This list of things you need to have to achieve entrepreneurial excellence comes from Tom Peters, and sitting at No. 3 is "Good accountant / Wise-man (-woman) / 50-50 partner."

Of course, we would substitute "CPA" for "accountant" in that equation. 

While we are on that subject, recent research shows that both investors and BDMs (that's business decision makers or C-level executives) rank CPAs three to nine times higher than unlicensed accountants. CPAs are the most trusted advisors to businesses and individuals.

Here is the full list from Tom's post, "My Heart (and Body) Are in San Francisco, God's Gift to City-Hood."

1. "Insane" passion for and commitment to the idea.
2. Can explain the idea in simple English and excite others about its uniqueness in one minute (or less).
3. Good accountant / "Wise-man (-woman)" / 50-50 partner.
4. Devotee of the experimental method ("Try it. Now.") / Master of "Plan B" / Relentless / Resilient.
5. Patience in Hhring / "Great place to work" from the get-go.
6. "d"iversity / M-F balance.
7. Exude decency-character-integrity.
8. Playfulness / Fun.
9. Sweat the details (Execution = Strategy).
10. Excellence. Period.

Check out his post out for his PowerPoint slide deck -- great stuff!