If you are reading this message, congrats on surviving an “interesting” year. The grind of tax season has trained me a bit for the isolation that comes with socially distancing, but I finally cracked during the September wildfires. I ducked out to the beach twice just to be able to breathe. Full gallows humor soon set in and I would joke with people, “Get ready for Earthquake October!” Fortunately, Earthquake October failed to materialize in 2020, but in 2016, I had my own personal Earthquake October when I started Go Green Tax….
When I was planning my exit, I was unaware of a Non-Compete/Non-Solicitation contract I had signed many moons ago as a first-year preparer. My initial business plan based on my substantial book of business accumulated from working seven years at my previous employer got tossed right in the bin. We had a fundamental disagreement about the enforceability of the contract and let’s just say it got ugly fast. Like Anchor Man news station gladiator fight, well that escalated quickly fast. I made the decision that I only had so much money to start my business and it was better time/effort/energy spent on growing it from scratch, than fighting these guys in court.
Somehow, we got through 2017 and now at the end of 2020, I’m reminded of the Coolest Cooler Kickstarter Success/Failure that has reappeared in the news recently. The Kickstarter Biggest Success/Failure story that’s been in the news because people are finally getting their $20 check back on their $200 from four years ago. The product concept was amazing and demand far outstripped capacity and they were plagued by production problems from the beginning. It’s a fascinating story, but one I found myself relating to. As far too often in 2020, demand far outstripped my capacity to deliver timely service. Far too often, the client experience was, let’s be generous and call it suboptimal.
I understand, in the time of Covid, when so many businesses are begging just to be opened, or reconfiguring business models or physical layouts, how spoiled that must sound. “My problem is I cannot adequately service all my clients.” I understand, I am blessed (its in my name) and I am grateful to everyone for their trust and business.
To that end, we are retrenching in 2021. We need to get our ship right and service our existing clients before we can in good conscience take on any additional clients. If you are a current client, we are thankful for your business, patience, and grace and are committed to getting this process right.
To our existing clients, if there are outstanding or unresolved issues, please contact us directly here and we will do our best to timely resolve and respond.
Best,
Baruch