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April 2023
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CraigHansonCPA.com • (701) 252-6190
EDUCATION DOESN’T EXPIRE
Learn New Things Any Time, Anywhere
When you walk across the stage, grab your diploma, and shake your principal’s or dean’s hand, you may think your time in education is over. But that’s not the case. Knowledge is all around us — simply listening to a podcast, watching a video, or reading a book or article can strengthen your mind and help you improve your life in different ways. For me, it’s essential that I pursue “continuing education” because it allows me to provide the best resources and insight to my clients. The world of finances and CPA are forever changing. There are always new tax laws, modifications, and adjustments to consider when speaking with clients. If I didn’t stay up to date on what’s new in the tax and financial world, I couldn’t help others to the best of my ability. Because of how imperative it is to understand the ever- evolving financial world, it’s required for all CPAs to complete 120 hours of continued education every three years. Back in the day, I used to travel out of state to attend courses, and I loved it! I enjoyed the face-to-face interactions and conversing with other CPAs because you can learn a lot from those around you. Today, all of our courses are online. While I miss the social interactions of in-person classes, I like having the flexibility to learn on my own time. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I can sit down at my computer and participate in several training sessions. I also like the freedom to decide which material to focus on. There are dozens of different classes I can attend, but I primarily gravitate toward the tax region because this is an area I help my clients with the most. However, although I’m required to continue my education, I also enjoy using my free time to focus on material that will nurture my life. If you were to look at my search history, recent reads, and saved pages on my computer, you’ll notice I read a
lot of articles and books about ways to better myself, focus on my goals, and improve my business. Some of my favorite things to read are biographies. I’ve always wondered how business owners created their routines and strategies. Sometimes, reading how you can develop these habits isn’t enough — it’s great to have an example to compare it to and see how people incorporate these methods into their practice. I like to analyze how business owners incorporate tactics to meet goals so I can implement new techniques and methods. I encourage you to continue your education. You can be academic without a degree. Education is simply about finding resources that fit your needs, help you tackle problems, and strengthen your life. However, I understand how difficult it is to find where to start. Since there’s so much information out there, it can become overwhelming! If you’re looking for a place to start, you first want to analyze your goals and aspirations. Is anything preventing you from accomplishing them? When you understand what’s getting in your way or what you want to improve, you can begin finding books, podcasts, videos, and articles that speak on those topics. Then, you can see which recommendations appear and find out if any of those interest you. It’s all about trial and error when finding the best method. But I believe in you! So, this month, exercise your brain by learning something new. If you would like to know what I’m currently learning or if I have any recommendations, please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help you in any way I can.
–Craig Hanson
Have tax problems? Unsure what to do? Our Free video reveals what you should and should NOT do when you receive the dreaded letter from the IRS. CraigHansonCPATaxResolution.com
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Fresh content matters — but it’s not easy to make. Creating quality content of all kinds takes time, skill, and effort. And in truth, everything doesn’t have to be new all the time, and you can probably get more mileage out of the content you’ve already created. The best marketers make their lives easier by reusing and recycling their work, and there’s no shame in the practice if you do it properly. Coming up with a constant stream of new ideas takes time, and even the best content creators are likely to hit a wall eventually. But you can keep the creative juices flowing by diving back into the archives for work you’ve already done. It helps if you have a catalog of your previous articles, videos, and podcasts, along with their original publication date, topic, and performance metrics. If you haven’t been keeping track, now is the time to start. Peruse your library for content that remains useful and relevant to your audience months or even years after it was initially posted. Remember, no matter how great a podcast episode was, not everyone listened to it, and many people don’t regularly keep up with your blog. So, get more mileage from that content by sharing it on new mediums. REPOST, REUSE, RECYCLE Why the Best Marketers Repurpose Content
images to illustrate your blog. You’ll see fresh engagement with only a fraction of the effort.
Be careful, though, not to share outdated material. Facts may have changed since you created your content, industry best practices might have adjusted, or your brand voice and style could have evolved. When using written content, these are often easy to fix. You can update your vocabulary, recommendations, and style before reposting or resharing. You can also recycle your content to make something new. An hourlong podcast can inspire a new quick-bite video, and you might use a blog as the basis of a podcast episode. Condense or expand the content as needed. A shortened blog post can work exceptionally well in your print newsletter, or you might break it up into bite-size chunks through an email series. Another popular option is using old content to create eye-catching infographics. People love colorful, visually appealing, easily digestible information, and infographics can work across multiple social media platforms. You can get even more mileage by linking the original content alongside the infographic for those who want to dive deeper.
Resharing a particularly useful piece of content to your social media channels is a great way to help it find new eyes and ears. Add that YouTube video to your Facebook feed a few months later, link to an old but still relevant article on Twitter, and use Instagram
Every marketer should put time and care into their content — so they should also get the most out of their efforts. Work smarter, not harder, by wisely reusing and repurposing content that hasn’t
outlived its use. In the end, both your business and your customers will benefit.
