Podcast Summary: Win With Paid Ads – Ep. 99

Episode Title: How We Saved 6 Figures on Taxes | An Interview With Tax Strategist, Barbara Schreihans
Host: Ashley Brock
Guest: Barbara Schreihans
Date: December 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid and tactical conversation between host Ashley Brock and renowned tax strategist Barbara Schreihans. They explore how Barbara’s firm helped Ashley save six figures in taxes and the broader principles, strategies, and mindset shifts that propelled both of their businesses into rapid growth. Together, they break down the practical steps any entrepreneur can use to make smarter money moves, master paid ads, invest in tax-savvy ways, and build wealth while giving back—without burning out.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Finding the Right Tax Strategist

• Ashley’s Journey:

  • Found Barbara through word of mouth and Instagram, seeking a trusted expert as her business scaled quickly.
  • Immediate trust and proactive decision to work with Barbara's team.
  • “Since then, now you've saved what, six figures on taxes at minimum so far?” (00:59)

• Barbara’s Team Philosophy:

  • Team genuinely celebrates client tax savings as their own wins.
    • "My whole team…do they care about their clients saving money as if it was their own? Yeah, and they really all do." (01:37)

2. Mindset for Rapid Growth

• Coachable Attitude:

  • Both agree being open to learning accelerates progress.
    • “It's in our core values of, like, always a white belt. So, like, you always can be learning.” (02:11)
  • The danger of being “uncoachable.”

• Community & Environment:

  • Room selection (masterminds, groups) is crucial.
  • Both have spent significant amounts investing in learning from others; Barbara says over $1m in masterminds (05:42).

3. Paid Ads & Profitability (From a Tax Strategist’s Perspective)

• Barbara’s Initial Skepticism:

  • Distrust in online “gurus” boasting about revenue without sharing profit figures.
    • "So many people have a hard time with profitability when their ads are not working. And so that's all I saw…until you came around…"(02:54)
  • Shifted after seeing Ashley's “math mathing.”

• Process:

  • Trialing ads with a mirror of their organic launch to measure true ROI.
    • “We did the exact same launch…just happen to throw fuel on the fire.” (03:35)
  • Emphasis: every launch is a learning opportunity, iterate and improve each round.

• Measuring Success:

  • Not all leads are equal—optimize for high value, not just cheap cost per lead.
  • Spend as much time as possible in your “zone of genius”; outsource the rest.

4. How Tax Strategy Differs from Accounting

• Ashley’s Realization:
  • CPA ≠ Tax Strategist. Realized urgent need after a massive tax bill forecast.
    • “If I hadn't had someone…tell me, you need a tax strategist, I wouldn't have known… I just thought my CPA who filed my taxes was my tax strategist.” (08:51)
  • The importance of proactive planning, not just filing.

5. Real Estate as a Tax Strategy

• Ashley’s A-ha at a Live Event:

  • Inspired by Barbara’s own real estate holdings (600+ doors!).
    • "How many did she just say?" (11:28)
    • "Over 600." (11:28)
  • Realized real estate could provide immediate, not just long-term, tax savings.

• Barbara’s Simplified Explanation:

  • Depreciation as a “fake expense”—an IRS reward for improving the economy.
    • “It's kind of like the IRS says, thank you for investing in the economy. I'm going to give you this gift of, like, a fake expense…” (14:09)
  • Cost segregation and bonus depreciation allow significant deductions up front (“your ROI is not 10% right now, it’s 87% right now—and you have growth potential in the future” (14:01)).

• Ashley’s Real-World Example:

  • From “no way that’s possible” to three properties under contract within a year (14:59).
  • The power of seeing others do it first: “You just have to see someone do it first just to like, prove to your brain that it is possible.” (15:32)

6. Value and Caution in Masterminds

• Barbara’s Approach:
  • Get clear about your goals for the group—learning, community, clients, or experiences (15:52).
  • “Sometimes you walk into the wrong mastermind…just make sure you're gonna vibe well with the leader and that they are who they say they are.” (16:35)

7. Capacity, Growth, and Celebrating Wins

• Scaling Teams and Events:

  • Both reflect on building large teams (Ashley: growing from 3 to 12 in a year; Barbara: a team of 33).
  • Holding space for growth and celebrating these rapid milestones.
    • “You have to hold so much space for yourself and your business and, like, the vision of something, whether it's an event or, like, just launching a course or hosting a retreat.” (17:29)

