Steven A. Templeton, CPA, CVA
Templeton Advisors Founding Partner
Building a Firm Around Relationships
Ask Steve Templeton what he's learned after more than forty years in public accounting, and he won't begin with tax law, accounting standards, or business valuations.
He'll begin with people.
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
That belief has guided every chapter of his career. Clients expect technical expertise. They assume their advisor knows the rules. What they remember is whether someone took the time to understand their goals, communicate clearly, and stand beside them through difficult decisions.
When Steve founded Templeton in 1990, that became more than a personal philosophy. It became the foundation of the firm itself.
More than three decades later, it's still the standard by which he believes great advisors should measure themselves.
Choosing a Different Path
Before founding Templeton, Steve built his career at national Big Eight accounting firms, gaining experience on increasingly complex engagements. Along the way, he also gained clarity about the kind of advisor and business owner he wanted to become.
While working at a Big Eight firm, Steve realized success looked different to different people. For many, the goal was partnership. For him, it was building a career that offered both meaningful client relationships and the freedom to shape his own future.
"Once you become a partner at a Big Eight firm, your life is not your own," he recalls. "They say, 'Great, you're a partner. Go to Kansas City.' There's only one answer, and it's yes."
Steve respected that career path, but it wasn't the one he wanted. He was looking for the freedom to build a firm his own way, one centered on long-term relationships, practical advice, and the independence to make decisions that put clients first.
Being an Advisor Begins with Understanding the Person
Ask Steve what separates a good advisor from a great one, and the conversation quickly moves beyond accounting.
"The main thing is you've got to serve the client."
To Steve, that means more than delivering accurate work or meeting deadlines. It means understanding what clients are trying to accomplish before recommending a solution. A business valuation isn't simply a report. Tax planning isn't just an annual exercise. An audit isn't the finish line. Each engagement is part of a much longer relationship, one that evolves alongside the client's business, family, and future goals.
One piece of advice Steve often shares with younger professionals is simple: "Speak English."
Technical knowledge matters, but that's rarely what clients remember. They remember the people who can make a complicated issue easy to understand, ask the right questions, and help them feel confident about the decisions they're making.
Over the years, Steve has watched tax engagements grow into succession planning conversations, business valuations become ownership transitions, and first-generation entrepreneurs introduce the next generation to the firm. Those aren't separate projects to him. They're chapters in the same relationship.
Creating a Firm That Could Outlast Its Founder
Like many entrepreneurs, Steve spent the firm's early years doing whatever the business required. "You sell all day, and you work all night," recalls Steve.
It was demanding work, but it also revealed an important lesson. A successful practice couldn't depend on one person's effort forever. If Templeton was going to endure, it needed to become something larger than its founder.
As the company grew, so did Steve's perspective. He learned that growing a business isn't just about putting in more hours. Sometimes it's about stepping back enough to see what the business needs next.
From that point forward, growth wasn't simply about adding clients. It became about building systems, developing people, expanding the firm's capabilities, and creating an organization that would continue serving clients with the same philosophy long after Steve stepped away from leading every engagement himself.
Looking back, it's easy to see that this wasn't simply a business strategy.
It was a continuation of the same relationship-first mindset that inspired the firm's founding. Clients deserved consistency. They deserved advisors who shared the same values. And they deserved a firm designed to serve them not just today, but for decades to come.
The Relationships Are the Legacy
Ask Steve what he's most proud of today, and he won't point to the size of the firm or the number of clients it serves.
He'll talk about the people.
Many of the businesses that trusted Templeton in its early years are still clients today. In many cases, Steve has watched those organizations grow, navigate challenges, transition ownership, and welcome new generations of leadership. Along the way, professional relationships have become personal ones.
"I'd like to think they would consider me a confidant and a friend... somebody who always had their best interests at heart."
For Steve, that's always been the measure of success.
Templeton didn't become relationship-driven as it grew. It was relationship-driven from the day it was founded. The services have expanded. The firm has evolved. New leaders now carry the organization forward. But the philosophy at its core remains the same: relationships built on trust, genuine care, and a commitment to doing what's right for the client.
It's a philosophy that has shaped Templeton for more than three decades, and one that continues to guide the firm today.
Areas of Expertise
- Audit & Accounting Services
- Business Growth Strategies
- Business Valuations
- Tax Planning & Advisory
- Technology Consulting
- Succession Planning
- Strategic Business Advisory
Education & Professional Affiliations
Steve earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida State University and is both a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA).
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts.
His professional and community leadership has included serving as a founding member and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Rinker School of Business at Palm Beach Atlantic University, as well as leadership roles with the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
Books on His Shelf
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
- Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
- True Professionalism: The Courage to Care About Your People, Your Clients, and Your Career by David H. Maister