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July 2021
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The Other Skill I Need to Do My Job Well
The Value of Good Listening Skills
in these conversations means I have to really listen to what a person is telling me and the core of what that means to effectively help them. Ultimately, I have to become a jack-of-all-trades, so to speak. Many people may not think of accountants as personable people, but if we weren’t, we would have a very hard time doing our jobs. We need to be able to effectively communicate with our clients, but more importantly, we must understand what they need and how our work can impact their goals. This skill has been especially important during the past two tax seasons, as our personal situations have fluctuated dramatically and the IRS’s rules and codes have consistently changed. However, I recognize that I’m not perfect. When you begin work as a CPA, you’re not a trained listener. You’re trained to understand numbers and tax laws, but once you begin practicing, you quickly have to learn how to listen. This is a skill I have been practicing since I began this business years ago, and it’s one that I continue to work on today. This July, I invite you to do the same. Practice your listening skills and examine the ways in which you can improve. As you begin to understand your pitfalls and strengths, you can improve your relationships with others — even strangers. It’s a valuable skill to examine. It takes time and practice to improve, but it all starts with understanding what gaps you need to fill.
As a certified public accountant (CPA), I need to have a firm grasp on certain skills. I have studied tax code and deadlines while picking apart complex language from the IRS and governmental bodies — and to continue doing my job, I have to regularly study and take classes. There’s a lot of education that goes into this job that many people may not even realize is necessary!
But there’s another vital component to what I do. It’s something I still have to study regularly, but it’s much more personal and mentally focused. Plus, it’s something I believe we all need to continually improve upon if we want our relationships, jobs, and lifestyles to be the best they can be.
It’s the simple yet complex task of listening well.
July 18 is World Listening Day, and I believe this a valuable reminder of just how important this trait can be for everyone. Personally, I experience this on a daily basis. I have to be a good listener to do my job well. I have to be able to understand my clients’ perspectives and dig into the root of their issues. It may involve personal questions or difficult topics, and we may have to dig deeper than what a person is comfortable with. (I get it. We’re all Midwesterners, and sometimes it’s hard to be negative!) But to find value
Remember, you don’t have to be a perfect listener. You just have to actively work to become a better listener. It will take practice, but you’re not alone. I’m still working on it, too.
—Craig Hanson
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A Soap Built for Men
How Dr. Squatch Revolutionized Soap Marketing
through targeted marketing. Haldrup is far from your typical marketing guru — but even as a former IT security consultant, he was savvy enough to notice the different strengths in online marketing platforms. He’s also invested plenty of money into video ads that people want to watch. Haldrup took a risk and paid $20,000 to a professional marketing agency to create a humorous ad about soap. It immediately paid off, increasing the soap subscription base from 11,000 to 17,000 in three months. Today, as of this writing, the ad has over 114 million views.
Jack Haldrup has a common autoimmune skin condition called psoriasis. Because regular supermarket soaps burn his skin — leaving it dry and irritated — he was forced to seek natural, gentler soaps. He told the San Diego Union- Tribune, “I ended up buying handmade soaps from farmers markets, and they made my skin feel great.” While Haldrup relied on natural soaps for his skin, he also realized how beneficial they are overall. But the average guy, he thought, wasn’t going to seek out soap at a farmers market or health food stores. That’s how Dr. Squatch, now a $100 million soap business with a massively successful 2020 Super Bowl ad, came to be. But marketers are all asking the same question: How’d he break into a corporation-dominated market like soap?
Not Just for Hippies
At 29 years old, he created Dr. Squatch, an all-natural soap brand for men. This is highly unusual — for many years, soap has been primarily marketed to women, perhaps since companies assume women make the household soap decisions. But Haldrup believed everyone deserves healthy soap. Although they expected their sales to be highest in coastal cities like New York or San Francisco, their biggest audience turns out to be middle America. “[Our soap] is for the guy who would never normally consider buying natural products because he thinks they’re for hippies,” Haldrup says. It’s not easy to break into a highly saturated market like soap, but when you’re competing against name-brand companies in the supermarket, you have to think, “What are these big corporations unable to provide?”
The contents of an average Dr. Squatch soap include lye, vegetable oil, and a variety of scented essential oils, which are not particularly groundbreaking ingredients. But while there’s nothing new about Dr. Squatch’s soap itself, the brand’s targeting and tactics are completely innovative for their industry. Men and women alike have come to adore Dr. Squatch for its attractive subscription system and humorous, personalized messaging. They’ve become a great example of how powerful a strong message can be, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the company! We’re rooting for you, Dr. Squatch!
Smart Marketing
For Haldrup and his boutique brand, the answer was deeply personalizing their content and building a community
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HAVE A Laugh
An Olympic Medal — For Arts
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the modern Olympic Games, saw art competitions as integral to the Olympics.
At the 1912 Stockholm Games, Coubertin finally secured Olympic fine art competitions. There were categories for architecture, music, painting, sculpture, and literature, but every work had to be inspired by sports. Judges didn’t have to award gold medals if they were disappointed by all the submissions, but in 1912, a gold medal was awarded in every category. As the Olympics exploded into a beloved international event, the fine arts competitions rarely caught people’s attention. There were significant winners, however. John Russell Pope (the architect of the Jefferson Memorial) won a silver in 1932. Other famous participants include Italian sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti, American illustrator Percy Crosby, Irish author Oliver St. John Gogarty, and Dutch painter Isaac Israëls.
The arts competition at the Olympics ended in 1952.
