Take a look at the latest edition of The Roz Report!
The Roz Report
MAY/JUNE 2024 888.670.0303 WWW.ROZSTRATEGIES.COM
AUTHORIZED MEMBER 2023
Celebrating Roz Strategies’ 10-Year Anniversary Insights From a Decade of Business Success
This June, Roslyn and I will be celebrating Roz Strategies’ 10- year anniversary from when we launched our company by introducing the Tax Resolution Success Resource System, our first reiteration of the Domination System & Toolkit. When we started Roz Strategies in 2014, I could have never imagined how fulfilling this business would be, and all the practioner’s lives we could change by helping them achieve their goals. With our company’s anniversary coming up, I’ve been thinking about the way it all began. At the time, I had a very successful tax resolution practice representing individuals and small businesses before the IRS. I’m one of the pioneers in the tax resolution industry (which is only 25 years old), and after representing clients who owed money to the IRS for 16 years, I started thinking about how I would like to provide support to other tax resolution professionals. I’d been attending annual training seminars by other pioneers in the industry. ASTPS was doing the technical training, and Pitbull was providing the software. As I talked with other attendees at these events, I would mention my rising sales and profit. Every year I was doing better, but at a certain
point, I realized that the friends I saw year-after-year at these gatherings were stuck. Their revenue and profits were flat.
Practitioners started seeking me out at these events and asked me,“Mike, what are you doing?”I explained how they could market their services more effectively. What I noticed was no one was teaching my colleagues in the industry how to be marketers, or what fees to charge and how to collect them. If somebody owes the IRS $100,000, good luck trying to collect on an invoice you send after resolving the case. To deal with that problem, I came up with a flat-fee value pricing model requiring clients to pay upfront. Roslyn encouraged me to find a way to exit my tax resolution practice and said she’d be my partner in the new business. We were empty nesters and she said, “This can be the most exciting time in our lives.” It’s definitely been an adventure. As our business has grown, we gained some important insights along the way. Make fear your friend. I didn’t know what I was doing at first. I didn’t even have a list of prospects. You’ve got to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable if you want to grow. Exploring the unknown is good; it’s where you’ll find growth. Cultivate the support of your spouse or significant other. I couldn’t have built this business without Roslyn’s support. She and I have complementary skills, and we’ve built a fantastic team. We couldn’t have achieved this level of success without our five employees. Prepare to pivot fast. When the pandemic hit in 2020, we couldn’t put on our in- person events. But we found help pivoting quickly to all-virtual Continued on Page 6 ...
Michael and Roslyn at the Launch of Roz Strategies, June 20, 2014
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT LITTLE HINGES SWING BIG DOORS
When given the opportunity to train with three-time Miss Olympia Fitness Champion, Whitney Jones, I reluctantly took it. It wasn’t that I wasn’t excited for the opportunity; it was more like I was feeling too lazy to do the work. In my head, I’m saying, “This will be great to participate in — next year.”
Doughnuts to me are like Doritos are to someone else — I cannot eat just one, and a baker’s dozen isn’t considered a serving size, so I don’t eat them at all. I try to eat healthily, but for every food I hear a health expert say is good for you, there’s another saying otherwise. One expert says, “Have oat milk. It’s good for you,” and the other says, “Don’t have oat milk; it’s a scam. How do you think cows get fat? By eating oats.” Because I was getting older, had spent many years sitting at a desk, and discovered that what worked for me in the past wasn’t working as well for me now, diet and exercise moved to the forefront of my mind. But it was only in thought. “I have to do better,” I’d tell myself. Then this past November when Michael and I were attending the annual event of a group we belong to called Genius Network, Whitney, who is also a member, made an announcement with the Founder of Genius, Joe Polish, that they were going to start a group and call it the Lean Life Challenge for health and fitness. They briefly discussed it was going to be a three-month program, and Whitney and her trainer friend Ashley would meet with the group every week on Zoom. The first meeting where they’d share all the details of the program was going to be on Jan. 1 at 8 a.m. I thought there was no way I was going to wake up early on New Year’s Day for a Zoom call! Then a funny thing happened: I didn’t drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve, and I woke up well before the call, so I attended. At the end of the Zoom, I signed up for the three-month program and paid for it in full. Hey, if something sounds good, I’m going for it.
