Brian Blaha

Brian is a seasoned CPA firm leader and strategist with decades of experience driving transformation across professional services. A former Chief Growth Officer at Wipfli, he now advises firms and PE groups on leadership alignment, M&A integration, and sustainable, people-first strategy.

Strategic Optionality

4 min read

Strategic Optionality: Preserving Choice for the Future of CPA Firms

The profession’s future won’t be defined by a single ownership model—it’ll be defined by whether firm leaders shape their own paths or allow...

Scaling BD

5 min read

Scaling BD: Teams, Culture, and the Tech That Drives Growth

In a recent episode of Amplify, the podcast from the Association for Accounting Marketing, Brian Blaha, Chief Strategy Officer of Winding River...

Building Enterprise Value as an Independent Firm

5 min read

Building Enterprise Value as an Independent Firm

Brian Blaha, CPA, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Winding River Consulting, joins host Rob Brown on the Inside Public Accounting Podcast...

Evolving Accounting Firm Culture

3 min read

The Second Bite of the Apple: Why Your First Private Equity Deal Depends on Modeling the Second

The private equity wave reshaping the accounting profession shows no signs of slowing. Over the past five years, sponsors have acquired stakes in...

Evolving Accounting Firm Culture

5 min read

The Psychology of Transformation: Managing Change When Your Firm Faces a Strategic Crossroads

The framework for building an enterprise value model in an accounting firm is only the starting point to maintaining its strategic optionality. Even...

Advisory J-Curve

4 min read

Building an Advisory Practice Requires Enduring the J-Curve

Every accounting firm wants advisory revenue. The data confirms it: 80% of firms report increasing client demand for financial planning and business...

Strategic framework for AI Success

4 min read

Define, Design, Deploy: A Strategic Framework for AI Success in CPA Firms

For managing partners, the AI question is no longer “if” but “how”—how to turn investment into measurable value without disrupting firm culture. In...

the key to cross selling

4 min read

The Key to Cross-Selling CPA Services? Being Client Centric

To successfully serve clients with multidisciplinary solutions, firms must deliver value the way clients want to experience it—at the center....

building an AI use case roadmap

6 min read

Building an AI Use Case Roadmap for Accounting Firms

Generative AI is no longer theoretical: it’s already reshaping the accounting profession. Tax software vendors are embedding AI copilots, Big 4 firms...