Local CPA Offering Expertise in Taxes & Business Advisory

South Glens Falls resident Brian Stidd has been happily ensconced in the accounting world for more than half his life. But he also has a passion for business. So when he decided to end his employment with a local accounting firm and strike out on his own, he was determined to combine both of those loves into one job. And thus was born his newest source of satisfaction—his very own company: Stidd, CPA, PLLC.
Now, as the sole owner of a professional limited liability public accounting firm, Stidd performs tax planning and preparation for small-company owners and individuals while also providing business advisory services. According to Stidd’s website, the company’s goal is to “provide comprehensive assistance to businesses, combining the precision of public accounting with the strategic insight gained from the private sector.”

Stidd, who became a certified public accountant in 2007, has been operating his Glens Falls firm, now located on South Street, since the summer of 2023. “I just always wanted to own my own business,” Stidd said in a recent telephone interview. “I’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit, and the timing seemed right to do that.”

The Long Island native has been a resident of upstate New York since 2005, when he graduated from Siena College while majoring in accounting. “My dad was an accounting major,” said Stidd, recalling his years living downstate. “He started his own business in structured finance. I always liked math, [and I progressed] from math to accounting, and then on top of that, I love the business side of things too.”

After a prospective client contacts him, say for tax help, Stidd sets up a meeting, which can be done in person, over the phone, or even via a video conference. “I’ll get information from that call, and if everything looks good, I’ll get prior-year (tax) returns and other prior-year information. I typically have follow-up questions, at which point I have a more in-depth meeting with the client before sending them a proposal.”

For all clients seeking services, Stidd offers three different pricing packages. No matter which one is chosen, Stidd encourages all his clients to call with any questions they have during the year and before completing transactions in order to properly advise them.
After Stidd establishes a connection with clients, he reviews their companies’ performance quarterly. “Basically, I help them develop management-use financials” such as metrics and other tools, he said.

Stidd went on to explain how he enjoys working with owners and entrepreneurs in a variety of industries to grow their businesses and ensure their overall financial health. Over the last nearly two decades since Stidd graduated from Siena, tax rules, he noted, “are changing much more rapidly.” In addition, “there is better technology for improved processes and better information for business owners. Technology is changing faster, and you have to make sure you’re on top of it.”

To that end, Stidd, who earned his CVA (Certified Valuation Analyst) credential in 2015, has been taking continuing education courses to keep up with those changes in the industry. “I enjoy the technology side of it,” he said, “and being able to pick the software and set up the processes the way I want to do it is a big thing.”

As of the new year, Stidd has nearly 100 clients, the majority of whom are located in the Albany-Glens Falls corridor along the Northway. Because he is able to work remotely, he also has out-of-state clients, including those from Connecticut and Florida. If all goes as planned, he will begin adding staff in the fall.

For the upcoming tax season, Stidd has a message to impart: “The biggest thing I tell prospects or any of my current clients is, ‘If you’ve got some kind of financial transaction coming up that you’re thinking about, call your CPA and discuss it with them first before finalizing [the paperwork]. Because once you do the transaction, you can’t change the tax consequences.’ If you do some planning ahead of time, you may be able to save on taxes.”

Since he started his own company, Stidd has been more than happy with how things have turned out and with the people he has met. “I look at it as a partnership with my clients, and it’s typically a long-term relationship,” he said. “I love what I do, obviously, with my clients. I really enjoy the business side of it and being able to take something and grow it and build the business.”

Stidd can be reached online at StiddCPA.com, and by phone at (518) 414-3242.