Why Spreading Yourself Thin Kills Service Bureau Growth | SBA Podcast EP 43

Baldeep (00:01) Alright, welcome everyone to another episode of the Service Bureau Accelerator Interview Series. I am here with Ross and Desiree. Ross, if you want to kick it off.

Ross (00:10) Sure, Desiree, welcome. Welcome to the call. How are you doing today?

Desiree (00:13) Thank you, doing great. How about you guys?

Ross (00:15) Very good, thanks, very good. So Desiree, if you want to start with maybe just kind of, begin with just kind of introducing yourself to the audience, let us know kind of how long you’ve been in the industry for, where you were at before joining SBA, and what ultimately made you want to kind of join our program.

Desiree (00:31) I’ve been in the tax industry for about over 20 years. Honestly wasn’t even taking it that serious, was kind of treating it like a side hustle, you know, still working a full-time job and just doing my thing on the side. And then I was like, you know what, I gotta take it seriously. And then I ran across you guys and you seem to have everything that I needed. So I was like, you know what, I’m jumping on board. Even my first year after coming on with you guys, I was able to 10X my income from where I was kind of sitting stagnant to 10 times what I was making before. So that’s just the beginning. I’m ready to really turn it up a notch now.

Ross (01:15) Awesome. So, so question for you on that 10X was that, was that a result? Was that a shift of kind of mindset? Like were you able to kind of sell? So I kind of looked at, look at some of your numbers and you had like the year over year growth has been solid, like what you’ve been able to do. So that, that first year to see that 10X return like the 10X growth, was that a combination of software fees, like putting that back in your pocket and growing, getting more EROs, like how did that kind of work out for you?

Desiree (01:38) Yes.

Desiree (01:43) It came about by of course my software fees. Also saving money on not having to buy software every year, you know, for thousands of dollars. Also, I did the preparer recruiter strategy, kind of got some preparers in the door, got a couple of strong ones on my team from that. Sold a couple of sub Service Bureaus. I did land one huge, pretty huge client in Chicago area. So that was pretty cool too. So yeah, a combination of things.

Ross (02:18) Cool, cool. Yeah, no, that’s awesome. And I’ve seen that, like I mentioned earlier, like I was, I pulled up, we do a lot of like tracking and looking at data and stuff like that and going from, you know, 2022 to 23, there was like a 4X jump and then 23 to 24, you more than doubled again. So it’s like that there’s that consistent. And that’s the cool thing is that’s what we kind of, we kind of see that trend where it’s like, and I can tell where it’s like, okay, like it’s clicked. You got it now. Like you understand the framework of, or like the business model, right? Then it’s just like.

Desiree (02:33) Mm-hmm.

Ross (02:46) And I see that more where everyone starts hitting those numbers and it’s like they double and double and double and keep going. So there you go. Good goal. Good goal to shoot for. So speaking of tripling, what’s been, have you kind of started to really dial down like on, on a specific path for your Service Bureau? Cause you kind of mentioned doing like recruiting preparers. You got some of your own sub Service Bureaus. What’s kind of been your, have you kind of started to focus on one specific strategy or what have you been doing kind of this year to see that growth?

Desiree (02:51) I’m trying to triple this time.

Desiree (03:11) Yes, I want to focus solely on just working with EROs or working with some seasoned PTINs that are ready to become EFINs. Definitely don’t want to do brand new preparers ever again. It was a good experience. I was able to connect with a lot of people, but I’m not willing to teach from scratch. That’s not what I’m trying to do anymore.

Ross (03:21) Mm-hmm. Right.

Baldeep (03:26) Hehehehe

Ross (03:27) Yeah.

Desiree (03:39) Definitely working with more seasoned EROs who may be stagnant and ready to grow and level up, may need tools, resources. Working right now with a couple of brand new EFINs. I just got my EFIN, they don’t know what to do from that point. So working with a couple of those as well. Ultimately, I want to do a business in a box type of scenario. So I’m working on, I was on the call yesterday, so I’m working on creating my offer and really…

Ross (04:06) Nice, okay.

Desiree (04:06) dialing in and giving it some cool names and things like that. I signed up for the Tax Nitro yesterday. So I’m trying to get everything in line for that as well. But for now I’m really just trying to get out here, get in front of some EROs and really grow this season.

Ross (04:16) Yeah.

Baldeep (04:24) Awesome.

Ross (04:24) Perfect. Yeah, that’s good to hear the focus. It’s funny, every time I go back in the Facebook group, there’s a video there that I recorded a while back and I posted, I’m like, focus on one thing. Just like really get specific and that’s how you can really scale it. So it’s cool, you started to shift that. And yeah, I mean, the great thing too though is, here’s the great and bad thing about a Service Bureau is like the great thing is there’s like a million ways to grow the business, right?

Desiree (04:34) Yes.

Desiree (04:49) Yes.

Ross (04:50) The bad thing is that there’s a million ways and it’s like you got to test a bunch of things and the good thing is you got to kind of figure out, okay, I did something, but that’s not what I want to do for this model, right? I don’t want to keep doing that. I want to shift and focus on something else where it makes more sense. So no, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. And what, looking at like some of the training, you mentioned you’re on the coaching call yesterday.

