Client Success Stories

So I am in business now 25 years and have had a few big success stories where clients just exceeded my wildest expectations.

In 1997 I started with a company that simply outgrew me and after 3 years went to a big firm. 4 years later they went public and got acquired and folded in to a Fortune 500 company. That was in 2002, a $50 million deal. The owner is a big fish and sort of as a Thank you allows me to manage $1 million of his fortune. That pays me about $10,000 a year. He has a BIG firm managing his real money.

But in 2008 or so a guy walked in my office with paper tax returns etc... after 5 years he moved back to his home state. I can't give details BUT I did his work remote for a year after that but he also outgrew me.

This week I learned from industry journals he sold his company for nearly $300 million.

Crazy.

Any success stories out there????

Nothing that crazy, but I used to prepare tax returns for a 22 year old fellow straight out of college. Later he formed a company with a college buddy in CA, and then that company was acquired by SAS or SAP a German company. I prepared the S corp return for 2 years before it became too complicated with outside US business dealings so I had to recommend that they seek a professional with multi national tax practice experience.

Several Success Stories: The first was in Salted Snack Foods, got a referral from Father (older lawyer) who was a Big Chipper (industry term for Potato Chip Company) he wanted his Son to develop Corn Products, he hired me to be the CPA for the Son. Started with a check for $10,000 - 7-years later I sat in the board room of Merrill Lynch Capital (Private Equity) and signed as "witness" to buyout for $365,000,000. Biggest deal where I've been directly involved.
2nd Story - was hired as tax counsel - 2 partners started a Architectural Ornamentation Company (think decorations to building, apartments, track homes, etc) Started with $500,000 sold 15-years later for $55,000,000. Plus accumulated another $30,000,000 in stock market assets.
3rd Story - manufacturer of high stress parts for racing industry. Must be light and strong and custom made to precise specifications. Started in garage, built up over 3-years to value of $35,000,000 and accumulated during its tenure another $25,000,000 of real estate, cd's, stock market assets.
Those three come to mind.

Friend had me do his taxes when he started a business on the side of his regular job. He basically hired 2 college kids and a professional to write a piece of software which allows different programs to talk to each other and you just need to learn one interface (massive speed savings and training savings). He spent about $75k building it. Took him 5 years to get the first sale but that opened a floodgate (nobody wanted to be first) and he sold the company about 9 months later for $35m and a 5 year contract to act as a liaison with all the new customers. He retired at the age of 40 and started a spec home building company. In 2008 he bought a bunch of home lots (literally on the court house steps) and builds a single high end spec home ever year. Greatest couple you've ever met.

I do the taxes for a group of guys / their trusts. A group of high school drop outs started a company buying pool chemicals in bulk, repackaging them and selling to individuals and pool cleaners. The 4 of them sold their company and became very wealthy guys. One of them dated a friend of my wife and when we were visiting - his attorney liked me and hired me to fly in and do their taxes every year. 3 of the 4 died of lung cancer (likely from the chemicals but they were all chain smoking alcoholics so who knows) so I do 1041's and 1040's for a bunch of people.