Roslyn and 3-time Miss Olympia Fitness Champion Whitney Jones
What I discovered in those three months is that little changes I made in my life, such as drinking more water, walking more often, and going to bed at a decent time, made a big difference in how I felt physically and mentally. Just like little hinges swing big doors, small personal changes make peak performance. Every Monday I was up, dressed, and ready for the 8 a.m. Zoom meeting. I couldn’t even believe how involved I became in all the activities Whitney and Ashley planned to help us reach our goals and the results I achieved. It wasn’t anything that anyone could see; my focus was more on physically feeling my best. Plus, I think knowing I was doing this for three months instead of the rest of my life was helpful, too. After the three months were over, I felt motivated enough to continue with the small but impactful changes I’d made for myself. And the reason I’ve been able to keep up with these new routines is because they were easy to do . All of this brings me back to you and my question for you: What is the one thing you’ve been wanting to do in your life that would make a difference for the better? I say go for it. Who knows what great results you might achieve for yourself? They might be as good as a little hinge on a big door. –Roslyn Rozbruch
The idea of working out and eating healthy is always on my mind. This goes as far back as when I was in high school and wanted to lose a few pounds, so I joined Weight Watchers. (That’s a story in itself, but let’s just say I never lost weight going to Weight Watchers). Over the years, I’ve done the Jane Fonda Workout, Billy Blanks Kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates, and the Tracy Anderson Method — you name it, I’ve probably done it. I’ve even done hot yoga, although I’ve never done goat yoga, and I probably never will. If I’m doing yoga with an animal, it’s going to be with a puppy, not a goat. When I worked part-time over 10 years ago, it was easier to make time to go to the gym. And with food choices, I can always eat healthier. There are some foods I’ve cut from my diet completely that aren’t healthy, like doughnuts. I can’t remember the last time I had one. “What is the one thing you’ve been wanting to do in your life that would make a difference for the better? I say go for it.” Whitney Jones
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From the Practice Corner: IRS TURNS UP THE HEAT ON NON-FILERS
A recent Internal Revenue Service announcement has created a great opportunity to retain lucrative tax resolution clients. The IRS said that it is focusing its efforts on collecting from high- income taxpayers who have failed to file returns since 2017. Under the spotlight are 125,000 cases, comprising two categories: 100,000 cases involving taxpayers earning between $400,000 and $1 million and 25,000 cases involving taxpayers with incomes surpassing $1 million. This is a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has provided the funding to tackle these cases effectively. Prior to this, budget constraints hampered the IRS’s non-filer program, which resulted in sporadic operations. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel underscored the significance of these resources saying, “With the Inflation Reduction Act resources, the agency finally has the funding to identify non-filers to ensure they meet this core civic responsibility, and ultimately help ensure fairness for everyone who plays by the rules.” The IRS is sending out 125,000 CP59 notices to alert high-income taxpayers of their obligation to comply. The IRS believes these cases involve hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, with third parties suggesting more than $100 billion is owed. Commissioner Werfel emphasized the importance of tax compliance stating, “When millions of hardworking people are doing the right thing paying their taxes, we cannot tolerate those with higher incomes failing to do a basic civic duty of filing a tax return.”The IRS has already collected almost $500 million from 1,600 millionaires who were delinquent in their tax obligations. Failure to respond to IRS notices triggers various compliance measures, presenting an opportunity for tax resolution professionals to offer relief to taxpayers.
Americans’ second biggest fear, after public speaking, is dealing with the IRS. The IRS has put high-income taxpayers on notice that they are coming to collect what they believe is owed them. The fear that can be incited is real. But you are the solution these taxpayers are looking for. You can save their financial life from ruin, get them back on track, and let them move on with their lives. However, no taxpayer will know you can assist them if you do not market your services. IRS Commissioner Werfel said, “For those who owe, the risk will just grow over time, as will the potential for penalties and interest. These non-filers should review information on IRS.gov that can help and consider talking to a trusted tax professional as soon as possible.” Even the IRS recommends that taxpayers seek out your services. In light of the IRS’s efforts to collect from high-income taxpayers, the importance of marketing tax resolution services is evident. With the consequences of non-compliance growing over time, tax resolution professionals play a vital role in assisting taxpayers in navigating these challenges. By actively marketing your expertise, you can ensure those in need are aware of the assistance available to them, helping them achieve financial stability and freedom from fear of the IRS. Do not miss out on this opportunity to retain high-income prospects being targeted by the IRS and in desperate need of your services. Market your services and retain new clients today. –Michael Rozbruch
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FOUNDER’S MASTERMIND MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Douglas Dick, Enrolled Agent
For Douglas Dick, the journey into the world of tax resolution wasn’t shaped by a single moment but rather by a series of instances over a matter of years that ultimately led him to establish Sancus Tax Relief located in Long Beach, California. accounting at California State University, Los Angeles, and his mother needed his help. She was a widow and was going to get remarried, but she wanted to sell her house first and utilize the Section 121 Exclusion IRS rule, for which she was eligible. However, she received a letter from the IRS denying the exclusion and stating she owed them $40,000. Douglas says, “My mom was terrified. I fortunately knew the IRS was wrong, and I said, ‘No, you’re not paying them, and I’ll take care of it.’” And that is precisely what Douglas did, saving his mom $40,000. This gave Douglas his first glimpse into tax resolution. The first instance happened when Douglas was a student in tax and Despite the satisfaction Douglas had in helping his mother, he didn’t see himself pursuing tax resolution as a career path. “I didn’t think I liked it to be honest,” he says. At the time, Douglas had an instructor who owned her own tax business, and after he graduated college, she hired him. He became the accounting manager for one of her clients for 13 years. After that, he worked for another company for 17 years before deciding to strike out on his own. “I had reached a point where I couldn’t go any higher or make any more money at the company I was with, and I had the fortune of some money set aside I could live on while I built a business,” he says.
