There may be errors in spelling, grammar, and accuracy in this machine-generated transcript.
Questian Telka: Welcome to She Counts the Real Talk podcast for Women in Accounting. We're your hosts.Questian Telka.
Nancy McClelland: And Nancy McClelland.
Questian Telka: And every episode, we're digging into the real experiences, challenges, and unspoken truths of life in this profession.
Nancy McClelland: Because if you've ever felt like you're the only one, you're not, [00:00:30] and you shouldn't have to figure it out alone.
Questian Telka: A very special thanks to our season three sponsors, Bill, Relay and Carbon. We're so grateful to have them helping us bring these conversations to life, enabling us to share out loud what everyone's thinking and no one is saying. You can learn more about them on our sponsors page at She counts.co.
Nancy McClelland: And if you want to support the podcast, the one thing that makes the biggest impact is to leave a review [00:01:00] on your favorite podcast platform. It turns out reviews really do help others to find us.
Questian Telka: Yeah. So please, please leave us a review. And we actually like to go in and look at them and read them and it, and it makes us.
Nancy McClelland: It makes us happy.
Questian Telka: Um, also remember that you can go to earmark.app to earn your CPE credit for listening and please follow. She counts podcasts on LinkedIn to join in on the conversations that Nancy and I are having [00:01:30] and our guests.
Nancy McClelland: Today's episode is called Conference Season. She counts style and in this episode, we discuss why conferences matter, how to choose the right ones, and how the right rooms can grow your career, your business, and your sense of belonging in this profession.
Questian Telka: And as everyone knows, probably at this point or for new listeners, I guess we like to launch all [00:02:00] of our episodes with a story, because Nancy and I just have an abundance of stories. And Nancy, tell me, do you have a favorite conference moment that you want to share with our audience?
Nancy McClelland: I have like 14,000, and it was hard to narrow them down. And so I actually had to ask my husband because he, because of my health issues, he usually travels to conferences with me. And so I'll get back to the room and I'll be like, diddly, diddly, diddly dee about all these different [00:02:30] things that I'm excited about. And so I asked him, I'm like, what? What? Like when I'm excited, like, what are some of the stories? What are some of the things I'm most excited about? And he said, you know, at first he was kind of general about it because he was like, you just love walking the hallways. And he reminded me of the. So I write an article for MSN every year. That's tips and tricks like behind the scenes tips and tricks for scaling new heights. And then I do another one for Intuit Connect and they're really great. Like know before [00:03:00] you go kinds of, you know, some of its practical stuff and some of it's, they're amazing. Like, don't.
Questian Telka: Be, don't be humble. Like they have, they're filled with all of the information and all the details that it has taken you as a, as an attendee and speaker at conferences, years to compile. And it's like, I don't know, they're so valuable.
Nancy McClelland: Thank you. That is super. That is that is really, really, really nice to hear. I talk about a labor of love because, you know, when I, [00:03:30] when I get something published on my MSN column, in order for me to earn any money from it, like thousands and thousands of people have to have to have read it. Right. But with my, my tips and tricks on conferences for scaling new heights and for Intuit Connect. And this year I think I'm going to write one for engage also, AICPA biggest conference. Yeah. Um, but you know, like how many people attend each of these conferences and are going to read my article, right? Like I think I earned like $0.12 [00:04:00] for each article, but it is worth it. It is worth it because we're grateful. Yeah, it just makes me feel like I'm, I'm giving back, like all of these things that I've learned through the years that, you know, some of them are tips I've gotten from other people as well. Um, and I always ask, uh, members of the bookkeeping buds to like add their $0.02 in it as well. And so. Well, thank you, I appreciate that. Um, so anyway, in that, I always started with this story about [00:04:30] one of my favorite books from when I was a kid called hail, hail Camp Timberwood. And in that story, this girl goes to camp summer camp for her first time.
Nancy McClelland: And she is so like fish out of water doesn't know anybody. And like all of the people who are coming back to summer camp after not having seen their summer camp friends for a year are like running around and they're hugging each other. And she's like, oh my God, I don't know anybody here. I don't belong here. This is so awkward. And all of a sudden another [00:05:00] girl runs up and hugs her and she's about to tell the girl, like, um, I think you have me mistaken for somebody else. Like we don't, we don't know each other. And the girl leans in and goes, look, I know we don't know each other. It's okay. I just was feeling so left out. I figured I would just pretend and the two of them hit it off, and they decided to run around and start hugging random people who also looked like they didn't belong. And the next thing you know, like the whole place is going crazy. [00:05:30] Everybody's running around hugging everybody else. And we don't know who had been there the year before and who, you know, it was just it was such a great scene. And conferences kind of remind me of that, where I can't promise necessarily somebody's going to run up and hug you and pretend like they, you know, you're a long lost friend, but it's a little bit like that.
Nancy McClelland: And there was one time in in particular where I was. I had gone into the Expo hall and I had a goal of. I was just trying to [00:06:00] get to one of the booths in particular that I needed to go over to, and I kept seeing people and getting away and like hugging and talking, and then I would make it a few more steps and I would see somebody and we're hugging and talking. And it was so great. And Tony Proctor, who is one of my favorite people in accounting, he is such an incredible human being. Um, and sneak peek, he's actually going to be one of the panelists in my vulnerability as a strength panel at scaling new heights this year. Very exciting. So [00:06:30] he and I, he was walking with me and he saw what was happening. And he was like, you know, the expo hall's only open for like this much longer. And if you don't get to the booth, then you need to get to like, this isn't going to happen. And he assigned himself to be my handler. And people would come up and they would hug and he'd be like, okay, that's nice, that's nice. Move it along, move it along. And he just, like, kept me moving all the way across the hall.
Questian Telka: He's got that, like, deep, like, authoritative voice. Yeah. So [00:07:00] it's just like, like, keep it moving. Come on.
Nancy McClelland: Keep it.
Questian Telka: Moving. He's hilarious. Yeah, yeah.
