You can apply for the 2025 U.S. ProAdvisor Awards HERE or nominate a U.S. ProAdvisor HERE.
This week's, Top ProAdvisor Profile features Stephanie Elia, one of Insightful Accountant's 2024 Top 100 ProAdvisors.
Stephanie is a certified ProAdvisor in QuickBooks Online Advanced (now referred to as 'Level 2'), QuickBooks Desktop Advanced, QuickBooks Enterprise, and QuickBooks Payroll.
Stephanie's Intuit Find-A-ProAdvisor Profile describes her as an expert in the "QuickBooks 'App'mosphere."
I like the sound of that as much as I like the term Insightful Accountant coined, "App-ologist" (meaning one who specializes in Apps). Murph
Stephanie's firm is called Elia Business Services (EBS). Now her submitted profile to Insightful Accountant says she is in South Easton, but her FAP profile says she is in North Easton, so I'm certain you will track her down somewhere north or south in Easton which is in Massachusetts.
Elia Business Service has a business model that is not driven by any specific industry; rather, they encourage their staff to excel in their unique areas and become the "go to" advisor for that topic. Apparently it is the firm's "Project Excellence" program that empowers the staff to dive deeply into a chosen program, app or topic. As part of Project Excellence the staff have dedicated time each week to continue their education.
But staff members don't just hold what they learn and the expertise they develop 'close to the vest' (as we say in the west, which if you are keeping track of directions in this story is directly 90-degrees from either north or south we talked about above). Rather the employees share their learning experiences and their specialized expertise with the rest of the team.
This idea keeps the team's skills sharp and the firms services forward-thinking, enriching their clients as well as the team and the firm.
Sounds like a tremendous way to 'bolster a firm' and the clients your firm serves. Murph
Insightful Accountant asked, "how the Top 100 ProAdvisor Award fits into the firm's overall mission?" Stephanie responded:
At EBS, we believe in leveraging the latest technology to support our clients—without ever losing sight of the personal connection. Being recognized as a Top 100 ProAdvisor has given our team well-deserved credibility, reinforcing our dedication to exceptional service.
As a local business with a brick-and-mortar office, our entire staff—pets included—comes together daily to serve our clients’ needs. Our motto says it all: “We believe in Balance Sheets and Belly Rubs!”
We also asked Stephanie if she had "been able to leverage her ProAdvisor Award to promote her firm?", she responded:
Our firm has benefited from the ProAdvisor award on multiple levels. Externally, it’s all about that “street cred” mentioned earlier—it’s a badge of honor our clients recognize and trust.
But the true value is internal: this award reflects the hard work of our entire team, and they wear that recognition with pride. It's a motivator and a reminder that our work genuinely makes an impact!
When asked if there was anything she would like to share about her 'home life', Stephanie replied:
I'm a classic workaholic and am lucky to have a husband who supports me even when it seems crazy.
When I'm not busy with clients, you'll probably find me dreaming of my next trip to Aruba - my happy place where work emails magically disappear (at least for a little while)!
ProAdvisor Directory Information:
Phone: 508-205-5510
Have Your ProAdvisor Profile Published and included in our ProAdvisor Directory
You can be featured and benefit your firm, yourself as a ProAdvisor, and the entire ProAdvisor community.
If you are a Top ProAdvisor (Top 100 ProAdvisor, Top 25 Up-n-coming ProAdvisor, or Top 50 International ProAdvisor), we want to publish your profile.
Just fill out our online ProAdvisor In Focus survey and send us your glamor shot... we want to make you a 'star' in the ProAdvisor community.