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One South Main Street
Suite 1400
Dayton, Ohio 45402
Phone: (888) 684-1040
In 1994, Fez Ogbazion was just a college kid from Ethiopia looking for a piece of the American dream… today he's the CEO of the 4th largest tax preparation company in the United States.
How did he do it? He chose the right industry, for starters, an industry that made the best of what entrepreneurs (and our customers!) value most – time.
Fez saw a need in his community for fast, local tax preparation services. People wanted exceptional service from professional tax preparers in their neighborhoods, not stuffed-shirt financial managers out in the suburbs. So Fez opened his first income tax office, Instant Refund Tax Service, in 1994.
Fez’s business grew dramatically over the next five years. In 1999, a Fortune 500 company, sensing a major local competitor, offered to buy Instant Refund Tax Service. Fez, ever the entrepreneur, accepted the deal and went on to re-invest the money from the sale into a bigger and better tax business. That fresh start became Instant Tax Service, founded in 2000.
During its first year of operations, Instant Tax Service operated 60 locations. We expanded into five new markets across the country in 2001, doubled our business in 2003, and started franchising in 2004.
Today, Instant Tax Service is one of the nation’s fastest growing franchises, with over 1,200 locations in 39 states.
Fez Ogbazion opens his first storefront under the name “Instant Refund Tax Service.” Instant Refund Tax Service prepares and files tax returns for over 600 customers.
Instant Refund Tax Service opens an additional tax preparation retail office.
Instant Refund Tax Service opens two additional offices, bringing the total to four.
Instant Refund Tax Service doubles in size.
Instant Refund Tax Service opens 18 new locations for a total of 26 retail offices.
Fez sells Instant Refund Tax Service to a Fortune 500 company to generate start-up capital for a new tax business.
Fez moves to Dayton, Ohio and founds Instant Tax Service.
Instant Tax Service, opens tax retail offices in five new markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Orlando, and Washington D.C. Later that year, Fez secures investments to finance expansion into additional markets in California and Nevada.
Instant Tax Service continues to grow, and employs over 500 people during tax season.
Instant Tax Service doubles the size of its operations in 3 years, operating over 100 offices in 7 states.
Instant Tax Service begins franchising.
Instant Tax Service now has offices in 15 states, including the District of Columbia.
Instant Tax Service has 173 offices in operation, of which 36 are franchise owned, and serves over 56,000 customers.
Instant Tax Service nearly triples the number of its stores from 173 to 540 nationwide.
Instant Tax Service opens over 1,200 locations in 39 states.
System-wide sales continue to increase, and Instant Tax Service expands into 10 new markets.