25 - Mike Jesowshek - From Accounting Firm to SaaS: Turning Tax Strategy Into a Software Product

Mike Jesowshek joins Nick to break down how he went from teenage entrepreneurship and online marketing to launching a cloud-based accounting firm in 2013, eventually adding tax planning after seeing how often business owners struggled to get proactive strategy from their existing accountants. They dig into how the Small Business Tax Savings Podcast became both an education platform and lead engine, why Mike sold a majority stake in his accounting firm in 2021, and how that transition ultimately led to TaxElm, a software platform built around personalized tax strategy rather than tax prep. Mike shares lessons from an earlier failed software launch, including why getting an MVP to market matters more than building the perfect product, plus how he is now using Claude, AI-assisted coding, and a technical partner to accelerate development. The conversation also covers building a company that does not depend on the founder, balancing software with human tax support, creating an advisor portal for accounting firms and financial advisors, and continually reducing the time it takes business owners to implement tax strategies correctly. To connect with Mike, check out his podcast and company's websites: TaxSavingsPodcast.com TaxElm.com and follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejesowshek If you would like to connect with us visit: https://sagaaccounting.com or to appear on the show, fill out a guest application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLS...