The Albany Gazette - Tax Season is a Stress Test: Smart Start Helps Business Owners Take Control Beyond Filing

OMAHA, NE / ACCESS Newswire / March 10, 2026 / As key IRS deadlines inch closer for many small business owners and entrepreneurs, the accounting experts at Hayes & Associates encourage business owners to go beyond filing on time. With March 15 for many business returns and April 15 for individual filings on the calendar, they recommend seizing a local opportunity to build financial basics that support smarter decisions year-round.

"Tax time is when business owners feel the pressure, but it can also be the moment they finally take control," said Frank Hayes, president of Hayes & Associates. "The more you know your numbers, the better your business can run. You can plan ahead more often and spot issues before they become expensive."

In 2025, Hayes & Associates, an Omaha CPA firm with 43 years in business, developed and launched a proprietary online financial literacy course for business owners and entrepreneurs. Smart Start: Financial Literacy for Small Business Owners is a 10-week course that takes students through modules that help them understand what their business financial reports are telling them and how to use that information to make more confident decisions.

More than 60 business owners and entrepreneurs have already completed the course, describing the program as valuable and easy to follow, helping them feel less intimidated by financial reports and more prepared to manage business finances with confidence.

"We created this course because we know many business owners are stretched thin and trying to figure it out alone," said Davida Adams-Stewart, senior manager of client experience and talent management at Hayes & Associates. "It is immensely fulfilling to see how this opportunity is changing lives in real time by breaking down financial fundamentals in a way that feels doable for business owners."

The course also includes one-on-one support from Hayes & Associates team members, and with grant funding, the $1,000 tuition is waived for students.

Smart Start is currently enrolling its next cohort, which starts April 20. To apply or learn more, visit https://hayes.cpa/ and click Financial Education.

About Hayes & Associates
Hayes & Associates is one of Nebraska's longest-standing and most culturally diverse CPA firms, offering trusted, personalized financial support for more than four decades. The firm has deep roots in Omaha and is part of the national BDO Alliance, bringing broad expertise to small businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs.

Davida Adams-Stewart
Hayes & Associates
+1 402-506-6448
email us here

SOURCE: Avant Solutions

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(B.Smith--TAG)