Nancy McClelland: And so that the, the combination of that like story from hail, hail, Camp Timberwood and that experience with Tony in the Expo Hall and me just wanting to stop and talk to everybody and all of these, you know, all of these people that I love so deeply because we've gotten to know each other through the years. And some of them are people I'm meeting for the first time in person, but we've become friends, you know, on LinkedIn and or on Facebook. And [00:07:30] so yeah, that's, that's, that's a pretty memorable experience. And I feel like sort of emblematic of what conferences can become. Um, if you, even if you've just got one conference that you go back to year after year, you know, seeing those people and reconnecting.
Questian Telka: I love that.
Nancy McClelland: What about you?
Questian Telka: Well, I'll tell you. I'm gonna like, it's gonna come full circle because I'm gonna. It's it's my favorite moment was at wave. But before I share that moment, I have to like, [00:08:00] I have to share something with you that I'd forgotten about. I was texting with Aaron Cohen, who is the organizer and you know, who's.
Nancy McClelland: Um, and just so we're clear for listeners who don't know what we're talking about. Yeah. Wave Seattle.
Questian Telka: Right. Wave Seattle is a women conference, women's conference. And, um, one day women's conference. And, um, it's the brainchild of Aaron Cohen. So she and I were talking about, um, actually, we were talking about the fact that she [00:08:30] counts as recording a live podcast at the conference. And I was just, I was.
Nancy McClelland: Just.
Questian Telka: Like, I know I did just announce it. That's right. Yeah. That's.
Nancy McClelland: That was like a kind of DL sort of announcement.
Questian Telka: I feel down low, like slipped it in there. She's right.
Nancy McClelland: She's recording live at the West Seattle.
Questian Telka: Seattle.
Nancy McClelland: Conference for Women in Accounting and Finance. And Erin is going to moderate it. And Erin moderated our, uh, lives session, our live recording [00:09:00] at Bridging the Gap last year.
Questian Telka: And she is.
Nancy McClelland: Amazing. Yeah, she is so great. So yay! Ta da! We did. We're doing.
Questian Telka: Something. We did it. Yeah. So I was, I was having a conversation with her because you were talking about, you know, Mark travels with you to most places. And so I was having a conversation with her. I was like, oh, I, you know, it's a women's conference. I want to bring my partner with me. Like, what do I, how do I, you know, how do I do this or whatever? How do we set up conference ticket, you know, like logistics? And she said to me, this, this was so cute. And she said [00:09:30] to me, oh, don't worry about it. Like, I, uh, I know, like, that's fine. I also am doing, you know, the same thing for Markle sparkle.
Nancy McClelland: And I was like, oh my, for our listeners who do not know.
Questian Telka: Nancy's husband name is name is Mark. And, uh, yeah, so he is dubbed Markle Sparkle.
Nancy McClelland: Sparkle. Sparkle is his nickname and actually goes a step further because Aaron is one of the founding members of my ask a CPA community. And [00:10:00] so everybody in the community calls Mark that because his test user profile in the circle community is actually named Markle Sparkle. And so everybody in the community calls him Markle Sparkle. And then when they all got to meet him, we have meetups at all of the conferences. And so we had him meet up. I think our first meetup was at scaling new heights. No, our first meetup was at Intuit Connect two seasons ago, and then we had one at scale new heights, and we had one at bridging [00:10:30] the gap. And when they first got to meet him at the scaling new heights, one, everybody was hugging him and they were like, I mean, it's a.
Questian Telka: It's an entirely appropriate, uh, name for him. So I, but I hadn't heard it.
Nancy McClelland: So introverted and I.
Questian Telka: Hadn't heard it and it was like I saw that and it was I was like, this is this is Larry. At first I was like.
Nancy McClelland: I love it.
Questian Telka: Who is she talking about? Because she didn't say it in relation to you. And it took me a second and then I was like, of course. Yeah. So anyway, so I [00:11:00] just had to tell you that that was.
Nancy McClelland: So much.
Questian Telka: That was a funny moment, but that was a good one. So my favorite conference moment was actually when I was at wave, and that was the first this was the first year of Wave Seattle last year. And when I was there, there was a woman named, uh, Jen Posner and she was sharing. Yeah. She's amazing. Um, I had, I had not met her before, which will be obvious based on the story I'm about to tell. But she was [00:11:30] talking to me like I met her and she was talking to me about how she had driven up there. And it was a long drive. And like, on her way, she was listening to a podcast by two women in accounting and I was like, oh, is it called She Counts? And she was like, yeah, that's it. And I was like, that's my and Nancy's podcast. And so it was like, that was like.
Nancy McClelland: You know what that reminds me of is that great scene from when Harry met Sally, when Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby [00:12:00] meet, but they're on double dates with Harry and Sally, right? Like they're not supposed to be set up with each other, but they completely connect. And Carrie Fisher, she says, um, she makes some she makes some quote and she's like, oh, I read that in a magazine. And he goes, I wrote that. You just quoted me back to me. Yeah.
Questian Telka: That's right.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah.
Questian Telka: That's great. I love that movie. It's such a good well, that is my favorite.
Nancy McClelland: Full circle moment because here she mentions that to you last year at wave. And then this year we're actually [00:12:30] recording the podcast there. Oh my God, I love that. That's a great story.
Questian Telka: And we had it was still fairly early on too. So yeah, yeah, you know, it was like, wow, this is, it was very it was early on. You mean like, oh my gosh. Our podcast in the life of our podcast. Yeah.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah, yeah.
Questian Telka: Yeah. And I was like, okay, this is actually people are listening. This is, uh, we're making a difference, which is why we're doing it. And yeah, it was really exciting. So that was my favorite.
Nancy McClelland: Obviously, our audience has it can [00:13:00] tell by this point in the episode already that we love conferences.
Questian Telka: That's right.
Nancy McClelland: But I could imagine somebody being like, well, of course you love conferences. You're both speakers or of course you love conferences. Nancy, you're really extroverted, although question is not. So that's not that that argument. I'm gonna have to take that argument away from people or, well, you know, of course you guys love conferences. You've been in the, you know, been in the industry for a long time. And I'm new. Like, there [00:13:30] are lots of reasons somebody might presume that we love conferences, but not everybody out there like we're exceptions. And I that is not that is not the case. And we're here to tell you that. But, um, it.
