Time With The Boss - Joe Bolian

Joe Bolian, Taxography

Website: www.taxography.com
Industry: web service for tax professionals

Education: University of Missouri, Rolla (now Missouri S&T)

Family: Wife, Pam, and my two boys, Arthur (3) and Philip (3 mos.)

What is your mission?
We make tax compliance less taxing.

What was your first job?
I worked at my grandparents’ 500-acre farm in Southwest Missouri every summer from a very early age. It was hard work, but I learned to drive a truck at 12, work cattle and grew stronger bucking hay. Looking back I learned a lot about business and the importance of planning and thinking ahead. My first W2 employment was at McDonald’s where I was fascinated to learn processes of automation from the brilliance of an entrepreneur like Ray Kroc.

What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?  
We created a significant set of programs to automate the building and maintenance of tax boundaries in a GIS format. Companies nationwide could not only save money on their regulatory tax burden, but could save on expensive labor cost at the same time. Our clients have to maintain voluminous data about their assets and we’ve stepped in to help manage that complicated process for them.

Who is your industry role model?
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, is always looking for better ways to serve his customers and create more value for them. I watch his excellent customer service models very closely.

How do you try to differentiate your business from others in your industry?
At Taxography, we listen closely to our customer’s needs. We aim to deliver measurable value that’s 10 times our cost to the customer. At that point, the relationship becomes a partnership and sustainable for the long haul. We enjoy lengthy customer relationships and we’re very proud of that.

What’s the hottest trend in your industry, and are you going to jump on board?
Tax compliance is a very complex area for companies and they drown in unorganized data. Companies are recognizing the importance of data quality and improving workflows in order to reduce these costs.  We’re leading from the front by developing web services, programs and data to get control over these complex processes.

What best advice would you share with new entrepreneurs?
Find your passion and serve your customers better than they’ve ever been served before.

What book is on your nightstand?
International Taxation in American for the Entrepreneur by Brian Dooley. The tax laws have not caught up with technology. Old tax laws written in early 1900 don’t fit the technology of today. It’s the most fascinating book based on my profession.

What has made you successful in your industry and in St. Louis?
Persistence. Finding good people who share my passion for this service. We set high standards for team members at Taxography. St. Louis is a great central City that’s grounded in its values, so we consistently run into customers who appreciate our work ethic and our values.