When Paul Montague obtained his tax preparation training in the fall of 2002, he set out to serve clients of all kinds in Clark County. He started out working alongside other tax preparation professionals and eventually the idea of starting his own tax firm was sparked.
Montague worked in membership development at the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce from 2005-2011, was the executive director at Identity Clark County from 2011-2014 and eventually worked as the executive director at the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce from 2014-2016.
In the fall of 2016, he began exploring the idea of opening his own tax preparation business to supplement his Chamber income and in January of 2017, he made the official full-time leap into business ownership, opening his company, Paul Montague Tax Preparation.
Today, he primarily works with clients to prepare accurate federal, state and some local income tax returns.
“I help clients resolve tax issues with the IRS and occasionally state of Oregon tax issues,” Montague said. “I also provide some tax guidance to individuals and couples and provide business coaching to small-business owners who are starting their businesses or would like to fine tune their accounting practices to make life easier when tax season rolls around.”
Montague had his first two tax seasons in the Orchards area but moved to the downtown Vancouver area in the spring of 2018 and has been there ever since. He started with just 18 clients in 2017 and has consistently seen yearly growth, now serving an average of more than 200 clients.
Amid the pandemic, Montague adjusted how he met with clients by moving to remote communications, including relying heavily on remote signing and remote document transfers. He also adopted a new secure tax portal that has improved client communications and has helped him become more efficient. Despite changes he had to make in how he ran his business, Montague and his clients adapted well, and he has experienced continued growth. For the last two years, the business has been recognized by the Vancouver Business Journal’s Business Growth Awards.
So far, 2022 has been promising for Montague’s business. Today, he is back to meeting with clients in-person, but also accommodates virtual appointments, too.
“I have seen solid growth this year and expect higher revenues and client numbers,” he said. “I enjoy working with clients with new circumstances, owners of growing small businesses and rental property owners who have outgrown do it yourself tax preparation but aren’t ready for a CPA. I don’t just provide reliable and complete tax preparation and advisory services, I like to educate my clients on why their taxes are what they are and how my clients can improve their tax situation.”
Paul Montague Tax Preparation is one of the Vancouver Business Journal’s Strategic Partners. To find out more about our Strategic Partner program and how to become a Strategic Partner, contact Steve McDonagh at smcdonagh@vbjusa.com.
