Accounting Taxes & More (The Ugly Side of Entrepreneurship)

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Thank y 'all for tuning in for the second season

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of The Ugly Side of Entrepreneurship. Now, a

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lot of these interviews I did with the business

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owners was conducted over a year ago. So if you

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happen to hear dates and stories that seem a

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little dated, that's the reason why. But the

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actual subject matter is still relevant though.

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They're still doing their thing. and they still

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went through these trials and tribulations and

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had this ugly experience with entrepreneurship.

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Without further to do, here's this particular

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episode. I've been going through a lot of different

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places and intentionally meeting new people bringing

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out new stories and showing you what it took

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for them to get to the level of success that

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they are but also the things you know I'm saying

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that happens leading up to that I don't think

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we get to talk about that a lot so that's what

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we're gonna dive in today I have to my left to

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y 'all's right Miss Ashley Lawson who is the

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proprietor CEO founder of It's resourceful solutions.

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Okay, I was making sure I was gonna get that

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right. Resourceful solutions, which I think in

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essence is more of a taxes, accounting services,

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financial information. You do payroll as well?

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I do. I offer full service accounting. Okay,

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so full service accounting. Okay. And I help

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people start their businesses regardless of what

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industry it is. The solutions part is I really

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want to be a solution for you. I want to be resourceful.

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So even if I don't know the information, I'll

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let you know, hey, give me a couple of days.

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I'll get back with you. Okay, so you're just

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full -scale then. Yes, the thing is... Starting

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in, helping because... I don't need to cut you

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off, but I know that dealing with the accounting

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aspect, dealing with the bookkeeping side of

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business, I don't even think that's talked about

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enough. The back end administration stuff that

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we have to do as business owners in order to

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make proper decisions because we're looking at

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the information, we're looking at the numbers,

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and our decisions need to be data driven. Yes,

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they do. And you see a difference when you have

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a bookkeeper involved in your business, because

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on the day to day, we just look at our bank account

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and say, hey, I got this much money. I could

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spend or I could pay for that. But can you really

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pay for that? Do you really think about your

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bills? Do you really think about what's coming

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up? Talk about cash flow. Exactly. Whether it's

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positive or negative. Exactly. And in the green,

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cash flow positive or cash flow negative is just

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the red. And that's what we don't want, because

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too many red months in a row, you got a business.

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Exactly. So let's dive into, you know, what started

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this? Cause I was looking at, you've been in

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the industry and employed, I guess, within your

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own business for at least what, 10 years now?

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Actually seven. Seven, okay. But I've been in

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multiple industries from Geico, food service,

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that's actually where I started out at. I've

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got 15 years experience with that. Okay. In this

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industry for seven and... Retail, I've done that.

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I've worked for non -profits. So a wealth of

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information and knowledge. Yes When did you decide

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to really like apply that and want to build something

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of yourself? When I was working at Geico, my

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oldest son had a lot of behavior issues to the

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point I was called almost every day, every week,

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so that I lost a lot of time, and eventually

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they had to let me go. So at that point, being

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that he had a couple of disabilities, I was like,

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okay, I need to find something where I can support

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my children, be a mom, but still make an income,

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because, you know, I got to do something. So

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to be honest... My children is what pushed me

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to start my own business. And I was in college

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working on my associate's degree at the time

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as well. I went to Independence University and

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completed my associate's degree in business management

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in the county. Okay. When that happened, it was

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actually tax season. So I started working for,

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who was my first tax company? I want to say,

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I think it was 360. They got me trained and everything.

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Finished that, then I went on to Jackson Hewitt.

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I did an interview with him. You did? Awesome.

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The founder. Wow. Yeah. I haven't released it

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yet, but it's coming. That's amazing. Yeah. It's

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like, I'm sorry, it's a side note. First of all,

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he sent me his book. He sent me three copies

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of his book. I complete. And we were talking

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about how he started the business and how he

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had to compete with H &R Block and all that.

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So it was a fantastic interview. I loved it.

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And then, you know, of course he went on and

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sold it and all that stuff. And now he's working

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with, what is it, loyalty brands, which is more

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than just taxes. He's dived into other industries

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as well. But to hear, like, you know what I'm

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saying, the franchise and model and that he only

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started, I think, with four or six locations

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at a time and then built it up from there. Yes.

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Yeah. Yes. That is amazing. I started out with

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them and then being and learning stuff and seeing

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stuff that It's like when you're working for

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jobs, you realize when people try to keep you

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in one place I've always been that person. Okay,

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if I got into this point, what's gonna take me

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to get to the next level? Yeah, so that's when

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I did the research and got credentials with the

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IRS to start my own tax company Okay, so now

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I'm their competitor. I'm still small but exactly

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but I get it and so was that a natural thing

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for you to jump out there because I've been a

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full -time entrepreneur since 2013, December

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2013. I've been an entrepreneur since 2005. So,

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you know, a lot of, you know, years experience

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and stuff. But I do know that, you know, when

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you first take that plunge to jump out there

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and you know that what you're doing needs to

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bring in revenue so you can pay your bills and

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stuff, it can be a little scary of a process

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and fear. So did you have that initially doing

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that and did you have a support system? I did,

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I was very scared. I guess for me, it was one

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of those things like, I've always worked two

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or three jobs. Okay. So it was like, okay, I

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don't want to take away time for my kids anymore.