Desiree (04:59) Mm-hmm.

Ross (05:12) Has there been a specific part? Because the cool thing is you’ve been around, you’ve been in our program for quite a few years. You’ve seen the shift, I think 2022 when you joined, we had the paths, right? Like do the academy or, you know, preparer development. Yeah. So you’ve seen those paths, and then we’ve kind of switched it where now it’s kind of the seven day launch, right? We have like that sprint and now it’s kind of everything is accessible in the core trainings. What would you say out of our training platform?

Desiree (05:22) Yep. Yep.

Ross (05:41) What’s been kind of like the part that you’ve been able to leverage the most or like maybe an aspect of the training that has really helped you kind of focus or streamline or kind of grow the Service Bureau?

Desiree (05:55) Mindset training was very important to me. Just starting out, I feel like everybody needs that. And also just kind of showing me how to dial in my offer, create one product, focus on one thing, because I was all over the place. And being all over the place, I wasn’t really getting anything done. So, and I talked to Lisa a few times and you know, she said her piece with, she was like, you making it too hard, like do one thing. Just so…

I’m like, but it was hard, you know, being a tax preparer for over 20 years, it was hard to kind of shift my focus away from that. Really, so, but now I’m at that point, I’m over tax prep. You know, I got some people in place that can do the data entry for me. I do the reviews, but my focus is strictly selling software, working with EROs, helping them grow, helping train them for whatever they need, kind of being a mentor and a coach for them.

I’m trying to create some millionaires so I can become one. So that’s the goal.

Ross (06:54) Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I love it. I’m curious. I don’t, I never really asked this question, but because so this like the call that you’re on yesterday, right? We talked literally specifically about that. It’s like, don’t go make a bunch of different packages like just let’s really get it dialed in, right? Because then we can build, we can build our business around it. We can build our marketing, our sales process, our onboarding fulfillment. It’s all around one package and it makes our business really easy. Right. It simplifies it and…

Desiree (07:08) Yes.

Desiree (07:20) Yes.

Ross (07:23) It’s hard enough to grow a business and be successful as is let alone, and then we try to add on, you know, three different, four or five different packages for five different types of customers. And we can never launch. I’m curious to know, like, where did you, where did you feel that? Like, like, like what I’m curious to know, like your, where you were at, where you kind of where that started to make sense, where you started to understand that we were like, this is not the way to do it. Like I’m, it’s causing me too much headaches. Like where did you feel the overwhelm or the challenge?

trying to offer multiple things to different people?

Desiree (07:54) Trying to keep track of it was, you know, stressful. Not really knowing what to pitch to who, like, you know, depending on their budget type thing, like it was just so confusing. Then trying to work with new preparers, it was, it was just too much. I felt like I was spreading myself too thin. Then I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, like divorce, it was a whole lot of stuff. So I’m just like, you know what, something has to give. Like I can’t continue to just be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Like I gotta…

Ross (08:03) Mm, yep.

Ross (08:25) Yeah.

Desiree (08:25) I gotta dial it in. And of course, your trainings, the different calls that we have, you guys always say, streamline, do one thing, do one thing. And then from talking to Lisa, she was like, you making it too hard, you just need to sell the damn software. So I’m like, okay, that’s what I’m gonna do. So it took me a minute to kind of, I guess I had to wear myself out. But now I realize that that’s really what I need to be doing. I could do…

Ross (08:42) Click.

Ross (08:48) Yeah.

Desiree (08:53) I could put all that energy into this and really see more growth, more money, more everything.

Ross (08:57) Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Put energy into it. That’s something like we talk about at the convention sometimes about like the like you have, have 24 hours in a day, right? You’re going to spend six to eight of those hours sleeping. Mostly you need a few hours to yourself. Food, whatever, you know, eating, taking breaks. Then you only have so many hours left in the day to actually focus on business. Where is that focus going? Are you spread out in this offer, that offer, the other package? Well…

Desiree (09:16) Mm-hmm.

Ross (09:26) This one, we onboard them this way. This one, I got to do a bunch of training. This one has coaching and mentorship that now I got to go over and do over here. And then like you said too, even the sales process, right? Like you don’t, you’re trying to figure out what am I supposed to sell this person versus every conversation is the same. And I got really fricking good at having this one conversation, selling this one thing. And it just becomes, your life becomes so much easier. So I appreciate you sharing that. Cause that’s always like…

Baldeep (09:47) Yep.

Ross (09:50) I feel like I’m always kind of preaching this message, but I wanted to be like, okay, you, tell everyone what you experienced doing that so that they can hear from the source.

Desiree (09:56) I promise we hear y’all, it’s just I guess we just so set in those ways and you know used to preparing taxes and chasing clients, it’s hard to, to break away because you’re, you’re kind of fear. It’s really fear because you’re thinking like I’m gonna leave my bread and butter over here, but I’m unsure on what’s gonna happen over here. So it’s just hard to get to that point where you’re ready to let it go and really transition, but for me I’m there. That’s why I went ahead and did my, my Tax Nitro. I got my two emails.

