Hey, me again! I’m Dalton, Community Manager for Counter. Just as a reminder, I’ll be posting about what goes on inside the community, while Logan will be posting about firm operations, accountant-talk, and all that fun stuff. If you aren’t already a part of the community, we have been known to drop free trials from time to time, so be on the lookout. Welcome you to the Counter Newsletter; enjoy the 3-5 minute reads, and join us in Counter 🙂

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The Post That Started It All

Logan dropped a post about PTSSD — Post Tax Season Stress Disorder — and the community did not hold back. Over a dozen members showed up in the comments to validate something that apparently nobody talks about out loud but is clearly there: the weird guilt and restlessness that hits right after the deadline passes. It hit so hard that we made a post about it in our newsletter.

The thread is worth a read. The conversations inside are honest in a way that you don't really get anywhere else. And if you've ever felt "lazy" for not being able to turn off your brain in the week after April 15th... you're not alone. It borders on “survivors guilt” in a way, but the community understood it, so we think you would too!

📣 A Win Worth Celebrating

Joe from Ohio just joined Counter, bringing nearly 20 years of corporate tax and accounting experience and now building something of his own. Can you imagine…20 years?! And then you decide to make the leap?? The community wrapped around him immediately, and that's the thing about this place: if you show up, others will too.

The people who get the most out of the community are not the ones who consume it, but add to it.

That’s the key.

💬 Conversations You Would've Wanted to Be In

A handful of threads this week that were genuinely worth following (if you were here, come join us!):

"Dealing with the fear of lawsuits" — Matthew opened up about the irrational (his word...not mine!) but very real anxiety around being sued as a firm owner. The responses were thoughtful, practical, and a little funny. This is the kind of conversation that doesn't happen on LinkedIn most of the time.

"Real estate niche — viability + CRETS course?" — Johnny is exploring a real estate specialization and asked Counter for honest takes. Multiple members who are actively in the niche sharing real numbers and real timelines. No fluff.

"Offshore bookkeeping options" — Aaron is at the tipping point every solo firm owner hits: the work is there, but he can't do it all. He wanted to know about offshore options, what's worked, what hasn't, and what he should watch out for. Timely, given this week's newsletter from Logan.

Also, May 19th we are going to have an event about this very thing with a member of our community, Kearia White, who has made the hire, issued the SOP and gone through a tax season with them.

“IRS Deadline Processing — "Don't be like me" — Sammy shared a tough lesson about what happens when federal extensions get filed after midnight on 4/15. Accepted by the software. Not accepted by the IRS. The kind of post that saves someone else a serious headache.

Tax Season Debrief — This was my favorite event of the year so far. Why? Because people brought it.

They brought honest reflections that were fresh so they can make the adjustments quickly.

They shared wins. They shared their opportunities for the next tax season. It was great to see.

👀 One More Thing

Tim O'Rourke put out a session inside Counter on using Claude Code for 1040 automation as in, he gave our members a real tool that took their 1040 time from roughly 2 hours to less than two minutes.

Thanks for reading! ~

5/7 - AI for Accountants with Chad Davis

5/12 - Monthly Karen’s Korner Marketing Session with Karen Reyburn

5/21 - Monthly Booked & Balanced Bookkeeping Session with Erin Pohan