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So if I start my own business, I control my own

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hours. I control my revenue. I control everything.

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Well, I don't have to be in that position again.

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It's very scary. And I would say starting out,

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I did have very minimum support because everybody,

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even your closest friends or family, don't believe

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in you. That's to be honest. And they will never

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be your first customers. Your first customer

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will always be a stranger that see potential

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in you, opposed to people that's known you all

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your life. Hey everybody, it's Andreas Bank,

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that radio show. And I have some deals for y

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'all. There are some companies that I've been

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going, researching, looking at the different

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products and services that I want to turn you

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on to. So go to my deals page, check them out.

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Any one of them that you want to interact with,

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want to do some business with, you'll get a promo

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discount as well when you try their product.

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Banked out, B -A -N -K -E -D -O -U -T -T. Slide

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over to that page, check out what I have to offer,

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and let me know. Despite what you are going through,

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despite what you accomplish, it was a stranger.

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And who you are as a person goes a lot further

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in life. And I tell people, even new clients,

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I spent... thousands of dollars in marketing.

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And I did it myself because I didn't know. I

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didn't have a professional like you to call and

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be like, hey, what's the direction to go? I didn't

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know. Yeah. And I didn't see any return on that.

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Yeah. My business grew through word of mouth.

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Yeah, definitely. And I think that's like, okay,

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so your story is, you know, going out there and

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this is what I've gotten so far. um learning

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everything as you go and like it's like you know

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driving a car and building it at the same time

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or flying a plane and building it as you're flying

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it um so at one point did you know things started

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to like you know hit a new stratosphere for you

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was it like you know year one year two year three

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i would say year three i've seen most of my hard

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work kind of pay off okay i i think most of us

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lowball ourselves we do Because we don't believe

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okay. I'll start this business, but can I really

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be to that next level? Can I really be the next

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H &R block? Can I really be you know? The next

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blockbuster and then a lot of times we give up

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on ourselves too quickly and we'd be like, okay

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Let me purchase your franchise and I could say

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that because I was actually looking into buying

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a Liberty Tech franchise Instead of just pushing

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my own company. Yeah, I want to give up but I

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did the interview, they never even called me

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back. So I was like, okay, well, let me sit with

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what I got. And just keep pushing and praying.

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And that's the biggest thing. I didn't pray enough

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for myself, I didn't pray enough for my business.

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And I just tried to make sure I treat people

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right. Whatever I do, if there's a mix up or

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disagreement, I make it right. Regardless who

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wrong or right. My biggest thing is I want my

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people to be happy because they won bad review.

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Don't tell 10, 20 other folks and that would

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destroy me. Yeah, and that's the thing. So I

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have these... I can do a lot of different stuff

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to you. I'm just thinking in my head. I have

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these different platforms that I'm doing things

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with, right? Well, not platforms, but producing

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six different shows right now currently, right?

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And another show I'm producing is called Honest

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Conversations. And in that we have honest conversations.

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And I say all the time and I post on social media

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that, you know, it's okay for people to post

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things on social media about a business, but

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make sure that, you know, you're doing it from

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the standpoint of, you know, you're going through

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the processes and all that. Because like you

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said, one bad review to a small business can

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destroy that business and opportunity loss is

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a real financial thing. Just like how when I've

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seen businesses post hours, but not be there

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at those hours. Right. And I've walked right

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past them and I'm like, I was going to shop and

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put some bread in there, you know what I'm saying?

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Business and get whatever I'm paying for, but

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you're not there. So I have to go and find someone

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else. I think that we think about things like

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that. And I want people to realize the power

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in the consumer is very high, especially when

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it comes to small businesses. So to be mindful

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of what you post. Because there's nothing wrong

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with expressing how you interacted with a business.

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But make sure you're not holding them to the

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highest standard possible if they don't have

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the highest resources possible, right? That's

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true. You can't sit there and go in and be like,

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well, you know, and think that they're going

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to be like an H &R Black because you don't have

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all the resources an H &R Black has. And I think,

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you know, that's what I've been battling with

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here recently in trying to get people to understand.

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Small businesses are small for a reason. They

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have limited resources. And they can't provide

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all the convenience and comfortability that a

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big box retailer can or a big chain or whatever

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the case may be can. Now they can, if you keep

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supporting them, they can get to that level.

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But we can't go in with the same mindset. Now

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basic things like, you know, customer service

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you can control regardless of resources. Deliverance

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of, you know what I'm saying, the service you

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can control, all that. But there's other factors

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that you can't control because you don't necessarily

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have the resources or the manpower to be able

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to handle those things. Right. Right. So what

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were some of your initial challenges then? Because

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the longer you stay in business, the more challenges

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you have, right? Of course. So what are your

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challenges that you're hitting at year three,

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four, you know, and what do you have to go through

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to get to those other levels? Because I'm like,

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it's multi -leveled. Yes, the biggest challenge

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for me I would say marketing was my number one

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challenge. Because there's so much you have to

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learn. There's really a whole nother set of education.

