Riding the waves of the accounting industry with Seth Fineberg from Accountants Forward
All business relationships boil down to one short but powerful word: trust.
Summary
Clients must trust their accountants if they want their businesses to reach the next level.
Similarly, accountants must trust their accounting tech products to accelerate their own growth.
Seth Fineberg may not be an accountant, nor an accounting tech firm executive, but he knows a great deal about trust. As an editor and journalist for over 30 years with long stints at Accounting Today and AccountingWEB, Seth understands the critical role trust plays in relationships—both in finding sources and an audience.
“That was the key—getting that trust and cultivating those sources. Being present, being available, and getting the trust there,” Seth says.
His newest venture is a departure from his days reporting on accounting and accounting tech. Seth’s consulting firm Accountants Forward, specifically focuses on bridging the knowledge gap between accountants and the tech that is available to make their lives easier.
“There are so many choices out there. And if you look at the entire field, it can be very overwhelming. Usually in an accountant’s life, it's like, ‘Oh, man, I wish I had something that did this better’. And chances are, there probably is something out there that is [better],” he shares.
By helping accountants find the accounting tech that best solves their pain points, “all boats rise,” he explains.
On episode 73 of the Accounting Leaders Podcast, Seth talks with Karbon co-founder Stuart McLeod about the changes in accounting over the course of his career, and what he sees as the next big wave to break the shores.
Sailing the seas of journalism
Seth didn’t start out as an accounting journalist. His first experiences were in a newsroom and then reporting for a daily metals and mining publication. While that might sound like a deep niche, the metals publication was his first exposure to industry-specific writing.
“That's the great thing about trade journalism…you could really immerse yourself in some new topics,” Seth tells Stuart on the podcast.

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