The second instance happened when Douglas started his accounting and tax preparation business and shared an office with a friend who worked in tax resolution. Observing her passion for tax resolution, Douglas’s perspective began to shift. “Seeing how well my friend was doing with it and how excited she would get when she had a good outcome for a client,” he says, led him to reconsider. The third instance that led Douglas to commit to pursuing tax resolution was the success he experienced after joining the Roz Strategies Founder’s Mastermind. The first client who came to him after he joined mastermind was a couple going through a difficult time. The husband had a brainstem stroke and other health issues, and the wife was taking care of him and their three kids, and they got behind on their tax filings. The IRS claimed the couple owed $44,000. Using the guidance and advice from Michael, Douglas was able to get the IRS agent to agree with the tax return Douglas submitted. Douglas shared that not only did the couple not owe the IRS $44,000, but they were due a refund. “With interest and everything, they got a refund of about $15,000. In addition to that, they got a refund of $30,000 from subsequent years because the IRS had taken money from subsequent years to apply to that. So, they actually ended up getting over $40,000 back instead of paying $44,000,” says Douglas. One of the biggest lessons Douglas has learned from being in the Founder’s Mastermind is about pricing. “I’ve gotten people to pay me some fees
I never thought I would ever get or even dreamed of, to be honest. I never would have charged these prices.” Besides making more money, Douglas enjoys resolution because of the satisfaction he receives from helping clients. “What could be better to do for a living than help people out and be paid for it? It feels good financially and spiritually,” he says. One of the most effective marketing strategies for Douglas so far has been doing Google Ads. “What do you hear people say? ‘Google it.’ You never hear anybody say, ‘Bing it,’ or ‘look it up on Twitter,’” he says. Douglas is excited about the future of his business and is making more than he ever did working for an employer. Of his tax resolution practice he says, “It’s going to help me with retirement, and being able to live a good life and live well.” In his free time, Douglas likes to spend time with his two Airedale terriers, Max and Lyle. He also enjoys baking, traveling, and cycling. Some of the sweet treats he is known for are his pecan pie, lemon cranberry tart, and chocolate cake with white chocolate caramel buttercream frosting.
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It’s Our 9th Annual Virtual Success Summit! Thursday, Aug. 22 – Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024
The sky’s the limit at this year’s 2024 Virtual Event as we show you how to be TOP GUN in your industry! The IRS has embarked on one of the MOST aggressive enforcement initiatives in decades now that they have an $80 billion war chest. Now is your time to launch a daring rescue mission for taxpayers ensnared by the IRS. Become the hero they need to navigate the skies of tax resolution with precision, ease, and skill.
Purchase tickets at RozStrategies.com/summit Members always receive special pricing!
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit RozStrategies.com/summit , contact our concierge Ruthie at Ruthie@RozStrategies.com, or call our offices at 888-670-0303.
