Stages of Business Growth for Newer Tax Preparers
Written by Kimberly Fowler

As a tax professional, understanding the stages of business growth is crucial. By identifying where you are in the journey, you can focus on the right tasks to move your business forward.

One of the biggest pitfalls tax preparers face is tackling business-building tasks in the wrong order. You may find yourself working hard on something that’s better suited for a later stage—and then wonder why your efforts aren’t paying off.

In this post, I’ll help you understand the four stages of business growth. Once you recognize your current phase, you’ll know exactly what to focus on and what success looks like at each stage.

STAGE #1: Pre-Startup or Pre-Revenue

This phase is when you bring your tax business into existence. As a new business owner, YOU are the business. There are no plans, contractors, or a team yet.

At this stage, you’re overwhelmed. There’s a lot to do, but little reward—meaning you’re not see...

Build a Business... Not Another Job
Written by Kimberly Fowler

Many people dream of working for themselves—being their own boss and having the freedom to take on only the clients and projects they love.

However, there’s a big difference between building a business and being self-employed. Let me break it down for you:

• Business owners scale their income.

• Self-employed people trade dollars for hours.

• Business owners leverage the skills and talents of others.

• Self-employed people rely solely on their own skills.

Feeling discouraged? Don’t be! Every successful business owner started out self-employed. The key is to make sure you don’t stay stuck there. These tips will help you shift from simply running a job to building a scalable, sustainable business.

1. Don’t Try to Do It All Yourself

Building a successful, sustainable business means you need to leverage others’ talents. At first, it may seem like the most cost-effective option to do everything yourself, e...