How much TIME and MONEY can YOU save with Zander Gray?
Automated Expense Tracker
Never miss a deduction again!
Our clients save an average of $15,600* and over 100 hours of back office work...
EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
Our AI empowered bookkeeping app tags expenses while you sleep to keep your financials updated throughout the year. With accurate and timely books, our team of tax strategists are able to proactively implement tax saving strategies that will save you thousands of dollars!
Automatically Tracks Mileage Never waste your time on a mileage log again!
Introducing Zander Gray
The modern accounting firm built exclusively for real estate professionals
Hey There, We Get YOU!
Diving into solopreneurship is an exciting journey brimming with growth and opportunity! There's nothing quite like the thrill of turning your ideas into reality and making a positive impact in your community and beyond!
But there's a catch...
Running a business all by yourself can be insanely challenging! It often means juggling multiple roles, from marketing to servicing clients and paying taxes, which can lead to burnout.
Oh no! Here comes the tax man
One of the roles you will play is that of accountant. But with all the other roles on your plate, how in the world are you supposed to make time for bookkeeping, tracking mileage, organizing receipts, and getting it all put together before the tax man comes knocking at your door?
I have to do what now?
You didn't start your biz to become a bookkeeper or tax expert. But here you are... you either need to learn to DIY or hire an expensive CPA to handle it all for you!
The Problem You Face
01
Bookkeeping Sucks
Bookkeeping sucks... like really, really, really sucks!!! But if you don't somehow record your expenses, then how in the hell are you going to write them off on your taxes?
This may sound shocking but, it is also the number one way to reduce your taxes! Simply put, bad bookkeeping leads to higher taxes.
02
Taxes Are Complicated
The U.S. Constitution has 7,951 words. The U.S. Tax Code has over 4 MILLION words! Some estimates have it over 10 million words if you factor in IRS Regulations and Guidance.
The DIY approach is not only risky, but it's a huge part of why the average small business overpays thier taxes by $23,000 each year!
03
Traditional CPA Firms Are BROKEN
Tradtional firms and "big box" providers like TurboTax will work with anyone that shows up at thier office, gives them a call, or clicks the buy now button on thier website. They work with a TON of other clients in all different types of industries.
Your small business-of-one is not a high priority for them and they really only meet with you once a year to prepare your tax returns.
Do any of these situations sound familiar to your relationship with your own CPA?
"My CPA firm just takes the information I give them and prepares the tax return."
"My CPA is nice, but I only hear from her during tax season."
"My CPA always tells me... your taxes are what they are. You just make too much money."
"I never hear from him unless he is requesting some sort of document."
Your PROBLEM?
You are working with a
TAX PREPARER
So what's the SOLUTION?
You need to work with a
TAX PLANNER
Tax planning involves strategically organizing your financial affairs to minimize tax liabilities and optimize tax benefits throughout the year. It focuses on long-term financial goals and makes use of various tax strategies and deductions. In contrast, tax preparation is the process of gathering financial information and filing tax returns, typically done annually. Tax planning is PROACTIVE and ongoing, tax preparation is REACTIVE and occurs at a specific time each year.
Introducing Zander Gray
We're not your typical accounting firm...
Traditional CPA firms look in the rear view mirror, telling you where you have been.
At Zander Gray, we look through the windshield and help you decide where you want to go!
We do NOT offer reactive, year-end tax preparation. Instead, we proritize the two accounting services that actually save you money:
-
Foundational Bookkeeping: Meticulous, real-time tracking of your business income and expenses. This clean, current data is the foundation for all smart tax moves. Without it, you can't do tax planning.
-
Proactive Tax Planning: We analyze your live data to strategically implement legal tax-saving strategies before the year ends—optimizing deductions, timing expenses, and structuring income for maximum benefit.
-
Collaborative Partnerships: While we do not offer tax preparation ourselves, we work seamlessly with your current tax professional to provide them with audit - ready data, or you can add on tax returns with our partners at Stephen L. Nieslanik CPA.
