Have you got what it takes to make it to the Top 100 and beyond. These traits of a Top ProAdvisor can take you to the next level.
Prologue
In 1979, Tom Wolfe's novel, "The Right Stuff,"1 told the story of the early American space race, including the Mercury Project. Much of the story focused on the first seven astronauts of Project Mercury, the "special few at the top" of all those who sought to be among the first to reach higher and faster than man had ever flown before.
The seven were not only at 'the top of their game' when it came to their skills as aviators and test pilots, but they were fearless, ambitious, and possessed an unquestionable sense of patriotism. The traits set the standard for the entire American astronaut program that would follow.
While the mostly unspoken "Right Stuff' qualities possessed by those early astronauts were different than those of a "Top ProAdvisor", we recognize that those ProAdvisors aspiring to the ranks of the best ProAdvisors in the world do share underlying qualities that impact their standing and rankings over the past fifteen years.
In 2021, Matt Fulton wrote the following feature as part of his participation in a webinar sponsored by ADP on "What it takes to become a Top 100 ProAdvisor." Matt's feature is reproduced below just as it was written in 2021.
Traits of a Top 100 ProAdvisor by Matthew Fulton
A Strong Work Ethic
"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them." ― Ann Landers
A strong work ethic is often confused by a time-sheet or a pay-check; they are not the same. Work ethic is the commitment to quality of performance and accomplishing your goals.
As a small business owner, your journey will almost always begin with countless hours and a small paycheck. It will be your work ethic that will drive you toward achieving your goals. A strong work ethic will help you build a ladder to climb over what might seem like a dead-end to others.
The Desire to Learn
Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others. — Confucius
As a business owner, you will be required to wear many different hats all at the same time, regardless of any prior experience that you may or may not have. When faced with such a challenge, you have two choices: You either learn how to do it or you hire someone who can do it for you.
One of the best parts about being a small business owner is the continuous learning curve. It is this thirst for knowledge that motivates a person to research new topics and learn new skills.
This has been fundamental throughout my career, especially in the accounting industry. When I began working as a bookkeeper, I discovered very quickly that I had "a lot" to learn. Fortunately, I had YouTube. It was my love of learning that fueled my search for the perfect app stack (aka The Holy Grail) and fundamentally led to my specialty in workflow design.
Without an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, I do not believe I would be where I am today.
A Willingness to Teach
The mediocre teacher tells; the good teacher explains; the superior teacher demonstrates; the great teacher inspires. — William Arthur Ward
Sharing and discussing your knowledge with others provides you an opportunity to validate the timeliness and accuracy of your ideas. As a presenter and content creator, I appreciate having the opportunity to share my ideas with our community and recognize the trust offered by those who engage.
Initially, such a responsibility scared me until I learned to say, "I don't know but let me find out for you." Teachers are not expected to have all the answers, but they should always clarify the difference between facts and opinion.
Sometimes, the opportunity to share your knowledge with others becomes the catalyst for deeper knowledge. Ironically, it has usually been through speaking opportunities that I truly grasp an understanding of the topic being discussed. As they often say, "Those who teach learn the most," and there is no better feeling than knowing the information you shared helped someone else.
Adaptable to Change
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." — Stephen Hawking
The only thing that is constant about life is that it is always changing. Often, the most difficult part about accepting change is the ability to accept your method may not help you accomplish your goal. Those who remain open to new ideas and test out new methods will find it much easier to adapt as their chosen profession evolves.
The accounting profession is a perfect example of an ever changing industry that requires its professionals to be able to consistently pivot. Over the past five years, desktop software has become cloud based subscriptions; software companies are becoming service providers and a global pandemic has changed in person to virtual.
Sometimes, change can occur slowly, and other times it can change in an instant.
In a world of "fail quickly," I believe you never truly fail until you give up. Learn from each lesson and use that knowledge to adapt and evolve.
The Wisdom of Humility
"Wisdom is equal parts experience and reflection." — Aristotle
Not too long ago, business owners believed they had to hoard their knowledge to ensure a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, this mentality made it difficult for struggling business owners to ask for help from people who knew their industry.
Thanks to social media, it has never been easier to connect with other like-minded people to look for guidance. Unfortunately, it requires us to determine what is fact or fiction.