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It is. I got a whole degree in it. That's what

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I'm saying. Like, I didn't have nobody. I did.

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I get it though. So it took a lot because...

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With social media, especially to what it is today,

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you have to have the right word, the right look.

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Everything has to catch the eye. And if you don't

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know, you don't know what the right thing is,

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you will mess yourself up. And then it comes

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to the time where I'm posting multiple ads or

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different types of content to see what's gonna

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hit. And you know what? I'ma share this with

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you. Say y 'all I don't came up with this strategy.

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I got finesse social media. This is what you

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mean I said if I post my business a I don't get

00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:32.679
that many hits On my personal page, but if I

00:13:32.679 --> 00:13:35.720
post a picture of me Nothing business related

00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:38.460
or my family. Oh, I get all kind of lights and

00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:40.620
stuff and then everything else to start flowing

00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:43.620
through I was like don't make no sense. I'll

00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:45.960
tell you why it does make sense though, right?

00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:51.460
so We touched this a little bit off camera, but

00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:54.820
marketing has changed and what marketing is,

00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:57.639
is the connection. Taking your message, and this

00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.399
is me paraphrasing it to the simplest thing.

00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.460
It's way more complex than what I'm saying, but

00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:08.539
it's basically having that connection. Hitting

00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:10.559
the right consumer at the right time, through

00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:13.639
the right form and medium. And it's that connection.

00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:17.539
And it's not the same as if you build it, they

00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:19.879
will come type mentality anymore. That's gone

00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:21.559
out the window. That's been dead for 30 something

00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:27.039
years. Yes. Plus more. So now with small businesses,

00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.980
it's about how can I relate to this person? And

00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:33.620
by relating to this person, I'm going to support.

00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:36.539
And the way I'm supporting is by going to their

00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:39.019
person's business. So now it's a transference

00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:42.279
of connection. And if you can connect with your

00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:48.159
audience. They'll support. People like who they

00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.659
like. And people will support who they support

00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:54.159
based off of who they like. And that's all that

00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.840
is. And if you can do that in a successful manner,

00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.440
then you get to build. And when you get to a

00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:02.980
certain threshold, you can pull it back away.

00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.460
You don't have to do it anymore because now you're

00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:08.399
at the level of where you're looking at nationwide

00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:10.600
campaigns and stuff like that and appealing to

00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:12.970
them, but you've gotten all that data. from all

00:15:12.970 --> 00:15:15.669
those other people before that, you know, we

00:15:15.669 --> 00:15:18.070
do fit inside of certain boxes or whatever. I'm

00:15:18.070 --> 00:15:20.129
not saying that we fit in all the boxes together,

00:15:20.529 --> 00:15:22.909
but there's certain things that we do as consumers

00:15:22.909 --> 00:15:25.730
that other consumers like us do the same things.

00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:28.470
So that's when the whole targeting of the marketing

00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:31.090
aspect comes in and being able to drill in and

00:15:31.090 --> 00:15:34.470
find those homogeneous groups of people from

00:15:34.470 --> 00:15:36.230
a marketing standpoint because we all fit in

00:15:36.230 --> 00:15:40.970
the same demographics. Right. So, yeah. You're

00:15:40.970 --> 00:15:43.309
so right. You know, that's why I've been trying

00:15:43.309 --> 00:15:45.590
to get people to understand and you know, like

00:15:45.590 --> 00:15:47.370
you say, spend thousands of dollars or whatever,

00:15:47.490 --> 00:15:49.190
which is fine spending thousands of dollars,

00:15:49.409 --> 00:15:51.789
but spend them in the right way. Exactly. And

00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:53.450
I've been working with like, you know, a few

00:15:53.450 --> 00:15:55.389
clients now where they're starting, they're getting

00:15:55.389 --> 00:15:57.090
those results and they're loving it. Now it took

00:15:57.090 --> 00:15:59.330
like four or five months for them to understand

00:15:59.330 --> 00:16:02.789
the process. Yes. And I tell them like, look.

00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.340
When I work with people from a marketing standpoint,

00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:08.179
especially small businesses, especially mine

00:16:08.179 --> 00:16:10.519
is even more niche, I love working with our community.

00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:12.940
Because well, we don't necessarily think about

00:16:12.940 --> 00:16:16.259
marketing when we start a business. And we're

00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:18.980
already behind the wheel of the industry, the

00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:22.019
behind the eight ball. So in order for us to

00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:25.539
really compete at that level to where you're

00:16:25.539 --> 00:16:30.139
taking a let's say 40, 50, $60 ,000 job that

00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:32.179
you had and now you're having to replace that.