Questian Telka: But it's also really important, but it's also really important, like to, to enjoy a conference and get your full, like worth out of it. Like you have to do it the right way, you know? Yeah. So it's like, that's some of what we're gonna talk about too.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah. There are better, [00:14:00] there are better and, and less better. That's not a word. Um, that ways to, to do it. So okay, so the question that comes up over and over, are they really worth it? Right? Like people see conferences as, as just a way to get CPE and now you can get CPE online. So why would you go to an in-person conference or, you know, they're optional or they're expensive? Of course they are expensive. So I, I get the argument there. Um, and I'm [00:14:30] going to argue back that it, they're worth it. Pick one, plan out the budget, save up for it. And I want to give a shout out here to one of our very favorite organizations, the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation. At accounting cornerstone.org. And they are an organization that, um.
Questian Telka: They're a nonprofit.
Nancy McClelland: They're a nonprofit. Yes. Thank you. Our nonprofit expert over here making sure to point [00:15:00] that out, which I appreciate. They and we're donors. Uh, the podcast is a donor. I'm a donor questions a donor. The theater of public speaking sisters are donors. We like, put all of our money like we, this is our favorite industry, um, charity for sure, hands down, because what they do is they make sure that people who have never been to a conference before, they apply to go to [00:15:30] each of the conferences that are on the list for that year, and they make sure that they get to have the ultimate experience at this conference. Completely free. They pay for airfare. They pay for the conference and the conference. What do you call it? Um. Ticket. The ticket. Admission.
Questian Telka: Admission. Yeah.
Nancy McClelland: And the hotel. And it's, like completely covered. And so the mission is to bring to everyone [00:16:00] else out there the experience that we all know that our first conferences that we ever went to were transformational, which is why we kept going back over and over and over again. And this was an idea that Kate Johnson came up with at the first appy camp. And, um, a lot of people have worked very hard to bring it to life. And Dawn Brolin, who is a dear friend and was a guest of ours, um, is the president of that organization. And, um, really, really puts a lot of work into making [00:16:30] that happen. So if you are in a situation where you are ready, you're excited and you want to go to a conference, but you can't afford it. Please, please, please go to accounting cornerstone.org and apply for one of the conferences. We've had five members of ask a CPA get scholarships so far, five members, and we're hoping to repeat that this year.
Questian Telka: So yeah, I mean, I think to your story that you were sharing earlier, um, [00:17:00] one of the other one of the other amazing things about conferences is and I don't you, and I don't think we've even talked about, about this before, but for me, I, you know, I'm, I'm introverted. I can sit in my house and work for days and days and days and not interact with another human being in person. And so, and you're.
Nancy McClelland: Perfectly happy with.
Questian Telka: That. And I'm usually, yeah, I mean, that's I like to work that way. Yes. That is like how I focus best. But, [00:17:30] um, going to conferences gives me that feeling of having being able to have conversations with people who understand what you're saying. So it's not like you're talking to your spouse or significant other, your family member who is like, you know, it just completely goes over their head. But it also, if you're, if you're an introvert like me, it gives you the opportunity to like, actually spend time and be around other people in your industry. Share.
Nancy McClelland: Share, hear what [00:18:00] you've shared on other episodes about how you used to be so shy that you actually, at one conference, set a goal for yourself to speak to one other person, right?
Questian Telka: When was it wasn't it wasn't just one other person. It was like my goal was just to be able to like, walk up to someone and like, start a conversation and introduce myself without like having a panic attack in the process. I mean, so.
Nancy McClelland: Obviously [00:18:30] I've come a long way since then, but like.
Questian Telka: Yeah, that was, um.
Nancy McClelland: Significant.
Questian Telka: Intuit connect was that three? I don't oh my gosh.
Nancy McClelland: 2023 you're thinking or.
Questian Telka: 20 further than that. I think it was 2022 probably. So like four years ago. Yeah, yeah. And so like, that was the catalyst.
Nancy McClelland: That was the first one after the pandemic. I, I remember that was the first conference I went to after the pandemic ended. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Questian Telka: And that was kind of the catalyst for [00:19:00] like more like, like speaking and presenting and teaching and building, like all these relationships. So, um.
Nancy McClelland: Although, you know, one of the good pieces of advice is to do things the way that you did, um, and start way smaller. So for example, like we met in person the first time at.
Questian Telka: Yeah, at a.
Nancy McClelland: Bookkeeping buds retreat. Right, right. And that, that conference was only I [00:19:30] hesitate to even call it a conference. There's a reason she called it a retreat, right.
Questian Telka: Like it was. Yeah, of.
Nancy McClelland: Course, it was definitely a smaller and more intimate.
Questian Telka: Well, the benefit of that is that you, you then have relationships. If you start with a smaller one, you have relationships. And what happened was people who I had met and had and built relationships with at that smaller retreat were then going to the larger conference. So it felt less overwhelming because, you know, that was really overwhelming, overwhelming for me to go to something.
Nancy McClelland: And that's one of my big pieces of advice is [00:20:00] not only to, to start potentially with a smaller conference, but even if you do start with a bigger conference, um, connecting with your community ahead of time. So, you know, bookkeeping buds, was it for many of us? Um, I'm a member of realize and we always have a meet up at the big conferences, uh, ask a CPA, as I was mentioning earlier, always has a meetup. Um, the different groups will always have meetups or, you know, breakfasts or a happy hour or, um, I know that [00:20:30] the, the happy hour always has, like, you know, a meeting everybody will like, get together at the bar and, and you don't that's not even like a paid community. That's just like people who listen to that show.
