What this innovative tax firm is doing to make ‘hustle season’ more bearable

I had the opportunity recently to sit down with Kristen Keats, Owner of Sherwood Tax & Accounting. Imagine tax season without burnout. Better yet, imagine actually feeling relaxed and…enjoying it. Kristen and her team flipped the script on tax season. They didn’t like the heavy feeling that terms such as ‘busy season’ and ‘tax season’ evoke. Beyond terminology, they were committed to find a way to make the most dreaded season of the year for accountants bearable…and yes, enjoyable.

Hustle season.

At Sherwood Tax, there is no tax season. It’s hustle season.  Says Kristen, “our goal was to reset how we work by prioritizing two things: hustling for our clients so they feel they are getting excellent service, and establishing and respecting our boundaries to find some joy and satisfaction in the process.”  

How did they do it? There are 3 parts to their strategy.

Outsource work.

Capacity and the shortage of talent is something on just about every firm’s mind. There simply had to be a better way. Sherwood Tax found it.

“We partnered with the team at Cadencia  in Guadalajara, Mexico to support our US-based client managers. We effectively doubled the size of our team at a time when accounting firms are struggling to find qualified staff to prepare returns and do bookkeeping.  Prior to bringing on our Cadencia team, all this work was being done by our small team in the US, and we were suffering from severe burnout! Our Cadencia team members are very knowledgeable about the US tax code, bookkeeping, and accounting, and they align perfectly with our firm culture.”

By expanding our resources through Cadencia, our US staff now has the time to focus on advising clients. This is a win/win. Clients need proactive advice and planning, and this is what we became accountants to do!”

Technology is your friend.

Sherwood Tax embraces technology that will save time and make processes and communication as automated and efficient as possible. The old adage, ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ doesn’t apply in today’s public accounting firms. Firms that are growing their advisory and consulting services have to find ways to leverage technology- and embrace change. 

As Kristen puts it, “another thing I think has helped us is our love for technology.  If there is an app that will save us time and energy we embrace it!  For example, prior to using TaxExact™, we were building an Excel spreadsheet to reconcile our 1040 tax returns.  When we discovered that TaxExact™ would do this and keep up to date with all the latest changes to the forms, we said ‘YES PLEASE!’  In addition, it is helping our newer team members see how a tax return is built, and they can check for their own errors before it goes to review!”

Be an intentional firm.

At TaxExact™, this really resonates with us.  At the core of our mission is to empower public accountants to spend more high value time with clients- and enjoy doing it.

Becoming truly ‘intentional’ when you’ve been doing things the same way for years doesn’t happen overnight. Change is hard. But, Kristen’s mindset is profound and enlightening.

“I have been a CPA for over 25 years. In this time I have seen over and over that life does not stop because it is “tax season.”  People get sick.  Kids still need us.  We may have problems with our partner.  So we need room for self care all year-round.  I am striving to build an intentional firm where we have clients for whom we are not just service providers. Rather, we partner with them to help them achieve their business goals.  This cultivates a relationship of understanding and empathy, rather than the mentality that “the client comes first.”  For us, our employees come first, and if we take care of them, they will take great care of our clients.” 

I wish I could say that I’ve got it all figured out.  Old habits die hard and sometimes there is a pull to work late or on a Sunday.  But as a firm owner, I want to set an example for my team that this is a marathon not a sprint. I want them in this with me for the long haul, so I am committed to making sure we pace ourselves appropriately.”