Ross (10:16) Yeah.

Desiree (10:25) feeling out that stuff and getting all my stuff together. That’s what I’m, I’m not focusing on anything else. Like if somebody’s like, can you do my taxes? Like, yeah, go to my assistant. But I’m cool with that. Like, no, software only for me.

Ross (10:27) Perfect.

Ross (10:35) Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. You hit the nail on the head there too with like, with like the fear of like fear of missing out, right? The FOMO where it’s like, well, you know, they’re asking for this and I want to sell them cause I don’t, cause I want to make this sale or whatever. And it’s like, that’s what starts to happen is people, they want to serve everyone. And there’s like my, our business partner says all the time, it’s like, not everyone is our customer. And it’s like, when you get really clear on that and you start to say no to people…

Baldeep (10:39) Nice.

Ross (11:03) That’s when the growth starts happening because then you can really get specific on the right people and you can say yes to those people. And even the sales conversation kind of changes where you’re not trying to like pitch someone your stuff. You’re trying to qualify them. Be like, are you the right customer for my business? Because I only want to work with certain people and that totally flips the conversation where now they’re trying to like sell themselves to you. Like, please let me work with you. Right. So yeah, I love it.

Desiree (11:19) Yeah. That’s it.

Desiree (11:25) Yeah, yeah. That’s, that’s, that’s where I’m at with it. I want my one package, my one price, either you, you’re on board or you’re not, either you got the money or you don’t. Like I’m not doing nothing extra like this. I’m just, where I, but I think it took growth to get to that point, but I’m here.

Baldeep (11:32) Yeah.

Baldeep (11:36) You.

Ross (11:44) Yeah.

Baldeep (11:44) Right, a lot of people are too worried about what they’re giving up because they didn’t take that custom deal versus what they’re actually really going to make if they just focus on the same damn thing every single time and it’s so much more scalable.

Desiree (11:53) Yeah, every time. That’s it.

Ross (11:57) Yeah, yeah, nice. So my other question, we always like to ask about support, because that’s always something that comes up. People are joining us all the time because they’re like, I’m just not getting the support I need. What’s been your experience with our support platform? Like going and being able to open a ticket, reach out to our team, get assistance when you need it, whether it’s software training related. How’s that been?

Desiree (12:18) I couldn’t ask for anything better like always responsive. You know, if it’s something too crazy on my ticket, y’all pick up the phone and call me. You know, like this is great. So I mean I could not ask, I don’t have any pointers like y’all, y’all are on it. You have, you’ve mastered it. It’s great.

Baldeep (12:37) Awesome.

Ross (12:37) Yeah, that’s what we strive to do, strive to do that. So I’ve got, I’ve got two more questions for you here, Desiree. One of them is talk like looking at the future, right? So now that you’re, I think I know what you’re most excited about, but my question is what are you most excited about next year? So like we’re in, we’re early October at this point, right? So we’ve got we’re in the fourth quarter here for before the tax season starts.

Desiree (12:44) Okay.

Ross (13:02) But looking forward until like after we get out over next tax season, moving into 2026, what are you most excited about for your Service Bureau?

Desiree (13:12) I just feel it like it’s my time to grow massively. So that’s what I’m most excited about. I finally got to that point where I’ve dialed in on my offer, offering that one thing. So now I just want to see the growth exponentially and continue to do what I’ve been doing. So that’s the biggest thing for me.

Ross (13:35) Yeah, nice. Love it. Love it. And then my last question for you, then Baldeep’s got one more to wrap up the call here. If someone’s looking at joining Service Bureau Accelerator, maybe they’ve been looking around at other opportunities, maybe they’re in existing Service Bureau and trying to figure out if it’s better over here, what sort of words of encouragement or advice would you give to someone who’s looking at joining the program?

Desiree (13:59) Don’t overthink it. Go ahead and join right now. Like you’re missing out, you’re wasting time, you’re losing money by not joining SBA. So go ahead and do that right now. Honestly, it’s the best thing I ever did. It’s the best money I ever spent to join anything. The best training platform, ongoing training, coaching, mentorship. Tighten us up if we need to, you know, sometimes you’ll…

Ross (14:05) Yeah.

Baldeep (14:14) Awesome.

Ross (14:25) Dialing it in.

Desiree (14:27) get us together and sometimes we need that. So I couldn’t have spent my money in a better place. I definitely appreciate everything that you guys have done. And yeah, for sure.

Baldeep (14:27) Right.

Baldeep (14:40) Awesome. Well, I got one more for you. Desiree, for the millions watching at home. They’re watching this. They’re like, I like this. I like Desiree. Where do they get in touch with you?

Ross (14:40) Nice. Nice.

Desiree (14:52) CDTaxNow.com is my website. I’m on Google. Google me everywhere. Google my business. I’m everywhere. I’m on all the social media, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram. Just type in CND Tax or Desiree and I’m on there everywhere.

Baldeep (15:11) Awesome. Well, we’ll go ahead and wrap it up. Thanks everyone for being here and we’ll catch you on the next one.

Ross (15:12) Perfect.

Ross (15:17) Thank you.