chowdown627

Hi Tim,

Congratulations on your launch. I checked out your site and did some reading - nice to run into a fellow Deloitte alum. I worked in their Private Client Tax division. So hopefully I can share the perspective both as a preparer and reluctant payer.

I like the concept, but I'm just a skeptic who's cynical about all of the on-demand, Uber-for startups. With that being said, it's obviously being done and at least capital is flowing to them for now.

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I either want 100% control (prepare my own taxes) or I need to completely trust the preparer. I need to meet this individual and know he/she is qualified; I have to know who physically receives my docs, completes the return, and sends it out. Taxes are just about the most stressful topic for people and nobody wants to even think about the risk of facing the IRS. So I imagine the assurance of the face-to-face relationship (at least on the onset) with a preparer outweighs the inconvenience of simply hopping in the car to drive to H&R Block. Because apples to apples, it's the same amount of effort otherwise: receive forms, scan/e-mail/deliver documents, sign off and send.

That's just my opinion.

Obviously, online financial services is a hugely successful industry. However, I think of the contrast with a company like Betterment, for example. It's easy to automate the number-crunching from a customer investment questionnaire, and prepare a cookie-cutter asset allocation and investment plan. But taxes are even more specific to each individual's finances; then it's made much more complex by the deadlines, laws, IRS.

I'm also curious: who is your target market? I'm just trying to gauge the effectiveness of the pitch (i.e. save $100, convenience).

I hope you enjoyed my rambling - I promise you I'm offering my opinion as a potential user or preparer, versus any kind of expert. Grain of salt :)

Thanks for sharing - are you referring to work or personal e-mail?

This is great advice, and I agree with most of it.

As a headhunter, I wholeheartedly agree that you should never give out a number in negotiations. By doing so, you either sell yourself short or price yourself out. These days, especially, technical talent has the leverage and should use it to their advantage. When the market cycle shifts and employers have more strong applicants than necessary, it will be different. That's why, like you said, the $20K difference today will pay huge dividends over the long-term.

I disagree on "going rates." That lumps candidates into an average, which is unfair to them. Salary negotiations are complex and presumptions on the part of a headhunter will backfire.

Above all, I want transparency upfront. My ideal situation is when I know that the candidate's and employer's approximate compensation ranges are aligned. Granted, it's rare, but there's nothing worse than a positive interview process followed by the surprise reveal that both parties were way off in their expectations. The time wasted for the headhunter is negligible compared to that of both the employer and candidate. This is why I want to know the rough ranges at the onset. However, I agree that headhunters are trained to place undue pressure on candidates for specific numbers and it's a poor practice.