Case Study: The CapellaTax Network
Overview:
The CapellaTax Network was a start-up in the financial services industry, focused on serving the tax preparation market for individual taxpayers and families. The model was built on a network of authorized and vetted CPAs that were matched with members who enrolled through their employer as an additional voluntary benefit and paid for through scheduled payroll deductions. There is also an individual product whereby members could enroll through the marketing website and pay via monthly credit card payments.
Challenge:
As a start-up, Capella needed guidance and assistance in almost all areas of marketing, operations, and technology, essentially starting from the ground up. A business and marketing plan were produced and the founders needed an infusion of capital to go to market. In addition to marketing and branding needs, a technology plan was needed in order to build the network portal where members would choose their CPA and continue to track their progress as their annual tax return was prepared. With a limited staff, Capella also needed assistance with running the business from an operations standpoint (training CPAs, membership enrollment, etc.).
Solution:
I worked with the founders of Capella from day one, first establishing a name and brand identity for the newly established company and then focusing on acquiring capital and building a technology plan to build out the CPA/membership portal. Upon launch of the portal, I acted as the ongoing primary point of contact for the 110 CPAs and firms that were brought into the online directory and handled the membership onboarding process.
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The services I provided consisted of:
- Domain Name Consulting & Implementation
- Brand, Logo & Corporate Identity Development
- Business & Marketing Plan Development for Capital Raise
- Technology Plan Development
- Web / Interactive Project Management
- Established IT Infrastructure (E-mail, Hosting, CRM & Project Management System)
- Collateral Development & Copywriting
- Trade Show Display Development
- Marketing Website & E-mail Template Design & Development
- Technology Plan Development & Implementation
- Managed IT Vendor Analysis & Selection Process
- Developed Membership Enrollment & Notification Materials
- On-site Operations Management, Establishing Processes & Policies
- Trained & Supported 110 CPAs on Use of Selection Portal
"Dave Kelley was critical to the successful launch of Capella and was an invaluable asset to us. Dave's marketing and technical background and his project management skills were outstanding as we built Capella from scratch..."
- Larry Devitt, Former CEO, The CapellaTax Network