Podcast Summary
In this episode of Business Legacy Podcast, Paul Dio sits down with Seth Kamens, founder of Kamens CPA, for a conversation that is as refreshingly honest as any the show has produced. Seth didn’t set out to build a twenty-five-person accounting firm. He set out to keep the lights on. What he built instead — starting with fifteen clients from his father, a solo practice, and a profile on Thumbtack — has exceeded every expectation he ever had for himself. And when Paul asks him about legacy, Seth laughs and says he doesn’t care. His legacy is being a good dad. The rest, in his words, is bullshit.
Seth traces the unusual path that brought him to accounting — Capitol Hill ambitions, investment banking, asset management, financial planning — and explains why he hated working at the big firms. The clients who weren’t top tier were treated as second class. The work was compliance and regurgitation. Nobody was asking the five or six questions that actually move a business forward. Seth decided he could do it differently, and in 2012, with his father’s referrals and a depleted bank account, he started.
The heart of the conversation is what it means to be a proactive accountant rather than a reactive one. Seth explains why he turns down clients he can’t actually help, why he thinks of himself as a business owner who happens to do accounting rather than the other way around, and why his firm’s success — built entirely on networking and word of mouth, never a dollar of SEO — comes down to one thing: showing clients that someone gives a damn.
The episode closes with the kind of honesty that’s rare on business podcasts. Seth on the $200,000 error he caught that the bigger firm missed for three straight years. On why the accounting industry is commoditized and what that means for how you prove value. On building a leadership culture that’s the opposite of Deloitte, JH Cohen, and Merrill — encouraging, accountable, and never humiliating anyone in front of their peers. And on the legacy question that made him laugh — because in ten or twelve years when he sells, not ten percent of his clients will remember his name, and he is completely fine with that.
Episode Highlights
The Generalist Who Became an Accountant
Seth traces the unusual path from Capitol Hill dreams to investment banking to asset management to financial planning — and finally to the CPA exam and a better idea of how to serve clients.
Why He Hated the Big Firms
The dismissiveness toward anyone who wasn’t a top-tier client. The work that was pure compliance with no value add. And the realization that there was a better way to do this — if someone was willing to ask the right questions.
Fifteen Clients and a Depleted Bank Account
Seth’s father, a retired trust and estate attorney, handed him fifteen or twenty clients in 2012. It was enough to survive, barely. He underbid on Thumbtack. He walked into incubators next to Price Waterhouse and made the case for why paying six times the fee to get staffed work wasn’t the deal people thought it was.
The Entrepreneur Who Happens to Be an Accountant
Seth’s self-description and operating philosophy. Think like the client. Ask what they’re trying to build. See the five or six things most CPAs don’t look for. Turn down clients you can’t help.
Accountants Are a Cost Center and Here’s How to Fight It
Why the psychology of accounting is different from wealth management — clients call thrilled about gains and furious about tax bills, even when both are functions of success. Seth on how he repositions the conversation from necessary evil to actual plan.
The $200,000 Error the Big Firm Missed Three Straight Years
Seth’s case study on why the bigger firm’s research access advantage isn’t what it sounds like. The error that cost a client $600,000 over three years. And why access to the same information, plus more attention, wins.
We’ve Never Spent a Dollar on SEO
Kamens CPA has been built entirely on networking and word of mouth. Seth on why that’s a function of approach — not size, not budget — and what it means for any service provider trying to differentiate in a commoditized market.
Leadership as the Opposite of Everything He Experienced
Deloitte, JH Cohen, Merrill, Morgan — Seth hated all of it. His firm is built on what he wished it had been like to be a staffer: encouraging, patient with first-year mistakes, accountable at the manager level, and never disciplining anyone in front of their peers.
You Can’t Pivot Outside Your Sector Completely
Seth’s framework for any CPA — or any service provider — who feels stuck doing the same thing over and over. Figure out where your strengths actually are. Network in the direction you want to go. Be patient. Instantaneous gratification is not how this industry works.
My Legacy Is Being a Good Dad
Paul asks about legacy. Seth laughs. His firm isn’t going to be Ernst & Young. His son wants to be a professional tennis player. In ten years when he sells, not ten percent of his clients will remember who he was, and he’s built a career around that being just fine.
Timestamps
00:00 — Welcome and introduction
00:45 — The generalist’s unusual path to accounting
02:30 — Why he hated the big firms and what a proactive CPA actually looks like
04:30 — Fifteen clients, a depleted bank account, and Thumbtack
06:00 — The entrepreneur who happens to be a CPA
07:30 — How the clientele has evolved over fifteen years
09:30 — Accountants as cost centers and repositioning the conversation
12:00 — The aha moment that keeps him going
14:00 — The psychology of gains, tax bills, and client blame
16:00 — Commoditization and how to prove your value anyway
18:00 — Navigating the ever-changing tax code
20:00 — The $200,000 error the big firm missed three straight years
22:30 — We’ve never spent a dollar on SEO
24:00 — Leadership as the opposite of Deloitte and Merrill
27:00 — Making mistakes, not personalizing them, and building culture
29:00 — Goals, ambition, and already exceeding every expectation
31:00 — How a stuck CPA redesigns their practice
34:00 — My legacy is being a good dad
36:00 — Where to find Seth and Kamens CPA
Connect with Seth:
Website: kamenscpa.com
Email: seth@kamenscpa.com
LinkedIn: Seth Kamens
Connect with Paul Dio
🌐 Website: https://innovativewealth.com
🎙️ Podcast Hub: https://businesslegacypodcast.com
Enjoyed this episode?
Leave us a review here → Apple Podcasts
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Legacy Podcast. Great reviews help us reach more legacy-minded entrepreneurs just like you.
Episode Resources
Discover how Seth and his team at Kamens CPA help business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals get proactive answers to the questions most accountants never think to ask — and how they’ve built a twenty-five-person firm entirely on referrals and the idea that someone should actually give a damn: www.kamenscpa.com
Leave a Review: If you enjoyed the episode, leave a review and rating on your preferred podcast platform.
For more information: Visit https://businesslegacypodcast.com to access the show notes and additional resources on the episode.
