It’s been five years since the pandemic muted the crescendo of my five-year plan. My plans were all aimed toward a first day of kindergarten that was ultimately delayed by seven months. 

This week, with the kiddo turning 10, I spent some time refocusing on what I want from the next 3-4 years, before the Bigger Kid, Bigger Problems phase of parenting starts. And with a good portion of that time already tagged for “chaotic economic environment,” I decided to focus on something that’s in my control.

I’m going to do things that bring me joy, work or otherwise. 

This week, that was saying yes to a last-minute opportunity to see Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour and laughing really, really hard at Freakier Friday and Taylor Tomlinson’s tour stop at The Greek Theater. In all of these artists, the joy was tangible. 

It was also guiding my clients to find their own joy in running their companies.  Saying no to flattering merger and acquisition opportunities that were out of alignment. Defining a transition from operating in a zone of excellence to a zone of genius, with minimal financial risk. Figuring out how to reward a team for staying with a company through a period of growth. Outlining a tax-smart compensation and risk management plan for an entrepreneur with a young family. 

Joy needs space, and it’s hard to find that space when your to-do list is ruling your life. One of my clients defined this well when she said, “To do my best work, I need some time and space to mosey.” Moseying is an excellent companion to joy. Unstructured time to let your mind wander, research, and synthesize can feel like an impossible luxury. It’s also critical to finding good ideas. It’s counterintuitive, but if you want to do more, allow yourself to do less. 

Where can you make some space this week?

The working title for this newsletter was “Oops, I started a business.” It happens when you set out to solve a problem and find yourself running a company.

Today, we’re celebrating a milestone for my most “oops, I started a business” client. Rob Beeler’s business design inputs were 1) I don’t ever want employees, 2) I’ve got 3 kids going to college soon so I need to get paid, and 3) I want to be a leader for publishers and the ad ops / ad tech industry.

There was a day when the first one changed. But the focus on those centering principles has not.

Rob has absolutely built this business his way -- sustainable growth, strong margins, fortress balance sheet, commitment to people. To make the Inc 5000 in the sixth year of business, when you didn’t start from a tiny revenue number, is all the more impressive. Read the company’s announcement here. 

Congratulations to the team at Beeler.Tech. Oops, you’re on the 2025 Inc 5000.

ICYMI, here’s a recap of business compliance deadlines that may impact you in the next two months.

September 15: 

• Q3 2025 estimated tax payments due

• 2024 tax filing extension deadline for K-1s and S-corp filings

October 1: Complete set up of a new or revised 2025 Safe Harbor 401k for current year contributions  

October 15: 

• 2024 extension tax filing deadline for personal, solo LLC, and C-corps

• 2024 business and personal tax filing extension and payment deadline for Los Angeles County under FEMA emergency

TACO is back: Increased tariffs on Chinese goods were given another 90-day pause this week, extending the 30% temporary rates until November 10. With the US Chamber of Commerce estimating a $202 billion cost to small business importers and wholesale prices jumping almost 1% in July -- more than triple the expected amount -- the disruption and red tape of flip-flopping trade policy will continue to be a major issue for cash management and 2026 planning. 

Some unexpected alignment: My first full-time job was at J. P. Morgan, and I have owned the company’s stock for much of my adult life. Yet, I was surprised to hear JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon echoing my more conservative business growth approach in his recent interview on the Acquired podcast. Sustain your margins so you can invest in your business. Don’t rely on accounting tricks, that’s for taxes, not balance sheets. Have great customer relationships. If you’re interested in how the banking system has evolved in the last 25 years, watch on YouTube.

Redemption song: Shoutout to director Contessa Gayles on the launch of the documentary / visual album, Songs from the Hole, worldwide on Netflix on August 13. The film translates the music and visual outlines that James “JJ88” Jacobs wrote about reckoning with loss and paths to redemption while confined in the California penal system. This was Contessa’s project during her Film Independent Amplifier fellowship. Congratulations to Contessa, richie reseda, and James “JJ88” Jacobs.

Scarcity makes you creative: One of my favorite pods, Say More, returned this week with Jeni Britton of Jeni’s Ice Creams. Jeni says that creativity is the ability to find efficiencies, making something out of nothing or scarce resources. She also talks about solving a real problem versus creating a customer, and how to find alignment with your team to move faster. There’s also a bit of energetic woo, for those of you who participate. Listen here or on the podcatcher of your choice.