SimpleTax Software Inc.

My company SimpleTax is the friendly, fast, and fun way to file your income tax return. With an innovative design and pay-what-you-want pricing model, we’re changing the way Canadians do their taxes.

Why I started the company, maybe an ‘aha moment’: SimpleTax was born out of frustration. Every time I sat down to tackle my tax return, I found the available options to be poorly designed, slow, and expensive. Year after year, it wasn’t getting any better. I believed there had to be a better way.

What is the business problem that your product/service solves?

On the surface, the problem we solve is very straight-forward: we help you file your personal tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency. We make that process simple and pain-free.

The bigger problem we’re trying to solve is the fear people have of doing their own taxes. Fear is a common tool employed by companies in our space: “if you do it yourself, you’ll make a mistake”. This is why tax preparers are able to charge a significant sum, or take a percentage of your refund, for even the simplest returns. While accountants add value for those with complex tax situations, most Canadians, with the right tool, should have the ability to complete their own tax returns.

The most fun I’ve had so far was the day we opened up our app to the general public after being certified by the CRA. It was both exhilarating and scary. After spending almost a year developing our product, would it be well received? Would anyone even use it? And then, it happened: our first payment.

Hundreds of thousands of returns later, we’re still having fun. We’ve been covered by Betakit, Techvibes, the Globe & Mail, Financial Post, Vancouver Sun, Metro, CBC, Canadian Business, and Marketing Magazine. We also have an incredible community of users who continue to entertain us with their emails, tweets, and Facebook messages.