MELINDA (MENDY) OWENS, CPA SPOTLIGHT: MEMBER
Ask about a person from the Midwest, and you’re likely to hear things like “She’s so friendly,”“She loves to help people,” and “I feel like I’ve known her forever.” Say what you will about stereotypes, but this particular one seems to ring true, especially for Melinda (Mendy) Owens, CPA, of Greenfield, Indiana. This mom of four sons (and now one daughter-in-law) was born in Indiana, went to college at Ball State, and has been married for 27 years. The family also has three Saint Bernards and one “Saint Dane,” a Saint Bernard/Great Dane mix. It’s a busy, joy-filled household. Not surprisingly, the joy of helping other people is the “why” for Mendy when it comes to solving her clients’ tax problems. “Whenever someone calls me with a tax notice and I am able to call the IRS and get them out of the fee, it gives me the most joyous feeling!” she exclaims. One case in particular stands out for Mendy. Her client is a 70-year- old business owner who got behind on his payroll taxes. He owes $53,000 in penalties and interest, and when he came to Mendy, he was in danger of losing his business. Mendy was able to put him into Currently Not Collectible status, and now she is working on an offer in compromise. “It’s a double success story,” Mendy says. “We’re in the process of doing the final part of it, but the first part of it — he was so ecstatic. It just makes me feel really good that we could do that for him.” Asked how long she has been doing tax resolution, she flashes a quick grin and says, “I’ve actually been doing it longer than I thought.” A few years ago, Mendy attended a seminar with one of her employees where Michael was speaking, and her employee leaned over and asked, “Don’t you already do this kind of work?” The answer was actually yes … and no. Mendy says she quickly learned that she was not charging enough for her tax resolution services. A main benefit of her Roz
Melinda Owens
Strategies Insider’s Circle Membership was to build her confidence in what she already knew and to round out her education on the finer points of doing tax resolution work. “I was glad I bought the course, because it gave me the rest of what I didn’t know,” Mendy says. “I didn’t want to potentially hinder a client from being able to get an offer in compromise or a Not Collectible status. I didn’t want to do something wrong.” Recently, Mendy also purchased the Audit Protection Plan. She has found that most of her clients see the value of purchasing a plan, and with 500–600 tax-return clients, offering the plan provides a significant boost to her practice’s bottom line. Mendy also looks forward to having more time to pursue her other passions: writing, directing, and acting. “God gave me a gift of being able to write,” Mendy says, “so I write skits for my church, and I enjoy putting on productions. It’s one of my favorite things to do.”
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