Bookkeeping: The Foundation of Tax Savings
It’s true—bookkeeping is the least "glamorous" part of running a business, but it is the literal engine that powers your tax savings. You can’t build a skyscraper on a swamp, and you can’t build a tax strategy on messy data.
If you aren’t meticulously recording every expense, you are quite literally leaving money on the table. Fortunately for you, we utilize cutting edge AI from the Hurdlr App to automate bookkeeping giving you back precious time.
Proactive Planning: Stop Overpaying the IRS
Most business owners only talk to their CPA in March, when it’s already too late to change the outcome. Proactive tax planning happens while the "game" is still being played.
At Zander Gray, we don't just record history; we help you influence it. By looking at your books throughout the year, we can:
-
Maximize Deductions and Credits
-
Optimize Business Structure
-
Strategic Timing of Income & Expenses
-
Retirement Savings Optimization
-
Pivot in Real-Time
-
Implement Advanced Tax Planning Strategies
The S-Corp Specialists
Most firms rush to set up an S-Corp for one reason: saving on self-employment tax. While that’s a great start, focusing only on that can actually cost you more money in the long run.
At Zander Gray, we don't recommned an S-Corp just to "set up a payroll" to minimize self-employment taxes. We model your income and salary to find the mathematical Sweet Spot that balances three critical factors:
1. Maximizing QBID (Section 199A)
2. Boosting Retirement Contributions
3. Self-Employment Tax Savings Vs Audit Risk
Specialized Tax Strategies
With bookkeeping and S-Corp Election in place we can move on to practive tax planning that unlocks powerful strategies most CPAs miss:
-
Real Estate Professional Status (REPS): We guide you through the meticulous time tracking and documentation required to qualify you (or your spouse) as a Real Estate Professional.
-
Short-Term Rental (STR) "Loophole": We leverage the rules that allow a properly managed STR business (typically average stay of 7 days or less) to be treated as a trade or business which can create significant first-year paper losses.
-
Accountable Plan: If you’re an S-Corp, we implement a formal reimbursement policy. This allows your business to pay you back tax-free for your home office, cell phone, internet, and more!
-
The "Heavy Vehicle" Deduction: Looking for a new work vehicle? We help you utilize Section 179 (up to $31,300 for heavy SUVs/Trucks) combined with 100% Bonus Depreciation to potentially write off the entire cost of a qualifying vehicle in Year 1.
Plans & Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing, built for solopreneurs
The Accelerator
$199/month
Best for: Established soloprenuers who want professional oversight without the S-Corp complexity. Designed for those that are ready to delegate the "Back Office."
The Accelerator provides you with professional bookkeeping, quarterly reviews, and two tax planning sessions.
What you get:
-
Everything in The Launchpad (see below) plus:
-
Hurdlr or QuickBooks Online Supscription
-
Quarterly Bookkeeping: Your own dedicated bookkeeper to handle the heavy lifting of reconciling your accounts every three months
-
Estimated Tax Payments: We calculate your precise quarterly IRS and State vouchers so you never face an "April Surprise" penalty.
-
Quarterly Profit Reports: A clear look at your revenue and expenses so you can make data-driven decistions.
-
Two annual tax planning sessions to ensure you maximize your deductions and legally pay as little as possible
-
Year end tax package so you can self prepare or hand off to your CPA
-
Recommended Add On:
-
Personal Tax Return (From 1040) - prepared by our partners at Stephen L Nieslanik CPA. Starts at $600
The Empire
Starts at $399/month
Best for: High-earners ready to use the tax code to their full advantage. Our most popular plan designed for those ready to maximize thier net worth.
The Empire provides you with professional bookkeeping, monthly reviews, and four tax planning sessions.
What you get:
-
Everything in The Launchpad (see below) and The Accelerator plus:
-
Full service monthly bookkeeping providing real time visibility into your finances. We stay in the ledger; you stay in your zone of genius.
