Deborah Kilsheimer has been in the accounting profession long enough to have seen multiple versions of it.
Paper ledgers. Early software. Cloud. And now, AI.
But when she talks about where the profession is going, she doesn’t start with technology. She starts with something much simpler.
Accounting, in her view, was never meant to be about the work itself. It was meant to help people make decisions.
That distinction, while subtle, has implications for nearly every part of how firms operate today.
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When the process becomes the focus
For many firms, the structure of the work hasn’t changed as much as the tools used to complete it. Transactions are still categorized. Accounts are reconciled. Reports are delivered on a regular cadence.
All of that remains necessary. But over time, the process itself has become the focal point.
Deb points out that this often leads to a disconnect between what firms deliver and what clients actually need. Most business owners are not looking for completed tasks. They are trying to understand what their business enables them to do.
Whether that means expanding, stepping back, or creating more stability in their personal lives, those questions tend to sit outside the traditional scope of accounting work.
“We don’t ask what they actually want,” she explains. “We just look at the numbers.”
The result is a model that is technically sound, but often limited in its usefulness.
Technology is accelerating an existing shift
The introduction of AI has added urgency to a conversation that was already underway. Much of the current narrative focuses on automation and efficiency. While those elements are real, her perspective is more direct. If the primary value of a service is transaction processing, it becomes difficult to justify as those tasks become automated.
“If all you’re doing is categorizing, then they shouldn’t be paying you,” she says.
Rather than replacing accountants, AI clarifies where their value lies. It removes a layer of manual work and places greater emphasis on interpretation, context, and communication.
This shift does not introduce new responsibilities as much as it highlights ones that have been underdeveloped.
Moving closer to the client’s reality
One of the more practical changes Deb describes is also one of the simplest.
Ask better questions.
Not technical questions about volume or structure, but questions that speak to intent.
What is the client trying to build?
What does success look like for them?
What decisions are they struggling to make?
These questions are not new, but they are often overlooked. Without them, even well-prepared financials can remain disconnected from the decisions they are meant to inform.
With them, the role of the accountant begins to shift. The work becomes less about producing information and more about making it useful.
A note on positioning and pricing
This shift also surfaces in how firms think about pricing.
During the conversation, Deb uses a straightforward comparison. McDonald’s and Morton’s both serve food, but they are built for entirely different experiences.
The analogy reflects a broader point about positioning. Firms that attempt to serve a wide range of clients, while maintaining a single approach to pricing and service, often encounter friction. Expectations vary. Scope expands. Value becomes harder to define.
Clarity, while more difficult to establish, tends to reduce that tension.
Deciding who a firm is designed to serve and how it delivers value is not just a branding exercise. It shapes how work is structured, how services are priced, and how relationships with clients evolve over time.
The role of experience and perspective
Beyond process and technology, Deb's perspective is shaped by experience. She describes stepping away from the profession for a period of time, only to return with a clearer sense of how she wanted to operate. That included decisions around pricing, structure, and the types of clients she chose to work with.
Over time, she built a model that reflected those preferences rather than industry expectations. That point becomes more explicit toward the end of the conversation.
“I’m big for me. I’m big for my clients,” she says.
It is a reminder that growth, as it is often defined within the profession, is not the only viable path.
A different definition of progress
There is also a personal dimension to the conversation. She speaks candidly about stepping into public speaking later in her career, despite initial hesitation. The decision was not driven by a specific outcome, but by a desire to try something that felt uncomfortable.
“The win is in the doing,” she says.
That mindset carries through to how she approaches changes in her firm. Trying new tools. Adjusting processes. Experimenting with different ways of working.
Not all of those changes result in immediate improvements. But they contribute to a broader pattern of adaptation.
In a profession that is evolving quickly, that willingness to adjust may be one of the more durable advantages.
Listen to the full episode
The full conversation with Deborah Kilsheimer covers AI, pricing, confidence, and how the role of the accountant is continuing to evolve.
If your firm is looking to spend less time on manual processes and more time advising clients, Anchor is designed to support that transition. Book a demo here.