Questian Telka: Listen to it. Yeah.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah, exactly. So that can really help a lot because then, you know, ahead of time that you're going to be seeing other people. As a matter of fact, one of my dearest friends, Katie Healy, she and I met because we were both in realize and she posted like, who all's going to digital CPA [00:21:00] and Jennifer Diamond saw her post that and she tagged me and she's like, hey, I think Nancy's going. And Katie and I met up there and I got to introduce her to, you know, Eric and Lisa Simpson and all of these like heads of AICPA. And we became really good friends. And she is the one who's like helping me get through my first season with Proconnect tax. Like she's. Oh, and she yeah, I mean, like that you'll meet people who you'll be friends with forever. Who will. [00:21:30]
Questian Telka: Be? Yeah, well, friends with who you will collaborate with, who you'll, you'll build partnerships with. I mean, that's what happened to me. It was like the second Intuit Connect I went to is where I met Greg Bosson. And he's a nonprofit expert. And I was just sitting in the front row. I had no idea who he was because, you know, as Nancy, you know, I know who no one is. Like, I live under a rock, I swear sometimes. And so it is really funny.
Nancy McClelland: I'm always amazed. I'll be like, oh my gosh, guess what? I got to meet so and so. And she's like, [00:22:00] who's that? I'm like, oh, question always.
Questian Telka: Yeah. And so I just walked up to him and I was like, hi, I work with nonprofits. I heard her pointing out that you work with nonprofits. And he was. And so then we like struck up this conversation and, and, um, like that, I had to really like pull myself out of my shell to be able to do that. And like, it took me a good five minutes to work up the nerve to even go have a conversation. And it had nothing to do with, with, you know, his the fact that he's grown this like nonprofit, you [00:22:30] know, incredible empire. It's like, I had no idea. I just couldn't get up the confidence or nerve to like, go up and do it. But once I did, um, then it became this, um, this great partnership. And, you know, we've become friends and we work together on mutual clients, we have shared clients. And so.
Nancy McClelland: And you've even presented with him and Meghan Parnell, right?
Questian Telka: Yeah, yeah, we, we did a, um, a nonprofit like, uh, I can't remember like a nonprofit [00:23:00] conference. Um, and I've taught with him a number of times. So yeah, it's, um, you never know what's going to happen unless you put yourself out there.
Nancy McClelland: So it's true. Yeah.
Questian Telka: But we also want to talk about today, you know, we're talking about why they matter right now in the first place, but how we're going to how people know, you know, which conferences are worth your time, right?
Nancy McClelland: Yes, definitely. Because you can't go to all of them. Although I think I'm, I'm trying this year, I think. I'm. I was counting last night and I [00:23:30] think I'm confirmed for eight conferences that I'm speaking at, and I think it might be closer to 12. Like, it's kind of crazy this year, but I just love them.
Questian Telka: Wow.
Nancy McClelland: So, so, so much. I know it's, it's a little over the top, but, um, you know, speaking in education, this is really what I want to be doing. So when I have the opportunities to connect with people on these topics that are so I feel so passionately about, I don't want to miss that opportunity.
Questian Telka: So speaking of education at conferences, yes, one of your favorite things [00:24:00] is going and attending the sessions. And I and I like to attend some sessions, but this is where we differ a little bit is like I, I feel like I love the, the hallways, right? Conference hallways, conference, like the meetups, the dinners, the things like that. Because for me.
Nancy McClelland: The cabanas, come on, let's be honest. You love going and hanging out at the cabanas with all the cool kids.
Questian Telka: Oh my gosh, you're so silly. I, uh, I'm never gonna pass [00:24:30] up an opportunity to hang out with my swimsuit. Like. Yeah, right. It's really difficult.
Nancy McClelland: Whereas I am, I mean, so a lot of people think that conferences are about CPE and I'm going to say, yes, CPE matters. But you came up with a really great way to describe this. That's the floor, not the ceiling. Right. Like that's just the.
Questian Telka: Base reason to be there.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah, exactly. Now, um, as a CPA, I have to get a certain [00:25:00] number of credits of CPE every year, but I blow that away. I mean, I get more than twice the amount of CPE that I'm required to get because of what question was saying. My I mean, I would say my favorite part about the conference is, is, is like you say in the hallways or, you know, the, the social events and the connecting. Um, but it's pretty closely tied with actually attending the sessions. I learned something every time. Even sometimes I'll [00:25:30] attend the same kind of session, like 3 or 4 times over a period of years until I'm really ready. I've internalized the concept and I'm really ready to implement. Kelly Gonsalves teases me because she she's one of my favorite presenters on the topic of, um, on the topic of technology in accounting and bookkeeping, she's so helpful and I've learned so much from her. And at some point she mentioned from the [00:26:00] stage, she's like, I think this is like Nancy's third or fourth time sitting in on a session like this. Like, Nancy, you could probably teach this session. It's like you're on your own. And I was like, no, I every time I come, I pick up.
Questian Telka: You hear something.
Nancy McClelland: Else?
Questian Telka: Yeah, yeah.
Nancy McClelland: Because I'm not, you can't implement all of the things that you learn at once. It is impossible. Right. And so each time I will attend a session like that, I will take one thing away that I'm like, I am going to actually implement this thing. And then the next time I'm [00:26:30] like, okay, cool. I've got that thing implemented. Like, what's my next? What's the next lowest lift thing that I can do that's going to have the biggest impact. And so I love, love, love going to the, the sessions, the breakouts, the workshops. However, when you talk about personality and different people liking different things, I'm not that into the keynotes.
Questian Telka: I, I'm not, I'm.
Nancy McClelland: You're not I know, I know you're not either.
Questian Telka: Either.
Nancy McClelland: I know, but that's because. [00:27:00]
Questian Telka: I prefer.
Nancy McClelland: Definitely the entire time.
Questian Telka: No, I, you know what I, I'm going to tell you what I don't like about the keynotes. I want to go to a keynote that has, like, Nicole Davis did a keynote at scaling new heights. And that was my favorite keynote. And the reason is because I wanted keynote to be given by someone who I can relate to, who is part of the profession. Like, I don't care about celebrities. Like at all. And so you have like a celebrity come in unless they're, unless they have something that is [00:27:30] really tied to like what we're doing business wise. I prefer to hear keynotes from people who like, I can directly relate to in some form or fashion professionally.
