24 Jul Finding the Right Fit: Why a Mid-Sized Accounting Firm May Offer the Best of Both Worlds
Choosing where to build an accounting career is not always as simple as comparing job titles, compensation, or firm size.
A large national firm may offer extensive resources, recognizable clients, and established career tracks. However, professionals may also find themselves specializing early, working within large teams, or feeling removed from the leaders making important decisions.
A very small firm may provide flexibility, close relationships, and broad responsibilities. At the same time, it may have fewer resources, less technical depth, or limited opportunities to pursue increasingly complex work.
For many professionals, the right fit lies somewhere in the middle.
At Blackman & Sloop, employees experience what our team often describes as a “Goldilocks” environment. The firm is large enough to offer challenging work, diverse clients, meaningful resources, and long-term career opportunities, yet still small enough for people to know one another, work directly with leadership, and see the impact of their contributions.
To better understand what that balance looks like in practice, we spoke with Andrea Eason, CPA, CEO; Anthony Martinez, Ph.D, Chief Growth Officer; Ross Stremme, CPA, Audit Senior Manager; and Derek Haenke, Manager of Employee Success. Their experiences span different roles, backgrounds, and stages of a career, but each pointed to a similar advantage: Blackman & Sloop offers room to grow without losing the relationships and support that make work meaningful.
A Firm That Feels Personal Without Limiting Opportunity
Every accounting firm offers a different experience, and there is no single environment that is right for everyone.
Some professionals are drawn to the structure and name recognition of a large national organization. Others prefer the familiarity and flexibility of a smaller practice. At Blackman & Sloop, employees benefit from many of the advantages of both.
Andrea experienced the difference firsthand after beginning her career at a national firm. While that experience provided a strong foundation, her responsibilities were concentrated within specific industries. When she joined Blackman & Sloop, she found that the firm’s size allowed her to gain broader experience much earlier.
“What attracted me to Blackman & Sloop was the people, the family atmosphere, and the variety of work,” Andrea shared. “Coming from a national firm, I was exposed to much more, much faster.”
That combination of variety and opportunity became an important part of Andrea’s own career journey. She joined Blackman & Sloop as a senior and later advanced to partner and CEO, demonstrating that working at a mid-sized firm does not have to mean limiting how far a career can go.
For Anthony, the firm’s size creates a similar balance. Blackman & Sloop can serve sophisticated clients across industries while maintaining an environment where employees know one another and remain connected to the decisions shaping the firm.
As Anthony described it, the firm is “big enough to serve sophisticated clients” but still small enough that “people know your name in the hallway.”
That is the essence of the firm’s “Goldilocks” experience. Employees do not have to choose between meaningful relationships and meaningful opportunities. They can have access to both.
Broad Experience Helps Employees Grow Faster
One of the most valuable advantages of working at a mid-sized firm is the opportunity to gain experience across a range of clients, industries, and business challenges.
At a larger firm, early-career professionals may focus on one service area, industry, or portion of an engagement. That structure can build specialized knowledge, but it may also limit visibility into the broader client relationship.
At Blackman & Sloop, employees are encouraged to understand the full picture. Team members work with organizations of different sizes and structures, giving them exposure to a variety of technical matters, business needs, and client perspectives.
For Derek, that broader view helps employees become more flexible professionals.
“It helps employees become versatile and not siloed,” he explained. “It also adds value to understand multiple areas of the business so employees can see how the work they do impacts others.”
That understanding becomes especially valuable as employees begin taking on greater responsibility. Rather than completing an assignment without seeing what comes before or after it, they can develop a clearer sense of how their work supports the engagement, the client, and the rest of the team.
Ross noticed this difference after joining Blackman & Sloop from a smaller firm. He found that the firm offered access to increasingly complex clients and sophisticated engagements while still providing close support from experienced professionals.
“You have meaningful access to partners and leadership while also working with clients and engagements that are comparable in complexity and significance to those handled by larger firms,” Ross said.
That combination allows employees to challenge themselves without being left to navigate unfamiliar work alone. They can build technical knowledge, ask questions, and learn directly from colleagues who understand both the work and the client relationship.
Anthony sees that variety as one of the reasons professionals can develop quickly at Blackman & Sloop. In the same week, an employee might encounter the needs of a real estate investor, a not-for-profit organization, and an automotive dealership, for example.
“That range is rare, and it is how people here develop skills quickly,” he shared.
The goal is not simply to give employees more work. It is to help them become thoughtful, adaptable professionals who can connect technical accounting knowledge to the larger needs of an organization.
Greater Exposure Brings Meaningful Responsibility
The opportunity to see more of the work also means employees are expected to participate more fully.
Because teams are close-knit and collaborative, professionals are encouraged to ask questions, think critically, contribute ideas, and take ownership of their responsibilities. They are not limited to observing from the sidelines until they reach a certain title.
Ross believes this visibility is an important part of professional development.
