Growth is the dream for many accounting firm owners — but it's also the point where culture, service quality and identity are most at risk. As client demands increase, the pressure to hire quickly or expand hastily can cause even the strongest firms to lose the qualities that first made them successful.
I learned this firsthand. When I started my own firm, it was just me — every engagement, every email, every advisory conversation. As client demand grew, I knew I needed help, but I also knew I didn't want to scale the way so many firms do: by hiring rapidly, only to lay people off a few years later when workloads shift. I wanted sustainable growth, strategic hiring and a culture that would strengthen — not weaken — as we expanded.
Instead of immediately bringing on full-time staff, I began with contracted support in targeted areas.This gave me visibility into where the true operational gaps were, what work had the highest value, and what roles I needed "now" versus "later." Testing roles in this way allowed me to scale intelligently. By the time I started making permanent hires, I knew exactly which responsibilities moved the needle and which ones were better automated, outsourced or postponed. It allowed me to build a team around impact, not urgency, and that approach ultimately preserved our culture and client experience during a period of rapid growth.
Many small firms can scale this way … intentionally, sustainably and without compromising what makes them special.
1. Be real with yourself: Take a moment and do a pulse check. Where do you think your highest-value impact is? What tasks do you dread doing each day? If you could remove three tasks from your day-to-day work life, which ones would make the most notable difference? These are all questions I recommend you consider as you look into scaling. Without understanding where your gaps are, it's hard to hire the right person for the right role.
2. Build systems that protect (not replace) your culture: In a small firm, culture develops organically, but scaling requires systems that reinforce it consistently. Document the elements of your client experience, communication style, review processes and service expectations. Systems should create guardrails that protect your identity as your team grows.
3. Hire for alignment, not just technical skill: Technical skills matter, but ultimately culture drives long-term success. I remember being hired for my first job and I asked my boss, "Why me?" Well, his answer sticks with me to this day: "I felt like I could talk to you every day without wanting to rip my hair out." As funny as this is, it's true! Culture and vibes really do matter. Whether hiring contractors or full-time employees, look for people who exhibit ownership, communication, curiosity and a genuine commitment to client care. A culture-first hiring mindset prevents future friction and turnover.
4. Use technology to strengthen human touch: The right technology can help a small firm scale without losing its personal feel. Automation and AI can reduce manual work, enhance quality control, support remote teams and free up time for deeper client relationships. The goal isn't to replace the human touch — it's to protect it. In this day and age, I recommend you prioritize technological literacy among new hires. Now, this doesn't mean they need to be trained on every software/platform imaginable, but it does mean they should be willing to learn and adopt new technologies.
5. Scale in stages and protect your service quality: Rapid growth can strain even the strongest team. To mitigate this, set capacity limits, monitor workloads closely and expand client onboarding gradually. Strategic constraints prevent burnout, maintain quality and ensure your team stays aligned with your core values.
6. Reinforce culture through daily communication: As the team grows, culture must be refreshed so you don't get trapped in your old ways. Every single time you bring on someone new, the culture naturally shifts. It's important to value the culture-add for each person in the firm by allowing culture to adapt over time. I often see cases where firms do things because "it is the way they have always been done." While tradition is important, small firms need to strike a balance between the old and the new. I recommend the following to keep your culture alive and evolving: regular team touchpoints, open communication, recognition of values-driven behaviors, and collaborative goal-setting.
7. Make culture a shared leadership responsibility: No founder can single-handedly protect culture. Identify and empower "culture carriers" throughout the firm — people who model your values and help educate new team members. This distributes cultural stewardship across the organization. However, being a "culture carrier" can take a lot of time and energy, so make sure their pay and/or task allocation properly reflects this responsibility.
8. Grow with your clients, not away from them: Your best growth opportunities often come from the clients who already trust you. As they evolve, invest in services that deepen relationships rather than dilute focus. Scaling in alignment with client needs tends to be both sustainable and culture-preserving.
The bottom line
Small firms don't have to sacrifice their culture or client experience to scale. With thoughtful hiring, the right technology and intentional systems, growth can strengthen your identity instead of diluting it.
My own journey — from a solo practitioner to a growing firm — showed me that sustainable scaling is possible when you build slowly, prioritize values and design growth around impact. Done right, scaling isn't the end of your culture — it's the evolution of it.