Nancy McClelland: Hether Satterlee um, who does the, the education at um scaling heights. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At Woodard. She, she does it at Woodard. And specifically for scaling their big conference scaling. Yeah. And she has gotten that feedback from a lot of people. And, and it was, [00:28:00] I think the impact of Nicole's keynote there. Like they took a chance on her. Right. And it resonated so well. And since then, she's brought on so many more people who are of our group. Brittany Brown spoke last year and just blew everybody away. Valerie Heckman's been on this stage there. Um. Jenna Etienne, who actually was one of our, uh, our guests.
Questian Telka: She spoke last year as well.
Nancy McClelland: She spoke. Oh, God. That was one of the best keynotes I have ever heard. She is [00:28:30] so good. So I, you know, I agree with you when it's when it's people, when it's people from our community who are sharing their experiences. I do feel like it's, it's a lot easier to connect. But the thing is, and, and here's where here's the whole point. It's different for everyone. Cindy Schrader, who is one of our dear, dear friends, she's the one who runs, um, bookkeeping buds. Cindy loves the [00:29:00] keynotes because she loves to feel inspired and moved. And, um, it helps her to remember to dream big. And, um, I, you know, so like, it's very, very important.
Questian Telka: Well, and I think this makes a really good, Like what you are saying highlights one of the things that's really important and that's choosing a conference that is right for you, that hits those notes, right? So making sure that if you [00:29:30] are someone who likes a keynote from an accountant or a bookkeeper or somebody that is in our profession, you would want to do some do the research and find something like scaling. Whereas, you know, there are other conferences who bring in celebrity speakers and bring in like Ryan Reynolds and, um, oh my gosh.
Nancy McClelland: I missed Ryan Reynolds when he spoke at Intuit Connect. So I've got these, I've got this. Um, as.
Questian Telka: I was at the cabana.
Nancy McClelland: Listeners. No. Yeah. You were at a cabana. I don't know if I was or [00:30:00] not. You absolutely were because we talked about this later and I was so frustrated because I had, um, was having neuropathic issues. And so I was like, you know what, I'm going to skip this keynote and I'm going to run up to my room and get my bathing suit on and run down stairs and sit in the hot tub for a little bit and try to see if I could work the, the, um, the like spasming nerve out. And that was the day that they closed [00:30:30] the pools early because it was, quote unquote the beginning of winter, like that day. It was sometime in October and they were like, oh, it's winter time now. And so they closed it.
Questian Telka: But it's still 90 degrees.
Nancy McClelland: C people out there and they're like, yeah, yeah, they're not in the pools though. They're just at the cabanas. And I was like, I missed Ryan Reynolds for nothing. But I'm really excited because it turns out they've announced that he's going to be a keynote speaker this [00:31:00] year. So I get to this time, I get to I am not unless Ryan Reynolds comes with me to the hot tub. I am not going to the hot tub and missing Ryan Reynolds. But, you know, I'm just saying, if you wanted to go to hot tub, that'd be cool. Putting it out there into the universe. Just putting it out there into the universe. So, yeah, um, you you gotta, you gotta decide what's best for you. The best conference is not universal. [00:31:30] So, you know, you gotta ask yourself, am I looking for technical learning? Am I looking for networking? Am I looking for inspiration? Am I looking for visibility? That was very important to me. I think it was five years ago.
Questian Telka: Um, yeah. Are you looking for, you know, are you looking for something where you may be able to connect with someone on a human level in a professional way? Like for example, um, your session that you're teaching where Tony is going to be on the panel, vulnerable vulnerability. [00:32:00] Why can't I say that word vulnerability as a strength? Sometimes I get tongue tied.
Nancy McClelland: Um, we all do.
Questian Telka: So, you know, it's important to pay attention to and really think about like, what are your goals? Like, what are you looking to take away from a conference.
Nancy McClelland: Oh, I have another one. Um, exposure to new tools. This was very, very important to me. Um, well, very lots of different times in my career, [00:32:30] but there was one time in particular where, um, so I have um, a senior accountant and I had a staff accountant who both also run their own firms and they give me like their extra capacity basically. They don't, it's very isolating running your own firm, as we've talked about a million times. And they want to have an opportunity to work with a team, but also keep running their own firms. And so we decided we were all going to pick the same PM software to just make it easier, you know, across all of [00:33:00] our companies. And so I paid for my senior accountant to come to, I don't remember whether it was Intuit Connect or scaling new heights that year. She's been to both, but I was just like, okay, your job is to work this expo hall and find like, pick the ones that you are most excited about. Yeah. And I'm going to have meetings with each of those folks. And we ended up deciding on double, which was called keeper back then. And it was huge for us. Like it's actually been transformational in our, [00:33:30] in our organization. So like learning about new tools. When you go to these conferences, not only can you go to the expo hall and talk to the actual vendors, some of the conferences also have like a Gail Perry style. Um, she's the editor in chief. Um, actually she just retired, I just saw.
Questian Telka: Wow, that's exciting.
Nancy McClelland: Me. It is very exciting. Um, but she was editor in chief of CPA practice advisor. Um, [00:34:00] so she retired from that role. I know her well enough to know that she's going to do. I mean, she's in the middle of writing like her 35th book and she's going to be I know it's crazy. I think this one's TurboTax for dummies or something like that. She's just amazing. Anyway, she came up with this idea of having a CPE credit, like tour of the Expo Hall where, um, and Hope Brown and I are actually doing that. We did it last year at, um, scaling new heights. We're doing it again this year for the tax software and like a [00:34:30] tour where each of them has to talk about pricing and what makes them different from the other packages out there and that kind of thing, or just talking to your colleagues who are using these tools, because that's where you're going to get that kind of talking to the vendors and talking to the people who've implemented them. You. That is, you can't do that to that extent at a virtual conference like that.
Questian Telka: No. Well, and one of the things you really can't do is, you know, try and find [00:35:00] people that are having the types of conversations that you want to be having. Like what, what is the attendee mix? Like? Who, who do you want to talk to? Who do you feel like you're going to relate to? I mean, are you are you focused on, you know, something like really deep into tax? Are you looking for something else technical? Are you? I mean, there's just a number of.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah. Like, are these.
Questian Telka: Things to think.
Nancy McClelland: About because I've.
