10 Questions to Strengthen the Sanity and Sustainability of Your Firm

Doug Warner
Oct 8
2 min read

The post-pandemic period has been a golden era for many CPA firms, with meaningful gains in both top-line growth and bottom-line performance. Yet with all that momentum has come new pressures. Firms are busier than ever and facing greater challenges.

For firm owners, the nonstop demands of client service can make it difficult to focus on the business side of a successful firm. With talent challenges mounting and capacity stretched thin, many leaders find that maintaining a healthy work-life balance is slipping further out of reach.

The flood of articles, podcasts, and training sessions can be overwhelming—more noise than signal. Instead of chasing more input, the real breakthrough comes from stepping back and asking the right questions.

Firms that pause to reflect and act with intention make better decisions, strengthen leadership, and build businesses that stay both sane and sustainable.

Here are 10 questions to help you refocus your leadership lens and strengthen your firm’s next steps.

Why do your best clients stay, and what quietly worries them about your firm?
Where are you leaving money on the table, and what’s stopping you from fixing it?
What makes your top staff choose your firm year after year?
How are you helping clients create long-term financial well-being?
What is fueling your strongest competitor’s momentum?
Which clients deserve more of your attention or expertise?
What causes you the most aggravation—and are you finally ready to take bold steps to address it?
What helps your partners find purpose and satisfaction in their roles?
What tech innovations would make your business more enjoyable
Do you know how to objectively evaluate the pros and cons of a merger?

CPA firms are great businesses. Much like personal health, real success depends on more than numbers. It also requires awareness, healthy habits, and timely intervention. By asking the right questions and answering them honestly, you create a foundation for smarter decisions, stronger leadership, and a future built on both sanity and sustainability.