00:16:32.429 --> 00:16:34.370
Well, you got to think about how many clients

00:16:34.370 --> 00:16:36.490
is there because of what price point are they

00:16:36.490 --> 00:16:39.610
paying you? Exactly. Uh -huh. So even if, let's

00:16:39.610 --> 00:16:41.389
just say... And you're dead on it because for

00:16:41.389 --> 00:16:44.549
years, I'm still working a W -2 job because it's

00:16:44.549 --> 00:16:47.529
hard. It is. You still have to support the business.

00:16:47.649 --> 00:16:50.909
You have to support your personal. And with the

00:16:50.909 --> 00:16:53.990
tax industry, a lot of people, you know, take

00:16:53.990 --> 00:16:55.509
the fees out the refund. Well, guess what? I

00:16:55.509 --> 00:16:57.429
don't get paid, so you get paid. So in the meantime,

00:16:57.870 --> 00:17:00.210
I have to work even harder just to keep stuff

00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:02.559
afloat. But it's okay. I mean, it's part of the

00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.160
life. It's something we have to do. And there

00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.420
are a lot of business owners that work W -2 jobs.

00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:08.000
They don't mean their business not successful.

00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:10.460
It's nothing less. It's just people don't understand

00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:14.420
the full grasp of the sacrifices. Exactly. And

00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:16.839
I've seen it now because I'm working with a tax

00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:19.119
professional and I see the back end because I'm

00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.400
there so much. And I get to see how, like you

00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:22.599
said, you're taking the fees out or whatever.

00:17:22.700 --> 00:17:25.720
So you're basically floating. the business through

00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:28.799
other means to be able to stay there to come

00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.299
by all these people come through and you and

00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:34.240
first of all if y 'all don't first of all i just

00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.400
want to say this people when y 'all file taxes

00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:39.640
the tax preparer does a lot of work on their

00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.440
back end that y 'all not even seeing and i'm

00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.460
actually uh going to like put that information

00:17:44.460 --> 00:17:47.420
out there in a video format so y 'all can see

00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:51.319
A return can take four, five, six hours, depending

00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:53.519
on how complicated it is, and they're trying

00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.359
to maximize your refund, and they're needing

00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.240
all this information from you. So, individuals,

00:17:59.579 --> 00:18:01.640
y 'all gotta get y 'all a record trade. Y 'all

00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:03.759
gotta make it easier so they can just go through

00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:07.259
that process, because... Let's say an average

00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:08.059
return takes four hours. I'm going through that

00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:10.740
now because a lot of businesses, I've had like

00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:12.839
three businesses come to me, they don't have

00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.180
a regular bookkeeping plan and I always recommend

00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:17.880
it because I tell them, I said, look, if you

00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:19.200
have your bookkeeping plan for me throughout

00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.200
the year, you don't have to pay anything for

00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:24.710
taxes. That's a win -win. Because I have your

00:18:24.710 --> 00:18:27.410
records already organized. So the only thing

00:18:27.410 --> 00:18:30.250
you have to give me is like a W -2 or 1098 if

00:18:30.250 --> 00:18:33.289
you got your additional documents. Because I

00:18:33.289 --> 00:18:35.410
have to take time to analyze your bank statements

00:18:35.410 --> 00:18:38.630
and see what's the write -off? What is what?

00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:41.690
Explain this transaction. Because if you get

00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:46.230
an audit, I got to cover both of us to make sure

00:18:46.230 --> 00:18:48.430
we're both in compliance. We're both legit. I

00:18:48.430 --> 00:18:51.109
did do the due diligence to make sure that what

00:18:51.109 --> 00:18:54.420
you're telling me adds up. So, and I'm sure you

00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:57.700
face this too, right? You sound very ethical

00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:00.339
with your business, right? Yes. There's a lot

00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:03.799
of non -ethical people in the tax preparing space.

00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:06.660
And that fuel tax credit that they were doing

00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:11.480
last year, it didn't even apply to them. It applied

00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:16.279
to, what is it, off -vehicle, off -road vehicles.

00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.480
Yes. So farmers and tractor -trailers and stuff

00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:21.980
like that or whatever. and there are so many

00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.960
people now that are red flagged and they're on

00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:26.500
the IRS system and they don't even understand

00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:29.079
you get on up there you're not coming off yeah

00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.160
i'm saying for a good little minute it might

00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:33.000
take you 10 years to get off that list so you

00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:36.019
make it out of every year uh -huh and then y

00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:41.140
'all get dinged for every uh piece of uh uh correspondence

00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:44.960
that's not in the file um it's like 50 dollar

00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:47.079
fines and stuff for every single document that's

00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:49.640
missing i'm like man that stuff can add up so

00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:54.130
yes I'm sure you experienced that in your day,

00:19:54.309 --> 00:19:56.369
so does that make the industry harder for you?

00:19:57.509 --> 00:19:58.950
Because other people will be like, well, we can

00:19:58.950 --> 00:20:01.849
get you back, you know, $12 ,000, $15 ,000, $20

00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:04.869
,000, which is what you're not supposed to be

00:20:04.869 --> 00:20:09.289
getting back. It does. And I actually had a couple

00:20:09.289 --> 00:20:11.529
of calls even from fellow other tax companies

00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:13.670
because we, I mean, yeah, we're competitors,

00:20:13.750 --> 00:20:17.089
but we still have a relationship. And they asked

00:20:17.089 --> 00:20:18.710
me, it's like, how you doing this tax season?

