GENEVA — “I enjoy preparing taxes.”

It’s not something you hear often, but it’s Tim Gassmann’s motto as he gears up for the busy season at his part-time job.

Gassmann is the president and chief executive officer of Budget Tax Solutions, Geneva’s only tax preparation business.

The Kansas native started his business in 2003 and continues to run it out of his home, scheduling clients around his full-time job as a director/editor at television station KSMQ in Austin.

A mass communications major in college with a minor in accounting, Gassmann’s interest in accounting has flourished over the last few years.

“I find I’m more passionate about accounting now because I’m helping people,” he said. “Yes, I’m helping people at the TV station, but not as directly as with the accounting.”

Helping people is what drove Gassmann to start his tax preparation business seven years ago. He had actually been helping friends with their taxes for about 15 years. He started asking people how much they were paying for the services of professional tax services and was outraged at what he was hearing.

“I started because I was frustrated what people were paying,” he said. “The IRS says this is a recession-proof business and professionals have to keep up with a lot, but that doesn’t mean you have to charge an arm and a leg.”

Gassmann worked the first couple of years at his business strictly from referrals, family members and friends spanning the U.S. His philosophy is one that’s served him well, as Gassmann cites a 3,500 percent growth since he started offering his services professionally.

Rather than basing his charges on a per-form basis, Gassmann estimates how much time a job will take him and quotes clients his finishing price, up front.

“Do you need $20 per form?” he said. “Those charges stem from when taxes were prepared on forms by pen and paper.”

Gassmann offers not only tax preparation services to people and businesses, but also accounting and bookkeeping services. His business can extend the same perks as big-name tax preparation services, including refund anticipation loans and paying for his services from a client’s income tax refund.

For those who cannot make it to Gassmann’s home office, he has a laptop with tax software and signature capture devices to work out of clients homes, as well. He also recently registered with the Secretary of State to become a notary public.

It would seem that April 16, the day after taxes are due, would be the day when Gassmann could sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. But he said with archiving and additional after-tax services, he doesn’t actually complete his tax season duties until May.