Instant Tax Service

Founded: 2000 Franchising since: 2004
Fez Ogbazion was a college student from Ethiopia in 1994 when he started Instant Refund Tax Service. In their first tax season, his startup did returns for over 600 clients and eventually grew to dozens of locations. Ogbazion sold Instant Refund Tax Service to Jackson Hewitt in 1999. In 2000, Ogbazion moved to Dayton, Ohio, with the profits from his business deal to found Instant Tax Service. By 2003, Instant Tax Service had 100 offices across several states, and the company began franchising in 2004. Instant Tax Service specializes in professional tax preparation, expedited refund and refund anticipation loans, offering both in-person and online filing services.

Address: 1 S. Main St., #1430 Dayton, Ohio 45402

Phone: (888)870-1040

Franchisor is a privately-held company with 30 employee(s); 30 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Units

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2009	1,197	0	0	16
2008	1,181	0	0	17
2007	473	0	0	64
2006	127	0	0	96

Where Seeking Franchisees
Nationwide

Exclusive territories available.
Territory size: Population of at least 21,000

Total investment: $39,000 - $89,000
Franchise fee: $34,000
Ongoing royalty fee: 20%
Term of agreement: 5 years, renewable


Express/kiosk option available

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	Yes	No
Startup Costs	Yes	No
Equipment	Yes	No
Inventory	Yes	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	Yes	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $10,000
Cash liquidity requirement: $10,000
Business Experience:

• General business experience

Operations

• 75% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 3
• Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 5-1/2 days

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Grand opening
• Internet
• Field operations/evaluations
• Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Ad slicks
• Regional advertising

Franchise 500® rank:
#29 (2010); #12 (2009); #54 (2008); #201 (2007);

Fastest-Growing Franchises:
#3 (2009); #8 (2008); #47 (2007); #88 (2006);

Low-Cost Franchises:
#7 (2010); #1 (2009); #13 (2008); #47 (2007);

Top New Ranking:
#1 (2009); #1 (2008); #10 (2007);