Accounting Firm Uncovers Niche and Sees Business Take Off

As Ren J. Carlton began to get Dynamic Advisory Solutions (DAS) off the ground in 2000—or, at least, out of the basement of his metro Detroit home—he began to realize just how many other people offered services similar to his. Certified public accountants, garden-variety tax prep specialists, enrolled agents, retail storefronts selling financial services—the market was awash in people making a living doing other people's tax preparation on the cheap.

"I heard a statistic once that there are more people who prepare tax returns in the United States than people who are in the military. So, at first, [our new business philosophy] was 'anything for a dollar,'" he says, describing how he eked out a living.

But after spending thousands on a direct mail coupon campaign that generated zero results in spite of the 20% off services discount it offered, Carlton knew something had to give. He had to find a way to differentiate his firm from the many other tax preparation and financial advisory firms in the market.

Read the full case study to learn how he addressed the problem and created a huge demand for his niche offering.