00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:22.329
I said, probably the same way you doing, a lot

00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:26.130
of pop -up tax companies coming up. But people,

00:20:26.910 --> 00:20:29.710
they're always gonna chase the dollar. Greed

00:20:29.710 --> 00:20:33.509
is always gonna win. And I have seen so many

00:20:33.509 --> 00:20:36.309
tax ads from people showing themselves half naked,

00:20:36.490 --> 00:20:39.950
just to get attention. I've seen people guaranteeing

00:20:39.950 --> 00:20:42.549
refunds if you actually took a tax course or

00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:43.769
actually know - You can't even guarantee a refund.

00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:46.089
You cannot. You cannot. You're not allowed to.

00:20:46.690 --> 00:20:50.289
You cannot. That's false advertising. Yes. And

00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:51.690
then that's where you get into the marketing.

00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:55.069
I tell people there's marketing laws too. There's

00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:56.910
federal regulations where you can only do certain

00:20:56.910 --> 00:20:59.170
things with marketing and you can't false represent

00:20:59.170 --> 00:21:02.859
because you can be sued. um because you're uh

00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:04.599
pulling you know i'm saying the wool over the

00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:06.420
people's eyes and stuff like that and presenting

00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:10.079
something that's not actually there so yeah yeah

00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:13.099
you cannot guarantee a refund whatsoever yes

00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:16.680
and i tell people not speaking on other not trying

00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:18.420
to speak negatively but you have to be careful

00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:20.359
when you're going to places like h and i block

00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:24.359
freedom tax or liberty it's the reason why you

00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:27.000
see different people every season they're hiring

00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:30.220
new unexperienced, prepared, and all they're

00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:32.759
teaching them is the current tax law for that

00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:35.920
year. They don't know how to write off a schedule,

00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:39.940
see what you can write off. They don't know how

00:21:39.940 --> 00:21:43.500
to put your rental income on a different schedule

00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:45.559
versus, you know, they don't know all of that

00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:47.519
because they're not seasoned, they're not educated,

00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:50.400
they just get the basic knowledge. So you have

00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:52.380
to be careful in everything that you do. And

00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:57.579
another thing we are bad at, reading the documentation.

00:22:00.739 --> 00:22:03.059
I haven't personally experienced, but I tell

00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:05.519
people, they be like, my taxpayer charged me

00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:07.299
this and then the bank took, did you read the

00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:12.299
contract? No, they just told me to sign. That's

00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:16.180
not okay. Because when it comes down to the IRS,

00:22:17.420 --> 00:22:20.440
you signed your paper on that line. It's saying

00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:22.980
that I read it, I agree to it, and that's it.

00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:25.220
And another thing I experienced last year, a

00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:28.410
lady came to me and... she wanted an amendment

00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:31.529
done. I don't mind doing an amendment, but I

00:22:31.529 --> 00:22:34.250
looked at her tax preparation papers, and when

00:22:34.250 --> 00:22:40.809
I seen Free Tax USA, I already knew then. I said,

00:22:40.990 --> 00:22:43.589
okay. I said, the person that you went to, how

00:22:43.589 --> 00:22:44.990
long you been there? I've been going there for

00:22:44.990 --> 00:22:47.109
years. I said, you pay up front? She said, yeah.

00:22:47.109 --> 00:22:50.930
I said, okay. So she said, why you ask me that?

00:22:51.190 --> 00:22:53.809
I said, you see this? Free Tax USA, it's like

00:22:53.809 --> 00:22:56.900
another TurboTax. I said, you see this? It says

00:22:56.900 --> 00:23:01.339
self -prepared. That means you did it. Her credentials

00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:04.420
are not on there. Exactly. So when Iris, Ada

00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:05.940
said and Luke said, they're gonna come back to

00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:09.599
the actual individual. Yep, that's you. And she

00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:11.539
was like, she got a storefront in everything

00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:15.859
I said. She's storefront food you. I'm telling

00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:19.440
you, it's like so much stuff is going on in the

00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:21.400
industry that is crazy and it's hard for like,

00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:23.920
you know, people to... really cut through and

00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:25.700
then like you know like you said amendments and

00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:27.400
all that that's pay profile and you got to send

00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:30.579
those in with the evidence of the change exactly

00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:34.339
and you can't get paid out of back end for amendment

00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:36.200
you got to get paid upfront for that but then

00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:38.119
the person is mad or whatever because they have

00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:40.920
to fix the situation but it's going into like

00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:44.420
and i've had i've seen and heard horror stories

00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:46.400
of people not even getting their returns or they're

00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.339
getting a return to getting two pages no no no

00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:51.319
no no a return is way more than two pages it

00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:54.240
is it has every worksheet on there in this document

00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:57.140
of what that worksheet is and uh you know how

00:23:57.140 --> 00:24:01.220
it applies to your taxes and i'm like i'm like

00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:03.539
you think it's supposed to be 50 to 70 80 pages

00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:06.359
depending on how massive it is i'm like i think

00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:09.980
a general electric one time filed a text If they

00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:11.839
got two pages, all they gave them was the $10

00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:16.119
.40. Exactly. And I'm like, general election

00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:18.279
file tax ended up being like 10 ,000 pages or

00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:20.200
whatever. So I'm like, you know, you can just

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:21.900
imagine, you know what I'm saying, that's a massive

00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:25.039
corporation. Yes. Even individuals, I'm like,

00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:27.099
it's a lot of work and a lot of due diligence.

