Solopreneur Success: Strategies for Building the Business of Your Dreams

What started as viral cooking videos quickly turned into a full-scale operation for Henry Laporte, chef and owner of Salt Hank. Laporte bet on himself as a solopreneur, expanding his larger-than-life brand beyond content to now include a cookbook, a New York City restaurant, a seasoning line, and even apparel. As his business developed, he quickly learned the need to bring in experts to help him reach his full potential.

“Working in food media, in any capacity, has always been my dream job,” Laporte says. “Being essentially addicted to watching people cook gave me somewhat of a proclivity for creating my own food content, so when I began making videos of my own, I decided I was either going to make this my career or be a homeless person. I kind of delusionally always knew I would make it work no matter what.”

While he made it work creatively, financially, he was unprepared. That’s why he eventually turned to experts for help.

Starting out

As he began earning real income, Laporte ran into a reality most first-time founders don’t anticipate. “I had literally no idea how to do taxes,” he says. “I knew that I owed the government money, but I had no idea how to give it to them.”

Eventually, he turned to TurboTax. “I found TurboTax, which obviously made it a billion times easier,” he says.

That decision changed the trajectory of his business. TurboTax gave him a clear way to file and pay what he owed and gave him visibility into what was happening with his money.

Instead of guessing, he had guidance. And instead of avoiding it, he could handle it.

Growing pains

Even with early help, growth brought new complexity. “After the letters from the IRS started piling up, I called my friend’s bookkeeper and hired her on the spot,” Laporte says. That was the moment he understood that earning money and managing money are two different skills, a reality that becomes even more nuanced as a brand like Salt Hank expands into retail and other opportunities.

TurboTax Experts for Business helps growing entrepreneurs and creators navigate complex filing rules based on their industry by matching business owners with tax experts who understand the ins-and-outs of that sector. For the food industry specifically, tax law changes such as no tax on tips or overtime will be something new to navigate. Small-business owners will receive guidance that reflects how tips are handled, insight into how retail sales are treated, and support that aligns with how the business actually runs.

“Finding experts to help you manage what you’re not confident in has been one of the greatest choices I have made,” Laporte says. “It has allowed me to worry less since I know that I have experts in my corner who are taking care of me.”

Thriving with confidence

As the business matures, Laporte’s role has evolved from managing a solo passion project to leading a full-scale operation. The financial clarity he gains from working with TurboTax provides the roadmap for that expansion. Knowing exactly where the business stands allows him to invest thoughtfully and pursue new opportunities with confidence.

Laporte sees it as a shared effort. “While the brand and business are mine, it really is a team effort from the line cooks in the kitchen to the tax expert helping me get the books in order and helping make my payments on time,” he says.

Salt Hank began with Laporte, who was addicted to watching people cook and delusional enough to choose this path no matter what. It became a thriving business because he treated the financial side with the same seriousness as the creative side.

For ambitious solopreneurs and small-business owners who are ready to build something lasting, TurboTax Experts for Business offers guidance that’s specific to your industry and your goals, so your passion has the support it needs to become a real business.

Click here to learn more about how TurboTax Experts for Business can help you build the business of your dreams.