When most founders or business owners get started, working with a small local CPA makes sense.
They’re affordable. They probably came recommended by a friend or your banker. You share a community, and the comfort of knowing you can stop by their office if something goes wrong.
But as you grow, that once-cozy relationship can quietly turn into a liability.
As you grow, you need more specialized expertise, a team that can scale services with your business, and while small CPAs can do a lot of things well, they often struggle with scale and technology in ways that put you – the client – at risk.
In this article, we’ll break down the drawbacks of local CPAs.
They’re Busy, Not Bad – But That’s Still a Problem
Small firms can struggle with capacity. And when they go dark, it’s not out of neglect; they’re just overloaded.
As John Rickard, indinero Director of Business Development, often says:
“There comes a point where a small firm just can’t keep up. It’s not about effort, it’s about capacity. Once they hit their ceiling, especially during tax season, you’ll feel it through delayed communications and later through missed opportunities.”
You might have experienced this already:
- You send an email asking about a tax filing deadline, and get met with silence.
- A week later, you follow up. Still nothing.
- Then, three weeks later, you get a short reply (they’re missing something) and you have to scramble to make your deadline.
They aren’t doing this intentionally. They just don’t have the bandwidth to keep up.
That silence can come at a cost. Without timely advice, missed filings, poorly timed payments, or delayed responses to a tax notice can spiral into major financial problems.
But at indinero, we solve this by building responsiveness into our DNA. Every client gets a single point of contact, backed by an entire team. Response times are a key internal metric, and even if your point of contact is at a wedding or on vacation, someone on the bench is ready to step up.
They May Not Have the Expertise You Need
Small firms tend to be generalists. They can handle tax season pretty well, and help with a bit of bookkeeping, and are probably familiar with the ins and outs of local businesses – think restaurants, retail shops, or local service providers.
And that’s fine… until your business no longer fits that mold.
- If you’re scaling a SaaS company, you need someone who knows your revenue model.
- If you expand into multiple states, your local CPA may not know how to navigate multi-state payroll, sales tax nexus, or franchising rules.
- If you discover you qualify for the R&D tax credit, something that could save you $250,000 a year, you need a specialist who can identify and document qualified expenses (not a generalist learning on the job).
- If you’re considering an exit, you may need CFO-level guidance a local CPA just isn’t prepared to provide.
As John puts it: “Most small firms are generalists by necessity. They’re good at what they do, but if your business has specialized needs, you need a deep bench. Not a one-person shop.”
That’s the advantage of a national firm like indinero. We’ve got CPAs, controllers, tax pros, bookkeepers, payroll managers, and CFOs who’ve worked across dozens of industries. And chances are? Someone on our team has already solved the exact problem you’re facing.
Local Doesn’t Always Mean Accessible
A lot of people stick with their CPAs because they like the idea of being able to meet face-to-face. But let’s be honest, when’s the last time you stepped into their office?
Most work can, and does, happen remotely these days.
And even with a local firm, you’re likely already uploading PDFs, sharing QuickBooks access, or sending emails. Nobody is driving across town with a shoebox full of receipts anymore.
So the question isn’t really about location, but rather, communication.
In that regard, working with a remote-first firm like indinero can actually be an advantage.
We use the latest cloud-based technologies, meaning you have (secure) access to your data at a moment’s notice. Plus, we hold a standing monthly meeting with all clients. It’s our chance to walk through reports, in plain English, and your opportunity to ask any questions that may be on your mind.
When you think about it that way, proximity matters less than reliability and availability. That’s why we guarantee 24-hour response times for all client communication (though you’ll often hear from us much sooner).
They Can’t Always Grow With You
Accounting needs change and grow as your business evolves.
In the beginning, you may have needed some help running a few invoices a month, and some light tax prep at the end of the year. But once you’re hiring employees, expanding to new states, taking on investors, and launching multiple product lines, financial complexity multiplies.
And that’s when small firms can hit a ceiling.
Maybe they don’t offer payroll services. Or maybe they can handle the accounting, but don’t have a CFO who can guide you through strategic planning.
So to fill the gap, you bring new service providers into the fold. And suddenly? You’re playing middleman between 3 unrelated parties, who all need the same information, spending more time project managing something than you ever bargained for.
The Solution
An all-in-one financial services provider, designed to grow with you.
From accounting to tax, payroll, bookkeeping, and fractional CFO advisory services, we’ve got you covered with specialists ready to handle the unique demands of your business.
We can scale up (or down) to match your growth stage, give you access to the right expertise at the right time, all without having to start over with a new firm every few years.
When the time is right, reach out for a free consultation.
We’ll handle the numbers. You focus on growth.
