CLEVELAND, Ohio, Oct. 23, 2026 — As your business grows, re-evaluating your audit and tax advisory team requires asking whether a firm understands private businesses, balances rigor with practical guidance, responds at the partner level, and supports lender, investor, and governance reporting. Your advisers also must be able to scale with your company. This guide draws on insights from Cohen & Co, a leading tax, assurance, and advisory firm in Michigan, to help private company leaders reassess their audit and tax advisory relationships as their needs evolve.

Look for Deep Private Company Expertise

Because private companies answer to a handful of owners rather than a crowd of outside shareholders, their goals can range from family legacy to fast expansion. Founder plans and loyalty to long-serving staff often shape decisions as much as the financial model. Therefore, an adviser who grasps those pressures may better protect your business as it grows.

These insights extend to daily finances, since advisers experienced in working with private companies can help untangle personal and company accounts and prepare your books for a future buyer. Having one team handle tax, assurance and advisory work also means fewer outside vendors to juggle, along with an objective voice that may flag costly growth missteps early.

Few owners can cover every financial question alone. According to Cohen & Co, when it comes to building an advisory team, “The help of the trusted business adviser has never been more in demand than it is today.”

Prioritize a Firm with Strong Regional Presence

Once you have found a team that understands private ownership, it is worth asking how well it knows Michigan too. A local bank requesting documents or a new director wanting background on your company tends to go more smoothly when your advisers already know the people and practices involved.

Nearby partners can also meet face-to-face, which may build trust faster than video calls with a distant office. Close proximity also generally means your advisers will have a better feel for the state’s industries and economic conditions, resulting in more tailored advice.

Evaluate the Firm’s Commitment to Audit Quality

While local familiarity can help in certain situations, for an audit of your financial statements to be of the highest quality, it must be prepared with rigor and strict adherence to reporting requirements. A basic compliance check may confirm your numbers hold up, but a thorough audit pairs rigor with practical insight to help your company remain compliant and to support your long-term goals.

Recently, the accounting profession has moved toward a risk-based quality management standard that replaced older checklist-style controls. Firms were required to implement Statement on Quality Management Standards No. 1 by December 15, 2025, which requires them to tailor quality processes to each client’s work.

Because firm leaders have one year from implementation to evaluate the system internally, it is fair to ask a prospective firm how its training and monitoring work in practice. Specific answers to that question can tell you whether quality is a daily habit or an afterthought.

Assess Partner Access and Service Responsiveness

Even a well-run audit loses value when face time with senior leadership fades after the pitch and your questions land with rotating junior staff. That handoff can cost hours of re-explaining your company while also risking missed insights.

Cohen & Co’s approach keeps partner-level practitioners involved well beyond the proposal, giving you a direct point of contact for strategic questions. Responsiveness matters just as much because slow replies to key financial questions can delay decisions as your company grows.

Receiving clear, plain-language answers is also key, as is monitoring turnaround times once the work begins to ensure your team keeps its promises. Together, these habits give you a good read on what day-to-day service will feel like.

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Gauge Industry Knowledge and Specialization

Prompt answers count most when they come from people who know your sector, which is important when specialized rules or tax questions arise. Cohen & Co, for instance, regularly works with private companies, private equity, and real estate clients. Their experience enables them to offer specialized guidance beyond basic compliance, from tax credit planning to valuations and M&A advisory.

You should ensure your accountant, banker, lawyer, insurance agent, and investment advisers all know and understand your goals, industry, and business model.

Confirm Robust Financial Reporting Support

Cohen & Co frames the next test with, “Do your advisers have the skills and resources necessary to provide what you need today — and what you will need in the future as your business grows?” In practice, each new lender, investor, or governance requirement tends to raise the bar on the reports you must produce.

Building an Advisory Team that Grows with You

Growth continuously reshapes what a company needs from its advisers, from the first bank loan to the first board seat. Checking in at each milestone keeps your support matched to your goals. Over time, that habit can turn your advisory team into a lasting advantage as your business expands.