The IC-DISC Show

Ep037: Cost Segregation in Real Estate with Heidi Henderson

October 20th, 2022  |  45 mins 16 secs

My guest today is Heidi Henderson. She serves as the Executive Vice President for Engineered Tax Services and oversees the marketing and advertising efforts along with business development. Although ETS is based in Southern Florida, Heidi is actually located in Utah.

Doing cost segregation work, mostly on real estate projects, we talk about some of the differentiators for Engineered Tax Services, what clients say about them, and what makes Heidi really proud about the firm.

This was a great episode talking about her background - how she got into the real estate business and then how that translated to joining Engineered Tax Services about 12 years ago.

We wrapped things up with Heidi sharing some lessons that she's learned through her career and advice that she would give to her 25-year-old self.

Ep036: Protecting Your Intellectual Property with Al Deaver

September 14th, 2022  |  50 mins 23 secs

In today's episode, we meet Al Deaver, an intellectual property lawyer and Principal at the Houston-based law firm of McAughan Deaver.

Al's undergraduate degree is actually in mechanical engineering and he then paired that with a law degree, making him incredibly proficient with the more technical aspects of intellectual property.

In this episode we talked about some things for exporters to be aware of when dealing with trademarks, copyrights and patents. We also discussed getting patents granted in different markets as well as securing your IP right here in the USA. Our discussion is incredibly useful for anyone considering widening the reach of their products now or in the future. I hope you enjoy the episode.

Ep035: Focusing on Planning and Implementation with Laura Stees

August 17th, 2022  |  46 mins 51 secs

Today's guest is Laura Stees, a CPA, business strategist, and partner at Stees, Walker & Company LLP in San Diego, California.
Laura has a really unique tax practice where she really focuses more on planning and implementation rather than compliance. Her firm does the compliance, but in her experience, it's the planning and maybe even more importantly, the implementation of the planning in which there's a big gap in the marketplace.
And we had a really interesting conversation around the things her firm does that differentiate it from other firms and their hyper focus on planning and implementation.

There are a lot of great takeaways here, and anyone with an interest in business will gain a lot from taking a listen.

Ep034: Understanding Tax Law with Lucy Petry

July 15th, 2022  |  39 mins 58 secs

In today's episode of the IC-DISC Show, we have the pleasure of talking to Lucy Petry, an accomplished tax professional and attorney who recently received her LLM in taxation. She has also been a professor for accounting classes at the University of St. Thomas and law classes at the South Texas College of Law.

In this show, we talk about a significant upcoming tax law change that will have substantial reporting requirements for every business owner with a legal entity, as well as the company's shareholders.

Lucy also delved deeper into some other parts of the tax code that are helpful for individuals to be aware of, but the average person may not know.

It's up right now at www.IC-DISCshow.com/034.

Ep033: Operating With Strategic Advantage with Brett Ekart

June 15th, 2022  |  1 hr 3 mins

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're speaking with Brett Ekart, CEO of United Metals Recycling, a metals recycling and processing company based in Boise, Idaho, and host of the podcast A Scrap Life.

Brett grew up in the recycling industry. He loves its potential, and this life-long engagement has given him a different perspective on the business. Instead of considering it a commodity business, he views it as a customer-service business.

We discuss this idea and the strategies he's successfully used in the scrap and recycling industry, continuously leveraging any unique advantage to get ahead of his competition.

This is a great show, and the ideas Brett shares can be applied by any entrepreneur in any industry.

Ep032: The IC-DISC Alliance with Brian Schwam & Jim Fyhrie

May 18th, 2022  |  43 mins 56 secs

n today's IC-DISC Show, I am joined by Brian Schwam & Jim Fyhrie of WTP Advisors, for a special episode as we announce the formation of the IC-DISC Alliance.

The Alliance is a collaboration between the premiere IC-DISC consulting firms in the country with the goal of being the most comprehensive IC-DISC resource available anywhere. The founding members of the Alliance are Export Advisors and WTP Advisors.

In the show, we get a chance to explore the background of the Alliance and the advantages it brings to clients and their advisors. To learn more about the IC-DISC Alliance, visit https://ic-disc.com.

Ep031: Financing and Growing Your Business with Ben Lehrer

April 25th, 2022  |  48 mins 15 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we have the pleasure of talking to the founder and CEO of First Water, an advisory firm here in Houston, Ben Lehrer.

First Water connects teams with data to companies with capital through a concept Ben calls "Relational Finance" and in this episode, we talk about Ben's background, what inspired him to start First Water, the type of companies they help, and his book, "Relational Finance: The New Model to Accelerate Growth, Attract Capital, and Maximize the Value of Your Business."

Ben's company is unique in the mergers and acquisitions world, and if you're an entrepreneur with an established business that's looking to grow organically or through acquisition, then this episode is for you.

Ep030: Earning Internal & External Loyalty with Chris Dooley

March 24th, 2022  |  48 mins 33 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with Chris Dooley, CEO of Dooley Tackaberry, a fourth-generation firm founded 97 years ago in Beaumont, Texas.

