Some people collect software logos like merit badges.
They slap on partnerships, spin up hashtags, and call themselves “advisors” to tools they barely log into.
I can’t do it. I’ve never been able to. It’s not about ego. It’s about loyalty. I’ve always been wired that way. I’m the person who will wear the same jersey all season long—even after my team is out of the playoffs. (RIP 2025 VGK season. Still ride or die.)
You will never catch me repping an opposing team. Not for fun, not for fashion, not “just because they’re still in it.” If they’re not my team, they’re not my team.
That mindset shows up everywhere in my life—in business, in relationships, in my teams, in how I show up for my clients and partners. Loyalty is one of my deepest core values—one of the traits that has both carried and cost me.
The Problem with Paid Software Endorsements
When I first dipped my toes into the influencer world of accounting—speaking on webinars, keynoting conferences, getting sponsorship deals—it felt a little… off. Not the stage part (I love that), but the behind-the-scenes part. The part where someone hands you a check to say something nice about their tool.
And if you don’t know any better, you do. I did.
But then I’d use the tool. Actually use it. I’d get in the weeds, test it with clients, and onboard a few accounts.
And some of them were trash. Full-on dumpster fire experiences.
That’s when the pit hit my stomach. I’d already told people it was good. Already put my name and reputation behind it. Already helped them get customers. And now I was trying to quietly back away like it never happened—trying not to think about the folks who trusted me and now hated the product.
I’m not built for that. I can’t sell my integrity for a software affiliate link. I’ll lose sleep. I’ll start spiraling. I’ll beat myself up.
Why Integrity Still Matters in the Accounting Industry
So I stopped saying yes. I stopped doing anything I couldn’t stand behind with my whole chest.
That decision cost me money. It cost me exposure. It definitely cost me a few sponsors. But it gave me peace.
I know there’s a fine line between loyalty and stubbornness. I’m not saying you should stick with a bad system just because you’ve used it for five years. Or that you should stay loyal to a vendor who no-shows your meetings, jacks up your pricing, and treats your clients like crap.
That’s not loyalty—that’s self-sabotage.
Real loyalty isn’t blind. It’s earned. And it’s reciprocal.
What Real Loyalty Looks Like
I’m fiercely loyal to the companies that show up, stay consistent, innovate with their users in mind, and treat their partners like partners.
That doesn’t mean they’re perfect. But they own their mistakes. They fix things fast. They listen. And they let me tell them the truth when something sucks.
In return, I show up. I go to bat for them. I refer them constantly. I fight trolls on the internet who trash-talk them but don’t even use their platform correctly.
And yeah—I get a little salty when I see people who’ve never used the tool in their life land a paid sponsorship and suddenly become the #1 fan.
Not because I’m jealous. Because it cheapens the whole damn thing.
We Are Not NASCAR Drivers
We are not NASCAR drivers. You don’t need to slap a different sponsor on your chest every time the check clears. You don’t need to fake loyalty. You don’t need to endorse tools you wouldn’t trust with your own clients.
And if you’re in this space, especially if you’re advising other accountants, you need to be real.
Because people are listening to you. People are taking your word for it. They are changing how they operate based on your endorsement. That comes with responsibility.
If you wouldn’t use it in your own firm, don’t recommend it to someone else.
That’s not gatekeeping. That’s ethics.
Why Trust Is the True Currency
I know the game. I know how marketing works. I know how influencer deals are structured. I know some people think, “It’s just a brand collab—it’s not that deep.”
But to me, it is that deep. Because every time someone says yes to a sponsor they don’t believe in, it chips away at trust in our space. And trust is everything.
I’ve built my businesses—all three of them—on trust. On reputation. On showing up and saying what I mean, whether it’s convenient or not.
That’s why people come to me. That’s why they stay.
That’s why I can sleep at night knowing I don’t have to backpedal or rebrand every six months when a partnership falls apart.
I’d rather make less money and be proud of how I got there.
Final Word: Choose Loyalty, Not Hype
If loyalty has burned me sometimes, so be it. I’ll still choose it. Every time.
Because when I look at the people I admire—mentors, entrepreneurs, leaders in our space—they’ve all got one thing in common: their word means something.
They don’t just chase shiny things. They build things. Deep things. Real things.
So no, I’ll never be a NASCAR. I’ll never wear the jersey of a team I don’t believe in on or off the field.
But I will show up. I will speak up. And I will stand up for the tools, people, and partners who’ve earned my loyalty.
That’s who I am.
And if that resonates with you, welcome to the team. Loyalty may not be flashy, but it’s undefeated in the long game.
