What Top Advisor Award Recipients Say About Putting Yourself Forward
When we launch the Top Advisor Awards process each year, I hear some version of the same question: "Is it really worth applying?"
(Nominate someone or start your application HERE if you want to jump right in!)
With the Top Advisor Awards process starting this week, I decided not to answer that question myself. Instead, I asked people who have been through it. I put three simple questions to several of our recent honorees: How has the award impacted your business? What has been most gratifying about it? And what would you say to someone considering participating?
Their answers were more candid, and more practical, than I expected. Here's what they told me.
How has your Top Advisor Award impacted your business?
If there was one word that kept coming up, it was credibility. Not hype, not a marketing gimmick, but the kind of independent validation that's hard to create for yourself. That matters whether you run a one-person practice in a small town or a growing firm with a full team.
Clive Hand, our 2026 International ProAdvisor of the Year recipient, put it this way:
"The biggest impact has been credibility. I run a small digital practice from just outside Dundalk in Ireland, so being named International ProAdvisor by a body as respected as Insightful Accountant gives business owners confidence before we have even spoken. It comes up on calls with new clients, it sits proudly on my website and LinkedIn, and it has opened conversations I would not have had otherwise... For a small practice, that kind of independent recognition is hard to put a price on."
Kathy Famulka, a 2026 Top 25 Up-n-Coming ProAdvisor, saw it in her client relationships:
"Being recognized as a Top Up-n-Coming Advisor has really strengthened the trust our clients place in us. It gives prospective clients peace of mind knowing they're in good hands, which has helped our business grow steadily over the past year."
And Debra Kilsheimer, a longtime Top Advisor Award recipient and 2026 Top 5 Tax Accountant, explained why that outside perspective carries weight:
"The recognition gives me credibility before I ever have the first conversation. When a potential client, colleague, or event organizer looks me up and sees that I have been recognized by Insightful Accountant year after year, it tells them that someone other than me thinks I know what I'm doing. That matters."
Notice the common thread: the award does its work before the first conversation. For professionals whose business runs on trust, that head start is real.
What has been most gratifying about receiving this recognition?
Business impact is one thing. But when I asked what felt best about being recognized, the answers got more personal, and frankly, they're the ones that stuck with me.
Tanya Hilts, who has been recognized in our Top 100, International, and Emeritus categories, talked about who the recognition comes from:
"The most gratifying part has been being recognized by people who actually understand this profession. Awards are lovely, but recognition from within your own industry means something different because those people understand the work, the learning and the commitment that sits behind it."
For Clive Hand, it was the people who showed up for him:
"The support, without a doubt. When I asked clients and fellow accountants to vote, the response blew me away. You spend most of your working life with your head down in the numbers, so seeing people take the time to back you is a lovely reminder that the work matters to them."
And Debra Kilsheimer gave what she called the least sophisticated answer, which might be the most honest one I heard:
"This is probably the least sophisticated answer, but it is the truest one: it makes me feel good about me… Receiving this recognition year after year feels like a little confirmation that all of that effort matters… Sometimes even accountants need a gold star."
I'd add only this: in a profession where good work is often invisible when it's done right, being seen by your peers isn't a small thing. Also, while the vote is part of the process, as Clive referenced, the vote carries much less weight than the individual participants qualifications.
What would you say to someone considering participating?
This is the question I most wanted answered, because it's the one many of you are asking right now. Interestingly, none of our honorees said "apply because you'll win." They said apply because the process itself is worth it.
Calbe Jenkins - 2024 ProAdvisor of the Year and 2016 -Top Up-N-Comer said:
"Go for it. It's a good experience to fill out the application and reconstruct what you accomplished in the past year. It's also a good roadmap to accomplishing the top awards if you do what the survey asks about your year (education, certifications, apps, etc.). It's also great to participate with other award winners and share ideas with each other."
Tanya Hilts didn't hesitate:
"Do it. And don't wait until you think your business, career or accomplishments are somehow "big enough." One of the valuable parts of participating is having to stop and actually look at what you've accomplished… Put yourself forward and be honest about the work you've done and the impact you've had. You may receive the recognition, you may not, but going through the process is worthwhile."
Sheri Radler, a 2026 Top 100 ProAdvisor, framed the application as a tool for self-assessment:
"Do it. And I wouldn't go into it thinking only about whether you're going to be named in particular category. I think the application itself can be a really good scorecard. It makes you look at your practice and ask: Are we staying current? Are we investing in our own development?… Even if your name never ends up at the top of a category, there's value in holding yourself accountable to that."
And James Sarubbi, also a 2026 Top 100 ProAdvisor, spoke directly to anyone who thinks their practice is too small to matter:
"Don't assume that you need to be part of a huge firm or have thousands of clients for the work you do to matter. If you have built a practice you are proud of and genuinely care about helping your clients, put yourself out there. Recognition like this is not only good for your business—it is a reminder that the years of hard work you have invested in your profession are worth celebrating."
Your turn
So, is it worth applying? The people who've done it say yes, and not for the reasons you might assume. Yes, it builds credibility. Yes, it can open doors. But just as often, the value comes from stopping long enough to take an honest look at the work you've done and the clients you've helped.
The Top Advisor Awards process has started. If you've been telling yourself you'll apply "when the practice is bigger" or "next year," here's my challenge: don't wait. Take the time to put your work on paper, and put yourself forward.
As Debra said, "sometimes even accountants need a gold star." This might be your year to go after one.