Why “I’ll Think About It After Tax Season” Is the Most Expensive Promise CPA Firm Owners Make

Every January, I hear the same well-intentioned promise from CPA firm owners: 

“I’ll think about this after tax season.” 

It sounds reasonable.

Responsible, even. 

After all, the next few months are busy.

Clients need you.

Deadlines matter. 

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: 

For many firm owners, “after tax season” never really arrives. 

 

How This Pattern Forms 

It usually starts innocently. 

January feels early.

There’s time.

Tax season hasn’t fully hit yet. 

So you tell yourself: 

• I’ll revisit my role later. 
• I’ll think about staffing once things slow down. 
• I’ll get serious about the future when I have more headspace. 

Then March comes.

 
Then April.

Then recovery mode.

Then summer.

Then another year quietly slips by. 

The promise gets deferred — not because you forgot, but because momentum took over. 

 

Why This Delay Is So Costly 

Putting off reflection doesn’t just delay decisions.

 

It quietly reinforces: 

• owner dependency 
• reactive leadership 
• and a firm structure that revolves around you 

Over time, this impacts: 

• your energy 
• your optionality 
• your firm’s value 
• and your ability to choose what the next chapter looks like 

The firm keeps moving.

But you don’t get more freedom. 

 

The Hidden Assumption Behind “Later” 

Most CPA firm owners don’t realize they’re operating under an assumption: 

“I’ll have more clarity later.” 

In reality, clarity rarely comes after busy periods. 

It comes before them — when you still have space to think clearly. 

Once tax season is in full swing, the firm’s existing structure becomes the default. And defaults are powerful. 

 

A Different Way to Approach January 

Instead of waiting for “after tax season,” consider this question now: 

What would make this tax season feel different — even slightly — from the last one? 

Not perfect.

Not overhauled.

Just different. 

Maybe that’s: 

• fewer decisions landing on your desk 
• clearer expectations with your team 
• better boundaries with clients 
• or a stronger sense that you’re building toward something — not just surviving the season 

Small shifts made before pressure hits have outsized impact. 

 

The Owners Who Break the Cycle 

The firm owners who eventually create real options — whether that means selling, merging, stepping back, or redesigning their role — don’t wait for the perfect time. 

They interrupt the cycle early. 

They carve out space before urgency takes over.

They ask hard questions when it still feels uncomfortable — not when it feels impossible. 

That’s what changes trajectory. 

 

A Straight Talk Reflection for This Week 

Before tax season fully accelerates, ask yourself: 

• What am I postponing that deserves attention now? 
• If I push this decision to “later,” what does it cost me? 
• What would future-me wish I had started this January? 

You don’t need answers yet. 

But you do need honesty. 

 

Closing Thought 

“I’ll think about it later” is rarely a conscious decision. 

It’s usually a habit. 

And habits shape outcomes. 

If 2026 is going to be different in any meaningful way, January is where that difference quietly begins.