“Smaller engagement teams create an environment where you cannot remain in the background,” he explained. “You are expected to contribute, which accelerates your technical development and confidence.”
For someone early in a career, that expectation can initially feel challenging. However, employees are supported as they take on new responsibilities. They work closely with experienced professionals who can provide guidance, explain the reasoning behind decisions, and help them learn from each assignment.
“The firm pushes you, in a positive way, to develop your skills and expand your capabilities early on,” Ross said.
That growth extends beyond client engagements. Employees can participate in internal discussions, recommend process improvements, and contribute to initiatives that affect the broader firm.
Derek has experienced that opportunity in his own role. Since joining Blackman & Sloop, he has been able to take on responsibilities and explore areas that were not part of his previous experience.
“I’ve gotten the opportunity to stretch and work in areas I had not had the opportunity to explore in the past,” he shared.
That ability to stretch is especially meaningful for professionals who want more than a predetermined set of responsibilities. At a mid-sized firm, an employee’s ideas and contributions can influence how the organization operates and where it goes next.
Leadership Is Accessible and Involved
Greater responsibility is most valuable when employees also have access to people who can help them grow.
At Blackman & Sloop, partners and members of the executive leadership team are not separated from employees by multiple layers of hierarchy. They remain available to answer questions, provide perspective, and listen to ideas.
Derek describes the firm’s approach simply: “All doors are open.”
For employees who have worked in more hierarchical organizations, that level of accessibility can be unexpected. Andrea noted that the firm’s open-door policy is often one of the things that surprises new team members most.
That openness makes it easier for employees to seek guidance when they encounter a complex issue, but it also gives them greater visibility into how the firm operates. They can learn not only how to serve a client, but also how decisions are made, how teams are led, and how a business grows.
Anthony was particularly drawn to that opportunity after spending much of his career in consulting and private equity. In those roles, he advised organizations from the outside. At Blackman & Sloop, he can help implement ideas and take responsibility for the results.
“In consulting and private equity, you are always advising the business,” he explained. “Here, we are the business.”
That distinction gives his work a different level of ownership. Rather than delivering a recommendation and moving on, he can help build the systems, strategies, and processes that move the firm forward.
The proximity of leadership also allows decisions to happen more quickly.
“Decisions happen in the room, not three time zones away,” Anthony said. “I can walk into Andrea’s office and get a yes or no answer the same day.”
For employees, that means ideas do not disappear into layers of approval. They can contribute to conversations, understand the reasoning behind decisions, and see how their input can lead to meaningful action.
A People-First Culture That Is Reflected in Action
Career growth is important, but so is the environment in which that growth takes place.
At Blackman & Sloop, the firm’s people-first approach is reflected in the way team members support one another, respond to feedback, and recognize that employees have responsibilities and priorities outside of work.
“People are how the work gets done,” Derek said. “If we do not take care of our people, we will not be able to take care of our clients.”
Derek experienced that commitment after sharing feedback about a previous period of time off. He had found it difficult to disconnect and spent more time working than he intended.
When he took time away again, his colleagues made a conscious effort not to send him unnecessary messages because they understood that he would feel compelled to respond.
“It was great to see my feedback heard and then see something done about it,” he shared.
The significance of that experience was not simply that Derek received fewer messages. It demonstrated that the firm was willing to listen, adjust, and take practical steps to support his well-being.
For Andrea, that support became especially meaningful when her mother fell ill.
“I was able to spend time with her and care for her because I knew others at the firm were there to support me and help when I needed it,” she said.
That same sense of support played an important role throughout Andrea’s career. She advanced from senior to partner and eventually CEO while being a single mother for a significant portion of that time.
“The people, flexibility, resources, and opportunities allowed me to grow professionally and be an active parent,” Andrea explained.
Her experience shows that professional ambition and personal responsibilities do not always have to compete. With the right support, employees can continue pursuing meaningful careers while remaining present for the people and priorities that matter outside of work.
Anthony has experienced that culture in a similar way.
“The support here extends to the whole person,” he shared. “When something in my personal life needs room, the team makes room.”
Together, these experiences show that a people-first culture is not defined by a statement on a website. It is reflected in how colleagues respond when someone needs flexibility, how leaders act on employee feedback, and how teams support one another through different stages of life.
A Supportive Culture Can Still Be an Ambitious One
A people-first environment does not mean the firm is resistant to change or that employees are never challenged.
Blackman & Sloop is growing, investing in technology, improving processes, and responding to changes across the accounting profession. That progress requires employees to remain curious, adaptable, and willing to reconsider how work has traditionally been done.
The pace can surprise people who expect an established accounting firm to move more slowly.
“People come in expecting accounting-firm pace and find out we are running a growth company,” Anthony said.
For employees, that means new opportunities often come with the need to learn. They may be asked to adopt new technology, help improve a process, contribute to a new initiative, or take on a responsibility that did not previously exist.
