AMA with Aja Evans Counseling: Facing Tax Season (and The Feelings That Come Up)

[Tom]

Hello Seller Community,

On Thursday, March 28, the Seller Community hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) forum discussion with Aja Evans, where we addressed the various aspects of tax season. In this discussion, everything was fair game, including the triumphs, anxieties, and potential knowledge gaps experienced by business owners as they navigate their tax journey. Aja is a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in financial therapy. She works with clients to uncover their money beliefs and narratives, so they feel more confident and empowered in managing their business finances.

Aja Evans Counseling

We recognize that many businesses within the Seller Community face constraints regarding tax preparation resources. With this AMA event, we aimed to provide you with the opportunity to engage with an expert who has experience in the following areas:

• Square Banking features that can help you be more proactive with tax preparation
• Addressing stressors and best practices for managing money, taxes, and the challenges of being a business owner
• Helping you understand your money story better and how it affects the way you think, feel, and behave with your money

Here are a few example questions:

• In your experience, what are the top three things to keep in mind or practice when navigating the uncertainty or stresses of tax season?
• How can Square Banking features make preparing for tax season easier?
• I just started my business last year, and the fear of making a mistake on my taxes has me paralyzed. How can I get past this?
• What is financial therapy, and how can it help me in my business?

This article is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this article solely reflects the speakers’ views and is not endorsed by Square. This article is limited in scope and is only intended as a high-level overview of the topics mentioned.

This speaker series or event is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. For guidance or advice specific to your business, you should consult with a qualified legal professional. Aja may respond to your situation in an upcoming edition of our newsletter. Someone from the Seller Community will contact you directly if your response is chosen.

Square Checking is provided by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Square Debit Card is issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard. Square Debit Card may be used wherever Mastercard is accepted. Accounts are FDIC-insured up to $250,000.

[Tom]

Hey @evelyn4g,

I'll also add that CPA Keila Hill-Trawick, founder and CEO of Little Fish Accounting, recently responded to a Square seller’s real-life ‘Oh sh*t’ tax moment in the Square Banking newsletter — you may find some helpful sales tax info there.

Check out Keila’s column and scroll down to Good With Numbers to see her tips.

[JTPets]

Keep your money separate, open a small business bank account or use squares features to keep your money out of your personal account.

Pay digital for everything, credit, cash, etransfer, or even an analog cheque. Something that is trackable so you can prove you spent money in specific places. God forbit you ever need it, most major corporations and pull receipts if an audit comes.

Hire a professional. Hire a professional when you dont know what you dont know. Might not need them forever, but a consultation is worth it if it saves you a ton of pain later.

[AjaEvans · Accepted solution]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to share your questions and feedback! I hope your questions were answered — the experiences you've shared will help fellow business owners grow.

As we close out this event, we wanted to do a recap on three themes that came up frequently:

• Money mindset and feelings: Financial therapy is a new concept for many, but we all have feelings about money. Understanding how your emotions may impact your business is important in preventing potential roadblocks. I deep-dive into our money origins in my book, Feel-Good Finance.
  
  
• Partnering with quality vendors: When trusting someone to work on your business, ensure they understand your needs and can deliver. You need to be comfortable not only with their work but with their prices.
  
  
• Knowledge is power: Knowing what you want, personally and for your business will help you create the life you want. As business owners, we have to create healthy boundaries to promote the health of our business, employees, and ourselves.

Again, thanks for your participation. For future conversations, keep watch for announcements in the Seller Community Event Calendar.