CPA recommendations for small business (Baton Rouge area)?

Bryon Garrety, Garrety and Associates.

I sit on a tax committee with him and even considered working with him but we could not work it out and I didn't want to really work in Baton Rouge.

He knows his stuff. Not the cheapest... but a good small to mid size firm.

Latuso and Johnson, they have offices in Baton Rouge around the Sherwood/Coursey area and also Lafayette. They do a lot of small businesses in Baton Rouge.

I do know with L&J, they make regular trips to see their clients and also welcome them to come to their office. What type of business and whats the location?

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Do you know if any of these CPAs will come on-site to the place of business? While it may not be necessary for them, because they are looking at numbers only, for me it would give me more confidence that they have a better understanding of my business and help strengthen our relationship

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Any CPA worth anything is going to want to have a good understanding of your business, because they are going to want to be a valued advisor to you.

The best CPAs out there, and this may come as a shock, but they can't stand entering numbers on forms. That's what the younger staff is there for. They want to help you strategically with your company.

That's why I also reccomend you generally don't go with a sole shop guy, cause they do have to do all the grunt work. You don't need a large firm, but you need a CPA with a couple of younger people and an admin person, so they can spend their time on the higher thinking stuff.

I know most of the names mentioned here and yeah, they all would go out to you. With tech being what it is, it's also possible to provide that level of service without being on-site. I have a retail shop that I work with that's based in Virginia (I went to college with one of the owners) and we do quarterly check-ins via Skype.

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Since Poodlebrain (RIP) has passed away, which person and/or firm(s) do you recommend now?

Business will be a start-up, S-Corp.

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Best Accounting professor at LSU, Jesse "The Body" Armentor CPA

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LSUFanHouston

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Appreciate your help and everyone else who has contributed thus far ...

Regarding software ...

Quickbooks vs. Freshbooks vs Xero

Depending upon with CPA and/or small firm I select, will (or should) this influence which accounting software I should choose? Or will each have an interface that allows for integration into whatever platform they are using?

I am not experienced with any accounting software (QB, Freshbooks or Xero).

The reviews that I have (and I take them with a grain of salt, because it's quite possible the software company is paying them) read - the majority of them favor Xero or FB over QB.

So I am certainly interested in hearing more opinions on this.

If you go with QB (you should) don't get the online version.....total shite

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If you go with QB (you should) don't get the online version.....total shite

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As I stated earlier, I am clueless when it comes to accounting software. What is your reasoning for this (not doubting you)?

Just looking for the "why."

Kind of one of those you get what you pay for things, it's incredibly stripped down and lacks the bells and whistles of the real version. The support just isn't there.