Business Tricks That Will Improve Your Personal Life
spending time with family), consider ways to make your current processes more efficient and beneficial. For example, you can’t lose weight if you don’t change your diet and exercise. Adjusting your habits might seem difficult, but there’s actually a straightforward method. According to “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, every new habit has a simple formula behind it: motivation, ability, and prompt. Whether your reminder is an alarm at the same time every day or even another habit (“I’ll exercise before I take my morning shower”), make sure it’s part of any new process you implement. 3: Remember, work is flexible — your personal life isn’t. Bryan G. Dyson, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, once told his staff, “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them — work, family, health, friends, and spirit — and you are keeping all of these in the air.” In his metaphor, work is a rubber ball. “If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same." We hope these tips help you protect the “glass balls” in your life!
When you're constantly in the “zone” at work, you're not always thinking about what's best for your personal life. While many business owners prioritize balance, what will truly benefit both your home and work life? Check out these three tricks. 1: Start your day with a plan. We know what you’re thinking: Writing out your plan is more work than just doing it . The key is to plan whenever you can. If you jot down things you want to accomplish the following day as they come up, all you’ll need to do is spend a few minutes organizing your list the next morning. Pro Tip: Remember to include time to unwind and relax! 2: Develop new and improved processes. While certain activities can’t be replaced with shortcuts (like
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905 James Ave. NE • Jamestown, ND 58401 (701) 252-6190 • CraigHansonCPA.com Inside This Edition
Have tax problems? Unsure what to do? Before you do anything, call me to get a special report, "The 7 Secrets the IRS Doesn’t Want You to Know!” Call (701) 252-6190 to get your free copy today!
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Why I Have to Be a Good Listener
How Dr. Squatch Revolutionized Soap Marketing
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An Olympic Medal — For Arts
Make Your Work-Life Balance Easy
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How a Joke Became a Multibillion Currency Market
Would you create an actual cryptocurrency to make fun of other cryptocurrencies? That’s exactly what Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus did, and it’s paid off with an over $70 billion currency market. Now, it’s the fourth-largest cryptocurrency in the world. Dogecoin (symbol: Ð) is a cryptocurrency that provides a payment system (like Bitcoin, another digital currency) that is instant, fun, and free from traditional banking fees. Its playful name and Shiba Inu dog mascot caused the currency to start as a meme, but as people began to actually purchase it, it became worth more and more. Before Dogecoin, Palmer was a product manager at Adobe Inc.’s office in Sydney, Australia. As a “skeptic-analytic” observer of crypto, he joked on Twitter about creating Dogecoin as a way of satirizing the hype for cryptocurrencies. Surprisingly, people were totally on board. So, he bought the domain name Dogecoin.com. That’s when Markus, a software developer at IBM, contacted Palmer. He wanted to create a digital currency but had trouble promoting his project and decided to jump on the Dogecoin buzz. He asked Palmer’s permission to build the software to create an actual Dogecoin. How a Joke Became a Multibillion Currency Market The Origins of Dogecoin
Most cryptocurrencies are fairly serious and sterile in presentation, but Dogecoin was always different. Palmer and Markus decided to market Dogecoin as the “fun” version of Bitcoin. Since Bitcoin had a limited supply while Dogecoin had an unlimited supply, Dogecoin was also faster and more consumer-friendly for new crypto investors. In 2015, Palmer made his departure from Dogecoin, citing the currency’s “toxic community” as a main reason why he left. Dogecoin also had its financial struggles during the 2018 cryptocurrency crash, but today, it’s grown stronger than ever. As of early May 2021, Dogecoin’s price is up more than 13,000% for the year. Even though Dogecoin’s origins are humorous, Palmer and Markus’ business decisions were no joke. If you decide to purchase Dogecoin yourself, whether as a joke or for investing, please do your due diligence to understand the risks of cryptocurrency.
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IRS Problems?
Let Us Help!
IRS problems are a very personal type of issue, and people often do not know where to turn for help. This can generally affect all aspects of your life, and many people just live with the problem for months and sometimes years, assuming that nothing can be done about it. Imagine how relieved you or someone you know would feel if you could just put them in the hands of a competent expert who deals with the IRS on a daily basis and who really cares about helping people. This professional could give them peace of mind so they can stop looking over their shoulder once and for all, knowing they do not need to meet or communicate with the IRS any longer. As your representative, we handle all IRS communications on your behalf. It’s easy for good, hardworking Americans to fall behind. Providing IRS tax help to Jamestown and the surrounding area was a natural evolution for us at Craig Hanson, CPA Financial and Tax Services. I want to help people like you. I have come across many people who have tried to handle their IRS situation themselves (or with their current CPA or person who prepared their taxes) but didn’t receive the relief they were seeking. I know the “ins and outs” of the tax system and can negotiate a personalized solution for you. My firm now handles IRS representation services, which include Preparation of Unfiled Income Tax Returns, Penalty Reduction, Offers in Compromise, Payment Plans, Financial Hardship Plans, Wage Garnishment/Bank Levy Releases, Audits, and IRS Appeals. I’ll listen — in complete confidence — to your IRS difficulties. I’ll answer your questions, explain your options, suggest solutions, and provide you with a written estimate of our fees to permanently resolve your IRS difficulties. If you or someone you know has an IRS problem, call (701) 252-6190 and schedule a confidential consultation. Call now — the IRS acts fast when they think you have their money!
CraigHansonCPA.com (701) 252-6190
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