U.S. sales tax for product companies selling across states
Nexus assessments, exposure cleanup, and ongoing compliance support for product companies and PE backed portfolios
Hi, I’m Laura
I work with product companies doing $15M–$60M in revenue on U.S. sales tax.
Most clients come to me after outgrowing generic advice, inheriting a compliance mess, or realizing they’re not fully confident their current setup is working.
Sometimes it’s triggered by a notice. Other times it’s just a sense that something isn’t quite right.
In a lot of cases, things aren’t completely broken, just not as clear or controlled as they should be.
Most of the work I do tends to fall into four areas:
Nexus & Exposure Assessment
A fixed-fee review of where you have sales tax obligations, where the gaps are, and what to do about them.Exposure Cleanup & VDAs
If there’s historical exposure, I help you work through it in a structured way. Proactive cleanup almost always leads to better outcomes than waiting for a state to step in.Ongoing Compliance Management
Monthly reconciliations, notice response, exemption certificate management, and oversight of your software and filings. This is the work that keeps things from quietly going wrong.Advisory
For companies that have internal teams but want a specialist available for questions, periodic reviews, and a second set of eyes.
If you’re not sure what applies, we can usually figure it out quickly. You can book a short intro call or feel free to send me a note if it’s easier.
Case studies
A few examples of the types of situations I’m typically brought into:
Long-Term Compliance Management Four product companies, $10M–$15M revenue, 5+ years
Ongoing management of end-to-end sales tax compliance across five product companies over more than five years. Work includes monthly reconciliations, nexus monitoring, notice response, exemption certificate management, and coordination across platforms. No audits resulting in material liability across the portfolio during this period.
Post-Merger State Registration Overhaul $24M combined revenue, two merging entities
Managed the sales tax implications of a corporate merger, including deregistration of legacy entities and re-registration of the combined company across 30+ states. Coordinated timing to avoid gaps in compliance and ensured a clean transition with no interruption to filings.
Private Equity Acquisition Due Diligence $20M acquisition target
Led the sales tax workstream for a private equity acquisition. Assessed historical compliance, quantified exposure, and prepared documentation for buyer review. Provided clear findings that informed deal structuring and post-close remediation planning.
Back-Filing & Exposure Recovery $50M international product company
An integration breakdown between Avalara and Shopify resulted in unfiled and misfiled returns across multiple states. Identified the root cause, quantified exposure, and managed the full back-filing process. The company was brought current, with penalties minimized through a proactive approach.
Nexus Monitoring for High-Growth eCommerce Multiple clients
Ongoing nexus monitoring for rapidly scaling eCommerce companies. Identified newly triggered states and coordinated timely registrations as thresholds were met. Prevented retroactive exposure as clients crossed economic nexus thresholds in multiple states.
Overpayment Recovery — Tax-Excluded Products Product company, two-year overpayment
Identified that the company had been reporting total gross sales to multiple states despite selling tax-excluded products, resulting in overpayment over an extended period. Recovered the full amount through amended returns.
Compliance Automation Across a Portfolio Eight-company portfolio
Designed and implemented semi-automated sales tax workflows across eight companies, reducing manual processes and key person risk. Achieved measurable improvements in accuracy and efficiency, with estimated ROI ranging from 25% to 140% depending on company size and prior process maturity.
About me
I specialize in U.S. sales tax compliance for product companies navigating multi-state complexity, historical exposure, and the ongoing challenge of keeping pace with growth.
I've been working with product-based businesses on sales tax since 2019, managing everything from nexus assessments and back-filing to full end-to-end compliance across multi-state portfolios. I work with product companies doing $15M–$60M in revenue, PE-backed businesses working through post-acquisition cleanup, and international brands selling into the U.S. market.
Before launching Sales Tax Outlaw, I worked at EY and Amazon, and I recently completed a Master's degree in Accounting and Finance with a dissertation focused on U.S. sales tax compliance. I have deep hands-on experience with Avalara, TaxJar, and the major eCommerce platforms including Shopify and Amazon.
My approach is practical. I focus on identifying the real issues, prioritizing what actually matters, and building compliance processes that work as your business scales. I work closely with founders, CFOs, and finance teams and I'm comfortable operating as an extension of your team on an ongoing basis or coming in for a specific project.
If you're not sure where your sales tax exposure stands or whether your current compliance process is working, that's usually where we start.
