Intuit® Tax Council profile: Chase Vowell

Welcome to another profile in a series of articles about members of the Intuit® Tax Council. Meet Chase Vowell, CEO of Flux Accounting in San Diego, California. I sat down with Chase to learn more about his firm, a bit about his background, and why the Intuit Tax Council is important.

Scott Cytron: What is unique about Flux Accounting compared to other firms? Does the firm niche in any specific areas?

CV: We really are the ultimate niche firm. Currently, we specialize in one chain of grocery stores, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. Our work with them goes beyond being an industry niche by drilling down into a community of grocery operators who all know each other and run an identical business model. We are currently evaluating other niches to add to our portfolio which fits our hyper-niche model for the firm.

SC: What is your firm’s tech stack, and what Intuit® products are you using?

CV:  Our accounting industry specific tools are heavily reliant on Intuit products. We use QuickBooks® Online and Intuit ProConnect™ Tax with a small subset of our client base still clinging to QuickBooks Desktop, but we are unique in that we also use a ton of generalist tools. We run on a group of platforms we integrate together to create our firm operating system, including Monday.com, Google, Airtable, ShareFile, Fillout, SuiteDash, Liveflow, ChatGPT, and others.

SC: I know you’re a new member of the Tax Council. In what ways do you think the Council is important to the profession?

CV: It is incredibly important that Intuit stays connected to the professionals who use its products to serve the public’s accounting needs. The Tax Council is not only a great way to keep their products grounded in that connection, but also for Council members to share information and push the industry forward. The world is only getting more complex; the accounting profession must evolve to adequately meet the needs of its clientele.

SC: What was your very first job?

CV: I worked as a swim instructor and water polo coach. Looking back, I have probably always felt a calling to build teams and provide an environment for motivated individuals to find the limits of their potential.

SC: How can tax professionals keep up with all the changes in tax laws and regulations?

CV: Read! Read voraciously. Every day I read more than I produce actual work. Subscribe to targeted, relevant newsletters, books, podcasts, and newspapers. Partake in different points of view as well, so you can challenge your own opinions. I would highly recommend reading The Wall Street Journal front to back every weekend, too. Your tax knowledge is only as effective as your ability to apply it to the real world.

SC: If you were stranded on a desert island with access to just one kind of technology, what would it be, and why would you want it?

CV: Fire! A smart phone doesn’t do you any good if you can’t feed yourself and keep yourself warm. Don’t get me started on figuring out how to charge the darn thing.

SC: Thanks Chase!