Smart Tax featured in Brooklyn Business Trends

Recently, Smart Tax was featured in the Brooklyn Business Trends entitled, “Nick’s ‘Smart’ Franchise.” The article was built from interviews with Nick Rizzi and Yvonne Murray, discussing the growth of the Smart Tax since it started franchising in the fall of 2009. View the article below!

Smart Tax featured in the Red Hook Star-Revue

Recently, Smart Tax was featured in the Red Hook Star-Revue in an article entitled, “It’s Not Too Early to Start Working on Your Taxes.” As we are in the midst of tax season, Nick Rizzi, CEO and Founder of Smart Tax provides tips for getting one's taxes done this year and also discusses the growth that Smart Tax has experienced since first opening. After launching as a franchise in 2009 with 10 locations, the brand now has 27 offices throughout the Northeast. Rizzi discusses that while many people can do their taxes on their own, it can be very beneficial to having someone prepare them for you, as many credits can be easily overlooked and preparers such as at Smart Tax are trained to find these credits and make sure that you receive the most money back possible. Additionally, the deadline for filing taxes this year has been extended to April 18th and Rizzi also advices to keep strong records yearlong to ensure the most tax credits.

Smart Tax Featured in Red Hook Star-Revue

Smart Tax featured in Crain's New York Business

Smart Tax’s Queens franchisee, Jorge Quintana, was recently featured in Crain’s New York Business in an article about veterans who later became business owners. The article states that, “one in seven veterans is self-employed or owns a small business, and that vets are 50% more likely than the rest of the work force to become entrepreneurs.” The story discusses Jorge’s entrepreneur story and diligent work ethic, which has helped him succeed as a business owner. As a veteran, Jorge was able to take advantage of the incentives from VetFran, as Smart Tax is a member of the organization, which allowed him to receive a 25% discount on the franchise fee. Jorge shares his expected growth this year during tax season and his “can-do” attitude which he attributes to being in the Marine Corps. Click here to view the full text!

Veterans' grit gives startups muscle: Ex-military personnel prove well-suited to new firms' risks, rigors.
By Diane Hess

Jorege Quintana, 32, just took advantage of a 25% discount from VetFran—an International Franchise Association initiative that introduces vets to franchise opportunities—to buy a Smart Tax store in Queensbridge, Queens, for $40,000. Mr.
Quintana expects $80,000 in sales this year.

After he got the keys to his shop in December, Mr. Quintana turned to a handful of buddies to help him gut the store and complete a renovation in two weeks. He credits his can-do attitude to his four years as a diesel-engine mechanic in the Marine Corps. His team once had to fix 379 vehicles and 129 trailers in two months to meet inspection standards.

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Smart Tax featured in Brooklyn Business Trends

Smart Tax was recently featured in an article in Brooklyn Business Trends called, “Nick’s Smart Franchise,” where Nick Rizzi, Founder and CEO of Smart Tax discussed his process of putting the company together. Realizing the potential of the tax industry, Nick looked for franchise opportunities with Liberty Tax and Jackson-Hewitt however all of the markets were sold out…leading to the inception of Smart Tax franchise. After the first two years, Nick’s colleagues wanted to get involved and the brand started franchising in November of 2009 and opened with nine locations. Just one year later, the brand has 27 open locations and 46-territories sold in all five boroughs, North and South Jersey, Philadelphia and South Carolina. Click here for the full story.

Nick’s ‘Smart’ Franchise
By Tim Ronaldson

Nick Rizzi is a walking, talking advertisement for public transportation marketing.

No, he’s not a salesman and he doesn’t work for the city’s Transit Authority.

But an advertisement on the side of a bus did serve as a catalyst – at least in part – for Rizzi starting his own business, Smart Tax, that in six years went from a one-location operation to a 29-location franchise. The advertisement wasn’t awe-inspiring, and it wasn’t sexy. It simply beckoned, “learn how to prepare income taxes.”

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Smart Tax Featured in the San Antonio Business Journal

Smart Tax was recently featured in the San Antonio Business Journal in an article called “Alamo City earning reputation as a good market for franchises,” which discusses Smart Tax’s expansion plans for the San Antonio market. Smart Tax’s low investment cost and recession-friendly industry makes it the perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs in San Antonio to franchise in today’s economy.

