SBS CPA Group

What SBS CPA Group does

SBS CPA Group is a privately held, partner-owned accounting and tax firm headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, serving small businesses and individuals with complex tax situations across the greater Fort Wayne area. Founded in 2004 when Mike Sylvester joined Karena J. Sylvester's existing solo practice (the firmography also references 2001, likely the earliest predecessor entity), the firm operates as a three-partner partnership (Mike Sylvester, Karena Sylvester, Brent Bracht) with approximately 10 employees, including four CPAs. SBS offers a single-firm, in-house service stack spanning tax preparation and planning, bookkeeping, payroll and payroll tax administration, QuickBooks Pro Advisor support, CFO/controller services, business formation, sales and use tax, business personal property tax, and business consulting. The firm deliberately retains all work in-house rather than outsourcing overseas and assigns each client a single CPA to maintain continuity across the full financial picture.

The business model is professional services on a per-engagement basis, with client relationships originating almost entirely through referrals and word-of-mouth — the firm reports 530 inbound calls in the past year with zero advertising spend, serving a total of approximately 950 clients including over 500 small businesses. Revenue is generated through tax preparation (primary), bookkeeping at roughly half the billing rate of tax services, payroll processing, and part-time CFO services priced at a fraction of full-time CFO compensation (~$120K+ market benchmark). Technology is limited to third-party platforms: TaxDome and ShareFile for client document exchange and tax planning, and QuickBooks for client bookkeeping workflows. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software, or external funding are evidenced; the firm is bootstrapped, has no parent company, and serves a single metropolitan market with no documented geographic expansion plans.

Name

SBS CPA Group

Legal name

SBS CPA Group, Inc.

Website

https://sbscpagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SBS CPA Group is a privately held, three-partner CPA firm in Fort Wayne, Indiana, providing in-house tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, CFO services, and business consulting to approximately 950 small business and individual clients across the greater Fort Wayne area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Accounting & Tax Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Other Accounting Services (541219)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning & Analysis Support (Budgeting, Forecasting, Management Reporting) (BPAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Small business accounting
• Tax preparation services
• Bookkeeping and payroll
• Business tax planning
• CFO advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation and Planning Services: Preparation and planning of tax returns for individuals and businesses including corporate taxes, individual taxes, partnerships, S-corps, LLCs, and exempt organizations. This is their primary revenue stream.
2. Bookkeeping Services: Weekly, monthly, or quarterly bookkeeping services including bill payment, payroll preparation, invoice preparation, bank reconciliation, and financial statement preparation. Services are scalable based on client needs.
3. Payroll and Payroll Tax Services: Multiple service levels including full payroll processing, monthly/quarterly/annual payroll tax filing, and owner payroll for S-Corporations. Services include check cutting, direct deposit, and compliance filing.
4. CFO Services: Part-time CFO/controller services provided by three full-time CPAs at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO (average compensation $120,000+ per year). Includes financial advice, cash flow improvement, tax projections, and strategic planning.
5. Business Formation Services: Assistance with incorporating companies, entity selection (S corp, Partnership, C corp, Sole Prop), compliance requirements, and business planning.
6. Business Consulting: Management consulting including entity changes, manufacturing consulting (15 years maintenance/operations experience), and strategic business advice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SBS CPA Group is a full-service accounting and tax firm that provides bookkeeping, payroll and payroll tax processing, business and individual tax preparation and planning, business formation, business consulting, QuickBooks support and training, sales and use tax filing, personal property tax returns, and part-time CFO/controller services. Services are delivered by four in-house CPAs primarily to small businesses and individuals with complicated tax situations in the greater Fort Wayne, Indiana area.

