Kaizen CPAs + Advisors

10/23/2026

Hat. Haircut. Tattoo.

It’s a surprisingly useful way to think about decisions, and it’s a framework Eric Joern, Partner at Kaizen, shared with our team during our Leadership Advantage offsite.

A hat decision is easily reversible. Make it. Try it. If it doesn’t work, take the hat off.

A haircut decision has consequences, but they’re temporary. Give it some thought, make the call, and know you can recover if you’re wrong.

A tattoo decision is difficult or expensive to reverse. Those deserve more time, more information and the right people involved.

The problem is when we start treating hats like tattoos. Another meeting. Another email. Another person weighing in. Meanwhile, the decision sits.

That doesn’t mean making decisions carelessly. As Eric put it, “You’re allowed to be wrong, but you’re not allowed to be reckless.”

There’s a difference between making a reasonable decision that doesn’t work out and making a careless one. We want our team to have room to make thoughtful decisions, learn when something doesn’t work, and adjust.

10/21/2026

You can give someone the right answer and still leave them with the wrong experience.

Clay and Amy Hamlin, Kaizen Managing Partner and COO, respectively, explored that idea during our Leadership Advantage offsite through the lens of warmth and competence.

Competence answers, “Can I rely on you?”
Warmth answers, “Can I trust you?”

In professional services, it’s easy to put most of the emphasis on competence. Know the answer. Get the work right. Be technically good at what you do.

Obviously, that matters. But you can be incredibly good at your job and still make someone feel uncomfortable asking a question. You can solve the problem and still leave someone feeling like you didn’t really hear them.

The best conversations usually need both: expertise and empathy.

Getting the answer right matters. How you make someone feel in the process matters, too.

10/13/2026

Sometimes the first question isn’t the real question.

Tanner McCaw, Client Advisory Manager at Kaizen, led a conversation at our Leadership Advantage about something that sounds simple but can be surprisingly hard to do: listen before you solve.

A client asks why they owe so much in taxes. We can explain the calculation. But maybe the real concern is that they don’t have the cash. Maybe they weren’t expecting it. Maybe they’re wondering whether something went wrong.

It’s easy to hear a question and immediately start preparing the answer. Sometimes the better move is to stay curious a little longer.

Ask another question. Listen for what’s behind the question. Make sure you understand the problem before trying to solve it.

Because a technically correct answer to the wrong question still isn’t very helpful.

Nice job, Tanner, reminding us that being a good advisor starts with being a good listener.

10/07/2026

Working harder isn’t always the answer.

There’s always another deadline, another meeting, another email, another problem that needs attention. Which makes it surprisingly easy to get too busy doing the work to stop and think about how we’re doing it.

Last week, our Kaizen team stepped away from the day-to-day for Leadership Advantage, our quarterly offsite focused on becoming better leaders, communicators and teammates.

Josh Parnell of Limitless Leadership shared the old story of the woodcutter whose productivity kept dropping even though he was working just as hard. When his boss finally asked when he'd last sharpened his axe, his answer was pretty relatable: he'd been too busy chopping trees.

That one stuck with us.

Sometimes getting better means stepping away long enough to look at what's working, what isn't and what we could do differently.

That's what the day was really about. We sharpened the axe.

Now comes the part that matters: putting it to work.

10/06/2026

Saurav Jain heads back to India today after a visit to the US. Saurav is a Client Advisory Manager on Kaizen's India team, and this trip gave the US team a chance to spend some time with him in person.

The Antioch office team gathered on the front steps for a photo with him, and he joined everyone at the fall outing at Richardson "World's Largest" Corn Maze with Eric Joern and David Jenkins III. Clay and Amy Hamlin took him up to the Skydeck at Willis Tower (still Sears Tower to plenty of Chicagoans), where he sat out on the glass floor 103 stories up. They wrapped up his trip with his first round of golf.

Safe travels home, Saurav. It was great having you here!

10/06/2026

Saurav Jain, Client Advisory Manager on Kaizen's team in India, has been visiting the US, and one of the things he got to do while here was meet John Wang, owner of TWD Group, in person. Saurav works with John from the other side of the world, so until Saturday every one of their conversations had happened over video.

Saurav, Clay Hamlin, and Amy Hamlin had dinner with John and his wife, Hanju, at Aroma Indian Restaurant in Vernon Hills. Work mostly stayed off the table, and the night turned into a chance to just get to know each other better.

Saurav said he really enjoyed the evening and the time with John and Hanju. Thanks to both of them for a great night out.

10/01/2026

What is your auto repair shop actually worth?

Revenue is part of the picture, but it’s not the whole picture.

How dependent is the business on you? How strong are your systems? How stable is your team? How clean are your books?

These are some of the things that can affect the value of a repair shop.

Our free Shop Valuation Tool gives you an estimate of what your shop may be worth and helps identify areas that could be affecting its value.

Get your estimate:
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Find out what your auto repair shop is worth today. Punch in your numbers, answer seven questions, and get a directional estimate with a ranked action plan...

09/25/2026

Saurav Jain, one of our Client Advisory Managers and team lead in India, is visiting the U.S. this week. While he's here, he's been getting out to meet some of our clients in person.

Earlier this week, he and Managing Partner Clay Hamlin stopped by Goldman Products to see owners Mr. Rim and his daughter, Elizabeth. They got a tour of the plant, checked out the new building, and had some good conversations about the business.

Thank you, Mr. Rim and Elizabeth, for welcoming Saurav and Clay and making time for the visit!

09/24/2026

General accounting practices know basic profit and loss, but specialized firms understand the exact operational metrics that drive your specific industry. In auto repair, for instance, a niche CPA firm looks beyond basic tax prep to evaluate parts markup, labor dollar rates, and shop software metrics. Working with an industry-focused advisory team ensures your financial reviews uncover hidden revenue and streamline daily shop performance. https://hubs.li/Q04sRGHb0