• Slowing Down to Celebrate:

  • "Sometimes we forget, like, you. We should be so proud of what it took…” (18:57)
  • Barbara’s wish: “I wish I would have just stood on stage before I said anything and just, like, took everything in.” (19:02)

8. Investing in Yourself—Even Without the Money

• Ashley’s $50k Leap:
  • Pushed by external validation, faith, and clear commitment, took out credit to join a high-level group, leading to exponential business breakthroughs.
    • “I did not have the money. It was $50,000 and I didn't have it. And I went to Kyle and I was like, if we have to sell the house…are we going to be okay?…But that was like my first domino.” (21:43)

9. Growth through Self-Development and Boundaries

• Barbara:

  • Entrepreneurship as deep personal growth: “Just being so clear on who you truly are…good people making good money do good things.” (24:11)
  • Proudly donating multiple six figures to charity (24:51).
  • The importance of boundaries; learned the hard way after burnout and health scares.
    • "I only take meetings on these days…learned that every time I say no, it leaves room for yeses.” (30:41)

• Ashley:

  • Motivation to create financial freedom for her own family and break generational patterns (31:26).
  • Now prioritizing self-care and setting boundaries for 2026.

10. Year-End Tax Moves & Trends

• Health & Wellness Write-offs:
  • New laws allow medical expense reimbursement for owners, not just employees.
    • “Now we can write off gym memberships, and so, like, we just bought a biocharger…” (26:30)
  • Real estate especially attractive this year due to 100% bonus depreciation (27:45).
  • Growth in donor-advised funds: structuring charitable giving for immediate tax benefits (28:04).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Team Wins:
  “No one sees it, but, like, we all celebrate in Slack the amount of money that people are saving.” — Barbara (01:37)

• Business Growth via Learning:
  “I've probably spent over $1 million in mastermind groups.” — Barbara (05:42)

• About Real Estate Strategy:
  “It's kind of like the IRS says, thank you for investing in the economy. I'm going to give you this gift of, like, a fake expense.” — Barbara (14:09)

• On Rapid Change:
  “It is crazy what can happen in a year.” — Ashley (11:01)

• On Giving Back:
  “When you grew up with nothing and like on food stamps—and then to be able to like drop 50k or 100k to a charity…that is really cool.” — Barbara (24:57)

• Ashley on taking risks:
  “I have faith with my words, but not my money…you can say you have faith, but, like, doing it and like, demonstrating that is what faith is.” (22:18)

• Best Paid Ads Advice:
  “Them or someone on their team can do it…you need to be findable on multiple platforms. That's like my core conviction.” — Ashley (32:00)

• The Boundary Lesson:
  “Every time I say no, it leaves, like, room for yeses as well. So you have to have boundaries.” — Barbara (30:46)

Important Timestamps

• Finding a Tax Strategist & Initial Savings: 00:34 – 02:31
• Mindset & Coachability: 02:11 – 02:31
• Ads Skepticism to Success: 02:54 – 04:30
• Growth through Community (Masterminds): 05:42 – 06:29
• Ashley’s Tax Wakeup Call: 08:35 – 10:13
• Real Estate for Immediate Tax Savings: 11:08 – 15:10
• Explanation of Depreciation: 14:09 – 14:47
• Ashley’s Real Estate Progress: 14:53 – 15:10
• Mastermind Selection: 15:52 – 16:35
• Celebrating Wins & Avoiding Burnout: 17:29 – 19:46
• Taking Big Investment Risks: 20:04 – 22:43
• Giving Back & Charitable Moves: 24:51 – 29:13
• Health & Wellness Write-Offs: 26:30 – 28:05
• Boundaries & Burnout Lessons: 29:47 – 31:06
• Final Advice on Paid Ads: 32:00 – 32:27

Final Takeaways

• Get proactive with tax strategy and don’t assume your accountant is optimizing your business.
• Don’t underestimate the compounding power of mastermind environments and learning from others.
• Real estate is a powerful, immediate tax-saving vehicle when structured well.
• True growth (and happiness) comes from mastery of your craft, solid team culture, healthy boundaries, and giving back.
• Celebrate your success along the way, not just the finish line.

Resource Mentioned:
Barbara’s year-end tax savings checklist – [linked in the episode description] (32:56).

Authenticity, actionable wisdom, and real numbers—this episode is a must for business owners who want to play bigger, keep more of what they earn, and build impact-driven wealth.