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When I sat down with Preston Brown on the Problems to Profits podcast, we talked about something most entrepreneurs avoid: taxes. But instead of regurgitating technical jargon, we made the topic strategic, practical—and yes, even sexy. Because when you understand the power of a virtual family office, you start playing a completely different wealth game.
The Dirty Word That’s Draining Your Net Worth
Let’s be honest—taxes feel like a necessary evil. But as I told Preston, it’s not the IRS that’s stealing your wealth—it’s your strategy. Or more accurately, the lack of it. Most entrepreneurs think tax planning means finding a CPA to file their return. That’s not strategy. That’s cleanup.
A virtual family office is what happens when you stop treating tax as an afterthought and start integrating it with your broader wealth plan. And that shift? It’s the difference between high income and real net worth. I break this down in detail on the episode here.
From Rule Follower to Wealth Architect
Preston asked about my backstory. I grew up inside a religious system that taught structure, humility, and service—but also silently coded in a fear of money. Wealth, I was told, was for “other” people. Entrepreneurs were risky. Rich meant suspect. So I followed the rules: education, job, predictability.
But rules don’t build wealth. Eventually, I realized that strategy does.
It wasn’t until I stepped into a real estate mastermind—and later heard Garrett Gunderson speak—that the light flipped on. The idea that I could create money, not just earn it? That I could use tax strategy, business structuring, and asset design to keep what I made? That was the beginning of Big Life Financial.
Today, I serve business owners who, like me, were never handed the investor playbook. This episode shares that journey, and why it still drives everything I do.
What a Virtual Family Office Actually Does
On the podcast, I laid out the core structure of a virtual family office. It’s not just about saving on taxes—it’s about synergy across four functions that drive your wealth:
- Tax Team – This includes two players: the CPA who files your return, and the strategist who designs your game plan. Most entrepreneurs only have the first.
- Wealth Management – This team builds your wealth outside the business. Diversification isn’t just for risk—it’s for freedom.
- Business Asset Team – Your business shouldn’t just pay you. It should be engineered to sell. A business that dies when you leave isn’t an asset—it’s a liability with payroll.
- Protection Team – Legal structures, insurance, cybersecurity, and contracts. This isn’t paranoia. It’s proactivity. And without it, one lawsuit or breach can erase years of work.
The problem is, most entrepreneurs silo these teams. That fragmentation leads to conflict, inefficiency, and lost opportunity. A virtual family office unifies the whole system under one strategy. We unpack this deeply here.
If You Plan to Sell, You Need One Now
Private equity doesn’t buy potential. They buy precision. When they look at your business, they’re looking for weakness. And if you’re disorganized, if your financials are messy, if your tax structure is reactive—they’ll discount your valuation fast.
One of the biggest insights I shared on Problems to Profits was how PE firms quietly use your lack of alignment to negotiate down your multiple—then fix the problem you should’ve solved yourself. When you’re built like a virtual family office, they can’t find a discount. You force them to pay a premium.
This is where most owners lose millions—not because their business isn’t strong, but because their backend strategy is weak. Here’s the real story behind that.
Why DIY Won’t Cut It
You can try to build this on your own. You can interview a CPA, a wealth manager, an attorney, and hope they all magically align. But that’s not a strategy—that’s a spreadsheet and a prayer. And your calendar will still be the bottleneck.
A true virtual family office already has the structure, rhythm, and team integration baked in. At Big Life Financial, we’ve built that system. You plug in. You lead the vision. We run the operation. And if you’re not ready to plug in fully? We’ll still review what you’ve got and point you in the right direction.
Visit biglifefinancial.com/problems-to-profits, or text me directly at 801-882-1377. You can also message me on LinkedIn and we’ll get the ball rolling.
Final Insight
Most entrepreneurs build wealth the hard way—through hustle, hours, and heroic effort. But wealth isn’t built through hustle. It’s built through structure. A virtual family office is that structure. It’s how you turn income into legacy, and a business into a wealth‑producing asset that lasts.
Listen to the full Problems to Profits episode here. It might just change how you think about taxes forever.