Questian Telka: Been to find your.
Nancy McClelland: People where they are not my people. Yeah. Me too. Um, I, I guess I, [00:35:30] I'm not going to name which conferences necessarily, but, but I have been to ones where I felt like, um, well, actually I am going to name one because I talked about it very loudly on LinkedIn this year because as I mentioned, this is my first year in, I don't even know how long, well, over a decade going to AICPA biggest conference engage and I'm going to be speaking there. Um, and when I went the last time, again, like this could have been 20 years ago, it was it wasn't even called engage at [00:36:00] the time. I was just like, these people are sticks in the mud and they're not interested in technology and they're not interested in collaborating with bookkeepers, and they're competitive and they're, you know, I just like it wasn't my group of people. And I found out from a lot of colleagues over the past few years that it has changed so much.
Questian Telka: Oh yeah. Well, I never I didn't experience it in that form. And I've only been have I been twice or once? I can't even remember. But when I was there last time, I mean, it's all of it's, you know, [00:36:30] our, the it's I would say that's it's our people. It's our, it's our people. But when I went.
Nancy McClelland: When I went to AICPA digital CPA for the first time, I remember feeling like these are my people because these were. I love the accounting technology conferences.
Questian Telka: Yeah.
Nancy McClelland: But to be in a place where there were a lot of CPAs doing tax and. But doing it progressively and trying to figure out like sustainable ways to do it, kind of like bridging the gap. It was much more like that. And I felt like, these are my people and these are these are the [00:37:00] kind of conversations that I wanted to be having.
Questian Telka: So yeah, so I want to ask you, like, you know, I think we should share with everyone what some of our favorite events are and why.
Nancy McClelland: Absolutely. I think that's a great idea. I want to start with local pop ups, because it can be very expensive to go to conferences, especially to go to a lot of them, and you have to budget for it. And starting with, um, [00:37:30] conferences that will come to near where you are. So I mean, Aaron Cohen, you talked about wave earlier. She literally started that conference because she was like, I'm tired of.
Questian Telka: Traveling.
Nancy McClelland: Everywhere else. There's nothing.
Questian Telka: There's nothing.
Nancy McClelland: In the West.
Questian Telka: Exactly. So I'll build it, I'll build it. I'll build this. There's nothing for for all women in the Pacific Northwest like here. I'm going to create it. This is where I want to be. This is the room I want to be in. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna make the room.
Nancy McClelland: I mean, yeah, I'm.
Questian Telka: Gonna.
Nancy McClelland: Totally. And it's so impressive. And so that [00:38:00] is a really good one for people who are in the Pacific Northwest. It's one day. So it's not a lot of resources. Um, there's also Jason on firms. Jason stats travels, um, a couple times a year to different. He just like basically goes on tour and he creates a space and it's so funny because people show up because it's Jason speaking. Right. But he knows that what he's really doing, the real value, the real, the draw is him. But the value [00:38:30] is in meeting other local people who are doing something similar to what you're doing and that networking. And he's like, in the age of AI, that kind of thing is more and more important.
Questian Telka: It's also really important that we don't forget industry conferences that are not accounting, right? Because that's if you are looking to gain clients focusing on an industry industry conference rather than an accounting conference, that might be that might be more important.
Nancy McClelland: If you do construction accounting, go to the construction conferences. [00:39:00] If you do dental, you know, accounting for, for dental practitioners or doctors, like go to those. Yeah, that's a great point. Um, other ones that travel city to city are the bridging the gap road show and advisory amplified. And they haven't announced their, um, yet on firms I think has announced at least the second quarter meetings. And I know there's going to be one in Chicago, but Btgg road show and advisory amplified haven't haven't said their cities and dates yet. But that's a really good way to kind [00:39:30] of start less expensive local, that kind of thing.
Questian Telka: So, Nancy, tell me, what's your overall favorite? Give me a bridging the gap.
Nancy McClelland: Bridging the gap. It is my favorite. I'm on their advisory board for a reason. I am so passionate about what Randy Crabtree and Trimeric and the unique CPE podcast are doing. It's all about running a sustainable firm, right? So it's about this is a situation where even if you're not a person who generally [00:40:00] is interested in breakouts, that's okay. If you're like somebody who's got ADHD, like, like, uh, question who actually led a panel on ADHD in accounting? And I'm surprised not everybody in that room was wandering around in pacing and it's kind of hilarious. Um, but yeah, you can stand in the back of the room when I had my, my neuropathy that was making it so that I couldn't sit down without like having these spasms. I, I just stood in the back of the room. It's fine. Lots of people do [00:40:30] that. Some people sit on the floor like it's come as you are. Right? Yeah.
Questian Telka: And yeah, I used to try to sit in the front because I, I was want to support my friends. But then I realized if I sit in the front that I can't get up and I like to get up and so like, I get up and move around and I have to run to the restroom and, and God forbid it be longer than an hour session. I'm going to be like, there's no way I can't. I'll be shaking in my seat, distracting the speaker. So now I just, I know better now.
Nancy McClelland: You stand up in the back, which.
Questian Telka: Is great. I stand up in the back.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah. I feel like there should be a pacing section for for folks. [00:41:00] So anyway, bridging the gap, I agree. Yeah. Bridging the gap is my number one favorite. And actually I have an article coming out soon in MSN. Um, my guess is it'll be out next week on, um, and I'm actually doing an interview with Insightful Accountant. I do it every year on my top ten favorite conferences, although this year I think I have to do my top 12 favorite conferences because I can't, can I them all in?
Questian Telka: What helped you like what made you decide which of these events to include in the article? Like, how did you [00:41:30] narrow it down? Because you have a I saw your spreadsheet of conferences. The list is obscene, like there are so many. Oh gosh, it's so complicated.