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Congratulations to Melinda Tolbert for being retained on the second-largest case of her career, valued at $2 million! Despite the client’s initial request to be removed from Melinda’s mailing list, Melinda suggested that if the tax issue remained unresolved, the client contact her. And indeed, the client did! The Fortune is in the Follow-up! Way to go, Antonio Nava , for achieving $260,445 in resolution sales for one month! During tax season! High five to LuSundra Everett for closing a client who owes $3.2 million to the IRS! She continued following up despite not retaining the client after their first meeting, and it paid off with a $20,000 retainer and $5,000 a month until the case was resolved. Kudos to Kristen Cunningham for purchasing her first home and crediting Roz Strategies for giving her the tools to grow her business and achieve financial freedom. Also, well done on resolving her first resolution client’s case and earning a stellar review. Congrats to Andy Magnus for abating $250,000 in penalties on Form 3620 and persevering for five years while awaiting the case’s resolution. High five to Daniel Cotts for closing a $40,000 sale! Kudos to Bill Bourbonnais for his dedication to marketing, which led to closing his first resolution client. SHOUT
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events. Today, we get most of our new Founder’s Mastermind members from our virtual events. Invest in coaches and mentors. By engaging a coach, you’re buying speed of implementation. You also avoid wasting time on unnecessary trial and error. If you want to reach the pinnacle of success, get help from someone who has already climbed the mountain and is standing at the top. Go above and beyond for your members. This is one of our core values. We make a point of understanding what is going on in our members’ businesses and lives. We send special gifts on birthdays or surprise gifts if something special happens in a member’s life. Roslyn organizes our in-person annual event for our Founder’s Mastermind members, and we try to not only teach our members, but also give them the confidence they need to succeed, and wow them while they’re at our events. More important than anything, we try to help our members succeed in any way we can by providing all the support they need from our entire Roz Team. Our 10 years in business together have gone by quickly, and we hope to continue to serve our members for another 10 years. What keeps us going is the success of our members. We offer three levels of membership as well as mastermind groups. In our Founder’s Mastermind group, members benefit from the accountability they require of each other and the sense of community and support they receive. They also are buying the likelihood that their businesses will perform much better in the future due to repeated exposure in these groups to proven strategies and business models. A new opportunity to join our Founder’s Mastermind program is coming up at our 9th Annual Tax Resolution Success Summit, a virtual event scheduled for Aug. 22–24. If you’re interested in joining, or would like more information, reach out to Ruthie at Ruthie@RozStrategies.com and she’ll be sure to answer your questions or send out a package of information. –Michael Rozbruch
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High five to Joaquin Torres for promoting his tax resolution services. A friend noticed his Facebook posts and referred Joaquin a client who owed over $100,000 to the IRS. Congrats to Lisa Madia for securing her first tax resolution client. Kudos to Diane Mumma-Wakabayashi for passing the EA exam and becoming an Enrolled Agent! Way to go, J. Kevin Benjamin , Steve Calvar , Rona Durandisse , and Regina Jackson for mailing out referral letters. High five to Gerald Castillo for sending out the letter to his existing and previous clients introducing IRS Representation Services. OUTS !
Happy Birthday to Our Members!
Do you have a story or picture to share with us about something you’ve
implemented, a client you’ve helped with a tax problem, or anything else you’d like to share? If you do, email it to Info@RozStrategies.com, and we will give a Shout Out to you!
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Inside This Issue
pg 1 ∙
Celebrating Roz Strategies’ 10-Year Anniversary Food for Thought: Little Hinges Swing Big Doors From the Practice Corner: IRS Turns Up the Heat on Non-Filers
pg 2 ∙
pg 3 ∙
pg 4 ∙
Spotlight on Douglas Dick, Enrolled Agent
pg 5 ∙
Save the Date for the 2024 Tax Resolution Success Summit!
pg 6 ∙
Shout Outs!
pg 8 ∙
IRS Slaps Tax Lien on Talk Show Host’s Condo
IRS TERROR TALE OF THE MONTH TALK SHOW HOST WENDY WILLIAMS HIT WITH TAX LIEN
The IRS has hit former talk show host Wendy Williams with a tax lien on her New York City condo. The agency claims she owes outstanding balances of more than a half-million dollars on her federal tax returns for the years 2019 and 2021. Williams’ home has been in the IRS’ cross-hairs since the lien was generated in January and recorded with the New York City Department of Finance in early February. Records show she bought the condo for $4.5 million in 2021, according to TMZ, the news site that broke the story. The IRS claims she owes a total of $568,451.17 in federal taxes. Due to Williams’ diagnoses of aphasia and dementia, resolving the tax debt will probably be up to her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey. Morrissey was appointed in 2022 after the alleged tax violations occurred. Williams’ talk show was canceled in 2022 after attracting millions of fans during 14 years on the air. Health issues forced her to take multiple breaks during the last few years of the show.
Williams’ bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts in 2022 and asked the New York Supreme Court to determine whether she was incapacitated, according to Variety. Williams asserted in court filings that she had several million dollars in
her accounts and that Wells Fargo’s action prevented her from paying employees and making mortgage payments. Variety reported at the time that Williams was battling Graves’ disease and thyroid concerns. By 2022, according to court filings by Morrissey, Williams was incapable of managing her own affairs. Recently, Morrissey criticized A+E Networks in court documents for humiliating the media personality by filming her in an obviously disabled state in a 2024 Lifetime documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?”The IRS just wants to collect what’s due to them. If they were to do a documentary, they might call it “Where is Wendy Williams’ Money to Pay Her Tax Bill?”
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