Accounting Insiders

Remote-First Accounting with Sam Hallburn: Job Costing, Culture, and Zoho Balance

Episode Summary

Guest: Samantha Hallburn Host: Gary DeHart Gary DeHart sits down with Samantha Hallburn, founder of PBS Accounting and Tax Solutions, to talk about building a remote-first firm that actually works. Sam shares how she moved from banking into bookkeeping, why job costing and project management are her sweet spots, and how live training shaped her skills. We get into the Zoho Balance retreat, Zoho One as a platform, and what’s changing for pros who have relied on Intuit for years. They also break down practical culture moves for distributed teams: cameras-on meetings, explicit expectations, capacity tracking, and perks that matter. Tools in the stack include QuickBooks Online, Keeper, Slack, and Levi for capacity and profitability tracking. Sam explains her Financial Literacy Workshop for small business owners, her pipeline strategy through speaking, and a new education-focused venture, Trail to Summit. She’s training for Everest Base Camp, too, and translating that grit into how she leads. What you’ll learn: ✅ How to standardize remote team rituals without killing autonomy ✅ Capacity and profitability tracking that guides staffing and pricing ✅ When to partner for tax instead of doing it in-house ✅ Why Zoho’s platform is worth a fresh look for ops beyond accounting ✅ A simple playbook for turning speaking into a lead engine

Episode Notes

🌐 Learn more about Sam and her firm: pbsaccountingandtax.com 

🔗 Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: Samantha Hallburn