Nancy McClelland: And actually credit where credit is due that I did not make that list. That was um, somebody from realize that was one of my colleagues, uh, who crowdsourced that from the rest of the group. That's amazing. That's Jason stats. Um, uh, paid community. Yeah. And so he was like, hey, here's, here's my Google sheet on all these conferences, you know, let me know which [00:42:00] ones I missed. And we were all like, oh, you didn't put this one on. You didn't put this one. You didn't. And it just grew and grew and grew and grew and grew. So it's insane. A lot of those are very much, much, much smaller conferences. For example, like the AICPA Global Women's Leadership Conference is only like 300 people. I think women who count is only oh no, global women's is 5 or 600 and women who count like 300. So, um, how do I pick them? You know, uh, I like [00:42:30] to go to different conferences for different things. So bridging the gap is amazing for learning how to run a sustainable firm. And that is something that I need a lot of help with. I go to scaling new heights because I love the technology emphasis. I mean, I just learned so much. All of the vendors are there. I love Intuit Connect because we want we run a QBO specific firm, right? And, and we're using Pro connect now. So I'm using their tools. [00:43:00] And so I want to learn about how best to use those specific tools and that ecosystem. So I, I'm picking for the list in terms of the best conferences. I'm picking my best conferences. I'm not picking the best conferences to go back to what we've been saying over and over again.
Questian Telka: Well, yeah.
Nancy McClelland: What about you? What are your my favorite?
Questian Telka: Um, my top two do I mean [00:43:30] top two or top three?
Nancy McClelland: You can give me as many as you want, girl. It's your podcast.
Questian Telka: Oh my gosh, you're right. Top three. I do what I want. But you know what?
Nancy McClelland: How about this? Break it down. You don't even have to give me top three. You can tell me this one's my favorite for this. And this one's my favorite for this. And this one's my favorite. Oh, okay. Give me so give me three like that.
Questian Telka: I, I love bridging the gap because it does exactly what it says. It bridges the gap between conferences that are like really, um, technology or, um, uh, technical [00:44:00] skill focused. Right. It bridges the gap between running a practice and having those pieces and also having like these really important soft skills and these conversations that we have on the podcast that also need to be happening at conferences like vulnerability as a strength, like talking about ADHD. So that's why I love which.
Nancy McClelland: You are actually reminding me. I forgot to tell you at our last advisory board meeting, Roman Billard said, um, he had posted something on LinkedIn recently talking about how [00:44:30] for him, most conferences like don't get it right. They don't like scratch the itch that, you know.
Questian Telka: He has.
Nancy McClelland: Things that are. Yeah. And, um, so Randy said, hey, uh, Roman, can you like summarize that for us in this meeting so that like, everybody here can, can be thinking about what kind of conference we do want to create. And he goes, well, I think that I was kind of describing bridging the gap as the conference that does do it. Right. And my favorite thing about it, and something that's different about it, are things like when [00:45:00] she Counts recorded the podcast live because he said that he said that.
Questian Telka: Oh, Roman.
Nancy McClelland: She said because it involved the audience, the audience got to ask the questions. And these were questions that all of us had. Right? But we didn't know we had them until we didn't know we had them until we heard somebody else ask them. And so that was I forgot to tell you about that, I love that.
Questian Telka: Oh no, I love that makes me so happy. So my other two, I love [00:45:30] um, wave because it's female focused and obviously I mean hello. Right. Um, and.
Nancy McClelland: She just.
Questian Telka: Did such a great job of curating sessions and content that were focused on, on accounting and women in business, but like on women, like really focused on like on, on women and the way that they think. And, and so that that was another one. And then let me think about I'm like, what's [00:46:00] my third eye? I'm trying to remember I had it in my head, but then I was starting to think about technology. And so I, I guess what I would say is if I'm looking for tech, I would pick a bigger conference. And I won't say that I have one specifically in mind because some of the technology, just having the, the access to vendors to a lot of vendors and at one time, um, would be something.
Nancy McClelland: Really good for that because they have a massive expo hall. Right? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, [00:46:30] that's a really good point. Although one of the things that digital CPA does really well is they invite very few vendors and they're very choosy about it. And you have to apply. And the vendors are in this space where we have all of our, um, like happy hours and breakfasts and things like that. So you have like a much, you get to go a little bit deeper with the very few vendors that are there, which is different than having like a billion vendors on one big expo hall floor. So that can actually be done really differently and really well at different types of conferences. [00:47:00] Yeah. I think the key is to, you know, don't the value, the value is not only in the sessions, the value is not only in the CPE. There's.
Questian Telka: That's right. And that's going to the hallways. There's the that brings a point. Like, what do we get wrong about them? Right. And one of the things is assuming that the value is in the sessions or, you know, not leaving, packing your schedule too tightly and not leaving time to like meet up with somebody that knew that you meet or, um, yeah, you know? Yeah. [00:47:30]
Nancy McClelland: Girl, that is something I talk about in my MSN article is giving yourself permission because I am a maximizer. You know me. Like I, I try to go to all of the sessions. I spend like 2.5 hours beforehand deciding which sessions I want to do, and I export them to my. Most of the conference apps will allow you to export to your Google calendar or whatever. Um, And so I'll put. If I'm interested in more than one, I'll put them in the same slot so that if I go to one and it turns out not to be that great or it not for me, I [00:48:00] leave and I go to another one and I already know ahead of time which one I want that to be. Right back pack. I go to all the social events. I am exhausted when this is done. And for somebody who does not have my unusual level of energy, don't overpack your schedule. Don't be me. Don't don't like do so much, but I do in my. In my article, I mention that you need to give yourself permission. If you were like up late the night before, it's okay [00:48:30] to sleep in and miss the first couple of sessions. It's okay if you need to go back to your room and take a nap before you go out that evening.
Questian Telka: Don't feel guilty because you know everyone you do you. I used to do that. I get guilty because it's like, okay, I haven't, I'm not going session from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it's like, oh, you know, one of the things that was actually really hard for me was when I started speaking at conferences. I had to give myself a pass on not being at the conference. I spent a [00:49:00] lot of time not at the conference, because I would get so worked up and it was like I would be so nervous, which annoys me to no end.
Nancy McClelland: Oh my gosh, I have gotten so frustrated with questions so many times. I'll WhatsApp her and I'll be like, you did not show up to my session, girl, you have to show. She's like, I was so nervous. I was preparing for my session, I couldn't go, you know how wound up I get? And I'm like, not an excuse. You. You gotta show up.
