth
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so, you think you know accountants? let’s start with the members of the canadian metal band ken mode (short for kill everything now mode). they’ve been a band for over 20 years, have toured, and produced multiple albums; nearly all are accounting professionals. the group’s founding members, brothers shane (drums) and jesse matthewson (guitars and lead vocals), as well as their newest member kathryn kerr (saxophone, synth, piano, percussion, backing vocals), are all accountants.
shane, a cpa, ca, and jesse are accountants at their family firm mkm management services out of winnipeg. the firm provides business management, finance, accounting, income tax, business planning, and grant writing services, focusing on full-time artist/entertainment/music companies.
kathryn, a professional bookkeeper, is the owner of tonic financials (also from winnipeg). she focuses on monthly bookkeeping, tax prep, bookkeeping setup work, and financial consulting for artists and musicians.
all of them claim that they can have a work/life balance (and use of cloud technology and modern applications) that allows them to be full-time professional accountants and touring and recording musicians. they play some of the angriest and heaviest music when they’re not behind the desk helping fellow musicians, artists, and those involved in the music industry. seeing them live or listening to songs like “doesn’t feel the pain like he should,” “your heartwarming story makes me sick,” “the ugliest happy you’ve ever seen,” and “the desperate search for an enemy,” the word “accountant” would be the last thing you’d think of.
still don’t believe me? check out the video at the top of this post.
then there’s scott scarano, an accountant specializing in business and individual tax planning, irs and local representation, full-service payroll, bookkeeping…and rap. that’s right, besides being an accountant, entrepreneur, and podcaster, scott is a rapper. he regularly shares his rhymes on social media and can often be seen donning his signature backward baseball cap and gold necklaces.
like the members of ken mode, music is an outlet for scott, but it has become (whether intentional or not) a differentiating factor and one of the many things that make him one of the changing faces of accounting.
admittedly, scott only took to making accounting-centric raps at the beginning of this year, but it is already catching on among his fellow accountants. in his words, “i’m still figuring if accountants are going to take to this, hip hop and rap is the younger gen’s rock music, and i know it appeals to them, but my main goal was asking how can you make accounting fun?” he derives many of his raps from the hip-hop artist eminem, who he became a fan of back in high school.
“it’s what i know and love, just like accounting,” he says. “i am also working on something around what i learned from simon sinek’s ‘infinite game.’ “accounting needs to be fun and accessible, just like the raps that i do.”
here’s a sample of what scott regularly shares with his fellow accountants:
day 15#vpdexperiment
aka#rapperday“advizzory” verse 2 ??
and a little rambling at the end??out pic.twitter.com/rhc8rfjnrt
— scott $carano?????? (@scottscarano) november 15, 2022
fun and accessibility are also part of what cpa and comedian greg kyte is all about. for those who don’t know, greg regularly shares an accounting-centric comic strip on social media called exposure drafts, does standup at accounting events, and co-hosts a podcast that adds a heavy dose of humor to accounting. as a professional cpa, he is also engaging the profession through humor which, especially considering the past few years, could use.
take a look at greg’s latest exposure draft cartoon:
greg kyte created the exposure drafts cartoon series. the entire collection can be found on instagram at @exposuredrafts.
there are numerous names and personalities in the profession to throw a spotlight on to show how the face of the profession is indeed changing. you may not see them (yet) on the top 100 lists or any formal rankings.
still, look no further than the likes of nayo carter-grey, shayna chapman, sherrell t. martin, eric pierre, ignatius l. jackson, jason staats, and the aforementioned accountants who share their music, their comedy, their style, and their unique perspectives to help the profession ultimately. this is what true change is all about.