ProConnect™ Tax Customer Council Member Profile: Renee Daggett, EA

Meet Renee Daggett, EA, CEO of AdminBooks, a tax, bookkeeping and payroll services firm in Morgan Hill, Calif. Renee is an Advanced QuickBooks® Online Consultant, a member of the Intuit® Trainer/Writer Network and serves on the Intuit ProConnect™ Tax Customer Council. She is also the author of “Your Financial Flight Plan: Pilot Your Business to Profitability.” Get to know Renee in this profile.

ProConnect: Tell us about your practice.

Renee Daggett: In 1995, my husband, Doug, set up an S corporation and needed me to help him with the bookkeeping. Not being able to find the resources I needed to learn what to do, I educated myself, and in 2003, I started AdminBooks, helping other business owners clean up their QuickBooks files. Today, with 12 team members, we provide tax services, bookkeeping services using QuickBooks Online, and payroll services. We focus on businesses that need a “one-stop shop” for services, while also helping high-net-worth clients get every tax deduction allowed. Our core purpose is to educate clients with financial options based on their goals in order to make a difference in their businesses and personal lives!

ProConnect: Why is the ProConnect Tax Customer Council important to the profession?

RD: I was thrilled to hear that Intuit invests time and money to listen to tax professionals. Having this partnership and collaboration is all for the benefit of helping our clients and the tax profession. It is a win for all!

ProConnect: What’s your favorite part of being on the Council?

RD: For me, I enjoy the brainstorming with Intuit and other tax pros so that we can make an impact in the tax community. My favorite part is learning, sharing and building friendships with the other Council members.

ProConnect: What kind of Intuit software do you use?

RD: We drank the Intuit Kool-Aid at our firm: Intuit ProConnect Lacerte®, QuickBooks Online Accountant, Intuit Online Payroll for Accounting Professionals and QuickBooks Payments.

ProConnect: What are your goals for your practice this year?

RD: I have three things I am focusing on for 2019:

1. Using the book “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” as a model, I started having quarterly meetings with the three managers on my team. We communicate about our company, team, clients, issues, processes and quarterly goals. It’s been fantastic. I’m glad to share this process with anyone who wants to know more about how do to this in their firm.
2. We are spending time articulating what we do well and who we can best help. We are learning to turn away the clients that are not ideal for us. We are narrowing our funnel. This comes with some anxiety of change, but mostly excitement for what is to come.
3. While taking current financial statements for business clients, our goal is to project a client’s numbers through the end of the year. We want to provide them with options for how to minimize their tax liability, educate them on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), and give them financial options so they can fulfill the hopes and desires for their family. There are no tax surprises!

ProConnect: What was your very first job?

RD: In high school, I worked at Pizza Hut as a server and worked my way to shift supervisor.

ProConnect: Who is your favorite author?

RD: Because I’m an avid reader, there is no way I can pick just one. However, when I exercise, I’ve been reading the Sue Grafton murder/mystery alphabet series. I don’t allow myself to find out “whodunit” unless I am moving my butt out of the office chair. Right now, I’m on “K is for Killer.”

On the business side, here are my top ten books I’ve recently read:

1. “Traction” – Gino Wickman
2. “Extreme Ownership” – Jocko Willink
3. “EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom From the Trenches” – Dave Ramsey
4. “Shoe Dog” – Phil Knight
5. “Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong” – Kristen Hadeed
6. “The Ideal Team Player” – Patrick Lencioni
7. “Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself” – Mike Michalowicz
8. “The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals” – Sean Covey
9. “Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less” – Michael Hyatt
10. “Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth–and How You Can Too” – Chris Hogan

ProConnect: Wow – what a list! Now, 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?

RD: I’d want solar-powered phone with satellite-based internet access so that I can keep it charged and communicate with my family (texting and FaceTime).

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

RD: First, find a publication you like. I value being a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals and get their weekly updates. Second, get educated. When the TCJA came out, I attended a ton of webinars so that I could explain the changes to our clients. Third, the best thing is to rub shoulders with other people in our profession and collaborate!

ProConnect: Thanks, Renee.

Editor’s note: Check out several articles on staffing and leadership Renee has written for the Intuit Tax Pro Center.