Questian Telka: Well, actually, this year, this year I decided to, uh, submit to speak [00:49:30] less this year. I mean, I'm also I have a lot of other things going on so that you can come.
Nancy McClelland: To my sessions.
Questian Telka: So that I can attend sessions. So I can actually be present at conferences because I feel not just yours, but like I feel like I can't be present when I'm speaking, especially if I'm speaking on the last day or close to the last day. Then I just feel like I spend the entire time in my room preparing. I over prepare. Um, so.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah, I get that. That's actually a really good point. That's a really good point. Um, another one that you, that you [00:50:00] alluded to earlier is, um, meeting new people and yes, it is great ahead of time. Find your people, make plans to hang out with them, but don't stay glued to the.
Questian Telka: One.
Nancy McClelland: Person you know and never branch out. No, you are not, you're, you're, you're I feel like you're getting better about. Okay, well, there's one person in particular you stay glued to, but, um, that's different. Um, no, I, I think, you know, one of my, one of my dearest [00:50:30] friends, Melissa Miller Ferguson and I have talked about this a lot because man, I could, I could easily spend four days straight with her and never talk to another human being. And I'd be fine with that because I adore the heck out of her. But you, you know, that is I can see her back home in Chicago, right? Yes. And another thing that she and I will do is, um, in some situations, uh, her husband will travel with her. And so, like for wave, that [00:51:00] happens to be the weekend of my birthday. And so her, she's going to wave also. And her husband Houston is coming and Markle sparkle is coming.
Questian Telka: We're going.
Nancy McClelland: To have a.
Questian Telka: Partner party.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah. And the day after wave, I'm having a big birthday party at my favorite bar from when we used to live there. And everybody's invited. So yeah.
Questian Telka: And I don't know if I'm still going to be there, but I would love to.
Nancy McClelland: I hope. Oh, come on. The day after. Well, anyway, not the point. Um, the so Houston [00:51:30] and Melissa and Mark and I are all coming, uh, a day before and we're staying a day after so that we can spend time together outside of the conference so that I don't have to feel like I need to be glued.
Questian Telka: You need to be glued. Yeah.
Nancy McClelland: Right. I think that's really important? It's really important.
Questian Telka: I think one of the if I had to give everyone a major takeaway or something that I think is an actionable, actionable piece of advice is going into a conference with goals just like you would anything [00:52:00] else come up with 1 to 3 goals, whatever it is, meeting people, learning, you know, being able to have a conversation, um, make yourself more visible. So come up with a set of goals. And, and Nancy, can you talk a little bit about why conferences specifically matter to women in accounting?
Nancy McClelland: Yeah, yeah. As we're wrapping up here, I want to say that everything that we've been talking about, whether it's the goal setting that question, is talking about, you know, for example, I actually make a list in the back. I take a physical notebook with [00:52:30] me and I make a list in the back of client issues that I might be having. Right? And, you know, stuff that I want to resolve, like with vendors on the floor or, or a piece of technology that I want or, um, like a particular tax approach that I want to learn about because I've got specific client problems that I want to address. Um, so I wanted to add that to the goals, the goals piece of it. Um, as far as women are concerned, everything that we just said in this entire episode is like two, three, ten, 20 times [00:53:00] more important for women than men. Because sometimes attending, like we were saying, it's not just professional development, it's personal validation, it's networking. It's um, question, do you remember when we did the session on, um, how to make business happen when life happens? And we talked about of course. Yeah. So like when you invest in those personal relationships and then like.
Questian Telka: Life, life's all over you.
Nancy McClelland: Yeah. You have people you can reach out to and say, [00:53:30] hey, life is like me. Life is lifing. Right? And so I think that that's a really and that kind, those kinds of personal relationships. I mean, it's so, so, so important for everyone, but especially women. Um, and then there's the confidence stuff, right? Where you were talking about confidence gets built in real time. We get visible, we take up space. We imagine bigger possibilities for ourselves when we.
Questian Telka: See other women. Yes.
Nancy McClelland: Exactly. [00:54:00] Exactly. So yeah, opportunities in so many different ways that I just want to say, yes, these matter to anyone going to any conference. I think it's, it's so much more important for women, um, for, for all of those reasons. Yeah. That was so much fun. I'm so glad we did this topic. I want to talk to you all day about conferences. Actually, sometimes we do often conference. [00:54:30] Um, as we wrap up, we'd like to ask listeners to follow our She Counts podcast LinkedIn page and to join in on the conversation by sharing under the episode conference season. She counts style. Tell us what your favorite conferences are because we want to visit them. Sometimes we.
Questian Telka: That's right.
Nancy McClelland: Meet and greets. Tell them. Tell the audience about the last couple of meet and greets we did and how much.
Questian Telka: Fun those.
Nancy McClelland: Were.
Questian Telka: We had a meet and greet at [00:55:00] Intuit Connect. We had a meet and greet at scaling new heights. Um. So one was a cabana because you know, we love cabanas, or at least I do. Um, and another one was in the, um, the expo hall. So yeah, you can often find us, uh, at conferences, but tell us what your favorites are because I want to go to them and yeah, me too. And before we sign off, we want to leave you with a closing thought. Sometimes [00:55:30] the most valuable part of a conference is not what you learn, but who you become after being in that room.
Nancy McClelland: Oh, I love that. That's so good. I'm gonna have to reflect on that one because I think there's so much truth in it. Thank you all so much for being here with us on She Counts the Real Talk podcast for women in Accounting.
Questian Telka: If something in today's episode hit home for you, well, that's exactly why we're doing this.
Nancy McClelland: So you feel seen, [00:56:00] heard and never alone, especially at conferences.
Questian Telka: And remember that you can get CPE credit for listening@earmark.app. Links to that, as well as how to learn more about our sponsor solutions and other resources will be in the show notes.
Nancy McClelland: And please subscribe and leave us a review because as I mentioned earlier, it helps other people find the podcast, share it with another woman in accounting who needs to hear it too.
Questian Telka: And we'll see everyone in two weeks.