00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:29.059
That's why you have to be very selective with

00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:32.140
who you use to prepare your taxes. You have to

00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:34.259
go with people who are experienced. I'm not saying

00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:36.880
that new people can't make a name for themselves,

00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:42.970
but... you can just tell and I've already heard

00:24:42.970 --> 00:24:46.009
with like other franchise corporations have been

00:24:46.009 --> 00:24:47.809
saying to people that you can't do this and you

00:24:47.809 --> 00:24:49.509
can't do that which is a lie because they're

00:24:49.509 --> 00:24:53.509
just not trained like you said and you're talking

00:24:53.509 --> 00:24:56.130
about schedule C I'm like they don't even know

00:24:56.130 --> 00:25:01.490
about the schedule K or the 1020s they don't

00:25:01.490 --> 00:25:07.299
know about any of that and another thing with

00:25:07.299 --> 00:25:09.539
a young lady this morning, because she asked

00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:11.039
me, she said, Ashley, you're a business loan

00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:14.099
broker and you do credit. I said, yeah. She said,

00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:15.960
why don't you post that? I said, because for

00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:19.599
one, to be honest, a lot of people that need

00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.259
those assistance do not have their business in

00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:25.220
full compliance. They don't have a business bank

00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:30.720
account. They'll have an LLC but no actual operational

00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.579
license for the city and time that they stay

00:25:32.579 --> 00:25:35.319
in. So you're supposed to have that too. Right.

00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.900
You get a commercial space, you're supposed to

00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:39.460
have it. And a lot of people don't even put it

00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:44.019
on the taxes. I said, so I don't push it because

00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:47.359
a lot of people are not eligible for it. Because

00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.779
I don't have a proper documentation and it don't

00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:50.160
ever take much. I'm going to go to the city and

00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.460
plan it or whatever and you know what I'm saying,

00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:53.240
pay that fee or whatever and then go down to

00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:54.799
the county clerk's office or whatever, pay that

00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:56.829
fee. the rest of your business, and you know,

00:25:56.910 --> 00:25:59.890
pay it every year. And then when they come around

00:25:59.890 --> 00:26:02.670
and do that tax, I mean, the audit for the actual

00:26:02.670 --> 00:26:04.890
equipment and all that stuff, I hate that taxes.

00:26:05.349 --> 00:26:07.690
I'm sorry, so. Minds on the way, I ain't got

00:26:07.690 --> 00:26:10.450
it yet. I'm telling you, like, I don't know if

00:26:10.450 --> 00:26:12.490
you've had a business where, or been in a business

00:26:12.490 --> 00:26:14.849
where you had to run multiple locations, multiple

00:26:14.849 --> 00:26:17.269
municipalities, and had to pay all those fees

00:26:17.269 --> 00:26:19.349
and stuff in the beginning of the year from January

00:26:19.349 --> 00:26:23.410
to... March, we just, or technically April, whatever.

00:26:24.069 --> 00:26:28.509
But we don't like any of that stuff. But it's

00:26:28.509 --> 00:26:30.750
a part of doing business. And I think that's

00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:32.450
stuff that people don't hear about, those are

00:26:32.450 --> 00:26:34.730
stories that people don't realize. There's a

00:26:34.730 --> 00:26:39.460
lot of back end to running the business. People

00:26:39.460 --> 00:26:41.900
see the front end stuff and see the success and

00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:44.140
the polished version of everything which I don't

00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:47.519
understand everything that goes into it. Yes

00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:49.700
So I know we've been you know harbored on a lot

00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:51.460
of the ugly side and things of that nature But

00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:53.819
I do want you to let people know what have been

00:26:53.819 --> 00:26:56.180
some positives and you know What have been some

00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:59.259
milestones you've been to accomplish? My biggest

00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:02.119
milestone is seeing the difference that I'm making

00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:06.380
people lives There are some people that are terrified

00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:09.690
terrified of situation they're going through.

00:27:09.809 --> 00:27:12.029
So if I can help you and make your life easier,

00:27:12.450 --> 00:27:15.250
that makes me happy. It's not just about let

00:27:15.250 --> 00:27:17.990
me get rich and be the next multi -millionaire.

00:27:17.990 --> 00:27:20.109
I want to make an impact on somebody's life.

00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:24.490
And although this is finance, I do have a nonprofit.

00:27:24.650 --> 00:27:26.750
I don't even have time to put my hands on because

00:27:26.750 --> 00:27:29.230
I'm not able to walk away from this yet. But

00:27:29.230 --> 00:27:32.710
my long -term goal is to one, one of Robin's...

