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“There were a lot of obstacles and tough experiences to overcome in starting my tax office, but working with the SBDC has been painless,” said Vladimir. “The greatest benefit to working with the SBDC is the wealth of information they can provide to you.”
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Liberty Tax Services
We are told that life offers two certainties: death and taxes. Although he lacks an interest in funeral science, Miami resident Vladimir Sautier is very interested in taxes. In fact, he looked forward to tax classes while majoring in finance and business at Babson College and the University of Massachusetts. After he graduated in 2000, Vladimir looked for a way to wed his expertise in accounting and finance with his passion for taxes. The option of starting from scratch is always available to the entrepreneur. But purchasing a franchise has both the appeal of an independent business and the support of an existing operation. “I liked the concept of working for myself, but not by myself,” Vladimir says.
After extensive research, Vladimir located Liberty Tax Service, a relatively young franchise that had only two locations at the time in Miami. Then came the tasks that face so many entrepreneurs: Finding an affordable location and securing working capital. At this point, Vladimir discovered the SBDC Miami office and Certified Business Analyst Nancy Orozco. Nancy assisted him in obtaining the funds he needed to launch his second location. Besides income taxes, Liberty Tax services include bookkeeping and payroll services. |
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“I highly recommend the services of the SBDC...” says Federico Coupe. “The information provided by CBA Orozco was valid and through my additional attendance at the business seminars, I discovered the extensive experience and expertise that all the SBDC analysts have in the area of business development.”
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Beaver Merchandise
Mr. Federico Coupe has more than twenty years of experience in financial services and money management counseling. He also has a master’s degree in International Business. He developed his first small business in the United States not by academic contemplation, but by analyzing a particular problem in his former employer’s building. The problem concerned vending machines. Federico solved the constant and frustrating experience with the building’s traditional vending machines, which are usually allocated in minimum quantities per building and have a tendency to breakdown.
With the formation of his company Beaver Merchandise, his client’s employees enjoy one small vending machine per floor which supplies sodas and snacks at the same time. Moreover, the mechanical functioning of the machine is totally innovative: If one line of supply breaks on the machine, the other lines keep working, providing both products. Federico did not invent the new vending machine. But he did devote considerable effort to finding the manufacturer of this new product. With his small and efficient vending machines, Mr. Coupe also generates additional business to his clients because they are now leasing the space that the big vending machines occupied.
Federico first came to the SBDC in Miami looking for information on permits, licenses and business entities. He also needed information on how to run the administrative part of the business from home and the requirements to place and lease his machines in a lawful way at different buildings throughout Miami-Dade County. With the information that Certified Business Analyst Nancy Orozco provided, Federico saved a lot of time, effort and money obtaining what he needed to operate his business within the law.
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“All business owners must clearly know and understand their finances in order to succeed. Small businesses are especially vulnerable if there are mistakes in their accounting system. Therefore, I recommend that all small business owners contact the SBDC and discover what the SBDC has to offer,” said Dr. Joukar.
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RiteCare Medical Center
Dr. Hossein Joukar had been practicing Emergency Medicine for nearly six years when he decided it was time for him to open his own Urgent Care Center. His idea arose from his desire to provide optimal patient care in an environment that was more personal, convenient and comfortable for the patient. Joukar’s vision was to establish RiteCare Medical Center as a medical facility that the community trusted and depended on when they needed medical care for non-life threatening injuries or illnesses.
After three years of careful planning and preparation, RiteCare Medical Center opened its doors to the South Miami Community on November 12, 2005. However, there were many challenges along the way. The most notable were the hurricanes that struck South Florida that year. Hurricane Katrina hit the area three days prior to the scheduled inspection that was required to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy. The morning after Hurricane Katrina passed, Joukar awoke to find that his urgent care center had flooded. As a result, the inspection was cancelled and repairs began. The opening date, originally scheduled for October 3, was delayed by four weeks and rescheduled for November 1. However, on October 31, Hurricane Wilma struck, and the opening was delayed once again. During all these set backs, Joukar remained optimistic and certain that his urgent care center would open.
Joukar graduated from Chicago Medical School and completed his training in Emergency Medicine at NYU and Bellevue Hospital. He has been practicing Emergency and Urgent Care Medicine for over nine years now, and he continues to be a strong patient advocate. Joukar’s personal strengths are his work ethic, compassion and desire to make a difference in his patient’s lives. As a businessman, Joukar is fair, honest and committed to fulfilling his company’s mission of providing excellent, professional and compassionate healthcare to patients when they need it. He fosters the team approach among his staff because he believes that much more can be accomplished when everyone works as a team.
Joukar spent many hours researching information regarding urgent care centers, the healthcare industry and the financing of his business. While visiting the sba.gov website, he discovered that much assistance was available to him as a small business owner. Through his research and attendance at a QuickBooks session, he came in contact with Lilian Urbandt, a Certified Business Analyst at the SBDC in Miami. Urbandt was instrumental in organizing Joukar’s accounting system. She spent many hours educating Joukar on appropriate chart of account set-ups, posting invoices, writing checks, setting up his payroll on QuickBooks and analyzing financial statements. It was apparent very early on that Urbandt was genuinely committed to the success of RiteCare Medical Center. Without the resources provided by the SBDC and Urbandt’s expertise, Joukar’s accounting system would not have been as organized, efficient, or accurate as it is now.
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