Just a few years ago, Max Fritz and Chase Birky envisioned a revolutionary approach to how Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) serve their clients. Their dream was to establish a different kind of firm – one that not only mentored and managed other CPA firms but also operated entirely remotely. This vision led to the creation of Dark Horse CPAs, a firm built on the foundation of embracing cloud-based software and services. For Fritz and Birky, an intuitive, accessible tax tool was not just a preference, but an absolute necessity.
The solution they found was Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax. Troy Constance, Director of Tax at Dark Horse CPAs, emphasized, “Being a virtual firm, cloud-based software is table stakes.” Fritz and Birky’s objective was to equip CPAs with the right tools to manage their own practices under the Dark Horse umbrella. By offering a selection of user-friendly tax tools, Dark Horse allows its CPAs to dedicate more time to client work and less to operational complexities.
Max Fritz, CPA, and Troy Constance, CPA, are key figures at Dark Horse CPAs.
Discovering ProConnect Tax
ProConnect Tax is a browser-based platform designed to streamline and automate tax workflows. It boasts features such as a books-to-tax function with seamless integration from QuickBooks Online, a secure client portal for document uploads, an e-filing dashboard, comprehensive tax return reports, and project management tools. With unlimited user licenses included, every member of a firm can readily access and utilize the software.
The current iteration of Dark Horse CPAs began to take shape in 2019. Fritz and Birky transformed their San Diego-area firm into the groundbreaking business it is today. As a CPA platform, Dark Horse furnishes its 27 principals with essential business tools, training, and a supportive community, enabling them to scale their client bases profitably. The CPAs associated with Dark Horse provide tax, accounting, and CFO services to individuals and small businesses.
While ProConnect Tax proved to be the ideal software for Dark Horse, it wasn’t their initial choice. Fritz and Birky, both experienced CPAs, had previously used an ERP competitor, but that software lacked cloud functionality. Already familiar with QuickBooks Online, they discovered ProConnect Tax. However, they recognized that switching tax software was a significant undertaking. Fritz recalled, “We explored ProConnect Tax and quickly realized it was easier to use and designed so that anybody with even limited tax experience can figure it out pretty quickly.” He added, “Larger firms might look at ProConnect Tax and think it may not be able to handle complex situations, but we have faith that Intuit will continue to trailblaze and solve any issues related to client returns.”
Significant Time Savings with ProConnect
Fritz and Constance have identified numerous areas where ProConnect Tax contributes to substantial time savings for the firm and its CPAs. These include the ease of searching for and retrieving necessary information, the convenience of a built-in tax organizer, and immediate access to electronic signing through eSignature. Fritz noted, “Added together, add-on features such as eSignature save us 5-10 minutes per return. When you extrapolate across 4,000 returns we plan to do for tax year 2023, that’s a huge amount of time savings.”
This translates to a remarkable efficiency gain: 10 minutes per return x 4,000 tax returns = 40,000 minutes, or approximately 667 hours saved annually. Constance, who closely mentors new CPAs joining the firm and reviews their initial returns, also highlighted the time efficiencies in onboarding and training. “It’s super easy for us to get our people trained on ProConnect. We don’t have eight hours of tax software training that we’ve got to roll out like we used to. The Intuit name very well describes the type of software: It’s intuitive.”
Integrating a Network of Tax Tools
With the core objective of simplifying the business and operational aspects of running a CPA practice, the leaders at Dark Horse selected Intuit’s suite of accounting tools for their seamless integration and user-friendliness. Fritz advocates, “We strongly encourage larger firms to be on ProConnect because of the operational efficiencies and integration with other software and workflows. We’re big into trying to get all of our apps to talk to each other.”
Beyond ProConnect, eSignature, and QuickBooks Online, the firm is set to implement Intuit Tax Advisor to develop client tax plans. Constance elaborated on the Intuit ecosystem, stating, “A big reason we use Intuit is that the software and apps integrate so smoothly. If you’re using other software and systems, it’s like sitting on an island without a lifeboat.”
At a Glance
- Firm Name: Dark Horse CPAs
- Location: Dispersed U.S.-based workforce
- Firm Size: 27 principals, each managing their own CPA practices.
- Niche Focus: Dark Horse CPAs concentrate on tax, accounting, and CFO services. The firm itself is unique, providing principals with the business tools necessary to maximize their time, allowing for enhanced client service.
- Intuit Software Utilized: ProConnect Tax, QuickBooks Online, eSignature, QuickBooks Apps, and Intuit Tax Advisor.
This strategic adoption of ProConnect Tax and Intuit’s integrated solutions demonstrates Dark Horse CPAs’ commitment to innovation, efficiency, and delivering exceptional value to their clients through a modern, cloud-based approach to tax services.