00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:35.160
don't have enough resources at all. As far as

00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:37.279
transportation, as far as homeless shelters,

00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:40.519
I actually wanna buy some land and if I could

00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.880
build many houses, I wanna do that. I wanna help

00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:45.059
the veterans outside of the street. People are

00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:47.319
getting arrested for being homeless because they're

00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:50.339
panhandling. Instead of us having a solution

00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:52.480
to help these people, they're being arrested.

00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:56.480
That's the problem. So. Even though it's just

00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:58.839
me, that's my long -term goal. I want to get

00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:00.660
back to this community. I want to help people

00:28:00.660 --> 00:28:03.680
grow. I want to network with other entities so

00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:06.500
we can make a change. Because the city could

00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:08.700
be a better place, but if they don't have the

00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:10.660
resources to help them, or we don't have second

00:28:10.660 --> 00:28:12.359
chance programs for people that's getting out

00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:15.380
of prison, and we can't help them get free education,

00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:19.640
or just get them back on good standing, get them

00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:22.380
back on their feet, then what are we doing? No,

00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.269
I definitely agree with all that. um we do need

00:28:26.269 --> 00:28:29.390
better systems in place from the municipality

00:28:29.390 --> 00:28:31.670
and the private sector working in conjunction

00:28:31.670 --> 00:28:35.309
with one another um but you know when you get

00:28:35.309 --> 00:28:37.289
into politics and all that stuff yeah whatever

00:28:37.289 --> 00:28:39.630
i'm like it starts to get murky and people have

00:28:39.630 --> 00:28:41.549
their own agendas and all that stuff and i'm

00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:44.400
like i just hate all that red tape or whatever

00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:47.680
because I've seen other countries outside United

00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:51.039
States and They have better health care systems.

00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:53.579
They have better educational systems and we have

00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:59.460
the most money as far as GDP Gross domestic product

00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:02.660
Than any other country and the only other country

00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:05.720
that even can hold a flicker to what we do is

00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:08.660
Japan They have the second and China's getting

00:29:08.660 --> 00:29:12.230
up there, too But we're 16 to 18 trillion. The

00:29:12.230 --> 00:29:16.450
next one is around 4 trillion. We're still four

00:29:16.450 --> 00:29:20.109
to five times bigger. But yet we have some of

00:29:20.109 --> 00:29:23.210
these sorriest systems here in the United States

00:29:23.210 --> 00:29:27.309
and in cities. So I definitely agree with that.

00:29:28.210 --> 00:29:30.730
And there should be push for that. And I'm glad

00:29:30.730 --> 00:29:33.809
that, you know what I'm saying, that's another

00:29:33.809 --> 00:29:36.630
objective and something that burns passionately

00:29:36.630 --> 00:29:38.890
within you that you want to go out and help.

00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:41.960
and I do want to do what I can and punch in the

00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:43.859
right direction and collaborate or whatever the

00:29:43.859 --> 00:29:48.779
case I can do to help with those. As far as all

00:29:48.779 --> 00:29:51.579
the different services that you offer within

00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:55.339
your business, just run through them real quick

00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:57.240
and like you know whether you know I'm saying

00:29:57.240 --> 00:30:00.089
the primary benefits to the people. One of your

00:30:00.089 --> 00:30:02.470
benefits is definitely education and having the

00:30:02.470 --> 00:30:04.710
resources and making sure that you're in compliance

00:30:04.710 --> 00:30:07.890
on the federal and the state level. I don't play

00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:11.789
about that whatsoever because I can't be governing

00:30:11.789 --> 00:30:14.750
your company and then you're not following the

00:30:14.750 --> 00:30:17.609
law. I let companies know, hey, when you come

00:30:17.609 --> 00:30:19.950
here, we're going to do stuff by the book because

00:30:19.950 --> 00:30:24.410
the thing is you can go to any other tax company,

00:30:24.589 --> 00:30:27.400
any other accountant. But what you fail to realize,

00:30:27.539 --> 00:30:29.680
the responsibility is on the both of us. The

00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.160
IRS can knock on my door, hey, Ms. Lawson, I

00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:34.819
wanna see your files. I wanna see what's your

00:30:34.819 --> 00:30:37.480
notes that you're advising this client. I wanna

00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.400
see how you've been managing this client. How

00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:44.259
are you writing off their stuff? It's accountability

00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:46.440
on both parts and a lot of people don't think

00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:49.079
about that or they don't know that we can lose

00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:51.420
our credentials. I have to be fingerprinted by

00:30:51.420 --> 00:30:54.809
the federal. They could take it and once they

00:30:54.809 --> 00:30:57.630
take it away, you ain't gonna get it back You're

00:30:57.630 --> 00:30:59.789
not gonna get it back. So that's not something

00:30:59.789 --> 00:31:01.490
I'm trying to lose And I want to make sure that

00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:03.670
I do the best of my ability and I also keep notes

00:31:03.670 --> 00:31:06.450
Hey, I warned you about such and such, you know

00:31:06.450 --> 00:31:09.190
If you're not gonna be in compliance I have to

00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:10.730
release you as a client because that's not a

00:31:10.730 --> 00:31:12.930
risk I'm willing to take especially if we are

00:31:12.930 --> 00:31:17.029
so stubborn or Just want to have stuff our own

00:31:17.029 --> 00:31:19.009
way that's not gonna work because when you really

00:31:19.009 --> 00:31:21.289
need it You're not gonna have it. Like I said

00:31:21.289 --> 00:31:23.589
when it comes to these banks when you want business

00:31:23.589 --> 00:31:26.549
loans, when you want grants. They do their homework.