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BEATING THE CLOCK ‘Free Time’ Helps Us Save Our Most Precious Resource
Time is money, as the adage goes. But author Jenny Blake believes time is our life force, making it much too precious to waste. In her 2022 book, “Free Time: Lose the Busy Work, Love Your Business,” she argues that many entrepreneurs aren’t making the most of this crucial resource and suggests sustainable changes to how many of us do business. Being busy has become a virtue in our culture. People who aren’t constantly busy are seen as lazy and unproductive — and no one expects an unbusy entrepreneur to be successful. But Blake turns this thinking on its head. She argues that you can build the business you want without sacrificing the rest of your life. Further, many things we spend so much time on are unnecessary. Blake’s approach to conquering the hamster
wheel of entrepreneurship involves creating workable systems and a winning team. Many tasks we think no one else can handle can often be automated and outsourced to others. While many entrepreneurs think their only options are to do it all or hire a small army, Blake advocates for a “delightfully tiny team” that can get more done with improved processes. There’s no one-size-fits-all system for every business, but “Free Time” will help any reader discover theirs. The exercises and recommendations will give you plenty of food for thought and actionable ways to find your ideal work/ life balance — which, as Blake notes in the book, is different for everyone. Business leaders are used to books and courses that promote growth at all costs. That’s fine for some, but not everyone wants to scale their business
endlessly. Sometimes, small-business
owners want to keep their businesses small — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Blake shares that she limits her work to 30 hours a week because she values her other pursuits. The idea may sound impossible now, but there are many ways to reduce your current workload without sacrificing your continued success. “Free Time” is for people currently bogged down with “The Burdensome B’s.” If you’re bored, bottlenecked, burned out, or buried by bureaucracy, this book will help you reclaim your life. Blake reminds us that our time is much more precious than money. Isn’t it time you learned to use yours more wisely?
HAVE A Laugh
The Horrifying History of Hand-Washing Before Doctors Kept It Clean
We expect our doctors to wash their hands before examining us — it’s a no-brainer. But more than 100 years ago, the idea of germs was poorly understood.
A Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis began to notice startling mortality rates between two maternity
wards at his hospital. The ward run by midwives had a much lower maternal mortality rate than the one staffed by doctors. After watching a colleague die of infection after cutting himself during an autopsy, Semmelweis determined something similar might be happening to maternity ward patients. Many doctors were examining mothers-to-be after performing autopsies — but midwives weren’t. So, he instituted sterilization and hand-washing procedures in the hospital, and the maternal mortality rate dropped substantially in the doctor-run ward, becoming on par with the midwives. Semmelweis had solved the problem!
His discovery and the emergence of germ theory gave us medical professionals who now have much safer habits.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
905 James Ave. NE • Jamestown, ND 58401 (701) 252-6190 • CraigHansonCPA.com Inside This Edition
Have tax problems? Unsure what to do? Our Free video reveals what you should and should NOT do when you receive the dreaded letter from the IRS. CraigHansonCPATaxResolution.com
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Education Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date!
2. 3.
Why You Should Recycle Content
Make the Most of Your Day With ‘Free Time’ A Time Before Doctors Washed Their Hands
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The Limits of Fear-Based Marketing
Does Your Marketing Rely on Scare Tactics? FEAR FACTOR
Fear-based marketing is as old as advertising itself. Many companies have succeeded in scaring their customers into opening their wallets. But despite its proven effectiveness, there are limits to fear’s ability to sell. So, when is amping up your customers’ anxiety a good thing, and when will it just make them tune out? Fear inspires us to take action. When we’re worried about our finances, safety, relationships, or social acceptance, we want to eliminate the anxiety as quickly and painlessly as possible. Therefore, companies can effectively convince people to purchase a product by introducing fear and promptly providing a solution.
strong feelings among its audience, and research shows emotional triggers are effective selling tools. But should you always target fear when other options are available?
much fear also gives way to disgust; some things are so awful we don’t want to think about them. Consider those infamous SPCA commercials showing abused and neglected animals. They may inspire some people to give, but most of us change the channel. Meanwhile, other brands like Disney rely on nostalgia, togetherness, and joy and have seen excellent results. Of course, making people feel warm and fuzzy about car insurance or mold remediation is much more challenging. But many companies have succeeded by turning the usual message on its head and focusing on peace of mind instead of fear. While fear-based marketing can work, it’s easy to go overboard. Only use fear in moderation, and don’t forget to close with a message of hope. You want to leave your customers feeling empowered, not helpless or manipulated.
Relying on fear can turn off your potential customers. For a start,
people don’t like to feel manipulated. We’ve all seen overblown fear-based marketing that suggests catastrophic consequences in a relatively low-stakes scenario. Generally, we roll our eyes and turn away. And at that moment, we lose faith in the company’s willingness to be upfront and honest with us.
Further, too much fear numbs us, and we become complacent.
But while fear motivates us, it’s not the only emotion we respond to. Advertisers have long understood the best marketing generates
When every commercial on TV or email in your inbox presents a new threat, we no longer feel heightened emotion — and we stop paying attention. Too
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