Anthony has also found that leading change from inside an organization requires a different approach than advising from the outside. In consulting and private equity, speed was often emphasized. At Blackman & Sloop, he has learned that effective transformation also requires listening to the people who will ultimately carry it forward.
“A smaller organization absorbs change at its own pace,” he explained. “I have had to learn how to slow down in order to move the firm forward effectively.”
That lesson reflects the kind of professional development available at a mid-sized firm. Employees are not only learning technical skills. They are also developing judgment, patience, communication skills, and a better understanding of how meaningful change happens.
Ascend Brings Additional Resources and Opportunities
Blackman & Sloop’s partnership with Ascend has strengthened many of the advantages of working at a mid-sized firm.
Through Ascend, the firm has access to expanded technology, shared expertise, enhanced benefits, operational support, and a network of professionals across partner firms. These resources allow Blackman & Sloop to pursue new opportunities and respond to increasingly complex client needs.
Andrea has already seen the partnership create opportunities that may not have been available to the firm in the past.
“We have been able to win new business in new industries because of the support and expertise provided by other Ascend firms,” she said. “There has also been a tremendous sharing of ideas, processes, tools, and resources.”
That shared knowledge means Blackman & Sloop does not have to solve every challenge independently. Employees can learn from professionals across the Ascend network, access specialized expertise, and benefit from ideas that have already been tested elsewhere.
The partnership has also expanded the firm’s ability to invest in technology.
Ross is particularly interested in how emerging tools, including artificial intelligence, can improve efficiency and give employees more time to focus on work that requires professional judgment and meaningful client interaction.
“These resources are helping improve efficiency and broaden our capabilities,” he shared.
For Derek, the benefit is not simply gaining access to more tools. It is having the opportunity to shape solutions around what employees actually need.
“In the past, we may have found a tool and then had to adjust our processes to make it work,” he explained. “Now, we have opportunities to help create tools that better fit our needs.”
That approach supports a broader goal: using technology to improve the employee experience rather than adding more complexity to it.
More Support Without Losing the Firm’s Identity
While Ascend has expanded the resources behind Blackman & Sloop, the firm has maintained the leadership, relationships, and culture that have long defined it.
Anthony summarized that balance by saying, “Ascend bought the firm, not the personality.”
Andrea continues to lead Blackman & Sloop, and the firm’s brand, client relationships, offices, and local presence remain intact. What has changed is the level of support available behind the scenes.
That combination allows Blackman & Sloop to approach opportunities with the capabilities of a much larger organization while maintaining the responsiveness and personal relationships of a local firm.
Andrea sees this as an important advantage for both clients and employees.
“We are able to remain independent as a platform firm, but we are also part of Ascend, which is a top 20 firm in the country,” she said.
For clients, that means access to greater depth and expertise without sacrificing personal service. For employees, it means more sophisticated work, improved technology, broader professional networks, and new career paths without losing the sense of connection that comes from working within a close-knit team.
As Anthony explained, employees gain “the career runway of a big-firm platform” without losing the feeling that they know the people they work alongside.
That may be the clearest expression of Blackman & Sloop’s “Goldilocks” advantage. The firm has the resources to keep growing, but it remains personal enough for individual employees to grow with it.
Choosing the Environment That Will Help You Grow
There is no single type of accounting firm that is right for every professional.
The best choice depends on what someone values, how they want to learn, and what kind of professional they hope to become.
Derek encourages early-career professionals to look beyond firm size and think carefully about the experience they want.
“If you understand what is important to you, you can select an organization that is aligned with that,” he said.
Anthony offers similar advice, encouraging professionals to consider the skills and experiences they want to build over the long term.
“Pick based on what you want to be good at in five years, not what looks best on LinkedIn today,” he said.
A large firm may offer a recognizable name and an established process. A very small firm may provide the opportunity to handle a wide range of responsibilities. A firm like Blackman & Sloop offers something in between: the opportunity to take ownership of clients, projects, industries, and outcomes while still having access to guidance, technology, and broader resources.
It is an environment where employees can work on complex matters without becoming disconnected from the people behind the work.
Build Your Career With Blackman & Sloop
At Blackman & Sloop, employees do not have to choose between meaningful relationships and meaningful opportunities.
They can work with complex clients, gain experience across a variety of industries, learn directly from leadership, and access the resources of a larger organization. They can also be part of a team where people know one another, support one another, and recognize that a fulfilling career should leave room for a meaningful life outside of work.
“Our core values are who we are, not simply who we strive to be,” Andrea said. “If you want a successful, challenging career in a fun, positive environment, Blackman & Sloop is the right place for you.”
Whether you are beginning your accounting career or looking for a place where you can continue growing, Blackman & Sloop offers the opportunity to contribute, take ownership, and help shape the future of the firm.
Explore career opportunities with Blackman & Sloop and discover what your career can look like when you find the right fit.