-
S-Corp Election (IRS Form 2553)
-
Payroll through Gusto
-
S-Corp Sweet Spot Modeling: We calculate your idea salary to minimize Self-Employment taxes while also maximizing your 20% QBID deduction
-
Quarterly tax planning sessions where we will help implement advanced strategies like REPS, STR Loophole, Section 179 vehicle deductions, Accountable Plans, 401k contributions, etc.
-
S-Corporation Tax Return (Form 1120-S) - prepared by our partners at Stephen L Nieslanik CPA or we will provide you with a year end tax package and work with your current CPA to ensure they have everything they need
-
Recommended Add On:
- Personal Tax Return (Form 1040) - prepared by our partners at Stephen L Nieslanik CPA. Starts at $600
Not ready for The Accelerator or The Empire?
We’ve all been there. When you first start your business, you’re wearing every hat—marketing, servicing clients, networking, and admin. It’s overwhelming, and honestly, the "legal and tax stuff" usually gets pushed to the back burner.
We created The Launchpad because we remember what those early days feel like. You don't need a complex corporate tax strategy yet; you need a clean start, a legal shield, and a simple way to track your miles and expenses without it becoming a second job.
The Launchpad
$399 one time fee*
* plus state filing fees (varies by state)
Best for: Getting your business "Legit" from Day 1
so you can truly be ready to scale up when the time comes.
What's Inside The Launchapd?
-
LLC Formation & EIN: We handle the paperwork so you can focus on making money. No more "DIY" legal anxiety.
-
The Zander Gray Go App (add on for $20/month): Built for solopreneurs on the move. Automatically track every mile and snap every receipt before you even leave the driveway.
-
Clean Financials: We get you set up with Bluevine Business Banking to ensure your business and personal lives never mix.
-
A Roadmap to the Top: Launchpad isn't just a setup; it's a bridge. We’ll watch your growth and tell you exactly when it’s time to graduate to the Accelerator or Empire tiers to start saving five figures in taxes.
- Recommended Add On's:
- (Form 1040) - prepared by our partners at Stephen L Nieslanik CPA. Starts at $600
- Zander Gray Go Bookkeeping App: Easily track income and expenses from your very first dollar for $30/month
Return On Investment
The ROI of Tax Planning. An Unrivaled Investment
Most business owners view accounting as an expense.
Zander Gray clients view it as the highest-returning asset in thier portfolio.
Investment Type Typical Annual ROI (Historical Average)
S&P 500 (Stock Market) ~10%
U.S. Real Estate ~5% - 11%
Zander Gray Tax Planning ~200% +400%
The Launchpad ROI
Starting a business is expensive, but doing it incorrectly is even costlier. With The Launchpad, we ensure you don't miss out on the $5,000 in startup and organizational deductions the IRS allows. By setting up your professional bookkeeping in Hurdlr and separate banking from day one, we capture an average of $1,200 to $1,900 in first-year savings that most new agents lose to 'messy' tracking. It’s a one-time $399 investment that pays for itself nearly three to four times over by your first tax deadline.
The Accelerator ROI
At $199 a month, we aren't just reconciling accounts; we are identifying and capturing $8,000 to $12,000 in annual savings that most DIYers overlook. This includes implementing home-office accountable plans, optimizing your travel and mileage tracking, and ensuring you never pay an IRS underpayment penalty again. You are essentially hiring a professional financial team for the cost of a daily latte—and for every $1 you pay us, we are putting an average of $3 to $5 back in your pocket.
The Empire ROI
The IRS effectively 'penalizes' you for being a standard LLC by hitting every dollar with a 15.3% Self-Employment tax. By upgrading to our S-Corp tier, we stop that leak. We implement our 'Sweet Spot' Salary Model which, combined with QBI optimization and advanced strategies, targets a minimum of $25,000 in annual tax savings. Think of this not as an accounting fee, but as a high-yield investment. You are investing $399 a month to get back over $2,000 a month in tax savings. That is a 316% Return on Investment. In any other market, you would take that deal instantly—why wouldn't you do it for your own business?
