From November 1 to 3, tax and accounting professionals from across Maryland gathered at the Hershey Lodge for the 2026 Build Your Better Practice Conference (BBCC). For three days, attendees stepped away from their desks to focus on the business of running a practice: how to serve clients well, protect their time, and grow on their own terms.

What made this year special was the mix. Attendees came for the education and stayed for the people. Between sessions, over meals, and late into the evening, the conversations kept going. Many said it felt less like a conference and more like a room full of colleagues who finally had time to talk.

Connections that last beyond the weekend

Running a solo or small firm can be isolating. BBCC gave attendees the chance to meet practitioners who understand that reality firsthand. CPAs, Enrolled Agents, tax preparers, and bookkeepers swapped business cards, compared notes on busy season, and made plans to stay in touch.

Those relationships matter. The colleague you met at breakfast could become your next referral partner, your sounding board on a tricky client situation, or the person who covers for you when you finally take a vacation.

Real talk, peer to peer

BBCC was built around conversation, not just presentation. After key sessions, attendees broke into discussion groups to dig into what they had just heard and apply it to their own practices.

The result was candid, practical exchange. People shared what has worked for them, what hasn’t, and what they wish they had known sooner. Often, the most valuable takeaway came from the person sitting at the next table, not the front of the room.

Learning from people who have been there

Our speakers brought hard-won experience from their own practices, and it showed. A few highlights:

• “Stop Babysitting Your Clients” tackled how to set boundaries and expectations so clients take ownership of their part of the process. The follow-up discussion group, “The Concierge Is Closed,” kept the conversation going.
• “Always On, Always Waiting” addressed the pressure to be constantly available and how to build a practice that respects your time.
• The Client Portal panel brought together seasoned practitioners to share how they use portals to streamline document collection, communication, and the client experience.

Each session left attendees with ideas they could put to work in their own firms the following Monday.

Having fun while doing it

Who says professional development has to be all business? Hershey set the perfect backdrop for a weekend that balanced learning with laughter. Attendees enjoyed great food, relaxed evenings together, and the kind of easy camaraderie that only comes when people let their guard down.

That sense of fun is part of the point. When professionals recharge, they return to their clients with fresh energy, and the friendships formed in a relaxed setting tend to last.

See you at Rocky Gap in 2027

Thank you to every attendee, speaker, panelist, and volunteer who made this year’s conference a success. We are already planning next year.

The next Build Your Better Practice Conference will be held November 7–9, 2027, at Rocky Gap in Flintstone, Maryland.

Whether you joined us in Hershey or missed it this time, we hope to see you in the mountains next fall.