Professional services lead on efficiency, trail on citability.

Bailey Wells

Accounting, legal, and audit firms post the highest revenue-per-employee in the Index — and the lowest citability. Both facts are related.

The professional services cohort is the most operationally efficient we track. It is also the least visible to AI.

The trade-off

Billable-hour firms optimize for delivery, not for publishing. That produces cash — and invisibility.

Sterling Audit & Advisory treats its research library as a compounding asset, not a marketing cost.

Reported by

Bailey Wells

Co-Host & Associate Editor

Co-hosts and reports from the market desk, turning index data into on-air conversation.