The opening day of the 2026 GrowCon conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, brought together accounting professionals, firm owners, consultants, and industry leaders for a full day of practical strategies and deeply personal conversations.
Held May 4–6 at the Hilton Marriott, the event focused on helping accounting professionals grow sustainable firms while adapting to changing technology, client expectations, and economic realities.
Day one featured five standout presentations covering everything from defining personal success and building scalable sales systems to IRS representation opportunities, generational client strategy, and cybersecurity preparedness.
If you missed out on attending GrowCon in person, then this recap will offer some insights from the first day’s presenters. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from and ask questions to these industry leaders next year and join us at GrowCon 2027 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Grab your ticket here.
Jaime Rodriguez — The Currency of Success
Jaime Rodriguez opened the conference with one of the most personal presentations of the day, challenging attendees to rethink what success actually means. Rather than focusing on revenue or client counts, Rodriguez encouraged accounting professionals to define success on their own terms.
He shared how personal hardship, including struggles with infertility and miscarriage, forced him to reevaluate his priorities after years of chasing growth and external validation. What once mattered — bigger revenue, nicer cars, and status symbols — became far less important than being present for his family and building a business that supported the life he wanted.
Rodriguez encouraged attendees to regularly define their own “currency,” whether that means time freedom, peace, family, flexibility, or financial security. He also emphasized that burnout is often a design problem, not a motivation problem. Systems, boundaries, pricing, and automation ultimately shape quality of life more than hustle alone.
One of the strongest takeaways from the session was his advice to focus on changing one thing at a time. Rather than leaving conferences overwhelmed with ideas, he encouraged attendees to commit to a single meaningful improvement immediately after returning home.
Brian Mayoral — Scaling Smarter: Unlocking 30% Hidden Profit in Your Firm Without More Hours
Brian Mayoral focused on helping accounting firms increase profitability by simplifying their sales processes and reducing operational friction.
Mayoral shared his early entrepreneurial struggles, including the chaos that came from saying yes to every client request. Over time, he realized that overly customized services, lengthy discovery processes, and complicated pricing models created unnecessary stress for both firms and clients.
A major theme of the presentation was that packages sell outcomes while à la carte pricing sells tasks. He encouraged firms to create standardized core offerings that simplify sales conversations and reduce decision fatigue for prospects.
Mayoral also emphasized the importance of uncovering client pain points before presenting solutions. Clients are often seeking relief from issues like cash flow problems, reactive support, poor communication, or outgrowing previous advisors. His core message was that clients buy emotional outcomes — confidence, clarity, and peace of mind — not just technical accounting services.
Eric Green — The $8,500 Case: Turning IRS Problems into Profitable Engagements
Eric Green presented IRS representation as one of the biggest emerging opportunities for accounting firms.
Green explained that much of IRS controversy work is process-driven rather than overly technical. With millions of nonfilers, growing taxpayer balances, staffing shortages at the IRS, and increased automation, he believes demand for representation services will continue to rise significantly.
Throughout the session, Green emphasized that practitioners often underestimate their ability to handle this type of work. He repeatedly noted that if someone can prepare a 1040 return, they can likely learn IRS representation processes as well.
He also stressed the emotional side of these engagements. Taxpayers dealing with IRS notices are often embarrassed, overwhelmed, and anxious, meaning practitioners must act as both advisors and problem-solvers. One of the key takeaways was that specialized expertise becomes especially valuable during periods of government confusion and instability.
Marit Burmood — Beyond the Numbers: Generational Strategy for Scalable Accounting Services
Marit Burmood explored how accounting firms can improve client relationships and scalability by adapting to generational differences.
Burmood explained that different generations prefer different communication styles, technologies, and service experiences. Boomers often value in-person meetings and email communication, while Millennials and Gen Z clients expect faster, more flexible, and mobile-friendly interactions.
She also noted that younger clients increasingly value transparency, education, and authenticity over traditional professionalism. Educational content, short-form videos, and approachable communication styles can often resonate more effectively than formal presentations.
Another major focus of the session was her three-tier service model, ranging from compliance work to full CFO-level advisory services. She encouraged firms to intentionally guide clients into more advanced service tiers as their businesses grow while also organizing workflows around client communication preferences to improve efficiency.
Luke Kiely — The Real Risk Equation: Protecting Your Firm in the Age of AI, Cyber Threats & Regulation
Luke Kiely closed the day with a presentation on cybersecurity risks facing modern accounting firms.
Kiely argued that many firms become paralyzed by cybersecurity because the problem feels too large or technical. In reality, most successful breaches stem from preventable weaknesses like weak passwords, phishing attacks, and failure to implement multi-factor authentication (MFA).
A major theme throughout the session was the distinction between having a written security plan and operating an actual security program. Many firms maintain compliance documents but lack the systems, leadership ownership, and employee training necessary to truly protect client data.
Kiely also warned attendees about rushing AI adoption without understanding the associated risks. His presentation emphasized that cybersecurity is no longer optional or separate from business operations — it is now a core leadership responsibility. His closing message encouraged firms to stop delaying action and begin building practical security systems before a breach forces the issue.
Final Thoughts
Day one of GrowCon 2026 balanced the “why” we go into business with highly actionable business strategy. Across all five presentations, a common theme emerged: sustainable growth requires intentional design.
Whether discussing personal definitions of success, simplified sales systems, IRS representation opportunities, generational communication, or cybersecurity readiness, each speaker emphasized proactive decision-making rather than reactive survival.
For accounting professionals navigating rapid industry change, the opening day served as both a challenge and an invitation — to build firms that are not only profitable, but also resilient, scalable, and aligned with the lives their owners actually want to live.
To get the full effect of hearing these presentations, you have to attend in person. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to rub shoulders with these leading minds at GrowCon 2027 in Scottsdale.
Curious about how to implement some of these strategies in your own firm? Give Universal Accounting Center a call at 435-344-2060.
