#215 How to Find a Reliable Advisor: Lessons from the Wealthy

In tax advice, the beginning is everything.

When you start something new, the time available for your main business decreases.
Yet, strangely enough, when you begin activities in a new field,
you may find that tax consultations for your main business actually increase.

Today was one of those days.
Various connections led to a meeting.

In my experience, even quite prominent individuals
do not necessarily have the right tax advisor.
This is because tax matters cannot be judged by looking only at domestic tax savings.

Tax matters
must be considered on a global basis, and
across income tax, inheritance tax, corporate tax, and consumption tax.

And above all, the most important thing is the "initial consultation."
This time, too, because you shared in advance
"this kind of thing could happen,"
we were able to consider the options.
The later you address tax issues, the fewer options you have.

It was fortunate that you were able to reach us by chance.

When I and the representative attend a meeting together from the start,
people are often very intimidated.
However, that is actually the crucial part.
It is rare for the owner themselves to appear from the very beginning.

That is precisely why
who you reach out to,
and whether the person at the initial point of contact has this sensibility,
greatly determines your subsequent fate.

Tax is not a technique, but a design.
And a design is almost entirely determined at the start.

Several times a year, I providefree tax consultationsat the
Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industryfor member business owners and executives.Many of them are running businesses but
do not yet have a tax accountant on retainer.

When I provide cross-disciplinary advice in a rapid-fire manner on the spot,
everyone wears an expression of "mental exertion."
That is not because their sales are small.
It is because they realize that even with small sales,
there is actually a mountain of things that can be done.

And in the early stages of starting a business, this includes not just taxes, but also discussions on fundraising and management strategy.

That is precisely why
who you reach out to,
and whether they have this sensibility,
greatly determines your subsequent fate.

Tax is not a technique, but a design.
And a design is almost entirely determined at the start.

In reality, I have to be quite selective about the new cases I can accept,
and I cannot respond to every consultation.

Perhaps
the reason I continue to share information
is so that I can become that kind of "initial point of contact."