"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden

For those of you in the early stages in your career, this article might be worth more than many of the classes you took in college -- if you follow my advice on how to find a business mentor.

And, for those of you who are further along in your business career in Salt Lake County ... frankly, the advice still applies. I can't tell you how many lunches (or coffees) I've been to with ill-prepared, meandering partners. And while some of the specifics of the questions might change from what I suggest here, and from person to person, and over the years ... there simply isn't a better way to build relationships with someone who is busy and successful than what I suggest below. After all ... they gotta eat!

Go somewhere easy -- and Y
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When I sit down with my Salt Lake County business owner clients (whether in person or on the phone), we try to look at EVERY aspect of their business, not just their books. And there is often great clarity when we peek at what is *behind* the books (marketing, sales, management, asset management, etc.).

The good news for my business owner clients from Salt Lake County is that when we put in place clear metrics and financial reports, they shed clear light on strategic decisions.

But the problem I've often found, is that OUTSIDE of the financial reports we're able to create for our clients, there are very few additional metrics in place to evaluate if they're headed in the right direction -- from a strategic, tactical and growth-oriented perspective.

Sure, financial numbers are great -- but what are your GOALS? And, I don't just mean sales goals.What do you want your business to look like two years from now?Five years from now?

And what are you doing to get there?

Too often, business owners a
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I take a look around the small business world sometimes, and I get a little sad.

It's heartbreaking to watch small businesses in Salt Lake County go out of business or not bring home enough bacon simply because they get trapped into thinking about their pricing in the wrong way.

When you differentiate yourself based on price, you simply cannot provide value. You end up competing on the wrong playing field, and it's not one in which you are built to win.

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BE THE ROAR. The idea is to be world-class at one thing your company does, rather than be mediocre at everything. This concept is expressed very well in Jason Fried’s book REWORK. ( https://amzn.to/2NoLrGX ).

Here in Salt Lake County, we are surrounded with world-class businesses. Business that have one thing that they do better than any other company in the world! It was exciting to do the research for this article because it was surprisingly difficult to choose from all the superb businesses serving the real estate industry.

We are looking at Utah businesses that demonstrate world-class performance:

1. Find a Niche where you can serve in a way no other business does,

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"Don't just count your years, make your years count." - Ernest Meyers

In my previous note, I wrote about some "big picture" exercises to have with your partner, or for your own financial reconfiguration.

Those were: 1) Writing Your Money Story and 2) Imagining Your Ideal Financial Scenario. Both of these exercises were to lay the foundation for getting practical -- because the practical outworking that comes from these exercises is where steady foundations are built, or becomes the place at which change actually occurs.

So, this is a small bit of practical advice, building upon those first exercises...

Create Your Family Budget Plan Now
As a couple, begin with the assumption that you will pool your money.

Co
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All of the tax media outlets (and even some non-tax ones) were shouting about a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that showed that (gasp) millions of taxpayers are underwithholding, and that they will face a tax bill come 2019. Apparently, there was an increase of 3% of those who will owe the IRS due to not adjusting withholding per the new tax law. Read More...

 An Effective Lead Generation Strategy From Business Owner To Another
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Advertising is obviously a crucial ingredient of any effective business plan, yet it actually works against many businesses -- especially small businesses. You see, most small businesses mimic what they see the "big boys" doing (I mean, big mammoth corporations or large, well-established ecommerce stores that have gone viral), and that's like a thoroughbred horse jockey trying to imitate an elephant trainer.
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We love what we do. 

I'm not sure if it's always obvious, but perhaps you can take a cue from the fact that I take the time to post you these sorts of notes on a regular basis, if not by other factors.

We love this stuff, and consequently, we work hard for our Salt Lake County clients.

Crafting elegant, tax-saving and easy-to-understand strategies to help you save on your taxes is a joy.And, of course, removing from our clients the annoying hassle of dealing closely with government paperwork, deadlines and personnel -- while not exactly a "joy" -- provides us with great satisfaction because we know that we get to serve our clients and help them not have to deal with stuff that isn't exactly "fun".

But sometimes (usually a rare instance), there are circumstances in which, despite great planning and implementation of strategy, things go sideways.

That is REALLY not fun.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about estate planning, and I do want to touch on it one more time here today -- despite the fact that it isn't our primary area of service. It's such a critical part of a family's financial picture, but it doesn't really get focused on, occasionally only until it's too late.

You see, even the most well-crafted estate plan can be ruined by a poor choice of executor.

Of course, we can always do our best to help our Salt Lake County clients and and their families deal
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"Don't let the same dog bite you twice." - Chuck Berry

The most common forms of scams targeting taxpayers occur beforeApril 15th(or the 18th, as it was this year), but as tax planning and correspondence continues year-round, so do the fraudsters.

It seems that once they get a taste of that sweet, sweet stolen money, they keep inventing more ways to engage you and your money.

So here are some newer ones for which to be on guard, as well as a reminder about some of the regular variety...

Real bank accounts sent fraudulent money
This is a new twist to a common problem: fake returns filed. But in this instance, the criminal sends funds to YOUR bank account ... and then comes to you, claiming that there has been some sort of error. They do this to prevent the IRS from raising an alarm for funds being deposited into unrelated accounts.

The scammers then contact you, either posing as an IRS representative calling about a refund error or as an agent of private collection agency going after tax debts. As fake agents, they tell you to send the funds back to the Treasury -- except it's really going into their hands. As collection agent impersonators, they instruct you to forward the money to their little fake co
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First, NOW is the time to act…Did I say NOW?!?!

You may have established an estate plan in the past, or you may not have gotten around to it, but it is critical that you ALWAYS have an up-to-date plan. 

Most people are smart enough to keep their car in good working order -- it requires oil changes, an annual physical check-up, etc. But I'm always surprised by the common misconception about how often they should have their estate plan reviewed.

You see, most people see estate planning as something you "do once" and never have to think about again. That's just flat
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