Kurt Guth | Local Leaders Achieving Success
Seven local entrepreneurs share their journeys from humble beginnings to thriving businesses. Discover the challenges they faced, the breakthroughs that fueled their growth and the insights that drove their success.
Kurt Guth
American Tax Service
What was your first job and how did it impact you?
Your first job doesn’t have to be your favorite job. Instead, I’ll tell you about the best job I ever had. My father installed floor coverings and had his own business. I’d work summers and weekends as he needed me and I loved it. Not the work so much, although I did learn a lot about that trade. I mean, I got to work with my dad! We’d go early to meet the crew for coffee and line out the day. We’d discuss logistics and scheduling, problem solving and job profitability. We’d discuss human resources and all the joys that entails. Most importantly, we’d discuss business reputation and providing a quality product that kept clients happy. Later, when I bought the tax practice with him, we got to address all those topics together again with a different context, and most of the time, over coffee. It always gave me the best nostalgia fix and I hope he saw the symmetry and beauty of it as well.
What inspired you to run your own business?
My dad inspired me to buy into the practice. He saw my unhappiness with big corporate culture and knew I wanted to make a change. His hope was that I’d want to save a struggling business and the opportunity that came with that challenge. I liked the idea of making a bigger impact on a smaller scale. It was better than making seemingly no impact on a massive scale. Also, I didn’t want to wear a suit anymore.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as a business owner?
I have two mantras: Roll with the punches and take everything apace. I have way more than that, but these seem to be the ones I most often come back to. You have to be flexible in order to be what your clients and employees need in the moment. And you have to have confidence that things you put into motion will pay off, even if it’s not quite on the schedule you want. Build the process, put good brains on it and it will pay off.
What strategies have been most effective for growing your business?
I didn’t come to this industry with an extensive background in professional client service on an individual level. I offered what I would want in a professional that I hired, be they an accountant, attorney or financial planner. I looked for areas where clients complained about unmet needs, even in my own business when I first bought in, and tried to provide a solution rather than just a tax return copy and an invoice. Pretty old-fashioned and not very sexy, I know.
What impact do you hope your business will have on the community or industry?
If people that have dealt with my company have a better understanding of their own tax returns, financial books and finances in general, I’d be happy.
