As 2025 wraps up, smart business owners are already preparing for tax season.

In this episode of the Empowering Healthy Business Podcast, Calvin Wilder speaks with Greg Reed, Head of Tax at SmartBooks and Certified Tax Coach, about the latest developments affecting 2025 year-end tax planning.

Greg explains how to use new rules and deductions to reduce your tax burden and plan confidently before December 31.

💡 In This Episode:

• 100% bonus depreciation vs. Section 179 — which to use
• SALT cap increase and PTET strategies for high-income owners
• What’s changing with QBI and 1099 thresholds
• How to reclaim R&D expenses from prior years
• The 100% write-off window for manufacturing and production facilities
• A practical year-end tax checklist for every business owner

Whether your business had a record year or a down year, this episode helps you identify the levers that actually lower your tax bill.

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Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Crypto can be exciting — but it’s also one of today’s biggest financial risks.

In this episode of the Empowering Healthy Business Podcast, Calvin Wilder talks with Jason Costain, a banking fraud expert with over 25 years of experience, about what business owners need to know to protect their money, data, and trust in the digital world.

Jason explains where crypto risk really lives, how scams operate, and what simple steps can help you avoid becoming the next victim.

In This Episode:

• What makes crypto investments high-risk for small businesses
• How modern scams exploit human behavior, not just technology
• Real tactics banks use to detect and stop fraud
• Practical steps to protect your business accounts and payments
• How to prepare for AI-powered scams and deepfakes
• When blockchain technology actually makes sense

Whether you’re curious about crypto or just want to keep your finances safe, this episode delivers clear, actionable advice to help you stay ahead of fraud.

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Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

You can be the best plumber, electrician, or home-service provider in town — but if your marketing isn’t connected, your phone won’t keep ringing.

In this episode of the Empowering Healthy Business Podcast, host Calvin Wilder talks with Sean Garner, marketing strategist and founder of a full-service agency that helps small and local businesses grow through modern systems.

Sean explains why local marketing is different, how to use his Marketing Domination Framework (Build → Fill → Optimize), and which automations can help you turn missed calls into booked jobs.

In This Episode:

• Why mindset matters more than ad spend
• How to build, fill, and optimize your marketing funnel
• Why Google Local Service Ads outperform traditional campaigns
• Simple automations to capture every lead
• How to build trust and a recognizable local brand

Whether you run a home-service business or manage a local professional firm, this episode is your playbook for sustainable, scalable growth.

Listen now on all major podcast platforms.

Check out free resources from Sean Garner at https://www.seangarner.co/ehb

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Most homeowners worry about credit card fraud or identity theft—but few realize their property title can be stolen on paper. Title fraud and squatters are fast-growing threats that can cost property owners thousands of dollars and months of legal battles.

In this episode of Empowering Healthy Business, host Calvin Wilder speaks with Kurt Moore, founder of Mo Title Security and a veteran landman with 30 years of experience in public records and contracts. Kurt explains how title fraud works, why squatters are difficult to remove, and—most importantly—what homeowners can do to protect themselves.

You’ll learn:

• What title fraud is and how criminals profit from it
• Why elderly homeowners and mortgage-free properties are prime targets
• How a Title Freeze filing works like a “credit freeze” for real estate
• Why squatters are so hard (and costly) to evict
• How a Notice of Occupancy helps law enforcement and courts act faster

Protecting your home doesn’t have to be complicated—but it does have to be proactive. Listen now and learn how to safeguard your property from two of today’s fastest-growing real estate threats.

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Growing from small business to mid-market changes everything—especially in finance. What used to work in “survival mode” no longer scales.

In the latest episode of the Empowering Healthy Business Podcast, Calvin is joined by Priya Chanduraj of FIN Team to talk about how finance becomes a driver of growth, not just a record-keeper.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• When to hire a controller, a CFO, or fractional support
  
  
  
• How to evaluate if your systems and controls are ready to scale
  
  
  
• Why forecasting and strategy alignment matter more as you grow

What it takes to prepare for M&A and outside capital

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Most B2B service businesses pour time and money into “lead gen,” only to be swamped with unqualified prospects and wasted effort. In this episode of Empowering Healthy Business, host Calvin Wilder talks with Tom Freedman of Defiant Enterprises about a smarter approach: building growth on referrals, not cold leads.

Tom shares his five-step framework for making referral-based selling repeatable and scalable, including how to:

• Reverse-engineer your numbers and model sustainable growth
• Position your offer, audience, and message for impact
• Use your CRM to track referral partners and conversations
• Build genuine partnerships instead of chasing cold leads
• Scale confidently by documenting your process and adding producers

If you’re tired of endless prospect lists and want a proven, relationship-driven way to grow, this episode will give you a clear, practical playbook you can start using right away.

Listen now and learn how to turn trusted introductions into paying clients.

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Running a business with scattered spreadsheets and one-off emails makes growth harder than it needs to be. In this episode of Empowering Healthy Business, host Calvin Wilder sits down with Jason Kramer of Cultivize to unpack how small businesses can use a CRM to bring order, consistency, and measurable results to sales and marketing.

You’ll hear practical ways to:

• Build a repeatable sales process that doesn’t depend on memory
• Use data to prioritize leads and focus on quality over quantity
• Track marketing ROI without guesswork
• Start simple with phased CRM adoption—and avoid common pitfalls

Whether you’re still managing leads in Excel or ready to scale with automation, this conversation breaks CRM down into clear, actionable steps you can use right away.

Listen now and learn how a CRM can become one of the simplest levers for growth in your business.

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/

Working from home has become a permanent reality for many entrepreneurs, but too often business owners miss out on valuable tax savings.

In this episode of the Empowering Healthy Business Podcast, Calvin Wilder talks with Greg Reid, Head of Tax at SmartBooks, about how to take full advantage of the home office tax deduction.

You’ll learn:

• What qualifies as a home office under IRS rules
• Which expenses you can deduct, from office equipment to utilities and insurance
• How to calculate your deduction using square footage
• When depreciation makes sense—and what to know if you sell your home
• Why quarterly reimbursements and simple documentation keep you audit-ready
• Bonus: how to deduct mileage if your home office is your principal place of business

If you run a business from home—even part-time—this episode will help you avoid missed opportunities and keep more of your hard-earned money.

Send us a text

Sponsored by SmartBooks. To schedule a free consultation, visit smartbooks.com.

Thanks for listening!

Host Cal Wilder can be reached at:
cal@empoweringhealthybusiness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinwilder/