Why I Partnered with COUNT (and Not Just QuickBooks)
I’ve lived in the QuickBooks ecosystem since 2012 and have been a QuickBooks ProAdvisor for years. I’ve trained on it, stared at it for an ungodly amount of hours, and built Upkeeping’s early workflows around it. But over time, I’ve learned that loyalty to a platform shouldn’t come at the cost of our clients’ needs or our own.
That’s why I’ve joined the advisory board at COUNT, an AI-powered accounting platform that’s rethinking how accounting software should not only serve business owners, but especially their accountants. This wasn’t a decision I made lightly. It came after years of watching Intuit shift its priorities and after seeing firsthand what happens when a corporation pretends to listen to the professionals who rely on it. I said what I said.
The Breaking Point with Intuit
Intuit has been nudging accountants toward QuickBooks Online for years, often at the expense of those who prefered or relied on Desktop. It was fine for early adopters like me who embraced the opportunity to go cloud. However, the forced push, with tripled+ subscription costs, always felt a bit gross. This push has left many accountants, especially those with decades of experience, frustrated and feeling unheard.
If you’re in the accounting industry, you undoubtly know the phrase “break up with your tax pro”. Even as a seasoned bookkeeper - someone who gets my clients “tax-ready” and set to hand their books off to their amazing tax pros - I was disapointed to hear this new Intuit slogan during a commercial on prime-time football in fall of 2024.
But the truth is, Intuit continues to tell us professionals with focus on small businesses that we can take our services elsewhere. Registration for last year’s Intuit Connect conference was met with a “you can’t sit with us” vibe as the initial registration period was invite-only for firms servicing mid-tier businesses. That’s not us at Upkeeping. And that’s not a lot of other firms either. By the way, this year’s registration has also prioritized those same firms along with certain accountant leaders. As a 2025 Top 100 QuickBooks ProAdvisor (out of 600,000 ProAdvisors!) - I have yet to receive an invitation.
It’s not that I’m against QuickBooks. It’s more that they don’t seem to be for me (and many other accountants).
Why COUNT Is Different
COUNT is a platform built with accountants in mind. They actively seek feedback and implement changes that reflect our needs. But really fast. This collaborative approach ensures that the software evolves in a way that genuinely supports our work, rather than dictating how we should adapt to it.
Moreover, COUNT’s AI capabilities streamline many of the tasks that traditionally consume our time. From automated transaction categorization to real-time financial insights, COUNT enhances our efficiency without compromising accuracy. This is the future of accounting.
Most excitingly, COUNT is a practice manager and GL all-in-one helping to answer the question we all have “do we really need to have so many suscriptions in our tech stack?” For our firm, it will help to replace a lot of our overhead and have a centralized area to perform our services well.
What This Means for Upkeeping Clients
Partnering with COUNT allows us to offer our clients a more responsive and efficient accounting experience. We’re not abandoning QuickBooks entirely as many clients still find value in it. Instead, we’re expanding our toolkit to include platforms that prioritize innovation and collaboration.
By integrating COUNT into our services, we can provide more timely insights, reduce manual errors, and adapt more swiftly to our clients’ evolving needs.
Looking Ahead
This partnership with COUNT represents a commitment to continuous optimization and to the future of accounting. We’re embracing tools that align with our values of understandability and relevance and enhance the services we provide. It’s about choosing platforms that respect our expertise and contribute to our clients’ success.
If you’re interested in learning more about how COUNT can benefit your business, feel free to reach out. We’re excited about the possibilities this partnership brings and look forward to sharing them with you.
