I'm in a somewhat similar position, trying to find a reliable CPA to jumpstart my self-employment as a systematic position trader of futures options. In my experience, I've found that most CPA's don't have any familiarity with handling the complexities that trading on a professional level demands (especially so with startups), and the ones who advertise heavily on the internet, generally speaking, tend to be the ones to avoid out of common sense (the more time and money spent on marketing, the less priority and the less common courtesy the client can expect to receive and that goes for any business in any industry).
However, that does put one in the same position we are in, namely, being forced to locate a reliable CPA, through cold calling and gossip/referrals of indeterminate value. The silence game that most businesses play, when confronted by something that goes beyond the scope of their expertise, is just about the most infuriating BS one can experience.
My advice is to get a long list of CPA's together (from your state's board of accountancy database), call them all during the same week, and then go back and investigate the local ones who are interested - many people don't consider face to face to be an important aspect of doing business anymore, but when it comes down to it, I like to evaluate people on sight and be close enough to straighten things out in person, if they start playing games.
I've been guilty of putting it off, but hopefully just by posting this, it will give me the push I need to follow through with my own advice. I will try to remember to let you folks know how it plays out over the next several weeks, as spring break is coming up soon and that will give me some free time.
