Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Ray.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story is a very interesting one. I was in school pursuing my accounting degree at Miami Dade College while working for an account that was showing me the ropes. I have always had a love for math since I was a kid, I’m just a numbers girl! I started working at a low-key Miami strip Club on the weekends to make extra money. I would always hang out there and people started telling me I should dance because I had a nice body and could make a lot of money. Me, being the hustler that I am, decided to give it a shot and it worked! I met a guy named Andrew, who later became my son’s father, and we talked on the phone and went on a few dates. Normally, I wouldn’t date a guy I met at the club but… his cousin was dating my best friend, so we would do double dates all the time. Andrew has a friend that owned a tax office and his friend would pay him to refer clients to his office. He was making over $1000 a week in referral fees because he knew so many people and they trusted him. So, one day, he came up with an idea that we should combine my book smarts and his street smarts and open our own tax office. Now, I never thought in a million years that I could be a business owner because I had just graduated college and I was working at a strip club, so I didn’t think that anyone would let me do their taxes. But Andrew saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and he told me: with your personality and your intelligence, people will love you and this will be big. So, I took a leap on faith and I trusted his hustling skills and we did it. We sold a puppy that he had just got me for $3000. An NFL player saw us walking the dog one day and wanted to buy it for his wife. He said: name your price, our price was 3000 because that’s the amount that we needed to buy computers and software to get the business started.
We turned his mother’s living room into a tax office. It was crazy how quickly things took off! I started off with 1 client, 1 client turned into 100 clients, 100 clients turned into 1000 clients. One of the main ways that our business grew was through word-of-mouth and paying referral fees. We gave $100 cash for each client that people referred, so we literally built a street team of people that were making over $1000 a week by referring clients to us and that’s how our business grew so rapidly. And of course, great customer service and great accounting knowledge was also a great factor in how the business grows so rapidly. Things were doing so well at the house that we had to get an office space two months in because there was just too much traffic coming in. We got storefront location in Miramar and finished the rest of the first season. Things continued to do well with the business, but when I got pregnant with my son, Andrew and I weren’t seeing eye to eye and our relationship ended two weeks before I went into labor. I had my son in September, so I said that I would do this last season with him in January and after that, I would venture off on my own since we were no longer together. I secretly created an LLC and got my own E-file number with the IRS, bought my own software and established my own relationship with the tax banks. I was terrified though since I’m going to do this on my own. Everything I had ever done up to this point had been with this man, could I really do this on my own? How will the clients find me? Can I afford to pay rent somewhere on my own? We built Tax Expert Professionals together and now, I’m venturing out on my own as Refund Professionals!
January was quickly approaching, and I didn’t have enough money to get my own office space. Thankfully, I was still connected with the accountant that I worked for when I was in college! He had an extra office space that he let me use for free. It was in the hood though so I wasn’t sure if my clients would be willing to travel down there, they left me so much that they did. The office space was not extravagant and was nowhere near what I was used to but I had a goal in mind and I had a mouth to feed so I had to make due. I, later on, connected with a friend who I knew from when I first started doing taxes, he had a tax office in Miami Gardens and he actually had an extra office space available and I thought it would be a better location for my clients and a better vibe because they were younger people and we would have more fun working together. I was able to put a sign on the door at the old office that I had with Andrew with my phone number letting people know that I had relocated in case there were clients that came there looking for me. I also left my phone number with the guy-next-door that had the copy shop and he was able to give the clients my number as they came in looking for me. For some reason, I don’t know if it was God or somebody divine intervention Andrew did not go to his office for the first three months of tax season, so the sign was able to stay on the door without anyone taking it down which allowed me to be in contact with the clients and everyone was able to locate me. We eventually had to get a larger office space because I had sooooo many clients and we couldn’t fit them all in our current spot, a spot we got a larger suite in the same building. I did two seasons with my new business partners and then it was time for me to get my own spot. Business was booming and my clientele was growing rapidly. I even had three tax preparers working for me. I got my own storefront location and the rest was history. Here I am, 11 years later and I’m still flourishing in my business and loving what I do.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth at all! I have had so many people that didn’t want to see me do good and that tried to tarnish my name in order to see me fall.