As a mentor, people always hope you will share your secret sauce for success, but it is our responsibility to also share the challenges we experienced along our journey. It can be very difficult to admit the mistakes you made along the way, but it is through that humility true wisdom is gained.
Remember, it is easy to forget what we had to learn.
Becoming a Top 100 ProAdvisor
The order of these traits may seem accidental, but they are not. Without a strong work ethic, a person is far less likely to have that desire to learn or to reach for more experience in life. Only through experience are we able to obtain personal knowledge.
Unfortunately, knowledge is tricky and can lead you down a blind path if you do not consistently test the validity of it. The best way to test knowledge is to discuss or share your experiences with others.
In other words, we teach by sharing the knowledge gained through experience.
Before we can truly validate our experiences, we must be able to accept a change of opinion if the knowledge proves to be incomplete.
It is through humility that we adapt to these changes and transform the knowledge from our experiences into the wisdom shared with others.
Whether you have mastered all five traits or are still working on your "10,000 hours" to become the next Top ProAdvisor, you cannot accomplish your goal without throwing your hat into the ring.
Epilogue
Do you possess these traits? Do you excel in one or more of them? Do YOU have 'the Right Stuff?'
You may say, I'm not trying to be an Astronaut reaching space. But the reality is that you are heading into an environment that is just as 'uncertain' as space. Most ProAdvisors have only a limited understanding of what AI (artificial intelligence) truly means for the accounting, bookkeeping, and business consulting ecosystem, and the future of our professions. It will take fearlessness to go beyond what is known, and explore the future of 'ProAdvising.'
You must also be just as 'ambitious' as those early astronauts. You, like they, must put your best foot forward when you trek out into the unknown. You must be willing to work like you have never worked before, harder, faster, and with more self-assurance and confidence that you are ready to go beyond the traditional and accomplish the extraordinary.
And you must have a willingness to give, as John Glenn always said, "a hundred percent." To give all that can be given to reach for the stars, to achieve the Top 100 and beyond.
In his September 1962 speech at Rice University, President John F. Kennedy delivered his "race to the moon' address, saying, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. His goal was to 'put an American on the moon by the end of the decade.'
Even those first seven Mercury Astronauts were confident that they would be among the first to reach the Moon; it was considered the pinnacle of spaceflight. Of the Mercury Seven, only Alan Shepard, America's first Astronaut to fly in Project Mercury, actually 'walked on the moon.' And to date, only twelve American Astronauts have explored the lunar surface.
Barely more than a dozen QuickBooks ProAdvisors have reached the pinnacle of the Awards Program and achieved 'ProAdvisor of the Year.' But the race is not over, you could very well be the 2026 'ProAdvisor of the Year', if you have 'the Right Stuff.'
But, like those Mercury Seven, you must volunteer for the Program. Nobody can make you do it, nobody can do it for you... you must take that first step.... applications are still open, why not be the very next ProAdvisor to step forward?
Go HERE to Apply for the 2026 Top Advisor Awards.
About Insightful Accountant’s Top Advisor Awards
Since its inception, Insightful Accountant has been the awarding entity and administrator for the ProAdvisor Awards Program, which recognizes the best QuickBooks ProAdvisors worldwide. With the 2026 incorporation of the Top Tax Advisors (who are not required to be ProAdvisors) into the overall awards program, the program is now referred to as the “Top Advisor Awards” since not all recipients may hold the title of ProAdvisor.
Applicants for these prestigious programs are ranked based on their performance across various criteria, measuring everything from QuickBooks knowledge to utilizing the best tools & partner apps within the QuickBooks ecosystem that contribute to solid practice growth. Tax Advisors will be held to similar standards based upon Intuit’s Tax-offering ecosystem.
Intuit, QuickBooks, and the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program have participated in a sponsoring advisor capacity every year since the inception of the awards. (Insightful Accountant actively monitors the nomination and application process to determine candidate qualification and equivalency and coordinates with Intuit officials and the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program should questions arise.)
We want to also say, "thank you" to our 2026 Advisor Awards Sponsors:
You can find out more and support our 2026 Advisor Award sponsors by visiting our ProAdvisor Awards Sponsors webpage!
Featured content by Matthew Fulton, Prologue and Epilogue by William Murphy.
Footnotes:
1 - The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, 1979, Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
2 - The Right Stuff (film), 1983, Produced by The Ladd Company, Distributed by Warner Brothers.