The company is one of the most reliable suppliers of fire and safety products to oil, gas, and municipal markets, and we had a great conversation about what it's like to be the fourth generation of a family-run business. Chris has an amazing relationship with his employees, and he describes the company as being like an extended family that functions like a well-oiled machine.

We further discuss how this relationship and the company's nimble approach to requests from small and Fortune 100 companies lead to deeper customer satisfaction and loyalty.

This is a great show, with many examples of a company focusing on becoming a trusted partner.

Ep029: The Business Owner's Dilemma with Ali Nasser

February 22nd, 2022  |  47 mins 3 secs

Ali, you may remember, has a hugely successful wealth management firm based in Houston, but he is back as a guest because he's just released his new book, The Business Owner's Dilemma looking at the 3 dilemmas we face as business owners.

It's a great conversation talking about the book, why he wrote it, how he sees it as more of a ROLE (return on life experience) project rather than an ROI project, and why entrepreneurs are fundamentally different from non-entrepreneurs when it comes to wealth and legacy planning.

One of the book's biggest takeaways is to achieve clarity and a path toward planning and capturing your life's work, so I highly recommend checking out Ali's book at www.alinasser.com.

Ep028: Understanding COVID Tax Credits with Dave Manges

February 1st, 2022  |  52 mins 9 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with Dave Manges, Founder and President of Reinsman Consulting, a specialty consulting firm based in Dallas, Texas, helping small and medium-size businesses navigate the complexities of the Employee Retention Credit and other COVID-19 stimulus programs.

Dave has an interesting story. He was on a partnership track at a big four accounting firm, but when the various COVID relief packages came into effect, he saw an opportunity to focus on helping the small and medium market. His employer was focused on the higher-end, larger firm market, so Dave took the chance and launched his firm to support this group. He hasn't looked back since.

He has a real passion for helping business owners, thriving on doing a great job for them, and this episode has some great insights into the tax credits and stimulus packages that are available and how his diverse background contributes to his ongoing success.

Ep027: Total Quality Management with Michael Kramer

October 14th, 2021  |  48 mins 43 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with Michael Kramer, President of ManageHub, a specialty consulting firm based in Chicago, who use the Malcolm Baldridge principles of total quality management to dramatically improve a company's quality and performance in a relatively short period of time.

We had a great conversation about some of the client successes he's had, the history of Baldrige, and also what a tremendously underutilized, American-made system Baldrige is.

Mike really has a passion for sharing this system high and wide to every US company, so if you've ever wanted to learn more about the benefit of exceptional quality and excellence in your own organization, this episode has a lot of great ideas and insights.

Ep026: Premium Financed Insurance with John McDonough

August 25th, 2021  |  1 hr 3 mins

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with John McDonough, a Financed Insurance Specialist based in Houston.

John works with ultra high-net-worth families and C-suite executives to create innovative insurance solutions, and this is a very interesting episode because we had the opportunity to talk about his services and the challenge of helping people understand these new ideas.

He has a detailed understanding of the leverage that premium finance life insurance can provide to the ultra-wealthy for estate tax liquidity, and to companies for executive retention in the C-suite, and this really was one of the most interesting calls I've had in a long time.

Ep025: The IC-DISC in 2021

July 15th, 2021  |  24 mins 19 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we have a little different type of podcast. Rather than speaking with a guest, I'm going to do a short episode in which I answer the most common questions we've received this year about the future of the IC-DISC given the new administration.

A change in administration always raises concerns, so I want to share some of the opportunities and challenges of using the program.

Ep024: Learning From Your Customers with Paul Liberato

May 7th, 2021  |  1 hr 1 min

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with Paul Liberato, President of Billy Pugh, a pioneering offshore safety equipment company based in Corpus Cristi, Texas. I've known Paul for some time but didn't know his story. Since becoming President, some of their best product solutions have come from customers with real-life problems, so we had a really insightful conversation about this strong customer/supplier relationship and how that makes a company stronger.

Ep023: Revolutionary Pricing with Ron Baker

April 9th, 2021  |  1 hr 17 mins

Today on the IC-DISC Show, we're talking with Ron Baker, founder of VeraSage Institute, a think tank dedicated to teaching value-based pricing, and host of the Soul of Enterprise podcast.

Ron's work has literally added millions of dollars of value to our business and our clients, and if you're in an industry where billable hours are the prevailing idea, his insights into revolutionary pricing models can be a game-changer for your business.

Ep022: CPA Misconceptions with Randy Reimer

March 19th, 2021  |  59 mins 44 secs

Today on the IC-DISC Show, I'm talking with my good friend Randy Reimer, owner of Houston-based boutique CPA firm Reimer, McGuinness & Associates.
We had a great, wide-ranging conversation about Randy's experience, including talking about some of the misconceptions people have about CPA firms and some of the mistakes entrepreneurs make when setting up their business.