I had a friend that I hired and she worked with me last year with Andrew and my first year on my own. She established a really good relationship with my clients because she was my assistant, and had built a great rapport with everyone. Unfortunately, I had to fire her due to a lack of professionalism and our friendship then ended. When the friendship ended, she went back to work for Andrew and called my clients letting them know not to come to me anymore because I was doing fraudulent activities which were absolutely false. That was a very painful situation for me. Luckily, my clients knew me for who I really was and they were able to see past her gimmicks and they even gave me a heads up to let me know what she was doing.
Another struggle was often money. When you’re making the bulk of your money at the beginning of the year, it’s very hard to budget and save the money and spread it out to pay your bills for the rest of the year, so the first few years that I did taxes, I blew through my money and I would be broke by July or August. So, I had to learn how to manage my money, I also had to learn to downgrade my lifestyle and chill on all the fancy cars and expensive high rise condo. I didn’t grow up with a lot, so when I started making a substantial amount of money, I started going crazy! Buying Range Rovers, Porsche, and Mercedes. Living lavishly, taking lavish trips, paying $3000 a month for rent, so I learned very quickly how fast that money could go away and I just decided that I didn’t want to live like that anymore and I learned from my mistakes. I started to just live a more modest yet fulfilling lifestyle.
Another huge obstacle has been the IRS. When you start doing a certain amount of tax returns, you become a target. And you have to make sure that everything you do is on the up and up because if not they will come to your office, if everything is not up to par, you will have to pay huge penalties. You can think that you’re doing everything the right way but then they will come and hit you with something that you were not aware of and then your business can be shut down permanently. So, I make it a point to go to the IRS tax forums every year to stay abreast of the new tax laws and what’s going on.
Refund Professionals LLC – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I provide tax preparation services for individuals and corporations. I have several businesses that I prepare quarterly sales and use tax returns for State returns for all 50 states and Audit Support.
I am most proud of the growth that I have seen with refund professionals over the years. Every year, I see a 40% increase in clientele and for that, I am blessed. I pride myself on having a personal relationship with each and every one of my clients. When they come in, we don’t just talk about the tax returns, we catch up on life, I ask how their family and children are doing, I’ve seen clients go through divorces and marriages, I’ve seen new childbirths, children graduate from college, I’ve seen my client’s children become parents. I’ve seen it all and that’s one of the most enjoyable parts is about what I do. I am a people person and I genuinely care for everyone.
I’m not one of those tax preparers who just takes your money, does your return and sends you on your way. I sit everyone down and I explain things to everyone thoroughly. I explain to everyone how they can have better refunds in the future, what they need to do during the year at their jobs, why they’re getting the amount that they’re getting back, and how we can get more money next year. I also help my clients start new businesses and help to keep them on the right path in preparation for filing corporate returns in the future. Education is very important to me.
Tell us about your favorite and least favorites things about our city.
I love everything about Miami. I was born and raised here so for me it’s just a beautiful city, I love the culturalism and the vast variety of people. I love the food. There is always something new going on here in Miami every week. I’ve always been one of those people to explore new areas and new venues in our city, which has led me to start a blog called Dope Chicks Only! It allows me to keep the community abreast with the what’s new and what’s happening in this beautiful city that we live in. This city can really make or break you! If you’re a real hustler, then you could really make a lot of money here, but it can also be really expensive to live here, so if you’re not making enough money, it can be really hard to survive.
The only thing that I dislike about Miami is the traffic!
Pricing:
- $200 for Individual returns
- $300 for Corporate Returns
- $100 for Quarterly Returns
- $50 for Amended Returns
- Free Quote
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getrefunds.as.me
- Phone: 3053840021
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: natasha_nikki_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therefundpros/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/tashalabella
- Other: www.dopechicksonly.com
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
