The Swartz Report: You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know… But “I Do”

By Donald Swartz, President

It has been quite a month since my October blog and bear with me, I promise this will all come together!

• In the past two weeks, my mother turned 86 and my father turned 93. They have been such important people in my life and have helped me grow personally and professionally. I would like to think they are responsible for my entrepreneurial spirit and my keen interest in continually connecting with people and the importance of friends and relationships.
• Also, within the past month, we lost my father’s sister, Kay Swartz Bucksbaum. Aunt Kay was definitely the matriarch of the family and a true powerhouse in terms of community and civic involvement, the greater good and most importantly, the strong family bonds.  To get an idea of the accomplishments in her life, please click on this link – it is worth the read.
• Karen and I recently celebrated our 34^th wedding anniversary and saying “I do” to each other. How did we celebrate? We attended a wedding for the son of two of our very close friends (Karen and I actually met each other at their engagement party 😊). Talk about full circle???

Because we were at the wedding weekend, David Swartz and Keith Sherman attended a Marcus Evans conference in Orlando for the company. They spent a few days meeting with various tax directors and C-level employees who met with us specifically to discuss tax issues they are looking to address. I won’t go too much into the details as they have also posted about the event on LinkedIn recently. You may follow them on LinkedIn to learn more about the Tax Summit.

David Swartz: linkedin.com/in/david-swartz-chfc%C2%AE-2881626a/
Keith Sherman: linkedin.com/in/keithsherman/

“I don’t know what I don’t know”

This is a phrase they heard quite often from their meetings, and I’ve heard this exact verbiage countless times over the years. By offering possible solutions to their real and business personal property needs, we are confident we can provide the answers to “I don’t know what I don’t know”. One scheduled meeting with a Vice President of Corporate Tax, indicated we could discuss property tax issues with their Senior Indirect Tax Analyst. This analyst turned out to be someone we had previously worked with for over 15 years before moving to their current position with a different company. We believe there is a strong possibility of earning this new client and their business. You don’t know what you don’t know!!!

Okay, okay – How do we wrap this together??

EASY – Family First, always!! Take care of family and friends and things tend to work themselves out. We celebrate birthdays; we mourn the loss of loved ones; we participate in celebrations with dear friends (which in this case, allowed my brother and Keith to connect and expand business relationships). Transparency and vulnerability build trust and relationships – both personal and professional. Never has it been so apparent than the last 30 days.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving. Be sure to give thanks for the people that you get to celebrate the holidays with. I know I will!