BUSINESS
Liberty Tax Service Taking the Taxing Out of Tax Season
by Donia Moore
may even be movies and popcorn, and not just for the kids. A young Marine recently felt so com- fortable that he brought some of his friends back to have their taxes done so he could finish watching the movie he had started when he was early for his tax appointment. Tax time is never anyone’s favorite time of year, but if it gives you a chance to come and chat
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with owners and business partners Vicky Wilson, Brenda Yecke, and Jerry Bittick, it can be a pleasant experience. It can even net you $50 if you have your taxes done and refer friends.
More than a Tax Service Liberty Tax Service is more than a tax preparation office. Do you need to pay utility or credit
card bills? Do you want to reach family members in other countries? Liberty Tax Service has taken over the bill payment and Western Union money transferring services previously offered by Ser- viceCentro. And prepaid telephone minutes for unlimited international telephone calls that can be used anywhere in the world is another service they offer. “ServiceCentro had a big following in San Clemente. They provided excellent customer service
for over 20 years. When they closed, we were honored that they trusted us to work with their clients,” remarks Vicky. “Many people don’t realize that Liberty Tax Service is such a strong and diversified company. It’s a good group to have standing behind you when you need professionals to deal with taxes. It’s a large company, and we are just one of its offices. A big selling point to us as franchisees was that they believe in and promote fanatically excellent service, both to its clients and to its employees, and so do we.”
Coast Wealth Management, Inc. Private Wealth Management for Individuals, Families, Businesses & Trusts
Brenda Yecke and Vicky Wilson.
Happy Accidents “Our philosophy of running our business is to find good people, train them well, and then let
them do their job,” adds Brenda. “We believe in “happy accidents”. The “happy accident” that led them to each other and to Liberty Tax Service was a series of life changes for them all. A master of guerilla marketing, Vicky developed and promoted a business called “Offbeat Orig-
inals.” It was based on festive healthy snacking. She developed a recipe for corn chips colored with natural food - beets for red chips, spinach for green chips, carrots for orange. Her business was very successful and she found herself traveling constantly around the U.S. to meet with customers. She eventually sold the business to try her skills as a Real Estate Appraiser. She soon realized that many clients needed help in other areas of their lives on a more constant, repeat basis. She looked for a business with which she could provide them the services they needed, and a “happy accident” led her to Liberty Tax Service. Brenda came from an education administration background. Another “happy accident” intro-
duced Brenda to Vicky at a mutual friend’s funeral. Like many people, Brenda felt that she wasn’t ready to completely retire. She wanted to “retool,” putting her administration background to use in a new field. As it happened, Vicky needed Brenda’s expertise. Brenda now manages the Liberty Tax Service offices, schedules staffing, and trains new employees through their tax school, held pe- riodically throughout the year. “People can train with us to become tax preparers for Liberty, or they can learn about how to
do their own taxes,” Brenda explains. Jerry Bittick admits to doing everything else. He is the company’s QuickBooks expert. He also
Michael Vandenburg, CFP®
Private Wealth Management Investment Management Financial Planning
A better solution than traditional brokers. Independent, unbiased advise for all of your financial needs
Free Initial Consultation (949)366-5995
COASTWEALTHMANAGEMENT, INC.
302 N El Camino Real, Suite 107• San Clemente, Ca. 92672 w w w. C o a s tWe a l t hMa n a g e m e n t . c o m
30 CA Ins. LIC. #: 0688294 SANCLEMENTEJOURNAL
handles payroll services and is their resident Notary. Their whole team consists of trained tax preparers, taking regularly scheduled continuous IRS education classes to keep their licenses current, as required by California law.
Open All Year Vicky, Brenda and Jerry want their Liberty offices to become resource centers for the commu-
nity. Team members don’t mind answering tax questions from community members, even if they’re not clients yet. It must be a successful model because, the partners have opened a second office, located in the
Stater Bros Market center on Camino de los Mares. This year will be Liberty’s third tax season, and from all appearances, it will be a very exciting
year for them. The partners love San Clemente’s close-knit, small town feeling. Vicky was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Downtown Business Association, a position she’s very ex- cited to accept. They’ve dived into an ocean of activity with the San Clemente Chamber of Com- merce and the DBA, participating in all the community events that they can. Thus far, those have included the Car Show, Fiesta, Ocean Festival, and Sea Fest. Their second involvement in Puttin’ On the Glitz was this past year, and they look forward to whatever “happy accidents” this year will bring. Tax Season hours are from 9am-9pm Monday through Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturdays, and
1pm-5pm on Sundays at both offices. They might even have some fresh popcorn ready for you. Contact them at (949)271-1200, (949)441-2310 or visit
www.libertytax.com for more information.
alk into the inviting El Camino Real office of Liberty Tax Service and you’ll feel like you’re in a good friend’s living room. Confident, friendly team members hand out coffee and comfort to stressed-out clients, and if you get there at the right time there
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