Most business owners don’t wake up one morning and decide they need a new accountant. It’s slower than that. A return comes back later than it should. A question sits in someone’s inbox for a week. The audit team is a new set of faces again. Nothing is broken enough to force a change, so the change keeps getting pushed to next year.
We get it. Switching firms feels like a project, and nobody has time for another project. But in our conversations with business owners who’ve made the move, we hear the same thing over and over: they wish they had done it sooner.
Here’s what we typically see when a company starts looking, and how to tell whether you’re there.
The Five Reasons Companies Come to Us
1. You’ve outgrown your firm
This is the big one. The firm that was perfect when you had one location and were just starting to grow may not be built for where you are now. Maybe you’ve added entities, crossed into new states, picked up a bank covenant that requires audited statements, or started fielding calls from buyers and investors. Growth asks more of your accountants: more expertise, more capacity, more attention. If you’re the one teaching your CPA about your business, that’s a sign.
2. You can’t get anyone on the phone
Responsiveness is where relationships fall apart. A few days to return a call turns into a few weeks. Questions get answered by whoever is available instead of whoever knows your file. When decisions on your end are waiting on answers from theirs, the cost is real even if it never shows up on an invoice.
3. You only hear from them at deadlines
Compliance work matters, but it isn’t advice. If the only time your firm reaches out is to request documents, you’re missing the planning that happens between deadlines: entity structure, timing of big purchases, succession, cash flow. The best surprise at tax time is no surprise at all.
4. They don’t really know your industry
A contractor, a distributor, a property owner and a medical practice each run on different rules, different risks and different benchmarks. A firm that works with businesses like yours every day spots issues earlier and asks better questions. A generalist often learns your industry on your dime.
5. Your audit, tax and planning don’t talk to each other
Many owners end up with one firm for the audit, another for tax, and a separate advisor for personal wealth. Each does its piece, and no one sees the whole picture. When those services sit under one roof, decisions on the business side and the personal side line up instead of working against each other.
Why the End of the Year Matters
Timing is the part most people get wrong. If you have a calendar year end, your next audit is being planned right now. If your current firm isn't meeting your expectations for audit and assurance services, this is a good time to evaluate your options. Once fieldwork starts in the new year, changing firms midstream is a headache nobody wants.
The same goes for tax. The planning moves that save real money have to happen before December 31, not in March when the return is being prepared. A new firm that starts now can look at your year with fresh eyes while there’s still time to act on what it finds.
So, if you’ve been meaning to take a hard look, the next few weeks are the window. Wait until spring and you’re likely locked in for another full year.
Switching Is Less Painful Than You Think
The dread is usually bigger than the work. Here’s what a transition typically involves:
- A conversation about your business, your goals and what isn’t working today
- Your permission for the new firm to contact the old one, which is standard practice for audits and keeps the handoff professional
- Copies of prior returns, financial statements and supporting schedules, most of which you already have
- A short onboarding period where the new team learns your operations
A good firm carries most of that load. Your job is mostly to make the call and sign the engagement letter.
Four Questions to Ask Any Firm You’re Considering
If you do start talking to new firms, these questions separate the ones that fit from the ones that just pitch well:
- Who will actually work on my account, and how often will I talk to a partner?
- How many businesses like mine do you serve, and what do you see in my industry that others miss?
- How do your audit, tax and advisory teams coordinate on a client like me?
- What does the first year look like, from transition through the first deadline?
The answers should be specific. If they aren’t, keep looking.
If This Sounds Familiar
Davie Kaplan has worked with businesses across Rochester and the Finger Lakes since 1934. Our clients get direct access to partners, a team that knows their industry, and audit, tax and wealth planning that work together. We built the firm around the things we hear owners say are missing elsewhere.
If you recognized your situation in any of the five reasons above, let’s talk. We’ll have a straightforward conversation about where you are and whether a change makes sense.
Schedule a conversation with our team.