by Robert T. Edwards

The other day, I met up with a former client I hadn’t seen in a few years. We were catching up over lunch, talking about life, his dental practice, and his wife’s growing business. It was one of those easy conversations until he asked me something that genuinely caught me off guard.

He asked, “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in your business right now?”

I was stopped in my tracks.

Not because I didn’t have a hundred things running through my head. Like most business owners, there is always something to work on. But when I tried to put my finger on one real challenge, I came up blank.

For most CPA firms, the typical answers come quickly: recruiting and retaining talent, finding new clients, keeping people engaged. But here’s the honest truth: we’re in a good place.

We’ve got a waiting list of people who want to join our team. We had more prospective client calls last year than the previous two years combined. Our team is steady, smart, and strong. In fact, when someone asked me recently how tax season went, I said I wasn’t sure. The team runs it so well, they don’t need me involved (unless someone needs to make a tough call to a client who owes six figures).

I couldn’t answer my friend’s question because our team, now led by Lynn and supported by so many talented, committed people, has built something really special here. We’ve worked hard to create a place where people want to be, clients and employees alike. That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. There always are. But right now, I’m grateful for the people around me and the culture we’ve created together.

Sometimes, not having an answer is the best kind of answer.