Stacking Strategies
When you stack the type of strategies our clients are using, the savings move from "modest" to "life-changing." Here is a breakdown of how you can extend that $25,000 tax savings to over $100,000:
Each one of these strategies is the equivalent of earning an extra commission check! And to make it even sweeter, you don't have to deal with crazy buyers or sellers to earn it!
Beyond the cash savings, we're giving you back 100+ hours of back office work every year. If your hourly rate is $200 (based on your commisssions), thats another $24,00 in "hidden" value you gain just by getting your time back. If we saved you $30,000 and we charged you $500 per month to achieve it, that is a 500% return on your money. Where else can you get a guaranteed 500% ROI while also pulling in another $24,000 in hidden value?
meet the founder
I’m Sam Hasbrouck, the founder of Zander Gray. With over 20 years in public accounting, I’ve seen firsthand how the traditional "once-a-year" tax model fails the modern solopreneur. Most CPAs are looking in the rearview mirror, telling you where you have been.
At Zander Gray, we look through the windshield and help you decide where you want to go.
I built this firm specifically for real estate agents and high-performing solopreneurs who are tired of "mathing" their way through tax season alone. I specialize in advanced tax planning strategies like —S-Corp optimizations, REPS, the STR Loophole, and Cost Segregation Studies—that turn your business from a job into a wealth-building empire.
To ensure the highest level of compliance and accuracy, I have formed a strategic partnership with Stephen L. Nieslanik, CPA. While I focus on your year-round strategy and bookkeeping, Stephen’s firm provides the final professional review and filing. This partnership gives you the power of a boutique strategist combined with the institutional weight of a veteran CPA firm.
I reside in beautiful St. Petersburg, FL, with my wonderful wife, Jenna, our three entertaining children, and our crazy lab mix, Sanka. With three kids active in sports, you’ll most likely find me playing the role of "Sports Dad" on a soccer, baseball, or softball field on any given weekend. When the schedule allows us to get away from the fields, we’re usually chilling on the beach, paddleboarding around the waters of St. Pete, or visiting family in Colorado to soak in everything the mountains have to offer.
I believe that tax strategy isn't just about saving money—it's about buying back your time so you can be present for those mountain trips and Saturday morning games.
"I already have a CPA that handles my taxes. Can you work with them?"
Yes, we call it the The "Done-For-You" Hand-off
Think of us as your Personal Financial Chief of Staff. When tax season arrives, you won’t be scrambling for receipts or trying to remember what you spent in July. Instead, we provide your CPA with a "Audit-Ready Tax Package," which includes:
-
Finalized P&L and Balance Sheets: Clean, reconciled, and categorized specifically for your business type.
-
The Strategy Summary: A detailed memo for your CPA outlining the planning moves we made (like S-Corp salary levels, REPS status, or STR Loophole tracking) so they know exactly how to report them.
-
Documentation Folders: Organized digital records for high-value deductions like Section 179 vehicle purchases or Accountable Plan reimbursements.
We speak "CPA." If your preparer has questions about your books, they call us, not you. We handle the technical back-and-forth so you can stay focused on your business.
"I don't have a CPA that does my taxes. Can you recommend one?"
Yes, we've got you covered!
If you’re currently using a big-box retail tax service or a "generalist" accountant who doesn't understand the nuances of real estate or solopreneurship, it might be time for an upgrade. Fortunately for you, we've partnered with a veteran firm that has decades of experience in real estate tax: Stephen L. Nieslanik, CPA.
Our partnership is the cornerstone of our compliance strategy, ensuring that every complex tax maneuver we design is executed with surgical precision. While Zander Gray focuses on your proactive, year-round strategy and bookkeeping, Stephen’s firm provides the veteran oversight and elite-level preparation required for high-stakes real estate returns. They are true specialists in the nuances of the real estate tax code, possessing deep expertise in filing returns that feature Cost Segregation studies, Real Estate Professional Status (REPS), and the Short-Term Rental Loophole. By combining our forward-looking advisory with their institutional knowledge and rigorous filing standards, we provide you with a seamless, audit-resistant path from strategy to submission.