Whether you’re dodging your tax returns or dreaming of reviewing them from a beach, this episode will empower you to take control of your numbers.
Welcome to another edition of the Empowering Entrepreneurs Podcast! In this episode, Glenn Harper and Julie Smith talk about the anxiety-inducing world of tax season. They candidly unpack why taxes are so stressful for many entrepreneurs and highlight the vastly different experiences between those who plan ahead with a tax advisor and those who avoid their numbers until the last minute.
They share key insights on transforming tax-time dread into stress-free confidence and explain why knowledge truly is power when it comes to managing your finances.
Here are their top 3 takeaways to transform your tax season stress into confidence:
Choose an Advisor, Not Just a Preparer: Working with a tax advisor who collaborates year-round ensures you aren’t left guessing in April. An advisor helps you plan ahead and avoid unwanted surprises.
Replace Fear with Curiosity: Taxes don’t have to be terrifying. When you gain knowledge and engage with your tax situation, you shift from anxiety to empowerment. Become a smarter taxpayer by asking questions and seeking to understand your numbers.
Plan Ahead for Predictable Results: Proactive planning means no frantic scrambling or dread. Our clients who plan throughout the year often find themselves enjoying spring break stress-free, knowing their results are exactly as anticipated.
This episode is brought to you by PureTax, LLC. Tax preparation services without the pressure. When all you need is to get your tax return done, take the stress out of tax season by working with a firm that has simplified the process and the pricing. Find out more about how we started.
Running a business doesn’t have to run your life.
Without a business partner who holds you accountable, it’s easy to be so busy ‘doing’ business that you don’t have the right strategy to grow your business.
Stop letting your business run you. At Harper & Co CPA Plus, we know that you want to be empowered to build the lifestyle you envision. In order to do that you need a clear path to follow for success
Glenn Harper, CPA, is the Owner and Managing Partner of Harper & Company CPAs Plus, a top 10 Managing Partner in the country (Accounting Today's 2022 MP Elite). His firm won the 2021 Luca Award for Firm of the Year.
An entrepreneur and speaker, Glenn transformed his firm into an advisory-focused practice, doubling revenue and profit in two years. He teaches entrepreneurs to build financial and operational excellence, speaks nationwide to CPA firm owners about running their businesses like entrepreneurs, and consults with firms across the country. Glenn enjoys golfing, fishing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his family.
Julie Smith, MBA, is a serial entrepreneur in the public accounting space. She is the Founder of EmpowerCPA™, Founder of PureTax, LLC, COO for Harper & Company CPAs Plus, and Co-host of the Empowering Entrepreneurs podcast.
Named CPA.com's 2021 Innovative Practitioner of Year, Julie led Harper & Company's transition to an advisory-focused firm, doubling revenue and profit in two years. She now empowers other CPA firm owners nationwide through consulting and speaking, teaching them how to run their businesses like entrepreneurs. Julie lives in Columbus, OH with her family and enjoys travel, coaching basketball, sporting events, and the occasional shopping spree.
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Brought to you by Harper & Company CPAs Plus
Running a business takes vision, grit… and the right financial partner.
At Harper & Company CPAs Plus, we don’t just crunch numbers—we empower entrepreneurs. From proactive tax strategy and accounting to business advisory services, our team helps you keep more of what you earn and scale with confidence.
Whether you’re launching, growing, or preparing for exit, Harper & Company is in your corner with expert guidance built for business owners like you.
Visit www.harpercpaplus.com to book a complimentary discovery call today - or call us at 614-456-7222.
Hello everyone. Welcome to another edition of the Empowering Entrepreneurs Podcast. I'm Glen Harper.
Julie Smith [:
Julie Smith.
Glenn Harper [:
What's going on, Julie?
Julie Smith [:
Well, you know, here we are in tax season and I hate it. Why? Well, I don't want to know my numbers. I don't want to discuss anything. I don't want, do I owe money? Do I not owe money? What does it look like? Like it is beyond, gives me anxiety.
Glenn Harper [:
Well, sounds like you need a new CPA.
Julie Smith [:
Sounds like it.
Glenn Harper [:
No, it's— tax season does get stressful, and there's two kinds of people out there that it affects. The first kind of person that affects is if you don't plan throughout the year, when tax season comes, it's like, what's going to happen? And it's very stressful because if you owe a bunch, where do you come up with that money to do it? If you get a lot of money back, you're mad because you didn't keep your money all year. So it's a very stressful thing when you don't plan. The other side of— other type of person out there Works all year with their tax advisor and they know exactly what's going to happen. They work with a plan, they do the projections, and when they get to tax season, they're on the beach on spring break. Literally this week we'll be calling people on spring break and they'll say, oh, tax return came out exactly what we planned. We're going to apply this to next year. You're good.
Glenn Harper [:
And they're like, oh, that's awesome. They go back to drinking their Coronas. It's awesome.
Julie Smith [:
I mean, I want to know how I get on that path. Sign me up for that one.
Glenn Harper [:
Well, we got to change careers if we're going to do that. Yeah, that's the hard part.
Julie Smith [:
But I also think that anxiety around those numbers and what it is like, how does one go from drinking the Corona on the beach to, you know, or not opposite way. How does one going from like, I don't want to see it, I don't want to open it, I don't want to know, to drinking the Corona on the beach?
Glenn Harper [:
Well, again, it's you, you want to engage in an advisor, a tax advisor versus a tax preparer, because if you engage an advisor, that's somebody that's by definition is going to work with you and advise you throughout the year to get the best result. You work with just to prepare, you're seeing that person at tax season, there's no advising that's going to happen. It's just whatever it is is what it is. Makes it very, very challenging.
Julie Smith [:
What do you think are the top 3 mistakes you see from people who are maybe like me, who don't want to look, don't want to see, don't want to know? And how do you get them to work through that?
Glenn Harper [:
Well, again, for some reason, taxes for most people are Literally, it's worse than going to the dentist. It's worse than going anywhere. It's like the most stressful thing, but it's only stressful like that for people that don't plan and don't take advantage of things that are available. They look at this, oh my God, it's so horrible and terrible. Oh, if you just speak the language and understand it, if your advisor is telling you this is how you navigate it, oh, well, that's real easy. So you just have to take the fear away from it. And when the fear leaves, now the curiosity comes in, and then you're trying to be a better, a smarter taxpayer versus then just signing your tax return and paying.
Julie Smith [:
Sounds like knowledge is power here.
Glenn Harper [:
Pretty much. It's, uh, the curiosity is the key. If you try to avoid something, you're never going to get the best out of it, versus if you're curious and try to engage in it, you're going to get a better result.
Julie Smith [:
That's great advice again.
Glenn Harper [:
Well, hopefully everybody enjoys that. Another edition of the Empowering Entrepreneurs Podcast. I'm Glen Harper.