00:31:27.269 --> 00:31:28.690
They're looking for a website. They're looking

00:31:28.690 --> 00:31:31.829
for your business registration. And especially

00:31:31.829 --> 00:31:33.890
government grants. They won't see your financials

00:31:33.890 --> 00:31:37.410
from a CPA, any type of accounting firm. They

00:31:37.410 --> 00:31:41.190
check all of that. So if you don't have all this

00:31:41.190 --> 00:31:46.750
stuff in line at first, what are you doing? I'm

00:31:46.750 --> 00:31:49.069
helping you in more than one way to make sure

00:31:49.069 --> 00:31:51.049
you stay in compliance. So when you want these

00:31:51.049 --> 00:31:52.809
opportunities and I know what they're looking

00:31:52.809 --> 00:31:55.990
for, you already got it. Exactly. And you're

00:31:55.990 --> 00:31:57.890
not creating an additional roadblock that you

00:31:57.890 --> 00:32:01.690
have to go through because it's already hard

00:32:01.690 --> 00:32:04.349
to compete. It's already hard to go out here

00:32:04.349 --> 00:32:10.230
and put energy and resources and money into stuff

00:32:10.230 --> 00:32:13.549
just to try to get something knowing that there's

00:32:13.549 --> 00:32:16.640
a chance of you not getting that. if you're bidding

00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:19.279
on jobs and things of that nature. So the bare

00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:22.400
minimum is the industry standard. Yes. And I

00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:26.700
also share education. I cross network. If I got

00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:28.660
a construction client, I got somebody that needs

00:32:28.660 --> 00:32:31.700
work, hey, contact this person. I know this person.

00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:34.819
I work with them already. There you go. So I

00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:37.680
cross network people. And even for myself, I

00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:39.619
go out there and introduce myself. Hey, how you

00:32:39.619 --> 00:32:41.259
doing? We may be doing the same thing, but maybe

00:32:41.259 --> 00:32:45.519
we can help each other. We just never know. I

00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:49.940
just try to be as resourceful and impactful as

00:32:49.940 --> 00:32:53.440
I can. I love it. I love the words that you choose

00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:56.200
to resourceful and impactful because that means

00:32:56.200 --> 00:32:59.099
that tells me a lot about yourself as an individual

00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:02.500
and where you're going and where you sit compared

00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:05.339
to everybody else but let everybody know how

00:33:05.339 --> 00:33:07.619
can they reach out if they want to inquire they

00:33:07.619 --> 00:33:10.059
need some knowledge they want to use you for

00:33:10.059 --> 00:33:11.819
services things of nature where they need to

00:33:11.819 --> 00:33:16.549
go to. Good question. I got so much you can look

00:33:16.549 --> 00:33:19.269
me up on Google Ashley Lawson of Warner Robbins

00:33:19.269 --> 00:33:21.990
My company name is resources solutions. You may

00:33:21.990 --> 00:33:24.089
also see with resourceful investments, which

00:33:24.089 --> 00:33:27.049
was my first business name I'm also on Facebook

00:33:27.049 --> 00:33:29.970
as Ashley Lawson. I also have resources solutions

00:33:29.970 --> 00:33:34.670
on Facebook as well as Instagram and Ashley Lawson

00:33:34.670 --> 00:33:38.799
seven it tick -tock Thank you for your time.

00:33:38.940 --> 00:33:41.960
Thank you for sharing your story because we need

00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:44.259
things like that out there and people need to

00:33:44.259 --> 00:33:46.180
understand that one, it takes a lot to get where

00:33:46.180 --> 00:33:51.480
you are. But if people pour into the correct

00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:54.660
ones, then you can be way more impactful and

00:33:54.660 --> 00:33:57.259
have the change that you wish to see within the

00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.759
community. So y 'all make sure y 'all go and

00:33:58.759 --> 00:34:01.329
y 'all support. Keep tuning in to the ugly side

00:34:01.329 --> 00:34:03.750
of entrepreneurship. If y 'all have any businesses

00:34:03.750 --> 00:34:06.170
y 'all want to highlight and then send them my

00:34:06.170 --> 00:34:07.950
way so I can sit down with them and talk to the

00:34:07.950 --> 00:34:11.090
business owners, email me bank .radioshow .gmail

00:34:11.090 --> 00:34:16.090
.com and stay abreast with all the different

00:34:16.090 --> 00:34:18.829
social media handles, bank .radioshow, across

00:34:18.829 --> 00:34:19.369
the board.