Connect With Me
Hi,
I’m Howard.
About Me
And This
Website.
From a young age, I've possessed that fire in the belly that embodies every entrepreneur and I did many of the stereotypical things a future entrepreneur does.
At 6, I was selling lemonade in my parent's front yard.
At 12, it was candy bars door to door in my neighborhood.
And at 18, I was selling anything I thought could turn a profit on Ebay.
I even earned a business degree with a specialization in entrepreneurship.
However, after college, I didn't think I had any good ideas, lacked confidence, racked up some student loan debt, and had a laundry list of other excuses for not starting a business. The big fire in my belly turned into a little flame (but never completely burned out).
I took the safe route and got a job as an accountant. Over the course of 10 years I became fluent in the language of business.
I eventually earned my CPA license and an MBA in Finance.
I also learned how to type on an adding machine so fast I could make it smoke!
The job had it's highs and lows. I loved working with businesses on a variety of issues and learned valuable skills but still had a desire to start my own business.
Today, I work as a self-employed CPA, help small business owners understand and pay less taxes with this blog, and connect them with other small business accounting professionals via SBAN – The Small Business Accountant Network, which I founded in 2018.
A few random personal facts about me:
Owning a small business is often attractive because it offers many the ability to more easily juggle business and personal interests. For me, being accessible to my family, including my two young boys, is a top priority.
In 2015, I trained for and completed an IronMan triathlon after being inspired by a friend who did the same a couple years earlier.
I've been playing guitar and drums as a hobby since my early teens. Though I picked up the guitar first, I am still no good, but I can keep a pretty solid beat on the drums.
I'm an avid Howard Stern fan. I think he is the most misunderstood famous personality on the planet. He's evolved into a mature (most of the time) master of his craft and I greatly admire him.
I strongly believe that going to a job and collecting a steady paycheck is easier and safer than starting and running a business and I respect anyone willing to forgo the former to pursue the latter.
And a few words on my professional experience and credibility:
I earned a Bachelors degree in business administration in 2004 from University of Baltimore, where I studied entrepreneurship and accounting.
I passed the CPA exam and received my CPA license in 2009 and earned an MBA in Finance from Towson University in 2012.
I've always enjoyed learning, which led me to begin working on a second Masters degree in Taxation in 2013. However, by the time I got halfway through the program I really began questioning the value of a formal education and whether I wanted to continue down the career path I was on. Dropping out was a tough decision because I don't consider myself a quitter, but I did and don't regret it.
I've spent my decade-plus career working for two mid-sized local CPA firms in the Baltimore area. My job involved working with individuals and businesses, large and small, on a variety of issues, typically tax related. I also built a small "side hustle" practice over the last decade helping friends and family and their small businesses with their tax and accounting needs.
I look forward to helping you understand and pay less taxes.
