Listen to this articleThe basics:
- ‘America’s Accountant’ Geltrude explains how dog behavior informs leadership, credibility
- Book chapters connect communication and mastery to business success
- Readers respond to the book’s accessible, unconventional framework
- Geltrude outlines firm expansion, AI adoption and broader services plans
This story continues NJBIZ’s two-part conversation with Dan Geltrude, founder of Nutley-based advisory firm Geltrude & Co. and a longtime leader in New Jersey’s accounting community.
In part one, Geltrude discussed the inspiration behind his new business book, “Dogs Taught Me Everything I Know About Business,” explaining how lessons drawn from his relationship with his pets became an unconventional framework for leadership, career growth and company culture. He also outlined the book’s foundation — the 10 “Geltrude Principles” — and how those values shape both his firm’s operations and his broader philosophy on work.
In this second installment, Geltrude delves deeper into the contrasting dynamics of his two dogs — the late Apollo and his current canine, Annie — and how those relationships informed specific lessons throughout the book. He breaks down chapters such as “All Bark, No Bite” and “Become the Top Dog,” drawing direct parallels between canine behavior and effective communication, credibility and professional mastery.
The conversation also explores the response the book has received, what Geltrude hopes readers ultimately take away, and what’s next for both the author and his firm — including expansion plans, a broader financial services strategy and an increased embrace of technology and artificial intelligence as the profession continues to evolve.
A ‘huge’ learning opportunity
Geltrude broke down the contrast between his two dogs, the late Apollo (a Jack Russell terrier) and Annie (a golden retriever).
“We went from an alpha – and my view was my relationship with Apollo, in terms of me being an alpha, him being an alpha, and all the clashes between us. We battled; we loved each other – but we battled,” Geltrude told NJBIZ. “And it was a huge learning opportunity there.”
Following Apollo’s passing, Geltrude said that when he made the decision to get a new dog he went in a different direction.
“Because I’ve already gone through the process of having an alpha male. I want to go to a supportive female. Male energy versus female energy,” he explained. “Instead of having a partner that is designed to push me and challenge me, I want to have my next relationship with a dog that is going to be just 100% supportive – just go along with whatever I want to do and support me. And what is there to be learned from that type of relationship? So, that’s why I went in a different direction.”
Instead of having a partner that is designed to push me and challenge me, I want to have my next relationship with a dog that is going to be just 100% supportive.
He noted the name Annie is an homage to his paternal grandmother.
“I actually wanted to honor her and that relationship. So, now, every time I’m calling her – it’s a parallel to my relationship with my grandmother, which was a very maternal and supportive relationship.”
‘All Bark, No Bite’
“One of the chapters that stood out was ‘All Bark, No Bite’. What can you speak to that chapter – what the lesson was there?” NJBIZ asked.
“When you hear a dog that’s just barking and barking and barking – it kind of loses its meaning,” said Geltrude. “For example, Apollo was always barking – and you’re like, he’s barking again. And you become immune to it. Annie is a dog that rarely barks.
“If she barks, it has meaning – that gets my attention immediately – what’s going on here? So, I said, let me draw a parallel here. If you are going to bark, it’s got to have some meaning. If you’re going to bark at the mailman, and that’s all you’re going to do, then the mailman doesn’t think there’s any danger. Then, it’s all bark, no bite – meaning it’s just noise. You don’t mean what you say.
“So, that was where I was kind of drawing there – there’s a lot of noise out there, and who really backs up what they say?”
Top dog
The conversation continued through some of the key lessons that Geltrude presents in the book, including Chapter 12 – “Become the Top Dog.”
“Can you speak to how important that lesson is?” NJBIZ asked.
“Here’s how I view things – and I really believe this, by the way. I don’t do anything for money. I do it to be the best at what I do. And the money will come secondary,” said Geltrude. “For example, if you decide you’re going to be the best writer. I decide I’m going to be the best accountant – or the most well-known accountant. You’re going to be the best engineer. You’re going to the best doctor, whatever.
Shopping list
“Where can people pick up the book?”
“The book is available virtually anywhere online. It’s actually international. But the easiest way to get it is either through Amazon or Barnes & Noble,” according to Geltrude.
He noted the book comes in four formats: hardcover; softcover; Kindle and audio, which he narrated.
“I read it myself – and my logic for doing that was, I don’t want someone else to tell this story. Because the inflection of my voice, the things I want to emphasize – I want it to be very personal.”
“If you really focus in on your craft – being the top dog – because of cause and effect, the success will come. The money, the lifestyle, all those things that you want. They will come simply because you’re the best at what you do.
“I’ll tie it into the [Geltrude] principles. You can’t be the best at what you do if you don’t love what you’re doing. And nobody does these things alone – there’s always a team effort.”
Geltrude then explained the qualities he has loved about his two dogs – and the animals writ large.
“I really think it comes down to this, and why you’ll have people say, I like my dog better than people, is because the one thing more than anything related to dogs is really their unconditional love and loyalty,” Geltrude explained. “They never disappoint. They really don’t. When you train them, they never disappoint.
“They are always there.”
Unique perspective
“What’s the feedback been like for the book?” NJBIZ asked.
“The feedback has been incredible – from the standpoint of saying, what a unique idea; this is a great way to convey your message,” said Geltrude. “There’s nothing out there that ever was written from this angle, at least with business – to say, write a book through the eyes or the view or the lens of a dog. But yet, it’s so basic in saying – if you want to communicate something, and you’re using a dog.
“People love dogs so much, it’s an automatic attention grabber. Even if they don’t understand business. They understand the dog. And then they could literally draw the parallel of their relationship with their dog or their dog’s behavior to business. So, to me, it was just like people who read this book – that jumps out to them. Like what a unique way to look at this. I think it’s uniqueness and reliability.”
The “Uptown Girl” Christie Brinkley and America’s Accountant chatting and exchanging signed books. #americasaccountant pic.twitter.com/zqrp6R7Bxu
— AmericasAccountant® (@DanGeltrude) May 1, 2025
“What do you hope a reader of this book takes away from it?” NJBIZ asked.
“It would be – by using the dog – is to basically get rid of all the fears related to your career and being a business owner,” Geltrude explained. “It’s really to break down those barriers of, ‘I don’t understand; I don’t have the confidence to do this; I don’t know how to do this.’
“Well, it can be as easy as just looking at your relationship with your dog and taking that parallel. It’s certainly about learning. I want people to learn from this book. But I want this book to take away people’s fears and insecurity about their career and about business.”
The next chapter
The conversation closed with Geltrude talking about what is coming up next for his firm.
He note his embrace of AI as an important tool to evolve the accounting profession and his business; as well as a planned expansion.
“We’re really excited about embracing the changes coming to the profession through technology. And we view that as really the platform and the basis for our ability to be able to grow,” Geltrude explained. “And we are looking to grow not just in the space of accounting. We’re moving into a significantly larger location.
“We’ve been in our current location for almost 30 years, and now we’re kind of blowing it out and really moving into some significant space. So, we’re making an investment in our growth there,” he continued. “We are going to expand our service lines. Where we’ve basically been a traditional accounting firm, we’re really moving into a more complete financial services platform – meaning we are going to start going into investment management, providing insurance services, those types of things.
“Start to move to a one-stop-shop financial service firm – not just accounting and taxes. So, that’s what I’m really excited about. And I’m excited about the fact that our firm has a lot of young people, including my two sons, who are both CPAs. For me, it’s dual gratification.
“It’s about our firm growing – and it’s about being able to work with my children.”
