G. I. Tax Service - Interview with Glenn Sandler
Founded in 2013 by Glenn Sandler, CPA, G. I. Tax Service is America’s premier provider of year-round tax preparation and financial services including tax planning and small business formation assistance. G.I. Tax also reaches out to military vets with turn-key franchise opportunities. G. I. Tax Service believes in corporate responsibility and is active in a variety of local charities that help military families.
How does G.I. Tax Service stay ahead of the competition?
That's an easy one. We work every single day at being better tomorrow than we are today.
What has been the biggest accomplishment for G.I. Tax Service to date?
We have figured out how the tax preparation business is supposed to work—how we can be number one in the market, how to take care of our customers, and how to present our message to America. As of January of 2019, franchising G.I. Tax is the biggest accomplishment. We will be visiting some of the largest shows across the country beginning with Franchise Expo South on January 24th through the 26th in Ft. Lauderdale.
Which business or franchise past or present has inspired G.I. Tax Service the most?
Disney. I use Disney as my model for business. I've been to Disney's Institute. I've been to their five-day customer service class, and the way that they treat their customers is the way that I want to treat our customers. Nothing happens until you take care of the customer. If we follow the Disney model, then we will be number one in the tax industry just as Disney is number one in the entertainment industry.
What tools and/or resources does G.I. Tax Service use for work?
We use TaxSlayer Pro. It's super user-friendly. They don't make any mistakes—a very good program.
The most valuable tools are the ones that I've learned over the last 35 years, and that's how to take care of customers, how to drive customers, how to advertise, and how to market how to treat employees. Those are the true tools that we use in business. They aren't specifically related to taxes as taxes are the easy part, but they are key to success.
What advice can G.I. Tax Service give to those interested in purchasing a franchise?
It's an unbelievable opportunity. You can take care of your family. You can control your own time. You can control your own destiny. We will give you every tool to be successful. We will help you be successful, and we don't want to have any of our franchisees fail. It begins from the time you say you want to be a G. I. Tax franchisee. We will do everything we possibly can do to help you be successful.
From the moment you decide you want to go into business you have a team supporting your success. We are rooting for you because your success is everyone's success.
What is the next step for G.I. Tax Service?
To get on the cover of Fortune magazine. Beyond that, they say that “inch by inch, life is a cinch.” Our next step is the next inch to take towards what we've been so successful at and bringing it to America. And then, if we can be successful with the number of people we can touch, we've done our job. We can help veterans, families, franchisees, and America by doing what we do inch by inch. We are driven by a desire to serve and serve and serve.
You know we are the ultimate support company for everything financial. Eighty percent of Americans are from "middle America," and that is our customer. They need us, and we are here for them.
If a middle-class person wants advice, why should they have to pay $300 for 15 minutes of help? Once you are our customer, you can utilize us for any information that you want and we don't charge you.
What charities or non-profits does G.I. Tax Service support?
We are just coming into fruition to be able to make a difference charity wise. We are going to pick different charities annually that we're going to be able to support. Our goal is to donate between 10 and 20 million dollars a year to military charities. Ultimately, charities that come to us are going to ask us to donate to them, and we'll be able to pick a different every year. It could be any charity from Honor Flight Network to Wounded Warriors to families of wounded warriors to therapy dogs.
We're going to interview charities on an annual basis, and we're going to make a difference with the way we direct our money. We plan on having 65% of G.I. Tax's annual charities go to national charities. However, 35% of G.I. Tax monies are going to go to local charities where we have offices. Ultimately, where they will make the most difference is where our dollars will go.
About: Mr. Glenn Sandler, CPA, specializes in Forensic Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Business Consulting, Income Tax planning and Income Tax Preparation. Mr. Sandler is also a certified valuation analyst (CVA), and Certified fraud examiner (CFE).
