Get to Know Mike

How a kid who got kicked out of school for demanding fairness grew up to build a tax firm on the same fight.

You'll hear how a PwC internship Mike Pine talked his way into turned him on to partnership tax, why he told every partner he worked for that the CPA model was broken, and what it cost him to build a firm with time for proactive tax planning. Mike also shares the story of buying a bookkeeping firm and amending most of its clients' prior-year returns for free, and the one fact about him nobody knew.

What We Cover in This Episode

1. Tax is law, not accounting. Mike nearly dropped his accounting major, then talked his way into PwC's venture capital and private equity group after being turned down for his grades, and found his calling in partnership tax.

2. The model is broken, so he built another one. Partners laughed when Mike told them to hire more staff than they needed so CPAs had time to plan. He built Revo that way anyway, with years of no income, payroll on 0% credit card offers and his 401(k) funding the firm.

3. A few hundred returns, most of them amended for free. After buying a bookkeeping firm whose returns had missed opportunities, Revo amended roughly 70 to 80 percent of those clients' prior-year returns at no charge.

4. Fairness was always the fight. Kicked out of elementary school three times, Mike was told life isn't fair. His answer: "No, we're gonna make it fair."

Chapters

[00:00] Intro, then Kevin puts Mike in the hot seat

[02:41] Football scholarships, shin splints and a move to Montana sight unseen

[09:43] The accounting major Mike almost dropped, and his grandfather's advice

[11:22] Talking his way into PwC's venture capital and private equity group

[13:44] "Tax is not accounting"

[15:14] Office politics and rebelling against the widget model

[17:46] Starting Revo: credit cards, payroll and the excess-capacity bet

[22:30] Buying a bookkeeping firm and amending returns for free

[26:36] What Mike first thought of Kevin, and what he'd do if Revo disappeared

[31:11] Kicked out three times: where the fight for fairness began

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Always consult a qualified tax professional for your situation.