Barb & Company

What Barb & Company does

Barb & Company was a privately-held accounting firm founded in 1986 and based in Columbia, South Carolina, serving small businesses and individuals in the regional market. The firm offered a full suite of traditional accounting services including bookkeeping, payroll, auditing, tax planning and compliance, collaborative divorce financial services, and general consulting. Operating with 11-50 employees, it functioned as a relationship-driven local CPA practice emphasizing long-term client engagement and personal service.

In December 2025, Barb & Company was acquired by Reid Advisors, LLC, as part of Reid's Southeast expansion strategy and its first foothold in South Carolina. The acquisition was one of six completed by Reid Advisors under the umbrella of the Crete Professionals Alliance partnership, which Reid joined in February 2024 and which is backed by Thrive Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. Following the acquisition, Barb & Company was rebranded under the Reid Accountants + Advisors platform, integrating its service lines into a broader national offering that includes family office, forensic accounting, M&A advisory, and insurance services.

As a standalone entity, Barb & Company generated revenue consistent with a sub-scale regional professional services firm, with no publicly disclosed revenue figures. The firm no longer operates independently post-acquisition, and its forward growth trajectory is now governed by the Reid Advisors roll-up platform rather than organic expansion. The combination with Reid provides access to greater capital, cross-firm expertise, and a multi-state footprint that the firm could not have achieved on its own as an independent local practice.

Name

Barb & Company

Legal name

Barb & Company

Website

https://sc-cpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barb & Company was a Columbia, South Carolina-based CPA firm founded in 1986, offering bookkeeping, payroll, auditing, tax, and divorce financial planning services to local businesses and individuals. It was acquired by Reid Advisors in December 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Barb & Company is a Columbia, South Carolina-based CPA firm providing bookkeeping, payroll, auditing, divorce financial services, tax planning, and consulting services to small businesses, individuals, and families. Following its December 2025 acquisition by Reid Advisors, the firm delivers its services under the Reid Accountants + Advisors brand, covering accounting, audit and assurance, tax, business management, M&A advisory, family office, forensic and valuation, and insurance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bookkeeping Recurring bookkeeping services for small businesses and individuals, including transaction recording, account reconciliation, and general ledger maintenance.
• Payroll Services Payroll processing and administration for client businesses, covering pay calculations, tax withholdings, and filings.
• Auditing Audit and assurance engagements including financial statement audits and related reporting for client organizations.
• Tax Planning and Preparation Tax planning strategy and preparation for corporate, personal, federal, state, and local tax matters, including trust and estate planning.
• Divorce Financial Services Collaborative divorce financial services providing financial analysis, asset tracing, and support during divorce proceedings.
• Business Consulting Consulting services including M&A and transaction advisory for businesses evaluating deals, transactions, and strategic decisions.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Crete Professionals AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Barb & Company became part of Reid Advisors following Reid Advisors' acquisition of the firm in December 2025. Reid Advisors had joined Crete Professionals Alliance in February 2024, which provided capital, operational support, and a strategic platform enabling responsible scaling while preserving local leadership and client relationships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• McDowell-Perham: Co-acquired alongside Barb & Company by Reid Advisors in December 2025 as part of the same Southeast expansion; comparable small Southeast accounting firm under the same platform with similar service mix.
• Elliott Davis: Southeast regional accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Greenville, SC; competes in the same Carolinas market with a comparable mix of audit, tax, and advisory services.
• GreerWalker CPAs & Advisors: Charlotte-based regional CPA and advisory firm serving the Carolinas with audit, tax, and consulting services; directly comparable regional Southeast accounting peer with similar SMB and individual client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cherry Bekaert: Top-25 U.S. accounting firm with strong Southeast presence including the Carolinas; offers the same core accounting, audit, tax, and advisory services as Barb at meaningfully greater scale.
• BDO USA: Global accounting network with South Carolina presence; competes for audit and advisory mandates in the same regional market as Barb & Company, though at significantly larger scale.
• Anchin, Block & Anchin: Mid-Atlantic regional accounting and advisory firm offering audit, tax, and consulting; comparable in service mix and SMB-to-mid-market positioning even though geography differs.
• Citrin Cooperman: National advisory and accounting firm serving SMB and middle-market clients with audit, tax, and advisory services; comparable peer that has itself pursued an active acquisition strategy.
• Forvis (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm with major Carolinas presence; provides audit, tax, and advisory services overlapping with Barb's offering across the Southeast.
• Marcum LLP: Top-15 U.S. accounting firm with broad service offerings including advisory and tax; overlapping audit and tax capabilities serve a similar SMB/middle-market client profile.

Others

• Crete Professionals Alliance: National partnership platform (parent of Reid Advisors) backed by Thrive Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners; not a direct competitor but the strategic enabler defining Barb's go-forward operating model and capital access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barb & Company