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Four Reasons That Managers Struggle with Relationships

The seven levels of communication management we engage in.

By Martin Bissett
Passport to Partnership

Ultimately, when we have to interact with clients, subordinates, superiors or peers, the questions are always the same: Who do I need to deliver this information to and what approach would they respond most favorably to?

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In arriving at “Communication” we come to the most intangible of all the components to obtain a “passport to partnership.”
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Doug Slaybaugh: How to Define “Values in Motion” | The Disruptors

Are your firm’s stated values consistent with its behavior?

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The Disruptors
With Liz Farr

For CPA Trendlines

How does your firm define culture? Is your culture consistent with the values posted on the breakroom wall? Doug Slaybaugh, founder of CPA Coach, defines culture as “values in motion.” According to this definition, a firm’s stated values must be evident in the ways a firm actually behaves.

MORE DISRUPTORS: Candy Bellau: The $350 Pricing Mistake that Nearly Broke this Boutique Firm | The Disruptors | Poe: What P.E. Really Wants from Firms | The Disruptors  | Blake Oliver: Build a Biz that Runs Without You | Daiber: Use Succession as a Growth Strategy | Cannon: Busy Season is Self-Inflicted | Carroll: When One Person Can Break the FirmRampe: Build a Roadmap Even When the Road’s Not There | Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time |

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A firm with the value of philanthropy, for example, should give team members the ability to volunteer or sponsor nonprofit events. “There should be evidence,” Slaybaugh explains. “Otherwise, there’s no evidence of that value. It’s really not your culture.”

Slaybaugh’s previous firm had the often-clichéd value of “people first,” but actually executed on that. Team members were offered the option to buy an additional month of PTO, prorated from their salaries, resulting in an 11-month year with nearly two months of vacation.

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Seven Things Your Compensation Model Must Accomplish

Take a hard look at your partners.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

Let’s take a deep dive into both a firm’s partner mix and its compensation model.

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In a “Good to Great” research study on high-performing organizations performed by Jim Collins, it was concluded that the method of compensation, as a causal factor for high and sustained performance, is largely irrelevant. The study concluded that whatever system is in use, it simply must be rational and equitably managed and that high sustained performance is largely the result of doing many things well.
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One Hundred Clients, One Advisor

arrow breaks glass ceiling

Break the capacity ceiling in advisory.

By Eric Eager
10X Advisory

There’s a silent ceiling in most CPA firms that stalls advisory growth – and it’s not demand. It’s capacity.

Most firms max out around six to 10 advisory clients per advisor. That’s it. After that, quality starts to suffer. Conversations get delayed. Prep work takes over. And advisory becomes just another thing on the to-do list.

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But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

What if your advisors could serve 10X more clients – without burning out or cutting corners?
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