Smart Tax Breaks Down Barriers to Business Ownership

Smart Tax Breaks Down Barriers to Business Ownership

While many businesses are buckling down due to the rocky economic climate, Smart Tax, a newly launched tax preparation franchise, is offering two new programs to assist driven entrepreneurs become business owners and grow: in-house financing and free conversions for the Smart Tax brand to qualifying business owners. Smart Tax has led the industry in innovative approaches to growth and has tripled from 10 locations at the start of the 2010 tax season to 29 franchise locations operating in 2011. With 45 territories already sold throughout New York, New Jersey and down the eastern seaboard, Smart Tax is counting on these initiatives to keep its growth rate high and steady.

“I have found that there is no shortage of entrepreneurial-minded individuals despite the recession,” said Smart Tax CEO and founder Nick Rizzi. “We’re working to help those individuals break into the industry or bolster their existing companies with the strength of a franchised system.”

The in-house financing program allows any existing franchisee to finance the franchise fee and up to $20,000 of build out costs through Smart Tax via an interest-free loan. In an economy in which many entrepreneurs are struggling to get small business loans or forced to make down payments as high as 30 percent of a loans total value, this move will greatly facilitate entrepreneurs seeking to expand their business.

“In-house financing is something we’ve been planning for a long time,” said Rizzi. “If someone has proven that they’re serious about the business and has what it takes to be successful, we want to remove any barriers that may prevent them from taking their business to the next level.”

Many of Smart Tax’s existing franchisees were able to take advantage of this initiative and open a second location for 2011 tax season, when they would otherwise have been unable to secure the financing for this continued growth. New franchisees can also receive up to $10,000 in financing towards their franchise fee.

Smart Tax’s other initiative allows independent tax preparation business owners who file at least 250 returns a year to completely waive the franchise fee and convert directly to a Smart Tax franchise. Conversions are a growing trend in the franchising industry and allow entrepreneurs who may be struggling to grow their business to take advantage of an established brand name, national marketing programs and the support of a proven infrastructure. Additional territories are also available with no franchise fee based on the number of returns a service files yearly.

“There are many business owners who have spent years developing their business and building personal relationships with their clients but end up hitting a plateau due to any number of factors,” said Joseph Fontana, Smart Tax’s Vice President of Franchising, who has assisted two of Smart Tax’s new franchisees convert their existing business into Smart Tax. “We’re offering those entrepreneurs the opportunity to take their business to the next level under the Smart Tax brand name.”

The barrier-breaking initiatives are two of the latest innovations from a brand already on the cutting edge of the tax preparation industry. Smart Tax also offers a variety of highly-flexible build outs, allowing entrepreneurs the possibility of opening a location in downtown spaces, strip malls and even kiosks in wholesale retailers.

“We’re always looking for new ways to help entrepreneurs who are passionate about our industry in addition to offering the highest quality service to our clients,” said Rizzi. “With these initiatives, we’re looking forward to another strong year of tremendous growth.”

Smart Tax featured on AllBusiness.com

Smart Tax was featured in the online national business news magazine AllBusiness.com in an article entitled “The Pros and Cons of Owning a Part-Time Franchise." In this article, franchisee Yvonne Murray talks about how part-time franchising with Smart Tax allows her to work only during the four month tax season, during which she puts in 12 hour days. This allows her 7-8 months off during the year, which makes for a pretty great vacation policy and should definitely attract some entrepreneurs looking for a similar setup. Allbusiness.com reaches a wide audience of entrepreneurial people and this article is a great way to spread the word about Smart Tax as a great opportunity for potential business owners interested in franchising part-time—it should definitely generate some quality leads! Click here to read the article in its entirety!

The Pros and Cons of Owning a Part-Time Franchise
by Sara Wilson

Franchise ownership is a goal shared by many; however, successfully transitioning from working a full-time job to running a full-time franchise may seem dauntingly difficult. The bills still need to get paid, the children still need to eat, the risk might be too great. However, there is another option that makes franchise ownership more attainable: going part time. And, better yet, it’s an option offered in franchise categories ranging from hair cutting to interior decorating to fitness.

So what’s the catch? (Or is there one?) Here are some of the pros and cons that come with becoming a part-time franchisee:

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