President I Owner
Specialized Accounting
Tyler Otto is the president and owner of Specialized Accounting, a thriving seven-figure remote firm dedicated to the hospitality industry. Before joining forces with his wife Karen at her fledgling practice, he honed his finance chops with leadership roles at Vail Resorts and Imprint Hospitality. Known for his energy and approachability, Tyler believes wholeheartedly in collaboration with fellow professionals and finds joy in welcoming new accountants to the field.
Tyler is passionate about sharing his expertise and has presented at conferences such as Intuit Connect, Accounting Today’s Firm Growth Forum, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), BKX (Bookkeepers.com), Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP) Unlocked, The Successful Bookkeeper Summit, Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE), Universal Accounting GrowCon, and The Glamping Show, and in webinars with Relay, ThinkReservations, Earmark, and Kaplan. He has also appeared as a featured guest on Relay’s On the Money Mondays video series, as well as podcasts including Universal Accounting’s Building the Premier Accounting Firm, The Successful Bookkeeper, and The Ambitious Bookkeeper.
Drawing on his deep industry knowledge and a commitment to innovation, Tyler recently launched Firm Foundation, a step-by-step course turning firm-building from daunting into doable. Whether on the stage or trading insights with his good friend Jeremy Van Groll on their accounting gameshow podcast, UnAccountable!, Tyler brings both expertise and a dash of fun to any discussion.
With the accounting profession facing a critical talent shortage, firms must adopt innovative approaches to attract, hire, and retain top talent. This session will explore actionable strategies for expanding the talent pipeline, including leveraging internships, tapping into candidates with nontraditional backgrounds, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. Attendees will leave this session equipped with best practices to address current hiring challenges, attract a new generation of accountants, and build a workforce ready to meet the demands of the future.
Every firm owner knows the challenge: you want higher-value clients, but identifying a niche—and actually becoming known for it—is easier said than done. This session offers a practical, repeatable framework to identify profitable niches, validate their real-world potential, and position your firm as a true authority without sounding like every other “specialist” on LinkedIn. This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building a focused strategy that scales.