PLATINUM MASTERMIND MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Melinda Tolbert, EA
Everyone remembers their first tax resolution client. Most say resolving their first case showed them how important and satisfying it is to help clients fight the IRS. For Melinda Tolbert, owner of MJ Tolbert Tax Audit Group in Columbus, Georgia, it’s no different. What is different is that she was her first client. But 18 years before Melinda received that dreaded notice from the IRS, she worked at a job in corporate America — until she became sick. She says, “I became very ill, my leave of absence expired, and I was terminated from my job.”When that happened, Melinda made a commitment to herself, saying, “I would never allow a corporation that I gave my all to just throw me away.”
a tax resolution company until I became an EA to be able to make those calls and work those cases by myself.”
Melinda joined the Founder’s Mastermind in 2021, and in February 2022, she became an Enrolled Agent (EA). Her practice has been doing so well that she applied and has been accepted into the Platinum Mastermind. “Michael’s systems have solutions for everything. So, I just follow the system,” she says. “We have a script in place from start to finish, and if for some reason I can’t convert a client, I have a follow-up system in place that I got from Michael’s program that always turns those leads into clients.”
Once Melinda got better, she started exploring different ways to start her own business. She was interested in doing taxes and enrolled in a tax prep course. After completion, the company offered her a job in management. “I stuck to my guns that I would never work for another corporation, so I stepped out on faith, and I started my own tax business,” she recalls. “When I first started, I didn’t know a whole lot, so I just stuck with what I knew, and that was basic individual tax preparation.”
Two of those clients proved to be large cases. One client owed $126,012, and Melinda settled the case with an offer in compromise of $14,000. With results like these, Melinda says she feels like she is living a dream. “Sometimes
I look in the mirror, and I’m like, ‘Is this really real?’ I just didn’t ever expect my business to grow this fast. But the love I have for taxes and the joy it brings me from helping people beat the IRS at their own game is my gift and assignment from God,” she says.
Even with systems in place, Melinda says, “Sometimes we’re in our own way. I had to learn that the need for everything to be perfect is
Her fledgling business grew, and by the fourth year, Melinda was making six figures from tax prep. Then the dreaded letter showed up in her mailbox. “I was audited by the IRS,” Melinda says. “That’s what introduced me to tax resolution because I had to learn how to beat the IRS with my own audit.” Melinda was able to successfully settle her tax issue. After it was resolved, a lightbulb went on in her mind as she realized many other people must have IRS problems and need help. “I had my own tax issues, so I clearly understand what business owners are going through.” As Melinda started researching online how to start a tax resolution practice, she noticed ads of Michael [Rozbruch] popping up everywhere. She was interested in the Tax Resolution Domination System and Toolkit, and after she purchased it, she quickly saw the value it provided. “I started doing everything Michael told me to do,” she says. “Even before I became an enrolled agent, he taught me how to run
impossible.”With that philosophy and the right procedures in place, she’s discovered she has more time to spend with family. Melinda married her high school sweetheart, Jack Jr., and they have three children: sons Jack III and JaKeith, and daughter Marya. Jack III has begun his career working with Delta Airlines in Atlanta, and JaKeith is a sophomore in high school, where he excels in football, basketball, and track. They were blessed with Marya nine years ago. With more free time, the Tolberts are able to also indulge in their favorite hobby, travel. Melinda says, “The program with Michael has freed up so much of my time. I can work from anywhere in the world, and I can travel as much as I want.” Her last trip was to Dubai for her 40th birthday, and she says it was one of her favorite vacations. “If my kids weren’t in school, we’d be traveling right now!” she exclaims.
4 • www.rozstrategies.com
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