Carlotta Thompson splits tax planning from preparation at her firm

Thompson argues that the two disciplines rely on fundamentally different calendars. While preparation is governed by statutory filing deadlines that dominate the first ten months of the year, effective planning requires implementation and documentation before the December 31 cutoff. According to the founder, firms attempting to balance both tasks under a single roof inevitably allow the immediate demands of compliance to overshadow forward-looking strategy.

Since its founding in 2022, the remote-based firm has expanded to include five former IRS agents among its staff, serving clients with annual profits ranging from $40,000 to $40 million. The company reports it has identified over $139 million in federal tax savings for 3,707 business owners. To ensure consistency, the firm utilizes a proprietary evaluation process dubbed the Great American Tax Treasure Hunt, which runs client profiles against a catalog of more than 100 statutory provisions. About half of the firm's clients retain external accountants for their annual filings, allowing Thompson’s team to focus exclusively on the implementation and documentation of specific tax strategies.