Product overview

SBS CPA Group offers a unified suite of accounting and tax services through a single firm model rather than separate products. The core offerings include Bookkeeping Services, Payroll and Payroll Taxes, Business Tax Planning, Individual Tax Services, and CFO Services. These are supplemented by specialized services including QuickBooks Support and Training, Business Formation, Business Consulting, Sales and Use Tax filing, and Business Personal Property Taxes. The firm also targets specific industry niches: Small Businesses, Real Estate Professionals, and Restaurant Bookkeeping. Unlike firms that outsource these functions, SBS provides all services in-house, allowing clients to work with a single CPA who understands their complete financial picture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bookkeeping Services Full-service bookkeeping including bill payment, payroll preparation, invoice generation, bank reconciliation, and financial statement preparation, available on weekly, monthly, or quarterly cadences for small business clients.
• QuickBooks Support and Training QuickBooks Pro Advisors provide hands-on training, software set-up, and ongoing support for do-it-yourself bookkeeping clients, including installation, invoice preparation, bill payment, payroll calculation, and financial reporting.
• Payroll and Payroll Taxes Scalable payroll services including full payroll processing, monthly/quarterly/annual payroll tax filing, owner payroll for S-Corporations, check cutting, direct deposit, and compliance filing for small businesses.
• Business Formation Assistance with entity selection (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, Partnership, Sole Proprietorship), filing paperwork, record-keeping requirements, and business plan development for new business clients.
• Business Consulting and Planning Management consulting including entity changes, manufacturing operations, maintenance management, and strategic business advice for small business owners.
• Business Personal Property Taxes Preparation and filing of Indiana Form 103 and Form 104 personal property tax returns with strategic form selection aimed at minimizing client tax liability.
• Sales and Use Tax Sales and Use Tax return preparation (ST-103) for Indiana including INTAX online filing system setup and multi-state nexus assistance for business clients.
• Business Tax Planning Corporate tax planning and preparation ensuring legal compliance while minimizing tax burden, filing returns for LLCs, corporations, S-Corps, partnerships, and sole proprietorships.
• CFO Services Part-time CFO/controller services providing financial advice, cash flow improvement, internal controls analysis, tax projections, budgeting, and succession planning at a fraction of full-time CFO cost for small business clients.
• Individual Tax Services Individual and family tax preparation for complicated returns including business owners, rental properties, K-1 recipients, stock sales, cryptocurrency, gambling income, and various tax credits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 530 new client inquiries in one year with zero advertising spend
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• 1-800Accountant: National virtual CPA firm serving small businesses and individuals with bookkeeping, tax, payroll, and advisory services. Directly comparable to SBS in target customer (SMB) and service mix, though operating at much larger scale and through a digital-first delivery model.
• Padgett Business Services: Franchise network of CPAs and tax advisors dedicated to small businesses, offering bookkeeping, payroll, tax, and consulting. Closely aligned with SBS's SMB focus and full-service local-firm model, though distributed through a franchise system rather than a single partnership.

Emerging players

• Intuit QuickBooks Live: Intuit's bundled bookkeeping service pairing QuickBooks software with a dedicated human bookkeeper for small businesses. Directly competes with SBS's bookkeeping and QuickBooks support offerings, leveraging Intuit's software platform as a structural advantage.
• Pilot.com: Outsourced bookkeeping, CFO, and tax service for startups and growing small businesses. Comparable to SBS's CFO and bookkeeping services, but focused on venture-backed and high-growth SMBs rather than Main Street small business in the Midwest.
• Bench (by Employer.com): Tech-enabled bookkeeping service for small businesses pairing software with a dedicated bookkeeper. Comparable to SBS's recurring bookkeeping offering, but delivered as a subscription SaaS product rather than a personal-CPA relationship.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty Tax Service: National retail tax preparation franchise with significant small-business tax offerings. Comparable to SBS on individual and small-business tax preparation, but delivered through a high-volume retail / franchise model rather than a relationship-driven CPA practice.
• H&R Block: National tax preparation giant with retail, online, and small-business offerings. Overlaps with SBS on individual and small-business tax preparation, but at vastly different scale and with a retail / DIY orientation rather than a personalized CPA-relationship model.
• CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen): Top-10 US accounting firm providing tax, audit, advisory, and outsourcing to middle-market and SMB clients. Comparable to SBS on full-service local delivery, but at a far larger scale and with significantly broader capabilities and geographies.

Regional players

• Rehmann: Michigan-based accounting, advisory, and wealth management firm with strong Midwest presence. Comparable to SBS in serving SMBs with tax, bookkeeping, and advisory services, but at significantly greater scale and with multiple service lines including wealth management.
• Anders CPAs + Advisors: Mid-sized regional CPA and advisory firm serving businesses and individuals across the Midwest. Comparable service mix (tax, bookkeeping, advisory) to SBS, but operating at much larger scale and across multiple offices rather than a single Fort Wayne location.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sbscpagroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbs-cpa-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 SBS CPA Group