This one may not be as stupid as it is a mistake or sometimes a different view of value. But sometimes it is just stupid. Now, this is a process. Sometimes a long one. First, you have to understand what you are worth, AND you have to come to an understanding of what your customer values. Then you have to have the guts to play in that market at those prices.

We talk a lot about pricing on the THRIVEcast and it’s a topic we coach our clients on regularly. Pricing is huge and it’s an art form. We may get it right several times in a row, and then make a major error pricing the next customer. Need help? Let us know!

For more information, read my article in A List Apart called Pricing Strategy For Creatives.

Ready for another THRIVEcast? Listen to my discussion with Greg about the barbell strategy of risk and our interview with Rafi Mohammed, author of The 1% Windfall. Check it out!

Instead, invest your valuable reading time in good books, blogs, and magazines that will enhance your business processes and interactions with your customers. Invest in an Audible subscription or download podcasts that can help you think about your business in a new way.

Here are a few of each type of media that we recommend:

Books:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Positioning for Professionals by Tim Williams
Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

Magazines:
Inc.
Fast Company

Blogs:
Blumer & Associates (DUH!)
Tech Crunch
ReadWriteWeb

Podcasts:
The THRIVEcast
HBR Ideascast
Freakonomics
Entrepreneurial Thought Leadership Series

So Blumer CPAs will still exist, just without a monthly rental payment.

Dan Roam, author of The Back of The Napkin

Mahan Khalsa

Here are a few things you need to know for this tax season (and a heads up about where we are headed for NEXT tax season too).

1. No more paper. Really. We don’t need it. We would love to help you set up your portal so that you can upload your tax documents for us this year. However, if you need to bring us paper, we’ll scan it in to our files and send it back home with you. Don’t worry! We have coffee, sodas, and snacks for you while you wait. And wifi too. See?

When your return is complete, you can view it and print it from your portal. You can even sign the efile forms digitally. We’ll walk you through the process. It’s not scary. Promise.

Heads up for next year…we probably won’t have an office to bring paper to at all! Need help learning how to use a scanner? We’ll help with that so that next year you can just upload your docs from home. No worries! And NO PAPER!

2. New hours. Yes, we work pretty much non-stop during tax season, but we will not be open for business 24/7. If you need to stop by, you can drop in between 9am and 5pm on Monday through Thursday. We’re going to use Fridays to work our tails off finishing your taxes. (Saturdays too most likely) You may hear from us via email or the phone, but we aren’t open on Fridays.

Heads up for after tax season and beyond: After April 17th, we are going to appointment only meetings. Most of us work from home so if you drop by, you might not even get to see us anyway! Which brings us to the next heads up…we really are closing the office by the end of the year. Not closing the firm, just the office.

We love to serve you. Let us know if you have questions. Shoot us an email if you want to talk to us about providing you with a scanner and some training so that you can interact with us digitally!

You may say, “I love doing what I started this business to do.” If you are a designer, you love to design. If you own a landscaping company, you love landscaping. If you are a CPA, you love accounting. That’s great! But as your business grows, you will be required to let go of the details or they will consume you. You can’t do it all. You’ll have to give up some of the designing or landscaping to sell, keep up with your books, etc. I rarely do taxes anymore. I don’t manage my own calendar either. And I am in the process of even handing over my email. We think no one can ever do what we do as well as we do, but we are wrong. Let people help you, or let go of growing your company.

Tell us what you hate about running your business. Maybe we can solve that pain point for you so you can get back to doing the tasks you love.